Israel continues its merciless pounding of the defenceless.

[Happy Face 29]

Gaza aid flotilla to set sail for confrontation with Israel

 

 

A flotilla of eight boats carrying thousands of tonnes of construction materials, medical equipment and other aid is preparing to sail to Gaza in the next few days, setting the scene for a confrontation with Israel which has vowed to prevent the ships breaking the blockade on the Palestinian territory.

 

Three cargo ships and five passenger vessels plan to meet up in international waters between Cyprus and Gaza Strip before heading towards Gaza City. The Israeli military is expected to stop the flotilla and divert it to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

 

One of the organisers of the flotilla, which includes three vessels from Turkey, is IHH, a humanitarian aid group supported by Ankara. Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel have deteriorated since the Israelis launched a three-week war on Gaza in 2008-09. An attempt to block the flotilla is likely to increase tensions between the two countries. The Turkish prime minister, Racep Tayyip Erdogan, has called on Israel to avoid this be allowing the boats through.

 

"This could make relations between Israel and Turkey more complicated," said Yigal Palmor, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman.

 

On board the ships are 10,000 tonnes of cargo and about 700-800 activists and politicians from more than 40 countries. The cargo includes building materials, medical supplies and paper for schools. One boat is carrying a complete dental surgery including drills. Crayons and chocolate are also on board for Gazan children. The cargo has been paid for by donations.

 

"We're trying to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip and tell the world that Israel has no right to starve 1.5 million Palestinians," said Greta Berlin, of the Free Gaza Movement, another organiser of the flotilla. "We are bringing in vitally needed supplies so the people of Gaza can rebuild their infrastructure."

 

Israel has imposed an economic blockade on Gaza since the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas seized control almost three years ago. Nearly all exports and imports are banned and only a limited supply of food and medical aid is allowed in.

 

Free Gaza has organised six previous aid boats to the Palestinian territory, the last three of which were blocked from reaching their destination by the Israeli military. This is the biggest attempt to take aid to Gaza. "The previous boats were making a statement ‑ these boats will be making a real impact," said Berlin.

 

The Israeli navy enforces a 20-nautical mile (23-mile) closure of the sea off Gaza, which has had a devastating impact on its fishing industry. "The boats will not be allowed to enter Gaza territorial waters," said Palmor. "This is a territory in a self-declared state of war with Israel. There can be no uncontrolled transportation in or out of Gaza."

 

Berlin accused Israel of "sabre-rattling" in the hope that the flotilla plan will be abandoned. "They have no right to control Gaza waters unless they want to admit they are occupying Gaza," she said. "They are the illegal entity, not us." Israel claims it is acting within international law.

 

The Turkish ferry Mavi Marmara was today docked in Antalya, Turkey, along with two cargo ships, waiting to be joined by boats from Greece. "We will all go together in the next couple of days," said Hosain Orut, of the IHH.

 

John Ging, head of the main UN agency in Gaza, urged more ships carrying aid to be sent: "We believe that Israel would not stop these vessels because the sea is open, and many human rights organisations have been successful in previous similar steps, and proved that breaking the siege on Gaza is possible."

 

Earlier this week, a UN report said that three-quarters of the damage caused to Gaza's infrastructure during the three-week military conflict has not been repaired because of the blockade.

 

Mark Regev, the Israeli prime minister's spokesman, said: "It is strange that human rights activists are acting as apologists for a regime that is brutally repressing human rights. Hamas oppresses women, gays and Christians, has crushed independent media and destroyed all political opposition." He added that 15,000 tonnes of aid was allowed into Gaza every week.

 

Dozens of boats manned by Israeli citizens took the water at the weekend in protest at the aid flotilla.

 

 

Here are some revealing statistics from a recent report by the World Health Organization on the situation in Gaza:

 

“In Gaza, Israel’s blockade is debilitating the healthcare system, limiting medical supplies and the training of medical personnel and preventing serious medical cases from travelling outside the Strip for specialized treatment.”

 

“Israel’s 2008-2009 military operation damaged 15 of the Strip’s 27 hospitals and damaged or destroyed 43 of its 110 primary health care facilities, none of which have been repaired or rebuilt because of the construction materials ban.”

 

“Some 15-20 percent of essential medicines are commonly out of stock and there are shortages of essential spare parts for many items of medical equipment . . . ”

 

In Late 2008, nearly 1 in 5 Palestinians lived in “extreme poverty.” Over half lived below the poverty line.

 

“In the second half of 2008, one third of West Bank households and 71 percent of Gaza households received food assistance, with food accounting for roughly half total household expenditures – making families highly vulnerable to food price fluctuations.”

 

“In May 2008, 56 percent of Gazans and 25 percent of West Bank residents were deemed food insecure by the UN.”

 

“Chronic malnutrition has risen in Gaza over the past few years to reach 10.2 percent.” [This is especially true among children in Gaza).

 

"98 percent of industrial operations have been shut down since 2007 and there are acute shortages of fuel, cash, cooking gas and other basic supplies."

 

This heartbreaking account of Gaza by US physicians doing volunteer medical work there underlines how inadequate the medical facilities are.

 

"The ban on imports of building materials has prevented the rebuilding of some 6,400 homes destroyed or severely damaged by Israel’s military operation in Gaza in 2008-2009 "

Edited May 26, 2010 by Happy Face

[Park Life 70]

Hardly ever makes the news the catastrophe going on there. Wonder why?

[Happy Face 29]

Mark Regev, the Israeli prime minister's spokesman, said: "It is strange that human rights activists are acting as apologists for a regime that is brutally repressing human rights. Hamas oppresses women, gays and Christians, has crushed independent media and destroyed all political opposition." He added that 15,000 tonnes of aid was allowed into Gaza every week.

 

 

 

 

The chief rabbi of a West Bank settlement has prohibited women from standing in a local community election.

 

Rabbi Elyakim Levanon of the Elon Moreh settlement, near Nablus, said women lacked the authority to stand for the post of local secretary.

 

He wrote in a community newspaper that women must only be heard through their husbands.

 

No women have registered for the election due to be held later on Wednesday, Israeli media reported.

 

The rabbi made his comments in the community's newspaper after an unidentified young woman wrote to him asking if she could run for the position of community secretary, the Israeli news website Ynet News said.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/10161713.stm

 

[Park Life 70]

Christ on a ufo.

[Happy Face 29]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/10195838.stm

 

[Park Life 70]

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Israel and called for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council as criticism and condemnations arose across Europe and the Arab world Monday over Israel's deadly commando raid on ships taking humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip.

 

Turkey's prime minister described the raid as "state terrorism," saying that Israel had violated international law and shown that it does not want peace in the region.

 

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey will call on NATO to convene in an emergency session to discuss the incident. It has made a similar plea to the U.N. Security Council.

 

"This attack is state terrorism, violating international law," Erdogan said. "It should be known that we are not going to remain silent in the face of this inhumane state terrorism."

 

The raid, in which at least 10 pro-Palestinian activists, most of them Turks, were killed, was a new blow to Israel's international standing at a time when the West - including the United States - have grown frustrated with its stance in the peace process. The bloodshed particularly hurts its relations with Turkey, which was once a close regional ally of Israel but has become increasingly critical of it.

 

Around 10,000 Turks marched in protest from the Israeli consulate in Istanbul to a main square, chanting, "Murderous Israel you will drown in the blood you shed!" The protesters earlier tried to storm the Consulate building but were blocked by police. The flotilla of six ships, carrying some 700 activists, was sponsored in part by a Turkish organization.

 

Around 1,000 protested in Jordan's capital, Amman, calling for their government to cut diplomatic ties with Israel. Smaller protests erupted in capitals across the Middle East as well as in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, the Greek city of Thessaloniki and the Pakistani city of Karachi.

Story continues below

 

Palestinian youths protesting the raid scuffled with Israeli soldiers, throwing bottles and stones at them, at a checkpoint north of Jerusalem, as senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called the Israeli raid a "war crime."

 

Israel says the activists attacked its commandos as they boarded the six ships taking tons of supplies to Gaza, while the flotilla's organizers say the Israeli forces opened fire first.

 

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the violence, saying, "I am shocked by reports of killing of people in boats carrying supply to Gaza. I heard the ships were in international water. That is very bad." He called for a "thorough investigation."

 

The White House issued a cautious reaction, saying "The United States deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained, and is currently working to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy."

 

The European Union's foreign affairs chief, Catherine Ashton, said the bloc was deeply concerned and she called on Israel to carry out an inquiry. British Foreign Secretary William Hague deplored the killings and called for an end to the Gaza blockade.

 

Spain and France condemned what they called the disproportionate use of force. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called for an immediate investigation into the matter by a neutral party but was careful not to directly place blame. He said that the German embassy was seeking information on six German citizens believed to have been aboard the ships.

 

Greece suspended a military exercise with Israel and postponed a visit by Israel's air force chief. Greece, Egypt, Sweden, Spain and Denmark summoned Israel's ambassadors demanding explanations for the violence.

[The Fish 8989]

I normally like to take the middle ground (sitting on the fence) but I can't see how the Israelis can justify this.

 

I mean, even forgetting about the legitimacy of the attack, surely they have non-lethal armaments vailable?

 

I know there are reports of the crew and passengers going for the Israeli's weapons, but I cannot see the justification for the assault?

[Toonpack 6860]

I normally like to take the middle ground (sitting on the fence) but I can't see how the Israelis can justify this.

 

I mean, even forgetting about the legitimacy of the attack, surely they have non-lethal armaments vailable?

 

I know there are reports of the crew and passengers going for the Israeli's weapons, but I cannot see the justification for the assault?

 

 

Can't believe they assaulted in international waters, that's state piracy.

 

Whatever the actions of those on board the ships, Israel's assault was illegal and beyond the pale IMO.

 

Why the fuck they didn't let the ships dock and they could have detained everyone then quietly and bloodlessly.

 

Be interesting to see what happens in the Security council.

[Park Life 70]

A shocked world has responded with outrage. Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel and warned of unprecedented and incalculable reprisals.

 

Two Turkish activists were reported to be among those killed in the flotilla. Ankara warned that further supply vessels will be sent to Gaza, escorted by the Turkish Navy, a development with unpredictable consequences.

 

Israel has sounded an alert throughout the country fearing rocket attacks by Hezbollah in Lebanon.

 

The Arab League has called an urgent meeting on Tuesday to decide on a common response. Egypt is under pressure to end the blockade of Gaza while Greece has cancelled a military exercise with Isreal.

 

The world is waiting for the response from Washington, how will President Obama react to the provocation from America's closest ally.

 

(With inputs from Agencies)

[Park Life 70]

Members of the United Nations Security Council on Monday urged Israel to lift its economic blockade of the Gaza Strip, in an emergency session to discuss the deadly Israel Navy raid on a convoy of international activists sailing to the coastal territory.

 

Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco said in his briefing to the UN's most powerful body that Monday's bloodshed would have been avoided if repeated calls on Israel to end the "counterproductive and unacceptable" blockade of Gaza had been heeded.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

 

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Photo by: Reuters

 

Palestinians and Arab nations used the forum of the emergency session called by Turkey to call for condemnation and an independent investigation into the incident which left at least nine international activists dead. Most members of the 15-nation body joined the call for an investigation.

 

Many council members echoed earlier statements by their their governments in denouncing or criticizing the Israeli action, and said it was time for Israel's three-year-old

blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza to be fully lifted.

 

 

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the raid murder conducted by a state and demanded an immediate Israeli apology, an urgent inquiry, international legal action against the authorities and perpetrators responsible, and an end to the Gaza blockade.

 

Following a 90-minute open meeting, the council went into closed-door consultations. Diplomats said envoys were negotiating the text of a proposed statement by the council.

 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a full investigation and expressed shock at Israel's storming of the flotilla.

 

"It is vital that there is a full investigation to determine exactly how this bloodshed took place. I believe Israel must urgently provide a full explanation," he said at a press conference in the Ugandan capital of Kampala.

 

The White House on Monday said it "deeply regretted" the loss of life and injuries sustained in the clashes after Israel Navy troops stormed a convoy of international activists bringing aid to the Gaza Strip, leaving nine of the passengers dead.

 

"The United States deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained, and is currently working to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy," said White House spokesman William Burton.

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled his imminent trip to Washington, where he had been invited to meet with President Barack Obama, in the wake of the incident.

 

France became the first European nation to respond to the early morning's events. Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he was "profoundly shocked".

 

Many of the activists aboard the protest ships were European nationals and analysts have predicted a harsh diplomatic response from the European Union and its member states.

 

Sweden summoned Israel's ambassador to explain the circumstances of the incident. Two Swedish citizens were on board the seized ship.

 

The European Union demanded an inquiry into the incident, with member nations voicing their own individual calls on the matter over the course of the day.

 

Germany, one of Israel's most loyal allies, expressed shock at the deadly interception and questioned whether the action by Israeli commandos was proportionate.

 

Two members of the Bundestag lower house of parliament were among five Germans on board the ships, the foreign ministry said.

 

"The German government is shocked by events in the international waters by Gaza," government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm told a regular news conference, adding the government was seeking further clarification about the incident.

 

"Every German government supports unconditionally Israel's right to self defense," said Wilhelm. But he added that Israeli actions should to correspond to what he described as the "basic principle" of proportionality.

 

"A first look does not speak in favor of this basic principle being adhered to," he said. Berlin would await further details before judging the incident, he added.

 

Italy also condemned the killing of civilians during Israel's storming of the aid flotilla as "very grave" and asked for an EU investigation to ascertain the facts.

 

"I deplore in the strongest terms the killing of civilians. This is certainly a grave act," said Foreign Minister Franco Frattini.

 

Referring to the European Commission, he said it was "indispensable that there be an inquest to ascertain the facts, which are still not clear."

 

He also said he had asked the Israeli ambassador for clarification and hoped that it would not hurt efforts on the part of Israel and Turkey to cooperate in the search for Middle East peace.

 

Britain said on Monday that it was in urgent contact with the Israeli government to establish the facts about the interception of the Gaza flotilla while it "deplored" the loss of life in the incident.

 

"We have consistently advised against attempting to access Gaza in this way because of the risks involved," Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement.

 

"But, at the same time, there is a clear need for Israel to act with restraint and in line with international obligations," he added.

 

Hague said Britain had asked Israel for more information and urgent access to any British nationals involved.

 

"It would be important to establish the facts about this incident and especially whether enough was done to prevent death and injuries," said Hague.

[sniffer 0]

You are like a pig in shit with this Parky.

[Park Life 70]

You are like a pig in shit with this Parky.

 

...well this ain't like killing a few unarmed Palestinian teenagers, the boats were full people from all over Europe and it looks like Turkey will send another boat this week. Obviously a tragedy, but it has focussed world attention in a rather nasty way on Israel. This could be the fuck up it takes for sanctions and maybe more...

[Park Life 70]

Israel reveals its true face

 

The murder of these peace activists will count. Sanctions must surely be the price

 

 

 

This will count. A flotilla of relief boats attacked in international waters. Armed commandos boarding a vessel carrying supplies for a besieged civilian population. More than 10 peace activists reported killed. This has to be made to count.

 

The dead have joined Rachel Corrie, Tom Hurndall, James Miller and Brian Avery in giving up their lives for the Palestinians. None of these young men and women went out to die or wanted to die or was accepting of death. Each and every one of them ultimately believed that they were safe; that there was a boundary – call it a boundary of legality, a boundary of civilisation – that Israel would not cross. They were wrong. And in proving them wrong, Israel has revealed, once again, its true face to the world.

 

This face, of course, the Palestinians know well. They see it every day in the teenage soldiers of the occupation chewing gum as they dish out humiliations, in the settlers shooting young Palestinians with impunity, in the soldiers firing gas canisters at the heads of demonstrators. The world saw that face in January last year when Israel unleashed the might of its air force on Gaza – the only time in modern warfare that a civilian population was sealed in as it was being bombed and shelled. Now Israel is out on the high seas killing internationals.

 

So never mind the multimillion-dollar public relations campaign – actions speak louder than words, and the murder of these peace activists is Israel's message to the world. It does not matter what Mark Regev or any other Israel spokesperson says. It does not matter what spin the Israeli government tries to put on this; the only link between Israeli words and Israeli deeds is this: Israel uses words as a decoy and an obfuscation and a cover for its deeds. It has done so for 62 years. These internationals, dead now, murdered, have ensured that anyone who does not see this is wilfully blind.

 

Western governments are fond of holding up Israel as the "only democracy in the Middle East". So should we assume that the Israeli people are behind their government? That they approve these killings? Last month I was at al-Quds University in Abu Dis. Israel's wall shaved the edge off the campus. On it, in tall blue letters, a Palestinian student had written: "My Israeli sisters: this is not the answer."

 

A few days ago, young Jewish Israeli activists told me they saw that the only hope for their country lies with the international community. Israel is on a path to self-destruction, they said, and it will take the region with it. It will not stop, they said, until the price it pays for its actions becomes too heavy. This price has to be a moral and economic price imposed by the world.

 

My anger and my sadness are so great that I have to deliberately draw a deep breath from time to time to ease the bands I feel around my chest. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that millions of people in the world are feeling the same. People everywhere see and understand what is happening. Many of us feel that Palestine is nearing its South Africa moment. This latest outrage must push it closer. And it will.

 

Donations will, I'm sure, flood in to the other relief boats waiting in harbour. More and more people will take the boycott to heart. More civil bodies will insist on divestment from companies that do business with Israel. The time has come for the governments that represent us to stop engaging with Israeli lies and excuses. The price of Israel's action today has to be to put the issue of sanctions squarely on the table.

 

• Comments on this article will remain open for 24 hours from the time of publication but may be closed overnight

[Billy Castell 0]

Fuck being shocked, and bring these wankers to book. It is obvious that Zionism has become Lebensraum without a foreskin, so they should be dealt with in the same way as we eventually dealt with the Nazis. Eye watering sanctions, the prosecution of those trying to break them, and then war if they don't sort themselves out and behave in a civilised manner. If we can find a way of breaking the Jewish hold on US politics with the powerful lobbying groups, then we can really motor on.

 

If Hamas had any sense, they'd now renounce violence, thus making them look like the victims. Cynical, hypocritical and stretching the truth, but a good tactical move.

[Happy Face 29]

Juan Cole....

 

In a rare public denunciation of Israel, the United Nations Security Council on Monday condemned the Israeli raid on the Gaza aid flotilla and deplored the loss of innocent life that attended it. The world body insisted that Israel immediately release the 480 humanitarians it had taken captive, and demanded that it also let their ships go. The UNSC also instructed Israel to lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip, calling the siege “not sustainable.” Although the statement was weaker than the text urged by Turkey and the Arab world, it was brutal compared to the anodyne language usually insisted upon by Washington when it comes to Israel.

 

This development is head-spinning in its implications. The United States almost never allows UNSC resolutions condemning Israel to go forward. But here it is clear that President Barack Obama instructed his ambassador to the UN to join in the condemnation of the Israeli “acts.” Since Turkey is currently a non-permanent member of the UNSC and led the charge on the condemnation of Israel, it is possible that the US felt it had to trade horses with Ankara if it has any chance of still getting a UNSC resolution tightening sanctions on Iran (a step that Turkey opposes, as does Brazil, though neither has a veto). It is also possible that Israel’s rash attack has sabotaged the Obama administration’s push for increased UN sanctions on Iran, hardening opposition to an Israel-driven policy toward Tehran.

 

The UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Argentina’s Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, gave us some idea of the UNSC’s thinking when he called on Israel on Monday to end its “counterproductive” and “unacceptable” blockade of the Gaza Strip. He pointed out that the fiasco around the Israeli commando attack on the civilian aid flotilla would not have occurred had there been no blockade in the first place. The demand that Israel give up the siege of Gaza was repeated by the United Kingdom and by Brazil. (Nick Clegg, the new LibDem deputy prime minister of the UK, has long been a vocal critic of Israeli policies toward the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza.)

 

As long as Israel, therefore, continues its blockade of the general Gaza population, it is no less in contravention of the United Nations Security Council instructions than Saddam Hussein was with regard to his weapons programs in the early 1990s.

 

While gathering the details of how some 16 humanitarian aid activists were killed and dozens were wounded by Israeli soldiers is important, above all for the sake of justice toward the idealistic persons mown down, it is far more important that the episode produce an end to the lockdown of the 1.5 million Gazans, who have been placed by the Israeli government in a sort of open-air penitentiary.

 

Contrary to the assertions of far-right Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, the Palestinians of Gaza, stripped of any citizenship and lacking any basic human rights, face continual shortages of medicine, medical equipment, electricity and even of food. They face crushing poverty and unemployment, along with inadequate hospitals. Many are still homeless after the Israelis destroyed their homes in the Gaza War, and they are being denied cement for rebuilding. They are not allowed to have a harbor or an airport. They are cut off from the market for their goods in Egypt, Jordan and the rest of the Arab world. As Uri Avnery points out, Israeli pledged in the Oslo accords 18 years ago to allow a deep water port for Gaza on the Mediterranean. Instead, it is assaulting even small aid vessels attempting to land at the pitiful excuse for a port.

 

The blockade is shameful. It is a gross violation of the international law governing the treatment of Occupied populations. And now the Security Council has roundly condemned it and insisted that it be lifted.

 

The Israeli peace organization, Gush Shalom, demonstrated in front of the detention center where the aid activists were being held..

 

There are no new details of the Israeli assault on the humanitarian aid flotilla early Monday morning, largely because the 480 eyewitnesses had been sequestered by the Israelis. Some, including an 81-year-old former US ambassador, a Turkish woman with a baby, and a former US navy sailor who had been on the USS Liberty when the Israelis attacked it in 1967, are now trickling home.

 

The incident could have implications for the future relationship of Israel to the European Union. Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin hinted that Dublin might go so far as to cut expel the Israeli ambassador, thus cutting off diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv. Some 8 Irish citizens are among Israel’s prisoners, and one of these humanitarians, Fiachra O’Luain, is said by his father to have been wounded by Israeli gunplay. Martin thundered, “These citizens did not enter Israel illegally — they were essentially kidnapped from international waters, taken into Israel and are being asked to sign documents saying they entered illegally.”

 

The other big casualty of the Israeli raid may well be the special relationship between Turkey and Israel, as the BBC says. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the raid as “state terrorism.”

 

Thousands of demonstrators also gathered to chant against Israel in Baghdad, inspired by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Interior Minister Jawad Bulani, serving in the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, said, “We want to send a message to the Palestinians to let them know they are not alone and that the Iraqis are with them . . . What is going on is a vicious crime. The international community must condemn it and take responsible action against them. This is the stand of all Iraqis, officially and publically.”

 

Historians may look back on the Marmara raid as the moment a new order began emerging in the Middle East, grouping Turkey with Iran, Syria, Iraq and Palestine rather than with Washington and Tel Aviv.

 

The enforced silence of the flotilla activists, in Israeli custody, has allowed Israeli spokesmen to shape the narrative of events for American news media. Former CIA analyst Ray Close blames President Obama for not being tougher with Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu to begin with, arguing that coddling the Likud leader led to this atrocity. As Jonathan Cook points out, the Israeli authorities have still not announced a definitive list of those killed and wounded by their commandos.

 

In response to Israeli official pronouncements, Amnesty International said, “Israel says its forces acted in self-defence, alleging that they were attacked by protestors, but it begs credibility that the level of lethal force used by Israeli troops could have been justified. It appears to have been out of all proportion to any threat posed.”

 

Raw video posted to Youtube from the initial phase of the Israeli boarding of the Turkish vessel, Mavi Marmara demonstrates that as the Israeli commandos approached the ship, they were laying down suppressive fire and at that point killed two individuals aboard the ship. Even after the ship ran up a white flag, the Israelis continued to use live ammunition along with stun grenades and tear gas.

 

If the crew and passengers of the Mavi Marmara were coming under fire and had taken casualties in the initial phase of the Israeli approach, that horror would help explain why some actively resisted the boarding and that in turn would explain the contextless snippet of video released by the Israeli army of Israeli commandos being fought as they commandeered the vessel. If the passengers thought the Israeli military had murderous intentions toward them, some would obviously attempt to forestall the boarding. It is also possible that there were no deaths on the other ships because they were boarded later and after the Israeli helicopter gunship crews had learned that suppressive fire during the initial approach was unnecessary and counterproductive, and so they ceased that tactic.

 

It is unclear why the commandos behaved in this way with regard to the Mavi Marmara in the first place, but it is possible that they believed their own propaganda. The Turkish aid ships were supported by a Muslim fundamentalist charity in Turkey, IHH, that has been accused of being sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood and to Hamas, and in Israeli eyes that orientation would make them terrorists. So perhaps the commandos assumed they were boarding a ship full of Hamas operatives. In reality, it was just idealistic humanitarians. But even they could be provoked to active resistance if they thought they were about to be shot down.

 

It is a sign of to what depths the pride of the Israeli military has fallen that it is complaining of attempts to “lynch” its soldiers (none of whom was killed, while as many as 16 humanitarian aid workers appear to be dead). This is the Israeli army of the 1967 Six Days War and of Entebbe? They were in danger of being lynched as they boarded a small civilian vessel? Of course, they could have avoided this menace by simply not being uninvited on a ship in international waters. And, it is pretty obvious who is actually being lynched– the people of Gaza and anyone who objects to them being half-starved by the Israeli blockade.

 

http://www.juancole.com/2010/06/historic-u...ists-ships.html

Edited June 1, 2010 by Happy Face

[Happy Face 29]

CNN impartiality.....

 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/05/31/...dex.html?hpt=T1

 

On the one hand....

 

Three Israeli choppers with 15 soldiers aboard and several commando boats were involved in a skirmish with activists on a flotilla seeking to defy an Israeli blockade and deliver aid to Gaza, a senior military official said Monday on condition of anonymity.

 

Nine people were killed in the resulting violence early Monday as Israeli troops attempted to stop the flotilla.

 

An Israeli commando said upon descending into a boat with ropes, he was immediately attacked by a group of people.

 

"They beat us up with metal sticks and knives," he said. "There was live fire at some point against us... They were shooting at us from below deck."

 

Some of the soldiers were tossed from the top deck to a lower deck by the activists, and jumped in the water to save themselves, he said.

 

Activists grabbed soldiers and tried to hold them hostage, stripping them of their helmets and equipment, he said. About 30 activists, all speaking Arabic, carried out the attack, he said.

 

On the other

 

Activists have said the Israeli soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians.

 

They do admit...

 

Neither account could be independently verified by CNN.

 

[Ketsbaia 0]

The more I read about this incident the more confused I get. Israel say they entered a ship full of known Hamas supporters and fanatical Muslim with only paintball guns? And I thought the IDF were well trained.

[Park Life 70]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37442104/ns/wo...ideastn_africa/

 

 

'I will go again'

Among those who allowed to leave was Nilufer Cetain, who was with her one-year-old son on one ship. She said they had "stayed in our cabin and played games amid the sound of gunfire."

 

"My son has been nervous since yesterday afternoon ... I did not need to protect my son. They knew there was a baby on board. I protected him by staying in my cabin," she said after arriving in Turkey.

 

"There are thousands, millions of babies in Gaza. My son and I wanted to play with those babies. We planned to deliver them aid," she said. "We wanted to say 'Look, it's a safe place, I came here with my baby-son.' I saw my husband from a distance, he looked OK. I will go again if another ship goes."

 

"When we went up to the deck, they emerged from helicopters and military boats and attacked us. They approached our vessel with military ships after issuing a warning. We told them we were unarmed. Our sole weapon was water," said Multu Tiryaki, another person with the flotilla.

[Guest alex]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37442104/ns/wo...ideastn_africa/

 

 

'I will go again'

Among those who allowed to leave was Nilufer Cetain, who was with her one-year-old son on one ship. She said they had "stayed in our cabin and played games amid the sound of gunfire."

 

"My son has been nervous since yesterday afternoon ... I did not need to protect my son. They knew there was a baby on board. I protected him by staying in my cabin," she said after arriving in Turkey.

 

"There are thousands, millions of babies in Gaza. My son and I wanted to play with those babies. We planned to deliver them aid," she said. "We wanted to say 'Look, it's a safe place, I came here with my baby-son.' I saw my husband from a distance, he looked OK. I will go again if another ship goes."

 

"When we went up to the deck, they emerged from helicopters and military boats and attacked us. They approached our vessel with military ships after issuing a warning. We told them we were unarmed. Our sole weapon was water," said Multu Tiryaki, another person with the flotilla.

Bint.

[Christmas Tree 3997]

Dont know a great deal about this story but have just watched the footage of the soldiers landing on the ship.

 

As soon as they touch the deck they are brayed to fuck with Iron bars and then chucked overboard.

 

 

Video here on Sky

 

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Article/201006115641326

 

 

Not sure how to put video on here

Edited June 1, 2010 by Christmas Tree

[Park Life 70]

Dont know a great deal about this story but have just watched the footage of the soldiers landing on the ship.

 

As soon as they touch the deck they are brayed to fuck with Iron bars and then chucked overboard.

 

 

Video here on Sky

 

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Article/201006115641326

 

 

Not sure how to put video on here

 

The troops opened fire before they boarded. Good to see IDF braying though cheers.

[NJS 3978]

I'm not naive enough to think there wasn't an element of provocation/shit-stirring in sending this aid with the "Loonies" as LM would call them aboard but fucking hell - sending commandos onto ships in International waters has to be some kind of line crossing thing doesn't it?

[Park Life 70]

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Rachel Corrie Continues Towards Gaza: Will Obama Let Israel Attack?

 

 

How do you know when someone is serious about pursuing a strategy of nonviolent resistance until victory for justice is achieved?

 

When they refuse to turn back in the face of state violence. Damn the commandos. Full speed ahead.

 

The Irish Times reports:

 

The MV Rachel Corrie is ploughing ahead with its attempt to deliver aid to Gaza despite yesterday's attack by the Israeli navy on Gaza-bound ship the Mavi Marmara.

 

 

The cargo ship, which has four Irish nationals and five Malaysians aboard, is due to arrive in Gazan waters tomorrow, a spokeswoman for the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign said.

 

The vessel became separated from the main aid flotilla after being delayed for 48 hours in Cyprus due to logistical reasons.

 

Nobel laureate Maireád Corrigan-Maguire, former UN assistant secretary general Denis Halliday, and husband and wife Derek and Jenny Graham are the Irish nationals on board.

 

Speaking from the ship today, Mr Graham said the vessel was carrying educational materials, construction materials and some toys. "Everything aboard has been inspected in Ireland," he said. "We would hope to have safe passage through."

 

Might the Israeli military attack the Rachel Corrie, as the Israeli military attacked the Mavi Marmara? Would the Obama Administration permit such an Israeli attack on the Rachel Corrie, as the Obama Administration permitted the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara?

 

Note that in particular, under international law, an Israeli military attack on the Rachel Corrie in international waters would be an attack on the government and people of Ireland, because the Rachel Corrie is an Irish-flagged vessel.

[Park Life 70]

On the 5th January 2009 Len Wardle, Co-operative Group chair, wrote:

 

"The Co-operative Group board has decided to suspend sourcing products from illegal West Bank settlements. However, we will continue to trade with Israel and will seek to develop trading links with Palestinian farmers. The Co-operative Group only rarely curtails trade with particular countries or regions. However, in the case of the illegal settlement in the Israeli controlled occupied territories, it has proven to be all but impossible to ensure that supplies derived from the region are not perpetuating injustice and unfair terms of trade. We will no longer source dates, grapes and a number of herbs from the illegal West Bank settlements and will be phasing out the use of similar items from our own brand products."

[manc-mag 1]

How did the Middle East conflict eventually become embodied on Toontastic btw..wasn't it: Parky (Palestine) vs Fop (Isreal)?

 

An odd one as they were allied on almost everything else.