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Post by ninathedog on Jun 3, 2010 22:47:53 GMT 4
Beyond The Gaza Flotilla Attack: What Needs To Be Done, And HowDr. Alan Sabrosky Salem-News.com Jun-02-2010 16:23(JACKSON, Miss.) - The opening moves in the reaction to the Israeli interception of the first wave of the Gaza flotilla have now been made. Israel visibly underestimated the international response to its attack and the casualties it inflicted. Widespread condemnation ensued almost everywhere, many Americans became aware for the first time that something was seriously amiss in that part of the world, and attempts were made to bring both the UN and NATO into play. But Israel also understood clearly that no matter what it did to whom, or how the rest of the world reacted, its dominance of the mainstream media (MSM) in the US and its lock on the US Government (USG) assured that its view of the event would be the one most Americans received. More importantly, it could count on the USG to refrain from joining in the general condemnation, and to ensure that whatever formal responses emerged from the UN Security Council and NATO were little more than platitudes, lacking teeth and allowing it as the offender to investigate itself, if it chose to do so. "Such a deal," as the saying goes. What Needs to be DoneAnd that is precisely what seems to be happening to date, although the appearance of the MV Rachel Corrie under Irish sponsorship can fuel the still-bubbling cauldron of global unhappiness — Israel and the US mostly excepted, of course. An Israeli interception of that ship, with or without casualties, would further enrage almost everyone concerned with this issue. It would also give Obama an opportunity to see just how much political damage is caused him by outraged Irish-Americans, the majority of them Democrats, if once again he does the "Yassuh, massa" routine with Netanyahu. And Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman's remark that "… the Security Council resolution [on Israel's attack] is unacceptable and contributes nothing to the promotion of peace and stability in the Middle East" is on the mark, although not in the way he meant it. It is unacceptable because it lacks direct condemnation of Israel and sanctions, and defers to USG intransigence on Israel's behalf — I sometimes wonder that USG leaders, including President Obama and Secretary Clinton, dare use the bathrooms in their offices without first asking Netanyahu's permission. It is doubly unacceptable because anything that does not bring Israel to heel and hold it accountable for its actions cannot in any way further peace or stability in that region. What is needed is not difficult to enumerate, and others have noted one or more in the past. First and foremost is a formal condemnation of Israel by name in both the UN and by NATO, one of whose members (Turkey) is an aggrieved party in this latest incident. Second, Israel should be suspended from membership in the UN, pending the outcome of an independent investigation into the incident (or incidents, as the MV Rachel Corrie may well have been intercepted before anything can be done) and a complete lifting of the blockade on Gaza. Third, a phased set of sanctions needs to be imposed on Israel, beginning with a complete banning of flights and ships to and from Israeli destinations, or the transshipment of passengers and goods to and from Israeli airports and seaports. Formal embargoes and the seizure of overseas Israeli assets would follow if needed. Finally, a multinational naval force under both national and UN flags is needed to escort relief ships to and from Gaza, to prevent any future assaults like the one that just happened to the aid flotilla, and to keep the Gaza coastline free of Israeli naval forces. Egypt should be commended for opening its crossing with Gaza and encouraged to keep it open. Making it HappenI do not for a moment underestimate the practical difficulty of implementing these measures, or others like them. What makes it even worse is that many governments are overwhelmed by a sense of inertia: they are so accustomed to seeing good efforts fail on the wall of US vetoes and leverage protecting Israel, that they are reluctant to do anything except make a nominal effort and go away grumbling after losing. That need not happen now. In the aftermath of the latest incident with the flotilla, more countries across the globe are coming together condemning Israel than even after the submission of the Goldstone Report. France and Britain have joined Russia and China in calling for a lifting of the Gaza siege. India and Brazil have condemned the attack. Turkey, a key regional state and a member of NATO, is enraged, and many European states that would once have supported Israel or at least abstained from votes against it, are now likely to support measures that end Israel's blockade of Gaza and protect the flow of aid to Gaza itself. Having their own citizens among Israel's victims has been enlightening for many. But the longer it takes for the international community to begin doing something and not just talking about the incident, the more likely it is that the essential element of outrage will wane, thereby undercutting any punitive initiatives and the momentum needed to carry them though. And it is absolutely certain that Israel and its supporters in the USG are counting on precisely that happening. To forestall this, there are two visible mechanisms for putting principles into action, neither of which is hostage to a US veto. One — often discussed but not yet done on this issue — is to invoke the "Uniting for Peace" Resolution in the UN General Assembly, which gives the UNGA the enforcement mechanisms available in other circumstances to the Security Council. My reading of the reaction to this incident is that at this time, there are more than enough votes in the UNGA to do this. Remember that a resolution designed by the US to circumvent Soviet intransigence and vetoes in the Security Council of its day, can and should with equal justice be directed against the US for the same reasons today on this issue. All countries would not take all of the actions enumerated above, but enough would take some of them to make life very interesting for Israel and its minions in the USG. Second, there is NATO itself. Turkey has said it would provide escort to future efforts at sending aid to Gaza, presumably on Turkish-flagged ships. It is a key regional player and has been a good ally for decades, and it should not be required to act alone on something that ought to have activated the collective defense provisions of the NATO treaty: between 9/11, used as a pretext for NATO to become engaged in Afghanistan, and the attack on the Turkish part of the Gaza aid flotilla, is a difference only of degree and not of kind. A NATO multinational naval presence off the Gaza coast is just what is needed for openers, and if it is supplemented by another under UN auspices, so much the better. Indeed, even a single warship from any other country joining even one from Turkey to escort the next ship through Israel's illegal blockade would send a much-needed and long overdue signal neither Israel nor the USG could ignore. Israeli arrogance has given the world an opportunity to change things, if it dares — and perhaps it will. ======================================================= Alan Sabrosky (Ph.D., University of Michigan) is a writer and consultant specializing in national and international security affairs. In December 1988, he received the Superior Civilian Service Award after more than five years of service at the U.S. Army War College as Director of Studies, Strategic Studies Institute, and holder of the General of the Army Douglas MacArthur Chair of Research. He is listed in WHO'S WHO IN THE EAST (23rd ed.). A Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and a 1986 graduate of the U.S. Army War College, Dr. Sabrosky's teaching and research appointments have included the United States Military Academy, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Middlebury College and Catholic University; while in government service, he held concurrent adjunct professorships at Georgetown University and the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Dr. Sabrosky has lectured widely on defense and foreign affairs in the United States and abroad. You can email Dr. Alan Sabrosky at: docbrosk@comcast.netwww.salem-news.com/articles/june022010/beyond-flotilla-as.php
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 3, 2010 23:05:53 GMT 4
Gaza flotilla update: Ireland’s MV Rachel Corrie still headed for Gazanewsroom published this on 6:00 pm, Tuesday, 1st June, 2010 forargyll.com(Updated 3rd June) One of the flotilla ships, the MV Rachel Corrie, has not gone to Ashdod in Israel, as have, under instruction, the ships ‘intercepted’ yesterday by the Israeli Navy after its attack, yesterday morning’s, on the Mavi Marmara. The Rachel Corrie is still making for Gaza. She is due to arrive there tomorrow – Wednesday 2nd June. MV Rachel Corrie, her passengers and her cargoA converted merchant ship (formerly the MV Linda), she was bought by Irish pro-Palestine activists and renamed the Rachel Corrie for an American woman killed in the Gaza Strip in 2003. She got separated from the flotilla by having to stay in Cyprus for an additional 48 hours en route. She left Malta on Monday 31st May, carrying 15 activists and an international luminary in the peace movement. Aboard her is Mairead Corrigan Maguire, who, with her colleague, Betty Williams, created Northern Ireland’s Peace People and, the younger of the pair, became the youngest ever person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize when they were jointly awarded it for their work. Ms Corrigan says that all of aid ships are purely humanitarian and none are carrying arms. She wants to see the ship get through in order to demonstrate to the people of Gaza that the world has not forgotten them and that it does care about what is happening to them. She compares the 1.5 million population of Gaza to the Northern Ireland she knows. She describes their situation – totally cut off from the outside world by an illegal siege, their borders closed and with a shortage of medicine. With Ms Maguire is Denis Halliday, former UN Assistant Secretary General and Irish nationals, Jenny and Derek Graham. Speaking to The Irish Times earlier today from the Rachel Corrie, Mr Graham said that the ship was bringing educational materials, construction materials and toys to Gaza. He said that the entire cargo had been inspected in Ireland and that he hoped the ship would get a safe passage. The Toronto Star has reported that an unidentified Israeli marine lieutenant has told Israel’s Army Radio that his unit was prepared to block the ship. His was the unit responsible for the shooting on the Mavi Marmara causing an as yet uncertified number of deaths.The Irish Government has asked Israel to ensure that the Irish-flagged ship ‘complete its journey unimpeded and discharge its humanitarian cargo in Gaza’. The Irish prime minister, Brian Cowen, has warned Israel that it will face ‘the most serious consequences’ in the event that any harm comes to Irish citizens on board the humanitarian relief vessel.Update 09.30 3rd June: The Irish Times is reporting that the Rachel Corrie should reach the Gaza Exclusion Zone some time between Friday night (4th June) and Saturday morning (5th June).UN Security Council actionThe UN Security Council has called for an independent and impartial investigation into the Israeli action launching the commando raid on the aid ships in international waters. Israel has countered that its own internal investigations will be adequate. We do not understand why all the UN Security Council is doing is ‘calling’ for such an investigation Why can it not establish it from the UN? How could the Americans – still giving shelter to the indefensible – object to an independent and impartial investigation?— Oban Concern for Palestine Graeme Pagan, Chair of Oban Concern for Palestine, has again written to Argyll’s MP, Alan Reid, asking him to contact Foreign Secretary, William Hague, to make the point to the UK Government that the MV Rachel Corrie must not be attacked as it sails alone for Gaza. In asking Mr Reid to take the appropriate action, Mr Pagan has pointed out that: ‘There must not be another bloodbath & people must be free to travel in international & Gazan waters without fear of attack’. Note 1: We understand that there are a further two humanitarian aid ships also making for Gaza but do not yet know which ships they are or their current position. We do not know whether they are sailing with the MV Rachel Corrie whose Ship AIS transponder seems to be turned off, as no position for her has been logged since she left Malta two days ago.Note 2: There are useful insights into the legal situation here, from former British Ambassador Craig Murray -- www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2010/05/the_legal_posit.htmlforargyll.com/2010/06/gaza-flotilla-update-mv-rachel-corrie-still-headed-for-gaza/.................... The Legal Position on the Israeli Attackby Craig Murray May 31, 2010I think that anybody with any fairness is bound to admit that the statement William Hague came out with is much better than anything on Israel which New Labour ever came out with, especially this bit: "This news underlines the need to lift the restrictions on access to Gaza, in line with UNSCR 1860. The closure is unacceptable and counter-productive. There can be no better response from the international community to this tragedy than to achieve urgently a durable resolution to the Gaza crisis. I call on the Government of Israel to open the crossings to allow unfettered access for aid to Gaza, and address the serious concerns about the deterioration in the humanitarian and economic situation and about the effect on a generation of young Palestinians." www.fco.gov.uk/en/news/latest-news/?view=News&id=22300485But as I told this afternoon's tremendous spontaneous demonstration on Whitehall, fine words are not enough and we must now see the kind of sanctions regime we saw against apartheid South Africa. A word on the legal position, which is very plain. To attack a foreign flagged vessel in international waters is illegal. It is not piracy, as the Israeli vessels carried a military commission. It is rather an act of illegal warfare. Because the incident took place on the high seas does not mean however that international law is the only applicable law. The Law of the Sea is quite plain that, when an incident takes place on a ship on the high seas (outside anybody's territorial waters) the applicable law is that of the flag state of the ship on which the incident occurred. In legal terms, the Turkish ship was Turkish territory. There are therefore two clear legal possibilities. Possibility one is that the Israeli commandos were acting on behalf of the government of Israel in killing the activists on the ships. In that case Israel is in a position of war with Turkey, and the act falls under international jurisdiction as a war crime. Possibility two is that, if the killings were not authorised Israeli military action, they were acts of murder under Turkish jurisdiction. If Israel does not consider itself in a position of war with Turkey, then it must hand over the commandos involved for trial in Turkey under Turkish law. In brief, if Israel and Turkey are not at war, then it is Turkish law which is applicable to what happened on the ship. It is for Turkey, not Israel, to carry out any inquiry or investigation into events and to initiate any prosecutions. Israel is obliged to hand over indicted personnel for prosecution. Craig Murray is a former British Ambassador. He is also a former Head of the Maritime Section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He negotiated the UK's current maritime boundaries with Ireland, Denmark (Faeroes), Belgium and France, and boundaries of the Channel Islands, Turks and Caicos and British Virgin Islands. He was alternate Head of the UK Delegation to the UN Preparatory Commission on the Law of the Sea. He was Head of the FCO Section of the Embargo Surveillance Centre, enforcing sanctions on Iraq, and directly responsible for clearance of Royal Navy boarding operations in the Persian Gulf.www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2010/05/the_legal_posit.html
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 3, 2010 23:25:34 GMT 4
This is the website of the Free Gaza Movement, a human rights group that in August 2008 sent the first international boats to land in the port of Gaza in 41 years. We want to break the siege of Gaza. We want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation.Sabotage on the High SeaWritten by Greta Berlin | 03 June 2010 Posted in News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE(Cyprus, June 4, 2010) On Tuesday,, Colonel Itzik Tourgeman told the Knesset Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday that two more ships are on their way to try and break the naval blockade of Gaza. The head of research in the operations division said, "The ships have not reached their target as of today because covert action was taken against them." www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/187299We had suspicions about our two boats, Challenger 1 and 2 and their mechanical problems as they sailed toward the flotilla, but we were not going to say anything unless we could prove it. Turns out we didn't have to prove it. Israeli mouthpieces did. The Guardian ran a piece the same day, saying, Israel gave strong indications today that its forces had secretly sabotaged some of the ships bound for Gaza as part of the freedom flotilla. Matan Vilnai, the deputy defence minister, was asked on Israel Radio whether there had not been a smarter alternative to direct assault. He answered that "all possibilities had been considered," adding: "The fact is that there were less than the 10 ships that were due to participate in the flotilla." An unnamed Israeli Defence Force source who briefed the Knesset's foreign affairs and defence committee on the widely criticised armed interception of the flotilla at sea, also spoke of "grey operations" being mounted against the flotilla." We were lucky that our two captains were supurbly trained and able to offload the passengers safely. So we are going to make sure the Rachel Corrie is well protected and that Israel is put on notice that anything that happens to her, the passengers and the crew will rest with Israel. As a result of these threats, we're going to pull Rachel Corrie into a port, add more high-profile people on board, and insist that journalists from around the world also come with us. And sabotage happens with more than deeds. It also happens with words. In today's Haaretz, Barak Ravid reported, "A diplomatic solution seems imminent to allow the humanitarian aid vessel the Rachel Corrie to dock without incident at the Ashdod Port. According to European diplomats and senior Foreign Ministry officials in Jerusalem, quiet messages have been exchanged over the past few days between Israel and the group operating the ship, to allow it to dock." This, too, is sabotage in writing. We called Haaretz and the reporter. He did not return our call. We have no intention nor would we ever have any intention of ever docking in Ashdod. Contact: Greta Berlin 00 357 99 18 72 75 Mary Hughes, 00 357 96 38 38 09 ......... DID ISRAEL DELIBERATELY MURDER CIVILIANS ABOARD FREEDOM FLOTILLA?Written by Free Gaza team | 03 June 2010 Posted in NewsIsraeli Ambassador to the United States admits that ships were "too large to stop with nonviolent means." On May 31st, 2010, elite Israeli military commandos stormed six humanitarian aid ships taking part in the 'Freedom Flotilla' to Gaza, killing between 9-20 civilian passengers and injuring dozens more. As the facts of the attack come out it is clear that these killings cannot in any way be justified. PRIOR TO THE ISRAELI ATTACK - The Israeli GovernmentOn 27 May, Bloomberg News reported that Israel was threatening to use its military forces and “use all available means to stop the ships” ('Israel Threatens Naval Action to Stop Aid Ships Bound for Gaza'). On 28 May the Associated Press reported that the Israeli government was prepared to stop the flotilla "at any cost," including being "prepared to use force." ('Israeli gunships head to sea to block flotilla'). It was further reported that masked naval commandos were being "trained" to stop the flotilla. On 1 June the Guardian reported that Matan Vilnai, Israel's deputy Defense Minister, suggested that the Israeli military had sabotaged several of the Freedom Flotilla ships. The flotilla was in fact delayed by two days due to unexpected mechanical problems, and 3 of the original 9 ships intending to join the flotilla were forced to drop off. ('Gaza aid flotilla: Israeli sabotage suspected,' Guardian, 1 June 2010) THE MASSACRE ABOARD THE MARI MARMARAOn 31 May, under cover of darkness, Israeli military forces surrounded the Freedom Flotilla in international waters. Armed and masked commandos stormed all 6 ships from sea and from air, killing between 9 and 20 civilians. After more than 2 days, Israel still refuses to release the names and identities of the dead, nor even confirm the number of passengers killed by their forces. An Israeli military spokesperson, Avital Leibovich, confirmed the attack took place in international waters, stating: "This happened in waters outside of Israeli territory, but we have the right to defend ourselves." Did the passengers aboard the Mari Marmara possess a similar right to defend themselves? Israel released highly-edited videos of the confrontation, claiming that civilian passengers aboard the Mari Marmara attempted to "lynch" the well-armed military commandos when they first stormed the ship. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak praised the commandos, stating: "You carried out the mission and prevented the flotilla from reaching Gaza. We need to always remember that we aren't North America or Western Europe, we live in the Middle East, in a place where there is no mercy for the weak and there aren't second chances for those who don't defend themselves." ('Barak: In the Middle East, there is no mercy for the weak,' Haaretz, 2 June 2010.) Again, one wonders whether this sentiment extends to the civilians killed by those commandos as well. In contrast to the Israeli account of events, which is self-evidently absurd, Jamal Elshayyal, an Al-Jazeera correspondent aboard the Mari Marmara was able to issue a brief report before Israeli forces cut all communications with the ships. Elshayyal's report contradict the Israeli version of events, stating that Israel fired live ammunition on the civilians after they had raised a white flag. View the live report yourself at: english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/05/201053133047995359.htmlEyewitness testimony from the handful of passengers who have been released directly contradicts Israel's version as well. According to Nilufer Cetin, who sailed on the Mari Marmara with her one-year-old baby, "The operation started immediately with firing. First it was warning shots, but when the Mavi Marmara wouldn't stop these warnings turned into an attack," she said."There were sound and smoke bombs and later they used gas bombs. Following the bombings they started to come on board from helicopters."('Israelis opened fire before boarding Gaza flotilla, say released activists,' Guardian, 1 June 2010) Cetin's account is just one of several contradicting the Israeli narrative. Haneen Zoubi, a Member of the Israeli Knesset, and just one of several parliamentarians aboard the flotilla, stated that Israeli warships surrounded the Mavi Marmara, firing on the ship before the commandos stormed aboard. At a press conference in Nazareth, shortly after her release, MK Zoubi also stated that: “Israel had days to plan this military operation. They wanted many deaths to terrorize us and to send a message that no future aid convoys should try to break the siege of Gaza.” ('Israeli Knesset member rejects navy account of attack,' Irish Sun, 2 June 2010) Yonatan Shapira, former pilot in the IDF for the very squadron that conducted the assault on the Mavi Marmara stated: "No Israeli pilot would drop commandos on a ship in the middle of the sea, in the middle of the night, during such an operation without the soldiers carrying live ammunition. Paint ball canisters may have been attached to the automatic weapons that they had, but there is no doubt that the soldiers had and were prepared to use live ammunition"
In an interview on the Diane Rehm Show on 2 June, a nationally-broadcast radio program in the United States, Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, stated that in planning their assault the Marmara, the Israeli government had concluded that the ship was "too large to stop with nonviolent means."There is clear evidence present that the State of Israeli may have deliberately and with forethought intended to provoke a conflict in order to assassinate civilians sailing aboard the Freedom Flotilla, and therefore violently discourage any further attempts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinians of besieged Gaza. The Free Gaza Movement calls upon the international community to enforce international standards and laws, fully investigate these crimes, and hold Israeli officials accountable for the willful murder of international human rights and humanitarian aid workers aboard the Freedom Flotilla........ Israel and Free Gaza FlotillaWritten by Free Gaza Team | 03 June 2010 Posted in NewsCINDY and CRAIG CORRIECindy and Craig Corrie are the parents of Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in the Gaza Strip on March 16, 2003, while trying to prevent the demolition of the home of a Palestinian pharmacist, his wife and three young children. A Free Gaza boat that is being readied to sail to Gaza is named for her. Among those on board are Irish Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Corrigan-Maguire and former UN Assistant Secretary General Denis Halliday, who is also Irish.The Corries, who have themselves been to Gaza twice and recently to Israel for a trial related to their daughter's killing, said today in a statement: "We call on the U.S. government and governments of the world to act now. First, the well-being of all the flotilla passengers still in Israel must be secured, and the identities of those killed and injured must be released immediately.
Second, governments around the world must demand an independent investigation into the attack upon the flotilla and the killings that occurred. An Israeli-led investigation into an international incident of this magnitude is unacceptable. Our family's own experience has made it all too painfully clear that the Israeli military is unable or unwilling to adequately investigate itself.
Third, the U.S. and other governments can and must insist that other boats from the flotilla, including the MV Rachel Corrie, named for our daughter, be permitted to sail through international waters to Gaza unobstructed.
Finally, we demand that the governments of the world act as courageously as did the activists on the Free Gaza flotilla and, themselves, break the illegal and immoral siege of Gaza."
FRANCIS BOYLEProfessor of international law at the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign, Boyle said today: "The Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla violated the SUA Convention [Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation], to which Israel, Turkey, Ireland and the USA are all parties. This convention was pushed by the USA in reaction to the Achille Lauro hijacking and the murder of Leon Klinghoffer." See: "Is the Israeli Blockade of Gaza Against the Law?" Boyle's books include Palestine, Palestinians and International Law and most recently Tackling America's Toughest Questions.Ambassador EDWARD L. PECKAvailable for a limited number of interviews, Peck was aboard one of the Free Gaza boats trying to go to Gaza that Israel seized. He returned to the U.S. yesterday. He said today: "What the Israelis are claiming is laughable. The passengers were defending the ships, the Israelis were attacking them -- not the other way around. The Israeli spokespeople keep referring to their soldiers having paint guns -- as if they didn't pose a real threat -- but they also had automatic weapons and stun grenades and pepper spray and tasers." Peck was chief of mission in Iraq and Mauritania and deputy director of the White House Task Force on Terrorism in the Reagan administration. JOE MEADORSMeadors was on the same Free Gaza boat as Peck that Israel seized. He is also a survivor of the 1967 attack by Israel on the U.S. military ship the USS Liberty. He said today: "All of our cameras and digital media devices were confiscated, the Israelis are controlling the images that people are seeing on TV. Many people seem unaware that one of the ships, the Challenger I, is a U.S.-flagged vessel. ... Talk about an investigation of this brings home to me that the U.S. government still has not conducted an investigation of the USS Liberty attack by Israel which killed 34 Americans in 1967." For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy: Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167www.freegaza.org/
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 3, 2010 23:50:04 GMT 4
Meet the 19-Year-Old American Killed in the Flotilla Attack Posted by paulwoodward at 8:53 am June 3, 2010
This post originally appeared on War in Context.For several days, Israel has been able to contain some of the fallout from the flotilla massacre by withholding information about the dead and injured. The object of this exercise has clearly been to slow the flow of information in the hope that by the time the most d**ning facts become known, the international media’s attention will have turned elsewhere. But the dead now have names and faces and one turns out to be a nineteen-year-old American: Furkan Dogan. Dogan is alleged to have been shot with five bullets, four in the head. Does the Obama administration intend to investigate the circumstances in which one of its citizens was killed? Protecting the lives of Americans is after all the most fundamental responsibility of our government.Dogan’s death was presumably instant, but according to Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal there were others on board the Mavi Marmara who died because Israeli soldiers refused to treat their injuries.“After the shooting and the first deaths, people put up white flags and signs in English and Hebrew. An Isreali [on the ship] asked the soldiers to take away the injured, but they did not and the injured died on the ship.” Crimes have been committed and since the suspects all acted under the direction of the Israeli government and its defense forces and took place on international waters outside Israel’s area of legal jurisdiction, “a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards” — a demand made by the UN Security Council with the support of the Obama administration — cannot be conducted by the Israeli government or a commission appointed by them. An investigation conforming to international standards must also be an international inquiry. blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/06/03/meet-the-19-year-old-american-killed-in-the-flotilla-attack/ (many thanks to Tom V)
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 4, 2010 5:51:13 GMT 4
Israel's strained relations with Turkey could prove costlyBy Sheera Frenkel, Mcclatchy Newspapers – Thu Jun 3, 6:30 pm ETJERUSALEM — Israel's botched commando raid on the pro-Palestinian aid flotilla this week has caused enormous strains in the Jewish state's relations around the world, but nowhere has the damage been more critical than in ties with Turkey, once its closest friend in the region. Nine Turks died in the raid early Monday, among them Furkan Dogan , 19, who was born in Troy, N.Y. and carried a U.S. passport. He and seven other activists were commemorated in an enormous funeral in Istanbul Thursday. All had been aboard the Mava Marmara, which led the six-ship Turkish-sponsored flotilla that was trying to break the Israeli and Egyptian blockade of Gaza . Turkey reacted in fury to the raid, withdrawing its ambassador from Israel and cancelling all pending joint military exercises. Now, Israeli experts on the region say that future military cooperation is out of the question, which threatens to cause major harm to Israeli security interests.Although little known to many outside the country, Israel has regularly staged joint military exercises with Turkey, and if it were to carry out its threats and attack Iran's nuclear facilities, Israel might need to ask Turkey for overflight permission.Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told President Barack Obama Thursday that Israel is on the verge of losing its "best friend" in the Middle East . He called Israel's raid on the Turkish-flagged vessel an unacceptable violation of international law and norms, Turkish media reported. Erdogan also called on Israel to lift the siege of Gaza , which was established in 2007 when Hamas militants took control of the coastal strip. However, Turkey , which has publicly championed the Gaza cause since Israel's intervention in the Palestinian territory in December 2008 , also has held open the possibility of restoring normal relations — if the Gaza blockade is lifted. "The future of ties with Israel will depend on the attitude of Israel," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday in Istanbul. "I see no reason for not normalizing the ties, once the Gaza blockade is lifted and our citizens are released." news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20100603/wl_mcclatchy/3524890
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Post by sesq on Jun 4, 2010 18:59:23 GMT 4
We're doing everything we can. sesq (All Angel Eagles donations tagged for this operation go exclusively to the supplies to clean up the wildlife {like "Dawn" liquid}. All other activities, including the attempts with Isis and Lotus, and transportation come from separate Eagles Disobey, Inc. funds. All donations tagged strictly for food for the homeless, goes there, only. As soon as we have any personnel available, additional food for the homeless runs will be completed. We thank everyone for the wonderful outpouring of support!
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 4, 2010 20:11:29 GMT 4
We're doing everything we can. sesq (All Angel Eagles donations tagged for this operation go exclusively to the supplies to clean up the wildlife {like "Dawn" liquid}. All other activities, including the attempts with Isis and Lotus, and transportation come from separate Eagles Disobey, Inc. funds. All donations tagged strictly for food for the homeless, goes there, only. As soon as we have any personnel available, additional food for the homeless runs will be completed. We thank everyone for the wonderful outpouring of support! Thank you, Secret Squirrel We know you're working your tails off! With deep appreciation, and love sent to you all! Jen.Ocean currents likely to carry oil along Atlantic coastJune 03, 2010 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE-1G_476nA
This animation shows one scenario of how oil released at the location of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on April 20 in the Gulf of Mexico may move in the upper 65 feet of the ocean. This is not a forecast, but rather, it illustrates a likely dispersal pathway of the oil for roughly four months following the spill. It assumes oil spilling continuously from April 20 to June 20. The colors represent a dilution factor ranging from red (most concentrated) to beige (most diluted). The dilution factor does not attempt to estimate the actual barrels of oil at any spot; rather, it depicts how much of the total oil from the source that will be carried elsewhere by ocean currents. For example, areas showing a dilution factor of 0.01 would have one-hundredth the concentration of oil present at the spill site. The animation is based on a computer model simulation, using a virtual dye, that assumes weather and current conditions similar to those that occur in a typical year. It is one of a set of six scenarios released today that simulate possible pathways the oil might take under a variety of oceanic conditions. Each of the six scenarios shows the same overall movement of oil through the Gulf to the Atlantic and up the East Coast. However, the timing and fine-scale details differ, depending on the details of the ocean currents in the Gulf. The full set of six simulations can be found here -- www2.ucar.edu/news/oil-spill-animations (Visualization by Tim Scheitlin and Mary Haley, NCAR; based on model simulations.) [Download high resolution video here -- www.ucar.edu/multimedia/videos/2010/2monCol4.1386x1054-trimmed.mov]
BOULDER—A detailed computer modeling study released today indicates that oil from the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico might soon extend along thousands of miles of the Atlantic coast and open ocean as early as this summer. The modeling results are captured in a series of dramatic animations produced by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and collaborators. The research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation, NCAR’s sponsor. The results were reviewed by scientists at NCAR and elsewhere, although not yet submitted for peer-review publication. “I’ve had a lot of people ask me, ‘Will the oil reach Florida?’” says NCAR scientist Synte Peathingy, who worked on the study. “Actually, our best knowledge says the scope of this environmental disaster is likely to reach far beyond Florida, with impacts that have yet to be understood.” The computer simulations indicate that, once the oil in the uppermost ocean has become entrained in the Gulf of Mexico’s fast-moving Loop Current, it is likely to reach Florida's Atlantic coast within weeks. It can then move north as far as about Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, with the Gulf Stream, before turning east. Whether the oil will be a thin film on the surface or mostly subsurface due to mixing in the uppermost region of the ocean is not known. The scientists used a powerful computer model to simulate how a liquid released at the spill site would disperse and circulate, producing results that are not dependent on the total amount released. The scientists tracked the rate of dispersal in the top 65 feet of the water and at four additional depths, with the lowest being just above the sea bed. “The modeling study is analogous to taking a dye and releasing it into water, then watching its pathway,” Peathingy says. The dye tracer used in the model has no actual physical resemblance to true oil. Unlike oil, the dye has the same density as the surrounding water, does not coagulate or form slicks, and is not subject to chemical breakdown by bacteria or other forces. Peathingy and her colleagues stress that the simulations are not a forecast because it is impossible to accurately predict the precise location of the oil weeks or months from now. Instead, the simulations provide an envelope of possible scenarios for the oil dispersal. The timing and course of the oil slick will be affected by regional weather conditions and the ever-changing state of the Gulf’s Loop Current—neither of which can be predicted more than a few days in advance. The dilution of the oil relative to the source will also be impacted by details such as bacterial degradation, which are not included in the simulations. What is possible, however, is to estimate a range of possible trajectories, based on the best understanding of how ocean currents transport material. The oil trajectory that actually occurs will depend critically both on the short-term evolution of the Loop Current, which feeds into the Gulf Stream, and on the state of the overlying atmosphere. The flow in the model represents the best estimate of how ocean currents are likely to respond under typical wind conditions. Picking up speedOil has been pouring into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20 from a blown-out undersea well, the result of an explosion and fire on an oil rig. The spill is located in a relatively stagnant area of the Gulf, and the oil so far has remained relatively confined near the Louisiana and Alabama coastlines, although there have been reports of small amounts in the Loop Current. The model simulations show that a liquid released in the surface ocean at the spill site is likely to slowly spread as it is mixed by the ocean currents until it is entrained in the Loop Current. At that point, speeds pick up to about 40 miles per day, and when the liquid enters the Atlantic’s Gulf Stream it can travel at speeds up to about 100 miles per day, or 3,000 miles per month.
The six model simulations released today all have different Loop Current characteristics, and all provide slightly different scenarios of how the oil might be dispersed. The simulations all bring the oil to south Florida and then up the East Coast. However, the timing of the oil’s movement differs significantly depending on the configuration of the Loop Current. The scenarios all differ in their starting conditions, a technique used in weather and climate forecasting to determine how uncertainty about current conditions might affect predictions of the future. Additional model studies are currently under way, looking further out in time, that will indicate what might happen to the oil in the Atlantic. “We have been asked if and when remnants of the spill could reach the European coastlines,” says Martin Visbeck, a member of the research team with IFM-GEOMAR, University of Kiel, Germany. “Our assumption is that the enormous lateral mixing in the ocean together with the biological disintegration of the oil should reduce the pollution to levels below harmful concentrations. But we would like to have this backed up by numbers from some of the best ocean models.” The scientists are using the Parallel Ocean Program, which is the ocean component of the Community Climate System Model, a powerful software tool designed by scientists at NCAR and the Department of Energy. They are conducting the simulations at supercomputers based at the New Mexico Computer Applications Center and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research under sponsorship by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. *News media terms of use: Reproduction to illustrate this story and nonprofit use permitted with proper attribution as provided above and acceptance of UCAR's terms of use -- www.ucar.edu/legal/terms_of_use.shtml. Find more images in the UCAR Digital Image Library -- www.fin.ucar.edu/ucardil/. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research under sponsorship by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.(many thanks to Matt L!)
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 4, 2010 21:20:57 GMT 4
Fake IDF video emerges of flotilla passengers about to take on the might of the Israeli Navy www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlE7kmSCf9IFor being on the sea, this "boat" surely is stable! Looks like a stage set with actors, doesn't it? Mossad Motto: 'By Way of Deception, thou shalt do War'
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 4, 2010 21:29:31 GMT 4
Israeli commando who shot six passengers in aid convoy in line for medalby James Hider, Jerusalem and Alexander Christie-Miller, Istanbul Times Online June 4, 2010The latest on the fallout from the flotilla raid thetimes.co.uk Six of the nine passengers killed in an Israeli raid on an aid convoy bound for Gaza were shot by a single Israeli commando, who is being considered for a medal of valour for saving his injured comrades as passengers attacked them with clubs, knives and even guns they had taken from downed Navy Seals. Fresh details of the controversial raid, which has led to accusations of “piracy” and “state terrorism” being levelled against Israel, and which wrecked its strategic partnership with Turkey, emerged yesterday. There were reports that passengers who attacked the Israeli boarding party had been dragging three captured commandos into the hold of the ship when the shooting broke out. And a British passenger who witnessed the deadly pre-dawn encounter in international waters said that some of the more peaceful activists on board had tried to protect captured Israeli soldiers being set upon by a hardcore of passengers, most of them believed to be Turks linked to an Islamic charity accused by Israel of having links to extremists. The Israeli commando who killed six of the passengers of Mavi Marmara, the Turkish ferry owned by the IHH charity, said that he had been the last of 15 soldiers to rappel down the rope from an overhead helicopter on to the decks of the ship, which he described as “a battlefield”. Identified for security reasons only as Staff Sergeant S, he said that contrary to initial Israeli Army reports, the shooting had started within minutes as he and his comrades were set upon by a “mob of mercenaries”. As he landed on the ship’s top deck, he said he saw three of his superior officers who had landed ahead of him lying wounded, one with a bullet wound to the stomach, another shot in the knee and the third beaten unconscious. Taking charge, he formed his men in a perimeter around the wounded, pulled his 9mm Glock pistol and opened fire on passengers he accused of shooting at the boarding party with guns taken off the first soldiers, who had been overwhelmed as they landed one by one. “When I hit the deck, I was immediately attacked by people with bats, metal pipes and axes,” the sergeant recalled. “These were without a doubt terrorists. I could see the murderous rage in their eyes and that they were coming to kill us.” He said he saw one of the passengers holding a seized pistol to another Israeli commando’s head. His accusation that his assailants were mercenaries was based on the large amounts of cash found on a number of the detained and killed passengers, although other officials have suggested the money was destined to be given to Hamas in Gaza if the convoy succeeded in breaking the Israeli naval blockade. New footage released by Israel, and apparently filmed by activists before the boarding had started before dawn on Monday, showed an Israeli assault craft full of helmeted commandos pull alongside the Mavi Marmara, where men waving metal pipes and a chain leant overboard to ward them off. Others were emptying fire hoses at the Israeli boat below, while a stun grenade was dropped into the vessel, exploding among the soldiers. Some Israeli officials have accused the Turks who attacked them of links to terrorist groups, although it was unclear why, in that case, the soldiers of Flotilla 13, the elite Navy Seals unit involved in the operation, were briefed only to expect peaceful resistance. The question also remained as to why the passengers, if they were indeed terrorists, did not use deadlier weapons against the approaching naval launches and helicopters hovering overhead. Alexandra Lort-Phillips, 37, an activist from Hackney, was on the Mavi Marmara when it was stormed and described seeing an Israeli soldier taken down into the stairwell below the deck where the soldiers landed. “I went down the stairwell and there was a massive crowd of people and lots of shouting,” she said, after being deported to Istanbul. “They had got a soldier who had boarded the ship from the roof. There was a sense of ‘My god, we’ve got an Israeli soldier’. I don’t think we really knew what we were going to do.”
“I saw a gun being taken. His gunbelt was removed and someone, I don’t know who, ran past me with the weapon and disappeared. They could have shot him but didn’t.” She said around 25 people were gathered around the soldier, who was held by his legs and stripped to his underwear as he was restrained. “The women who were there were shouting ‘Don’t hurt him’.” Ms Lort-Phillips denied he was beaten, but said: “There were obviously some guys there who were extremely agitated by the situation. It is like you’d expect when there’s a fight between men.” As Israel desperately tried to limit the damage caused by the bloodbath on the high seas, the organisers of the aid flotilla said another boat was due to challenge the blockade and make for Gaza at the weekend. The Rachel Corrie, an Irish-flagged ship, is named after a young American peace activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003 while trying to prevent the army from demolishing a Palestinian home in Gaza. Organisers said it was steaming straight for Gaza with Mairead Maguire, winner of an Irish Nobel Peace Prize, on board. www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article7144099.ece
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 5, 2010 5:53:36 GMT 4
Autopsy shows Gaza activists were hit 30 times: reportReuters 2 hrs 38 mins agoLONDON (Reuters) – Nine Turkish activists killed in an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship were shot a total of 30 times and five died of gunshot wounds to the head, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported on Friday. Autopsy results showed the men were hit mostly with 9mm bullets, many fired at close range, the Guardian said, quoting Yalcin Buyuk, vice-chairman of the Turkish council of forensic medicine which carried out the autopsies on Friday. Israeli commandos stormed a flotilla of aid ships planning to break the Israeli sea blockade of Gaza on Monday. The deaths, which all took place on one ship, the Mavi Marmara, drew widespread condemnation. Israel said the marines who rappelled onto the Mavi Marmara fired in self-defense after activists attacked them with clubs and knives as well as two pistols snatched from the commandos. The autopsy results showed that a 60-year-old man, Ibrahim Bilgen, was shot four times in the temple, chest, hip and back, the Guardian said. A 19-year-old, named as Fulkan Dogan, who also has U.S. citizenship, was shot five times from less than 45 cm (18 inches) away, in the face, the back of the head, twice in the leg and once in the back, it said. Two other men were shot four times. Five of those killed were shot either in the back of the head or in the back,the Guardian quoted Buyuk as saying. In addition to those killed, 48 others suffered gunshot wounds and six activists were still missing, he added. Israel said the multiple gunshot wounds did not mean the shots were fired other than in self defense. "The only situation when a soldier shot was when it was a clearly a life-threatening situation," the Guardian quoted a spokesman for the Israeli embassy in London as saying. "Pulling the trigger quickly can result in a few bullets being in the same body, but does not change the fact they were in a life-threatening situation," the spokesman said. The newspaper quoted Haluk Ince, chairman of the council of forensic medicine in Istanbul, as saying that in only one case was there a single bullet wound, to the forehead from a distant shot, while every other body showed multiple wounds.He said all but one of the bullets retrieved from the bodies came from 9mm rounds. Of the other round, Ince said: "It was the first time we have seen this kind of material used in firearms. It was just a container including many types of pellets usually used in shotguns. It penetrated the head region in the temple and we found it intact in the brain."No-one at Turkey's forensic laboratory could immediately be reached for comment. Turkey, Israel's only Muslim ally, stepped up its rhetoric over the killings on Friday, accusing the Jewish state of betraying its own biblical law.(Reporting by Adrian Croft) news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100604/wl_nm/us_israel_flotilla_autopsies.................................... ....................................
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 5, 2010 6:49:52 GMT 4
Palestinians look at a floating memorial sign during a protest against the Israeli naval commando raid on a flotilla attempting to break the blockade on Gaza, at the port in Gaza City on June 1. Palestinians in Gaza declared a general strike and a day of wrath following Israel's deadly naval raid on an aid flotilla bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip on Monday. Hatem Moussa/AP Palestinian children run next to flags of countries whose activists participated in a flotilla to the Gaza Strip, during a protest against Israel's interception of Gaza-bound ships at in Gaza City, on May 31, 2010. Israeli naval commandos stormed a flotilla of ships carrying aid and hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists to the blockaded Gaza Strip on Monday, killing at least 10 passengers in a predawn raid that set off worldwide condemnation and a diplomatic crisis. Adel Hana/AP Pro-Palestinian Jewish demonstrators gather outside the Israeli Embassy in London, Monday on May 31. Akira Suemori/AP Pro-Palestinian supporters march past the Houses of Parliament during a protest against Israel in central London on May 31. Lefteris Pitarakis/AP A peace activist holds a 'Free Palestinians' sign during a rally in front of the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo, on June 1. About 50 activists protested against Israel over its deadly raid on an aid flotilla bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip. Koji Sasahara/AP Matthias Jochheim of IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), Annette Groth German Parliament member of the Left Party, Norman Paech, former German Parliament member of the Left Party, Inge Hoerger German Parliament member of the Left Pary and Nadel El Sakka, from left, of the Palestinian Community in Germany pose for the media at the Left Party faction area in the Reichstag building in Berlin on June 1. The five Germans were captured as Israeli commandos stormed six ships carrying pro-Palestinian activists and humanitarian to the blockaded Gaza Strip on Monday. Markus Schreiber/AP
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 5, 2010 7:36:29 GMT 4
This is the website of the Free Gaza Movement, a human rights group that in August 2008 sent the first international boats to land in the port of Gaza in 41 years. We want to break the siege of Gaza. We want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation.Rachel Corrie boarded, equipment jammedWritten by Free Gaza team | 05 June 2010Press Release - Wed 5th June, 3.30amThe IPSC has been contacted by the MV Rachel Corrie in the past few minutes. Jenny Graham reported that they had been followed by Israeli ships for about 2 hours, and that in the last few minutes 2 ships were approaching from the port side. Ms Graham said that equipment on board had been jammed by the Israeli navy, and that they expected their satellite phone (number below) to be jammed soon as well. The line was bad, and we were unable to determine the exact location of the Rachel Corrie relative to their destination. On hearing of the news, Freda Hughes of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) said: "We all hope that those on board the Rachel Corrie will remain safe and that there will be no repeat of Monday's terrible attack on the Freedom Flotilla. Our hearts are with you." The Rachel Corrie is flying their Irish, Malaysian and Filipino flags at half mark as a mark of respect for their murdered comrades from the Mavi Marmama which was hijacked on Monday by Israeli commandos in an attack that left at least 9 people dead. Speaking about Minister Micheal Martin's statement earlier in which he said that those on board the Rachel Corrie had rejected a so-called deal that would involve them docking in the ISraeli port of Ashdod, Jenny Graham said: "We will have no part in a deal that involves us legitimising the siege of Gaza. We intend to continue on our mission to deliver our cargo of aid and supplies to the people of Gaza. This has always been our intention." www.freegaza.org/en/home/press-releases/1209-rachel-corrie-boarded-equipment-jammed
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 5, 2010 14:29:04 GMT 4
ISRAELI MILITARY FORCIBLY STOPS AID BOAT TO GAZA - AGAINWritten by Greta Berlin | 05 June 2010 Posted in Press releasesFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFor More Information, please contact: Free Gaza Cyprus: Greta Berlin or Mary Hughes tel: +357 99 187275 or +357 96 383 809, < friends@freegaza.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it > Free Gaza Ireland: Niamh Moloughney tel: +353 (0)85 7747257 or +353 (0)91 472279, < freegazaireland@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it > Perdana Global Peace Organisation, Malaysia: Ram Karthigasu tel: +60 1222 70159, < ramkarthigasu@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it > (Off the Gaza coast, 5 JUNE) - Just before 9am GMT this morning, the Israeli military forcibly siezed the Irish-owned humanitarian relief ship, the MV Rachel Corrie, from delivering over 1000 tons of medical and construction supplies to besieged Gaza. For the second time in less then a week, Israeli naval commandos stormed an unarmed aid ship, brutally taking its passengers hostage and towing the ship toward Ashdod port in Southern Israel. It is not yet known whether any of the Rachel Corrie's passengers were killed or injured during the attack, but they are believed to be unharmed.The Corrie carried 11 passengers and 9 crew from 5 different countires, mostly Ireland and Malaysia. The passengers included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire, Parit Member of the Malaysian Parliament Mohd Nizar Zakaria, and former UN Assistant Secretary General, Denis Halliday. Nine international human rights workers were killed on Monday when Israeli commandos violently stormed the Turkish aid ship, Mavi Marmara and five other unarmed boats taking supplies to Gaza. Prior to being taken hostage by Israeli forces, Derek Graham, an Irish coordinator with the Free Gaza Movement, stated that: "Despite what happened on the Mavi Marmara earlier this week, we are not afraid. The 1200-ton cargo ship was purchased through a special fund set up by former Malaysian Prime Minister and Perdana Global Peace Organisation (PGPO) chairman Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. The ship was named after an American human rights worker, killed in 2003 when she was crushed by an Israeli military bulldozer in the Gaza Strip. Its cargo included hundreds of tons of medical equipment and cement, as well as paper from the people of Norway, donated to UN-run schools in Gaza.
According to Denis Halliday: "We are the only Gaza-bound aid ship left out here. We’re determined to deliver our cargo.” The Rachel Corrie had been part of the Freedom Flotilla, a 40-nation effort to break through Israel's illegal blockade, before being forced to drop off late last week due to suspicious mechanical problems. The attack on the Rachel Corrie may spell trouble for Israel's relationship with Ireland. The Irish government had formally requested Israel allow the ship to reach Gaza. On 1 June, the Irish parliament also passed an all-party motion condemning Israel's use of military force against civilian aid ships, and demanding "an end to the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza."Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire summed up the hopes of this joint Irish-Malaysian effort to overcome Israel’s cruel blockade by saying: "We are inspired by the people of Gaza whose courage, love and joy in welcoming us, even in the midst of such suffering gives us all hope. They represent the very best of humanity, and we are all privileged to be given the opportunity to support them in their nonviolent struggle for human dignity, and freedom. This trip will again highlight Israel’s criminal blockade and illegal occupation. In a demonstration of the power of global citizen action, we hope to awaken the conscience of all."--- Passengers aboard the Rachel Corrie include: Ahmed Faizal bin Azumu, human rights worker, Malaysia
Matthias Chang, attorney, author & human rights worker, Malaysia
Derek Graham, Free Gaza Ireland
Jenny Graham, Free Gaza Ireland
Denis Halliday, former UN Assistant Secretary General, Ireland
Mohd Jufri Bin Mohd Judin, journalist, Malaysia
Shamsul Akmar Musa Kamal, PGPO representative, Malaysia
Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Ireland
Abdul Halim Bin Mohamed, journalist, Malaysia
Fiona Thompson, film-maker, Ireland
The Hon. Mohd Nizar Zakaria, Parit Member of Parliament, Malaysia### freegaza.org
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 5, 2010 14:48:05 GMT 4
from Canadian Yahoo news stream -- Israeli navy boards Gaza aid ship By Ori Lewis and Alastair Macdonald 17 minutes ago ReutersJERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Israeli navy boarded another aid ship bound for Gaza on Saturday, as Washington condemned as "unsustainable" a blockade which Israel enforced earlier in the week by killing 9 people aboard a Turkish vessel. Irish and other activists aboard the Rachel Corrie had ignored Israeli orders to divert to Israel's Ashdod port.
"The ship has been boarded and there was full compliance from the crew and passengers on board," an Israeli military spokeswoman said.The stand-off in the Mediterranean came as Washington, Israel's key ally, said its blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip was "unsustainable and must be changed" -- the clearest sign yet of a shake-up in the embargo that has blighted the lives of 1.5 million Palestinians for the past four years. Turkey, once Israel's main Muslim ally, has kept up its fury over the deaths of nine Turkish nationals in the raid on Monday. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan harangued Israel on Friday about ignoring the Biblical commandment "Thou shalt not kill." Autopsy results, as reported by a British newspaper, found 30 bullets in the activists who died. Among the victims was a Turk with U.S. citizenship. Speaking ahead of the boarding, a spokeswoman for the Free Gaza campaign group, whose contact with the crew was patchy, said warships had been sighted by the freighter around dawn, before 6 a.m. (0300 GMT).The ship is named after pro-Palestinian protester Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in 2003. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the activists' motive was political and not humanitarian and they had rejected a joint Israeli-Irish proposal to resolve the standoff involving the Irish-owned merchant vessel. "Late Friday, the activists on the boat rejected outright understandings reached between the governments of Israel and Ireland that will allow for the delivery of all humanitarian cargo for the people of Gaza. In so doing they clearly demonstrated that their goal is not supporting the people of Gaza but to make a political statement in support of the Hamas regime," spokesman Mark Regev said. "UNSUSTAINABLE"Israel says its blockade of the Gaza Strip, tightened after Islamist Hamas seized the enclave from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction in 2007, aims to keep out arms. Washington had urged the Gaza aid vessel to divert to an Israeli port to reduce the risk of violence, but also stated its belief that the controversial blockade could not last in its current form. "We are working urgently with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and other international partners to develop new procedures for delivering more goods and assistance to Gaza," a spokesman for the White House National Security Council said. "The current arrangements are unsustainable and must be changed. For now, we call on all parties to join us in encouraging responsible decisions by all sides to avoid any unnecessary confrontations," he added in a statement. Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin had said the crew of the Rachel Corrie had indicated they were ready to accept inspection of their cargo at sea, prior to docking in Gaza. GUNSHOTS AT CLOSE RANGEAutopsy results on the nine dead Turkish activists from Monday's raid showed they had been shot a total of 30 times, many at close range, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported on Saturday. Five were killed by gunshots to the head, it said. Turkish-American activist Fulkan Dogan was shot five times from less than 45 cm (18 inches) away, in the face, the back of the head, twice in the leg and once in the back, the paper said. In addition to those killed, 48 others received gunshot wounds and six activists were still missing. In his angriest rhetoric yet, Erdogan accused the Jewish state on Friday of violating its own Bible:
"I am speaking to them in their own language. The sixth commandment says 'thou shalt not kill'. Did you not understand?" Erdogan said in a televised speech to party supporters.
"I'll say again. I say in English 'you shall not kill'. Did you still not understand?. So I'll say to you in your own language. I say in Hebrew 'Lo Tirtzakh'."Ties between Turkey and Israel have soured badly and Ankara is threatening to rethink its entire relationship with the Jewish state. Protesters sang Turkey's praises at rallies in Egypt and Lebanon on Friday. (Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza, Alastair Macdonald in Jerusalem, Andras Gergely in Dublin, Ibon Villelabeitia in Ankara and Alister Bull in Washington; Editing by Jon Boyle)ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/100605/n_top_news/cnews_us_israel_flotilla....... From U.S. Yahoo news stream --Israeli forces board Gaza-bound aid vesselBy Amy Teibel, Associated Press Writer – 48 mins agoJERUSALEM – The Israeli military says its forces have seized a Gaza-bound aid vessel, preventing it from breaking an Israeli maritime blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory. The military says its forces boarded the 1,200-ton Rachel Corrie cargo ship from the sea, not helicopters, and that they did not encounter resistance. news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100605/ap_on_re_us/gaza_blockade
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 5, 2010 15:12:08 GMT 4
Grey power for Gaza
The key figures of the Free Gaza movement are all women of pensionable age, who came out of the 1960s protest generationThey are the generation who protested in the 1960s and have girded themselves again to campaign for Palestinian rights. The Free Gaza movement, which chartered the Challenger yacht as part of the flotilla that was attacked by Israel on Monday, is led by a group of women of pensionable age. Founding members of the organisation, which is also operating the MV Rachel Corrie, include a US-based 85-year-old Holocaust survivor, Hedy Epstein, and a 76-year-old grandmother originally from Bolton, Mary Hughes.
The four activists running Free Gaza's communications and legal operations from Cyprus during the flotilla are all women aged between 65 and 85.
"Part of it could be because we are children of the 1960s and we came out of the anti-Vietnam movement," said Greta Berlin, 69, also one of the founding members. Speaking from Bolton, Mary Hughes's brother, Brian Thompson, said he had not heard from her since an email last week. "Mary isn't a political person. This is not an anti-Israel stance she is taking, it is a humanitarian one," he said. www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/03/grey-power-free-gaza
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