UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF FORCE USED TO STOP 10 ACTIVISTS FROM REACHING GAZA

Desert Peace
Amira Haas

As an Israeli and a journalist, I was taken aside and released after my passport was stamped. The Karame’s other 15 passengers were arrested and were not allowed to see their lawyers.

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Sailing on a bucket, surrounded by commandos

Haaretz writer returns to Israel after 26 days with Gaza-bound pro-Palestinian activists.

Three missile ships and seven commando boats were sent to take over the tub known as the Dignite Al Karame yesterday, about 50 nautical miles from the shore.

At least 150 soldiers were sent to sea early in the morning to prevent the 10 civilian activists, the three crew members and the three journalists on the “freedom flotilla” from reaching Gaza’s port.

For an hour yesterday, the activists thought the navy might have given up its expensive mission to intercept them. They imagined a different, non-violent ending to their voyage, which began in Corsica on June 25, and continued into international waters on Saturday from the Greek island of Kastellorizo.

On Monday, the activists and the crew decided to drop anchor about 80 nautical miles from the shore so that if they were intercepted, it would be during the day.
On Tuesday morning, the ship weighed anchor and set off again.

Around 10 A.M., an Israeli navy vessel appeared to the north. The Karame’s radio began to crackle: “This is the Israeli navy. What is your destination?”

“Gaza port.”

Permission denied, the voice said.

Just then, communication was cut off. At about 1 P.M., a few commando boats sped toward the Karame from the west. From the south and north, three missile boats appeared.

We were all wearing our bright orange life jackets. The eight people below deck looked like cartoon characters.

But what approached was no joke. Two long, greenish missile boats with commandos on board, black masks hiding their faces, aiming all sorts of weapons at the orange-clad figures.

The commando boats came closer; alongside them were two gray inflatable rubber boats.

Later, three more appeared.

Israeli expatriate Dror Feiler, now a Swedish citizen, shouted in Hebrew: “Stop pointing your guns at us, we’re unarmed. He played a tune he had composed, with Jewish cantorial motifs, on his saxophone.

Just as he stopped playing, the commando boats began to slow down and pull back. The activists joked that the tune had done the job.

Around 2 P.M., seven commando boats came within a few meters of the yacht on both sides.

Israeli naval commandos board Gaza-bound ship

Amy Teibel
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says commandos have boarded a French ship attempting to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.
They reported no resistance.

The military has said it will stop any attempt to break the sea blockade of Gaza, which Israel imposed four years ago in what it says is a measure to prevent arms smuggling.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

JERUSALEM (AP) – The Israeli navy surrounded a French ship attempting to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and threatened to board the vessel if it didn’t change course.

Israel Radio broadcast the military’s radio message to the ship, which notified activists on board that commandos would carry out a “very calm boarding” of the vessel. There appeared to be no radio response from the activists, who could not be contacted by phone.

Minutes later, the military said it had not yet boarded the ship.

French Ship Carries Freedom Flotilla's "Dignity" to Gaza

Uruknet
Begoña Astigarraga

ATHENS, July 12, 2011 (IPS) - The French vessel Dignité-Al Karama is the only boat from the Freedom Flotilla II actually sailing for Gaza in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade imposed in 2006. At the same time, six Spanish members of the humanitarian aid mission went on hunger strike in the Greek capital.

The hunger strikers, who have occupied the Spanish embassy in Athens since Jul. 5, were travelling on the Spanish ship Gernika (Guernica) that was part of the flotilla carrying 500 activists from 45 different countries, and 5,000 tonnes of aid, bound for the Gaza Strip.

Nearly all the ships have been confined to port in Greece for the last 10 days, except for the Dignité-Al Karama which sailed from the French island of Corsica Jun. 25, evaded the Greek blockade on more than one occasion and remains the only vessel of the flotilla still sailing freely.

With 10 representatives of several delegations of the humanitarian coalition on board, the Dignité received permission Jul. 9 to sail for the island of Rhodes, Manolis Plionis, a member of the Greek delegation of the Freedom Flotilla II - "Stay Human", confirmed to IPS.

From on board the Dignité, French Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Nicole Kiil-Nielsen told IPS that after having been stopped last week in Ormos Kouremenos, in Crete, they were taken to Sitia by the Greek coast guard and eventually allowed to sail from there.

"We had to stop in Crete to refuel, as we did not have enough fuel to reach Gaza," Kiil-Nielsen said. "Now, the Dignité is free and we are organising another group of passengers, probably international, to go on to Gaza."

Manuel Tapial, coordinator of Rumbo a Gaza (Sailing to Gaza) Spain, told IPS that "the Dignité-Al Karama is heading for Gaza on its own, representing the dignity of the flotilla, and carrying representatives of the international coalition delegations."

In addition to the crew and MEP Kiil-Nielsen, passengers include Vangelis Pissias, the coordinator of the Greek delegation, Swedish-Israeli musician Dror Feiler and actor Guillermo "Willy" Toledo, representing the Spanish delegation.

Meanwhile, six Rumbo a Gaza activists began a hunger strike at the Spanish embassy in Greece Monday Jul. 11, after medical checks. Two other members of the group participated in the protest from Madrid.

In a communiqué released Monday, the activists said they would fast until "the Spanish government shows some sign that it will intercede (with the Greek authorities) so that the Gernika may sail freely across the Mediterranean."

The six hunger strikers are among a score of activists who occupied the Spanish embassy in Athens with the declared intent of remaining there until their country's Foreign Ministry responded to their demands, and until their ship, held by the Greek authorities in Kolymbari, Crete, was released and allowed to go to a safe port or return to Spain.

However, the activists say they have only received an official statement from the Foreign Ministry announcing its decision "not to make any public commitment to the release of the Gernika," which prompted them to take stronger measures in pursuit of their demands.

In an open letter sent Monday, Tapial upbraided the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party's (PSOE) prime ministerial candidate Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba: "The government you represent has forsaken us, and our only remaining option is protest action to rescue the Gernika, by right and with dignity.

"Mister Rubalcaba, as leader and candidate of the PSOE, speak out and call for the release of the Gernika, a ship bought with the money of thousands of people throughout Spain who believe that a project like this one is necessary to show effective support for the besieged people of Gaza.

"Listen, commit yourself and take action," the Rumbo a Gaza coordinator demanded.

Israeli actor in anti-Gaza Flotilla pinkwashing video identified

Trying to kill two birds with one stone; the LGBT Rights Movement and the Gaza bound Flotilla…
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Israel is taking advantage of a new phenomenon by engaging in an on-line ‘Pinkwashing‘ campaign. As was reported on this site earlier today, ISRAEL GRASPING AT STRAWS TO STOP THE FLOTILLAS, the following just might be the straw needed to ‘break the camel’s back.’

Submitted by Benjamin Doherty

The disillusioned “gay activist” called “Marc” who appeared in a YouTube video condemning the Gaza Freedom Flotilla for alleged homophobia, that was tweeted by the Israeli Government Press Office, has been identified as an Israeli called Omer Gershon.

This definitely proves that the video is either a hoax or a piece of propaganda designed to discredit the flotilla and use a mask of concern for gay rights to pinkwash Israel and justify the persecution of Palestinians in Gaza.

Last night The Electronic Intifada confirmed that one of the first people to tweet the video was Guy Seemann, a staffer in the office of the Israeli prime minister.

The following images clearly identify Gershon by his face and tattoos.

Omer Gershon’s public Facebook profile

Gershon, as an Israeli, could not possibly have been so naive as “Marc” claimed to be in the video about either the flotilla or the situation in Gaza. It is puzzling that a piece of propaganda that was meant to pass as the genuine work of an activist previously uninformed about the situation in Palestine would use a figure who is fairly well-known in the Israeli gay scene.

Gershon has been profiled in leading Israeli publications such as Haaretz, Maariv and Ynet (here and here).

A 2008 report gave his age as 33 and said he lived in Tel Aviv. Gershon was described as a “producer, entrepreneur, and PR manager for clubs.” Gershon says he went to school in New York where he got a degree in marketing and advertising at the age of 25 and lived there for almost four years. He also said he had volunteered for IGY (the youth LGBT organization in Israel) and a women’s rights org called “Ladies Circle.”

Spirits of Justice Going to Gaza

OpEdNews
Ray McGovern

For those who engage in the common struggle for Justice, an invaluable grace comes from getting to know new friends similarly engaged -- and equally willing to speak with more than words.

Thus, it has been a great grace to get to know folks like Alice Walker personally as well as through her writings -- including some new ones.  In one recent article, Alice addressed her reasons for joining the other 49 of us by putting her body on the line in sailing with "The Audacity of Hope," the U.S. boat to Gaza. She wrote:

"There is for me an awareness of paying off a debt to the Jewish civil rights activists who faced death to come to the side of black people in the South in our time of need. I am especially indebted to Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman who heard our calls for help -- our government then as now glacially slow in providing protection to non-violent protestors -- and came to stand with us.

"They got as far as the truncheons and bullets of a few "good ol' boys' of Neshoba County, Mississippi, and were beaten and shot to death along with James Cheney, a young black man with formidable courage who died with them. So even though our boat will be called "The Audacity of Hope,' it will fly the Goodman, Cheney, Schwerner flag in my own heart."

As for me, I will be flying in my own heart the flag of Jonathan Daniels, a Danforth Graduate Fellow of 1961, with whom my Fordham '61 college classmate Brian Daley, S.J., author Palmer Parker, and I spent a week of Danforth Fellow orientation on the shore of Lake Michigan in September 1961. Four years later, Jonathan was dead. Here's some of the rest of the story:

On Aug. 13, 1965, Jonathan Daniels, in a group of 29, went to picket whites-only stores in the small town of Fort Deposit, Alabama. All were arrested and taken to jail in the nearby town of Hayneville. Five juvenile protesters were released the next day. The rest of the group was held for six days; they refused to accept bail unless everyone was bailed.

Finally, on Aug. 20, the prisoners were released without transport back to Fort Deposit. After release, the group waited by a road near the jail. Jonathan with three others -- a white Catholic priest and two black protesters -- went down the street to get a cold soft drink at Varner's Grocery Store, one of the few local stores that would serve nonwhites.

They were met at the front by Tom L. Coleman, an engineer for the state highway department and unpaid special deputy, who wielded a shotgun. The man threatened the group, and finally leveled his gun at 16-year-old Ruby Sales. Daniels pushed Sales to the ground and caught the full blast of the gun. He was killed instantly.

The priest, Richard F. Morrisroe, grabbed the other protester and ran. Coleman shot Morrisroe, wounding him in the lower back. Coleman was subsequently acquitted of manslaughter charges by an all-white jury.

Israel denies fiscal pressure on Greece to block flotilla boats Docked - Over Bogus Claims of "Unseaworthiness"

CNN

Is Discouraging the Flotilla Now and "Austerity Measure"?

Jerusalem (CNN) -- The Israeli foreign ministry on Sunday rejected as "ludicrous" suggestions that Israel and the United States were using economic pressure to force fiscally strapped Greece into preventing boats from participating in an international flotilla to Gaza.

"Do these people have any proof whatsoever to such claims?" asked Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor. "Their entire activity is aimed at demonizing the state of Israel. What are they saying, that we have used all the Jewish bankers in the world to cancel Greece's bonds? What kind of fantasy world are they living in?"

Organizers of one boat planning to join the flotilla, the U.S.-registered Audacity of Hope, released a statement Sunday asking the Greek government to explain why the leased vessel was being prevented from leaving a Greek port.

Passengers and crew say they are being told the boat cannot depart because of concerns about its seaworthiness and the need for further inspection.

Trip participants rejected the explanation, claiming the boat was safe. They suggested economic pressure was being brought to bear on Greece.

"Israel has said openly that it is pressuring governments to try to stop the flotilla, and clearly Greece is a key government since several of the boats plan to leave from Greece" passenger Medea Benjamin said in a news release by the boat's organizers. "It is unconscionable that Israel would take advantage of the economic hardship the Greek people are experiencing to try to stop our boat or the flotilla."

In the news release, the boat organizers -- U.S. Boat to Gaza -- suggested without offering proof that political leverage was being used with the International Monetary Fund in a bid to compel Greece to block flotilla ships from departing.

Palmor acknowledged that Israel was using diplomatic channels to prevent what he called "an illegal flotilla" from arriving in Gaza.

"These are diplomatic contacts with friendly countries" Palmor said. "As for their claims, they are knowingly and proudly commit an illegal act and still have complaints? Their accusations are simply ludicrous."

Israel warns media against boarding Gaza flotilla

Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Sunday threatened to ban international journalists for up to a decade from the country if they join a flotilla planning to breach the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The warning reflected Israeli jitters about the international flotilla, which comes just over a year after a similar mission ended in the deaths of nine Turkish activists in clashes with Israeli naval commandos.

Israel is eager to avoid a repeat of last year's raid, which drew heavy international condemnations and ultimately forced Israel to loosen a blockade on Hamas-controlled Gaza. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons into the territory.

It remains unclear when the current flotilla will actually set sail, but organizers have hinted it could be as soon as this week.

In a letter to foreign journalists, the Government Press Office's director, Oren Helman, called the flotilla "a dangerous provocation that is being organized by western and Islamic extremist elements to aid Hamas."

"I would like to make it clear to you and to the media that you represent, that participation in the flotilla is an intentional violation of Israeli law and is liable to lead to participants being denied entry into the State of Israel for 10 years, to the impoundment of their equipment and to additional sanctions," Helman said.

The letter, he added, had been reviewed and approved by Israel's attorney general.
Organizers of the flotilla say the mission is necessary to draw attention to the plight of Gaza's 1.6 million residents. The Israeli blockade has caused heavy damage to Gaza's economy: Unemployment is estimated at close to 50 percent, and the territory still suffers from a shortage of badly needed construction materials.

Hillary Clinton Gives Green Light For Israeli Attack On Gaza Flotilla

Electronic Intifada
by Ali Abunimah

In comments yesterday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seemed to lay the ground – indeed almost provide a green light – for an Israeli military attack on the upcoming Gaza Freedom Flotilla, which will include the US Boat to Gaza.


Among the passengers aboard the American boat will be 87-year old Kindertransport survivor Hedy Epstein, and author and poet Alice Walker. In all it is expected that about 10 ships, carrying 1000 people from over 20 countries will take part.

Here’s what Clinton said in remarks at the State Department on 23 June:

Well, we do not believe that the flotilla is a necessary or useful effort to try to assist the people of Gaza. Just this week, the Israeli Government approved a significant commitment to housing in Gaza. There will be construction materials entering Gaza and we think that it’s not helpful for there to be flotillas that try to provoke actions by entering into Israeli waters and creating a situation in which the Israelis have the right to defend themselves.

Clinton must know that Gaza is not part of what any country recognizes as “sovereign” Israeli territory, and therefore neither are Gaza’s territorial waters. Any boats entering Gaza’s waters would not in fact be entering “Israeli waters” as Clinton claimed. Clinton also, presuming she is properly briefed rather than misled, must also know that last year Israel attacked the Gaza Freedom Flotilla when it was in international waters and GPS data showed that it was actually heading away from Israel.

By invoking Israel’s supposed “right to self-defense” against civilian boats trying to reach Gaza, we must understand that Clinton is telling Israel the United States will not stand in the way of another military attack.

And by citing Israel allowing construction materials into Gaza to make the case that the flotilla is “unnecessary” because “aid” can reach the Palestinian people in Gaza, Clinton is engaging in the ultimate obfuscation.

People in Gaza have been reduced to penury and rendered dependent on aid by decades of Israeli occupation, siege and military attacks. The issue is not the delivery of aid but freeing the people by lifting the siege. It is an abhorrent position to suggest – as Clinton seems to – that if people in Gaza receive enough calories or a few building supplies then we should not be concerned about Israel’s siege. The Palestinian people of Gaza are not caged animals for whom sufficient care consists of shoving rations through the bars of their prison.

Israel’s siege is intended as a form of collective punishment and has been declared illegal by the ICRC.
Israel, as The Electronic Intifada reported, is engaging in military drills to intercept this unarmed civilian flotilla. In light of Clinton’s statements, if any blood is spilled it will not only be on Israeli, but also American hands.

Video of Previous Act of Israeli Piracy Against Flotilla Mavi Mamara

FLOTILLA ACTIVISTS TAKE OATH OF NON VIOLENCE …. ISRAEL IS THE ONLY THREAT

Desert Peace

Freedom Flotilla Participants: Israel Piracy On Our Ships Will Not Be Easy

Brussels - Participants of the freedom flotilla 2 bound for Gaza said on Tuesday that Israeli attempts to take over their ships will not be easy, assuring that activists will not use violence at all.

According to reports from the European campaign to lift the siege on Gaza, Dr. Lin Vientiane, coordinator for the Irish group participating in the flotilla said that activists have taken an oath among themselves to foil any Israeli attempts to take over the ships that are only taking humanitarian aid supplies to besieged Gaza strip residents.

Last year, on May 31, Israeli navy forces attacked the freedom flotilla while it was sailing in international waters, killing nine activists and injuring 54.

According to the European campaign to lift the siege on Gaza, the flotilla will depart on schedule. There are no delays, as some media sources had reported, said organizers.

“The Flotilla will have scores of activists from 40 different countries and will depart next week as scheduled without any changes,” Rami Abdo, coordinator of the European campaign to life the siege on Gaza announced.

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‘Audacity of Hope’ Unlikely to Protect Gaza Flotilla Boat

Mideast Post

The United States flotilla group, US to Gaza, reacting to Israeli threats of violence, sent a letter to President Barack Obama informing him that:

As U.S. citizens we expect our country and its leaders to help ensure the Flotilla’s safe passage to Gaza – as our country should support our humanitarian demand that the Gaza blockade be lifted. This should begin by notifying the Israeli government in clear and certain terms that it may not physically interfere with the upcoming Flotilla of which the U.S. boat—The Audacity of Hope — is part.

The group asks that people call the White House (202-456-1111) in order to express their support for the international nonviolent protest and to tell the President that they “expect [him] to take action to uphold the rights of peaceful citizens to safe passage on the seas.”

I have little hope that Mr. Obama would respond to a call to protect Americans from an Israeli assault. He has failed to do this in the past. But isn’t it a wonderful irony that the name of the U.S. boat is a phrase closely associated with the President? Although Obama is not on board, maybe there are groups and individuals who have not publicly supported the flotilla movement in the past that would, at least, demand strongly that the IDF refrain from using violence against citizens who are obviously peaceful demonstrators.

Isn’t nonviolent protest one of the tenets of activism for American liberals and progressives?

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Canadians to Baird: Israel's Gaza Blockade Is Illegal, We Will Sail to Gaza - CBG

Al Jazeera

John Baird

The Canadian Boat to Gaza (CBG) is dismissing Foreign Affairs Minister Baird's misinformation about the upcoming flotilla, and is promising to sail with the Freedom Flotilla II next month. John Baird, newly appointed Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, has taken to discouraging Canadians from participating in the upcoming flotilla, which aims to break the siege of Gaza.

CBG views Minister Baird's statement as an attempt to abdicate the Canadian Government's obligation to ensure the safety of the Canadians who will be on board the flotilla, including the Canadian boat Tahrir and to justify, in advance, any crimes Israel may commit against peaceful unarmed civilians from Canada and all over the world, as it did a year ago tomorrow.

"We are sailing to change the unjust and illegal situation Israel imposes on Gaza and to challenge the Canadian government's support for those policies," says Wendy Goldsmith, CBG steering committee member.

"Baird has characterized the Freedom Flotillas as "provocative". How is aid provocative? How is standing up for international law and social justice provocative? How is it provocative to work for the freedom of the 1.5 million Palestinians in the open air prison of Gaza?" asks Ehab Lotayef, a CBG spokesperson.

"What's provocative is the government of Israel's impunity and systemic violations of international law," says Lotayef. "What's provocative is the Harper government acting as an apologist for all of Israel's actions, even when they are illegal and immoral, like the siege of Gaza. CBG and the flotilla are nonviolent direct responses to Israeli provocation."

In his statement Mr. Baird mentions Israel's right to prevent the smuggling of weapons. "What is he trying to imply?" asks Goldsmith. "If Mr. Baird has any doubts about our mission or what we will carry, we invite him or any Canadian body to inspect the Canadian Boat to Gaza." She added.
"We would like to remind Mr. Baird that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), one of the official channels to send aid to Gaza, has itself said: "all States have an obligation to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of all relief consignments, equipment and personnel [into Gaza]," not just those passing through channels approved by the government of Israel." [1] said Lotayef.

CBG is a civilian to civilian initiative funded by citizens and civil society organizations and did not benefit from any government funding or taxpayers funds as some misinformed media reports mentioned lately.

The full list of endorsements and supporting individuals and organizations is online at www.tahrir.ca.
(1) http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/update/palestine-update-140610.htm

A Shameless Secretary General versus Freedom Flotilla 2

Richard Falk

It is expected that at the end of June, Freedom Flotilla 2 will set sail for Gaza carrying various forms of humanitarian aid, including medical, educaional, and construction materials. This second flotilla will consist of 15 ships, including the Mavi Marmara sailing from Istanbul, but also vessels departing from several European countries, and carrying as many as 1500 humanitarian activists as passengers. If these plans are carried out, as seems likely, it means that the second flotilla will be about double the size of the first that was so violently and unlawfully intercepted by Israeli commandos in international waters on May 31, 2010, resulting in nine deaths on the Turkish lead ship.

            Since that shocking incident of a year ago the Arab Spring is transforming the regional atmosphere, but it has not ended the blockade of Gaza, or the suffering inflicted on the Gazan population over the four-year period of coerced confinement. Such imprisonment of an occupied people has been punctuated by periodic violence, including the sustained all out Israeli attack for three weeks at the end of 2008 during which even women, children, and the disabled were not allowed to leave the deadly killing fields of Gaza. It is an extraordinary narrative of Israeli cruelty and deafening international silence, a silence broken only by the brave civil society initiatives in recent years that brought both invaluable symbolic relief in the form of empathy and human solidarity, as well as token amounts of substantive assistance in the form of much needed food and medicine. It is true that the new Egypt has opened the Rafah crossing a few days ago (but not fully or unconditionally), allowing several hundred Gazans to leave or return to Gaza on a daily basis. At best, this opening even if sustained provides only partial relief. Rafah is not currently equipped to handle goods, and is available only to people and so the blockade of imports and exports continues in force, and may even be intensified as Israel vents its anger over the Fatah/Hamas unity agreement.

            As the Greek coordinator of Freedom Flotilla 2, Vangelis Pisias, has expressed the motivation of this new effort to break the blockade: “We will not allow Israel to set up open prisons and concentration camps.”  Connecting  this Gazan ordeal to the wider regional struggles,” Pisias added, “Palestine is in our heart and could be the symbol of a new era in the region.” Such sentiments reinforce the renewal of Palestinian militancy as exhibited in the recent Nabka and Naksa demonstrations.

            A highly credible assessment of the Israeli 2010 attack on Freedom Flotilla 1 by a fact finding mission appointed by the UN Human Rights Council concluded that the Israelis had violated international law in several respects: by using excessive force, by wrongfully attacking humanitarian vessels in international waters, and by an unacceptable claim to be enforcing a blockade that was itself unlawful. Such views have been widely endorsed by a variety of respected sources throughout the international community, although the panel appointed by the UN Secretary General to evaluate the same incident has not yet made public its report, and apparently its conclusions will be unacceptably muted by the need to accommodate its Israeli member.

            In light of these surrounding circumstances, including the failure of Israel to live up to its announced promise after the attack in 2010 to lift the blockade, it shocks our moral and legal sensibilities that the UN Secretary General should be using the authority of his office to urge member governments to prevent ships from joining Freedom Flotilla 2. Ban Ki-moon shamelessly does not even balance such a call, purportedly to avoid the recurrence of violence, by at least sending an equivalent message to Israel insisting that the blockade end and demanding that no force be used by Israel in response to humanitarian initiatives of the sort being planned. Instead of protecting those who would act on behalf of unlawful Palestinian victimization, the UN Secretary General disgraces the office, by taking a one-sided stand in support of one of the most flagrant and long lasting instances of injustice that has been allowed to persist in the world. True, his spokesperson tries to soften the impact of such a message by vacuously stating that “the situation in the Gaza Strip must be changed, and Israel must conduct real measures to end the siege.” We must ask why were these thoughts not expressed by the Secretary General himself and directly to Israel? Public relations is part of his job, but it is not a cover for crassly taking the wrong side in the controversy over whether or not Freedom Flotilla 2 is a legitimate humanitarian initiative courageously undertaken by civil society without the slightest credible threat to Israeli security and in the face of Israeli warnings of dire consequences.

            Appropriately, and not unexpectedly, the Turkish Government refuses to bow to such abusive pressures even when backed by the UN at its highest level. Ahmet Davutoglu, the widely respected Turkish Foreign Minister, has said repeatedly in recent weeks when asked about Freedom Flotilla 2, that no democratic government should ever claim the authority to exercise control over the peaceful initiatives of civil society, as represented by NGOs. Davutoglu has been quoted as saying “[N]obody should expect from Turkey…to forget that nine civilians were killed last year..Therefore we are sending a clear message to all those concerned. The same tragedy should not be repeated again.” Underscoring the unresolved essential issue he asked rhetorically, “[D]o we think that one member state is beyond international law?” Noting that Israel has still not offered an apology to Turkey or compensation to the families of those killed, Davutoglu makes clear that until such reasonable preconditions for diplomatic normalization are met, Israel should not be accepted “to be a partner in the region.

             In the background of this sordid effort to interfere with Freedom Flotilla 2 is the geopolitical muscle of the United States that blindly (and dumbly) backs Israel no matter how outrageous or criminal its behavior. And undoubtedly, this geopolitical pressure helps explain this attempted interference by the UN with a brave and needed humanitarian initiative that deserves to be strongly supported by the UN rather than condemned. Despite the near universal verbal objections of world leaders, including even Ban Ki-moon, to the Israeli blockade, no meaningful action has been yet taken by either governments or the UN. Israel’s undisguised defiance of the requirements of belligerent occupation of Gaza as set forth in the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, and the First Additional Protocol appended thereto in 1977, is an unacknowledged scandal of gigantic proportions.

            Liberating Palestine from oppressive occupation and refugee regimes should become a unifying priority for peoples and leaders during this second stage of the Arab Spring. Nothing could do more to manifest the external as well as the internal turn to democracy, constitutional governance, and human rights than displays of solidarity by new and newly reformist governments in Arab countries with this unendurably long Palestinian struggle for justice and sustainable peace. It would also offer the world a contrast with the subservience to Israel recently on display in Washington, highlighted by inviting Benjamin Netanyahu to address an adoring U.S. Congress, a rarity in the country’s treatment of foreign leaders. Its impact was heightened by the pandering speech given by President Obama to AIPAC, the notorious Israeli lobbying organization, at about the same time. It is unprecedented in the history of diplomacy that a leading sovereign state would so jeopardize its own global reputation and sacrifice its values to avoid offending a small allied partner. It is in the American interest, as well as in the interest of the peoples of the Arab world, particularly the Palestinians, to end the conflict.

             The United States Government has long discredited itself as an intermediary in the conflict. Its partisanship, driven mainly by domestic politics, represents a costly sacrifice of its own interests, but is also objectionable as lending support to intolerable Israeli policies of apartheid occupation and colonialist expansionism. It is time to shift the locus of diplomatic responsibility for resolving the conflict from Washington to the far more geopolitically trustworthy auspices of Brazil, Turkey, Nordic countries, even possibly Russia or China, and to encourage a more active regional role. If the encouraging recent Fatah/Hamas unity arrangements hold up and move forward, Palestinian representation will be regarded as increasingly credible, and hopefully will actively incorporate elements of the refugee communities in the bordering countries into their diplomacy. It is time for the world to realize, and the Palestinians to highlight, that the conflict is not just about territory (‘land for peace’), or even to ensure an adequate Palestinian presence in Jerusalem, it is most fundamentally about people. Insisting on respect for the moral, legal, and political rights of Palestinian refugees is the litmus test of a people-centered approach to the conflict, and should not be allowed to drift off into peripheral space, as has happened in the past.

30,000 Turks protest against Israel on Gaza flotilla raid anniversary

People's Daily

Protesters wave flags at a rally at the Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, May 30, 2011. Some 30,000 Turks staged a protest against Israel on Istanbul's main street Monday night on the anniversary of the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. (Xinhua/Ma Yan)

Some 30,000 Turks staged a protest against Israel on Istanbul's main street Monday night on the anniversary of the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

Holding candles, waving Palestinian flag and flags of Turkey and Iran, and shouting slogans such as "wait Palestinians, Mavi Marmara ship is coming" and "blockade is crime against humanitarian," the protesters marched on the Istiklal street, the most important and prosperous business street in Istanbul, and gathered in the Taksim square.

The event was organized by the Turkish nongovernmental organization the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedom and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), to commemorate the eight Turks and one Turkish-American killed onboard the Mavi Marmara, a ship of the IHH's first aid flotilla, in a raid by the Israeli commandos on May 31, 2010.

The IHH claimed that it has planned a second Gaza-bound flotilla at the end of June despite the Israeli warning and the pressure from the U.S. government.

IHH chairman Bulent Yildirim said the new flotilla, which would be composed of 15 ships and about 1,500 activists from more than 100 countries, was organized by 22 activist groups from around the world to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

"We would like to remind Israel to come to its senses. You must allow this flotilla," Yildirim said, "if you raid again, we will stay in the sea for days and become the current issue in the world. "

Yildirim called on Israel, which he said became isolated after the May 31 raid, to completely lift the blockade on Gaza.

The Turkish-Israeli relations have been at rock bottom since the raid. Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel and demanded an official apology and compensation from Israel in response to the attack which was condemned by many countries, while Israel refused to make an apology or consider compensation, saying it acted in self-defense.

The United States has warned Turkey that sending another flotilla to the Gaza Strip would not be helpful.

Yildirim criticized the U.S. government's support for Israel, which he said was isolating itself internationally due to its treatment of the Palestinians.

UN Secretary-General trying to scupper flotilla plans

My Catbird Seat
Stuart Littlewood

Blockade illegal… collective punishment illegal… interception illegal…

The UN called for “unimpeded” humanitarian assistance for Gaza

So why is the Secretary-General trying to scupper latest flotilla plans? 

It’s in the report of the UN fact-finding mission set up by the Human Rights Council to investigate violations of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, resulting from the Israeli attacks a year ago on the flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian assistance to Gaza, during which nine people were killed and many others injured.

Reporting last September the Mission was “satisfied that the blockade was inflicting disproportionate damage upon the civilian population in the Gaza Strip and that as such the interception could not be justified and therefore has to be considered illegal…

“The Mission considers that one of the principal motives behind the imposition of the blockade was a desire to punish the people of the Gaza Strip for having elected Hamas. The combination of this motive and the effect of the restrictions on the Gaza Strip leave no doubt that Israel’s actions and policies amount to collective punishment as defined by international law… No case can be made for the legality of the interception and the Mission therefore finds that the interception was illegal.”


And that wasn’t all. The Mission considered that the naval blockade was implemented in support of the overall closure regime. “As such it was part of a single disproportionate measure of armed conflict and as such cannot itself be found proportionate. Furthermore, the closure regime is considered by the Mission to constitute collective punishment of the people living in the Gaza Strip and thus to be illegal and contrary to Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

The action of the Israel Defense Force in intercepting the Mavi Marmara on the high seas was “clearly unlawful” and could not be justified even under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations [the right of self-defense].

Pack your bags, Mr Ban

So just what did the Secretary-General of the UN, Ban Ki-Moon, think he was doing last week when he attempted to scupper the latest humanitarian effort by sending a letter to governments around the Mediterranean calling on them to use their influence to discourage any more flotillas such as the one due to sail towards the end of June, which he says “carry the potential to escalate into violent conflict”.

There is, of course, nothing potentially violent about an unarmed mercy ship. There is everything potentially violent about an illegal naval blockade that the United Nations should have squelched long ago.

A press release from Mr Ban’s office said that flotillas were not helpful in resolving the basic economic problems in Gaza, though the situation there remains unsustainable, and that assistance and goods destined to Gaza should be channeled through legitimate crossings and established channels.

No, Mr Ban. What has been unhelpful in resolving the basic economic problems in Gaza is the yellowbellied failure of the UN to discharge its duty to implement its own resolutions and enforce humanitarian law.

The Secretary-General ought to remind himself of Security Council resolution 1860 (2009), which emphasises “the need to ensure sustained and regular flow of goods and people through the Gaza crossings” and calls for “the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance, including of food, fuel and medical treatment”.
“Unimpeded”, Mr Ban, as in u-n-i-m-p-e-d-e-d. Do we need to buy a megaphone?

So what is this talk about using “legitimate crossings and established channels”? Everyone knows that those channels, operated by the criminal blockader itself, are designed to impede the flow of everything and everyone to and from Gaza.

It’s bad enough that the wimp Obama is busy rewriting international law, circumventing inconvenient UN resolutions and trying to give his Zionist friends the green light to keep the Palestinian lands and resources they have already stolen and create opportunities for them to grab more.

But who are you working for, Mr Ban Ki-Moon? Why aren’t you, as Secretary-General, exhorting member states around the Mediterranean to do their duty under the UN Charter and ensure that the aid gets through to Gaza DIRECT?

I hear that back home in Korea Ban’s nickname is “Ban-chusa”, tagging him as a blasted pen-pusher. Some say he’s noted for his subservience. In other words, he’s a yes-man.
As if we hadn’t enough of them already.

If you cannot uphold international law or insist on compliance with the raft of UN resolutions requiring an end to Israeli occupation and a permanent halt to interference with the Palestinian Territories, Mr Ban, you bring the UN into disrepute. You should pack your bags and clear off back to Korea.

The Secretary-General’s spokesman, Martin Nesirky, sings the same tune and says that Freedom Flotillas are useless. He urges the Government of Israel to take further meaningful and far-reaching steps to end the closure of Gaza, within the framework of Security Council resolution 1860, and emphasises that the operation of legitimate crossings must be adequate to meet the needs of Gaza’s civilian population. That’s real bright when everyone and his dog knows you can “urge” Israel all you like but the regime will take no notice until it is forced to.

Israel is a member of the United Nations and a signatory to the UN’s Charter, whose principles it happily violates repeatedly. It now plans to continue its crazed defiance of the law, the UN and international opinion by committing the same crime again and blocking the next flotilla. A report today in Ha’aretz http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-prepping-to-block-next-gaza-flotilla-1.365036 shows how futile the words of Ban and Nesirky are. Israeli prime minister Netanyahu warns that his military will if necessary use force against anyone who tries to disobey his navy’s orders and head to Gaza’s shore. There is also talk of deploying snipers.

It’s clear that peace-workers and the decent folk of the world cannot look to the UN for action under present management. For all its poncing around it has done nothing effective. So while we wait for Mr Ban to be replaced by someone with guts and gumption, perhaps Mr Nesirky would kindly explain what is so “useless” about a humanitarian flotilla trying to burst through a cruel and illegal blockade that’s operated by a bunch of delinquents who may soon have to answer to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity? Especially when his employers just sit there scratching their ass.

A letter two months ago to my MP about the need to protect the next Gaza flotilla from unlawful interference has gone unanswered. What arrangements were being made, I wanted to know, to defend these civilians from the sort of murderous harassment on the high seas that caused worldwide uproar last year?

The Med is full of NATO ships at the moment in the service of freedom and democracy, or so we’re told. It would not surprise me if the brass hats have agreed to steer well clear of the area where Israel does its marauding and leave the Zionist extremists free to terrorise and assault the unarmed crews and passengers of a brave little fleet of mercy ships.


 

Stuart Littlewood is a marketing specialist turned writer-photographer in the UK. His articles are published widely on the web. He is author of the book Radio Free Palestine, which tells the plight of the Palestinians under occupation. More posts by the Author

Israel prepping to block next Gaza flotilla

Haaretz

On the anniversary of its deadly takeover of the aid flotilla to Gaza, in which nine Turkish activists died in a confrontation with navy commandos, Israel is preparing to block the next flotilla as well.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel prefers a diplomatic move to thwart the flotilla expected at the end of June, but if necessary would exercise force against anyone who tries to disobey the navy’s orders and head to Gaza’s shore.

The Israel Navy has held takeover drills and mobilized reserve combatants, on the assumption the large number of vessels (about 15 ) planning to take part in the flotilla will require reinforcements. The preparations include intelligence surveillance, based mainly on open communications and Internet sites.

The navy is focusing on riot-control measures this time, saying they will use force as a last resort.

Israeli defense sources said recently that despite addressing flaws in the previous flotilla takeover, there is no alternative to taking over the boats and protesters by force – barring an agreement that would cancel the flotilla.

Former Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi testified before the Turkel committee investigating the flotilla and said that if necessary, sniper fire would be used to take down violent protesters. This would prevent face-to-face clashes that hold a greater risk to soldiers’ lives.

The Turkel committee in February published the first part of its report, which on the whole justifies Israel’s position and conduct. The report upholds Israel’s argument that it was permitted to impose a blockade on Gaza and exercise force to prevent uncoordinated ships’ entry. Two foreign observers took part in writing the report.

The committee is still hearing testimonies regarding the way Israel investigates warfare incidents.

State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss is expected soon to publish his own report on the flotilla. Lindenstrauss examined various aspects, from ministerial and military decisions during the preparations for the flotilla to presenting Israel’s position abroad.

Immediately after the flotilla incident Israel changed its position dramatically regarding the amount and extent of goods allowed into the Gaza Strip. Egypt’s decision to reopen the Rafah border crossing as of last weekend removes the rest of the coordinated siege both states had imposed on Gaza.

ISRAEL TO BE SUED FOR MURDER ON THE SEA IN US COURT

Desert Peace



Furkan Doğan, American Citizen Killed by
IDF on the Mamara
Last year, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama for remaining silent on the death of an American citizen. “We are protecting the rights of our eight martyrs. The United States is not taking care of Furkan, its own citizen. Is it because of his Turkish origin?” Erdoğan said.

The father of a Turkish-American man killed last year in an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla will file a compensation case against the Israeli government Tuesday in the United States, his lawyer has said.

“We will open a compensation case against Israel and we’ll declare this at a press conference tomorrow [Tuesday] in front of the U.S. Capitol,” Ramazan Arıtürk, a lawyer for the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or İHH, which organized the ill-fated flotilla, told the Hürriyet Daily News on Monday.

The declaration will come after the lawyers meet with officials from the U.S. Department of Justice as well as U.S. senators and congressmen on the issue, the lawyer said.

The Israeli raid May 31, 2010, killed nine people aboard the Mavi Marmara, including Furkan Doğan, an American of Turkish descent, and eight Turkish citizens.

“Furkan is an American citizen. He was martyred in international waters. The United States has not taken any action against Israel over the past year. The legal procedures launched by U.S. authorities have not reached any result,” Hüseyin Oruç, an İHH board member and the spokesman for a new flotilla set to sail to Gaza next month, told the Daily News.


Ahmet Doğan, Fukan's father
He declined to comment on the amount of compensation that is being sought, saying this would be set by Doğan’s father, Ahmet, who is currently in the United States along with a group of lawyers.

Eight other compensation cases for the other victims will be opened in Turkey “very soon,” Arıtürk said.

Last year, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama for remaining silent on the death of an American citizen. “We are protecting the rights of our eight martyrs. The United States is not taking care of Furkan, its own citizen. Is it because of his Turkish origin?” Erdoğan said.

Despite calls from the U.S. for Ankara to block the new flotilla from setting off for Gaza in late June, İHH officials ruled out any Turkish government interference to prevent the trip.

“There has been no interference from the Turkish government so far. We are insistently saying that this is a civil-society initiative and İHH is only one of 22 separate [groups involved], including those from a wide range of countries, from Indonesia to Canada,” Oruç said.

In remarks published in daily Bugün, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said the second flotilla was a civil-society initiative. “There are also citizens from other countries [set to be onboard],” he added, but repeated that the government might advise the İHH not to go.

“All the teams are very much determined. These are civilian vessels and carry nothing threatening Israel’s security,” Oruç said. “Israel has not yet given an account of what it did last year despite significant reports released by the U.N. We believe Israel will not repeat the same mistake because any action aimed at stopping the flotilla will receive an enormous amount of reaction from the world.”

This year 25 vessels will set out carrying 1,500 activists, up from six vessels and 700 activists last year. The İHH will be represented by 100 activists. One ship is expected to set out from New York on Saturday and all the vessels of the flotilla will meet in the Mediterranean before steering for Gaza.

A ceremony will be held May 30 at Istanbul’s central Taksim Square to commemorate victims of last year’s raid. According to Oruç, the event will be attended by the international participants in this year’s flotilla.

Egypt allows docking of Freedom Flotilla

PressTV

The freedom flotilla aid ship MVFinch has received approval to dock in an Egyptian port giving further encouragement for the opening of borders into Gaza.

Press TV talks with Michael Chossudovsky, Director for the Center of Research on Globalization in Montreal who is in touch with the ship and is very optimistic about humanitarian materials getting through due to the actions taken by Egyptian authorities. Following is a transcription of that interview.

Press TV: Tell us about the latest news that you've been getting on the conditions of the people on board the ship and where they are right now?

Michael Chossudovsky: I've been in touch with the ship permanently for the last six or seven hours and the latest news is quite encouraging because we were told that they would be refused the right to berth at the Port of El-Arish and the ship took the decision to try to enter Gaza through Egyptian territorial waters and we have just learnt -- and it's a very important decision -- that the (Egyptian) Minister of Foreign Affairs el-Arabi, who actually met with his counterpart, the minister for foreign affairs of Malaysia, has granted the ship the right to berth tomorrow and to unload its cargo, which is destined for Gaza.

This is a historic decision because Foreign Minister Nabil el-Arabi less than a month ago made the commitment that the blockade would be lifted and that the border crossing at Rafah would be opened up; in other words reversing the 2007 agreement reached with the Israelis. And it seems that this decision with regards to the spirit of the Rachel Corrie (MV Finch) is historical because it means that the blockade is in the process of being broken.

We don't know what will happen tomorrow; we will keep you posted as to the shipment of pipes, which are intended for the refurbishment or reconstruction of the sewerage system of Gaza.

I must say that this does look like a major turnaround in Egyptian foreign policy, which is fundamental and will affect the entire relationship between Israel, Egypt and the Arab world in the days to come.

Press TV: This is good news for those on board the aid ship. Tell us about the people who are in this convoy and where are they coming from; what type of people are they; and why did they initially make the decision to go ahead with this trip?

Michael Chossudovsky: This ship is an initiative by the Perdana Global Peace Foundation, which is chaired by the former prime minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad. It is a follow up from last years' initiative, which was also called the Rachel Corrie and as you may recall last year the Rachel Corrie was the last boat to confront the Israeli authorities and its crew and members were arrested and deported by Israel.

This ship (on the latest trip) is somewhat of a different nature: first of all the Israelis were taken totally by surprise with advanced communications technology and radar. When the ship approached the Gazan coastline they were undetected and it was only when the ship was within a mile of the coastline that the Israelis actually saw it.

They intervened and they started shooting at them; they almost killed the captain; it was a very aggressive act on their part. And then what happened was that the ship went back into Egyptian territorial waters and was escorted by the Egyptian navy and then it was stranded for seven days as we know.

I think the objective is two-fold: one is to bring humanitarian materials to Gaza, but more importantly it's also to break the blockade so that the normal flow of people, aid and trade can proceed through by both land and by sea. And that is absolutely fundamental.

Our research center is part of that initiative and there is one Canadian member of our team who is on board. 

Netanyahu asks UN's Ban to help stop Gaza flotilla in May

Jerusalem Post

PM tells UN secretary general that fleet of ships scheduled to arrive in Gaza in May is being organized by "radical Islamists."

Netanyahu

PM tells UN secretary general that fleet of ships scheduled to arrive in Gaza in May is being organized by "radical Islamists."
Talkbacks (1)

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday spoke with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and asked him to work towards stopping a planned flotilla which is scheduled to arrive in Gaza in May. Netanyahu told Ban that the flotilla is being organized partly by radical Islamists, whose aim is to provoke and cause violence.

Netanyahu said that today Gaza is open to all types of goods through land borders. "Because of the attempt to smuggle weapons into Gaza by sea, Israel must act with force against the flotilla," Netanyahu said.

Earlier in March, pro-Palestinian movements in Europe, including the Free Gaza movement, said they planned to send another flotilla to Gaza in mid-May. Organizers have said that the flotilla will include 15 ships from a number of different countries, and thousands are expected to participate.

At their meeting Amsterdam, the Free Gaza movement urged the governments of participating nationals to take the necessary steps to protect those nationals who will participate, the Kuwait News Agency reported. The flotilla will reportedly be called "Freedom Fleet 2."

Last year, a flotilla from Turkey roused controversy when nine passengers were killed as IDF soldiers intercepted one of the ships, the Mavi Marmara. Turkey has called on Israel to apologize for the deaths of the citizens, and to provide compensation to the families of those who died. Israel has agreed to provide compensation, but refused to admit that its actions were unlawful and accept blame.

The Turkel Committee, which was established in Israel to investigate the events that occurred surrounding the Mavi Marmara raid, concluded that the IDF conducted its operation following international law, whereas a Turkish investigation found that Israeli soldiers shot five victims at close range, and that two were killed before the soldiers even boarded the ship.