Dr Basel Ghattas, Knesset member for the Balad Party, will be a passenger at Freedom Flottila III. He has also written a letter to Israeli Prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defence Moshe Ya'alon stating that the attempt of the flottila is to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza and provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. He also states that "there is no reason to prevent us from reaching Gaza". The letter can be read at the Freedom Flottila website.