A CALL TO ACT, FREEDOM FLOTILLA 2 NEEDS YOUR HELP NOW

DO IT FOR PALESTINE, DO IT FOR IRELAND DO IT FOR FREEDOM, BUT DO IT NOW!!

The I4P writers group rarely ask for help, but we are asking all our supporters, readers and fellow blog friends for urgent help today.

As many of you are aware, Ireland took part on the last Freedom Flotilla to Gaza which came under attack from Israeli Commando Pirates and resulted in the deaths of nine Humanitarian aid workers. Several Irish people were injured,one fairly seriously.

There is another flotilla going to Gaza in early October, organised by the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza, they were co-organisers of the last flotilla.

You may have noticed we have been posting less on the blog lately. The reason is that several members of our blog are helping to raise money for the Irish Ship to Gaza and some friends will be going on one of the boats in the flotilla. As always, this blog will keep you up to date as the flotilla prepares to break the siege. If Ireland is to be represented on this next flotilla then we need the support of everyone sympathetic to Ireland or Palestine to help us get there.

If you can organise a fundraising event in your area of the world and donate the proceeds to our cause GREAT, we love you and hereby proclaim you as an Honorary Irishmen no matter where you live! If you can’t do fundraising or donate then please re-post this page to your own blog or website along with our wee Irish Ship to Gaza button (code below to copy and paste) so that your readers and supporters can help us. We want Ireland to help brake the siege so help us make it happen! The more boats the flotilla have, the better chance we have of ending this terrible siege.

Listen folks, the reality is that the only place the siege has NOT been broken since the invasion is by sea. Gaza’s seaport remains closed to the world and under siege by Israel. Several convoys have been successful in entering Gaza since the invasion with some aid, the most recent one just weeks ago. Since the flotilla attack on May 31st Rafah has been open more often. However, the amount of aid taken in by convoys may appear large to us, but the fact that Gaza’s population is 1.5 million means that it’s only a wee tiny drop in the bucket and really offers little long term help because it keeps Gazan’s dependant on aid from convoys, humanitarian orgs and the UN. They don’t want to live this way!!

What is needed now is to break the siege by sea, open Gaza’s seaport, so that people in Gaza can get back to work and export their goods and wares to the world, and import building supplies by cargo ships from the world. This will not only ease the humanitarian suffering but will put Gaza people back to work and help their economy become self sufficient so people there can live normal lives like the rest of the free world.

We need everyone to spread the word and help us with this. So, DO IT for Ireland, DO IT for Palestine, DO IT for FREEDOM and DO IT for an end to the Siege!


PLEASE POST THE FOLLOWING CODE INTO YOUR BLOG OR WEBSITE'S SIDEBAR, JUST COPY AND PASTE THIS CODE BELOW:

<a href="http://irishshiptogaza.org/?page_id=10" target="_blank">
<img src=" http://irishshiptogaza.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/istglogo21.jpg" width="119" height="94" border="0" alt="Irish Ship to Gaza"</a>

And Wa La, you will get this lovely wee button below complete with a link to where people can donate to help us:)




FOR BLOGGER BLOGS:For blogger, use the “add text” gadget in “design” mode, then click the top right and make sure it says “rich text” then paste the code into the box, after that go back and click the “rich text” link again and go to html mode and the button with link should appear in the box and also when you click save it will appear on your blog’s sidebar.

FOR WORDPRESS BLOGS: do a text/html widget and copy the code into it then click save.

Go on, click it, it works!! and Whilst you are there get the bank info and send a donation by cheque, wire transfer (c'mon all you rich Irish Americans out there!! Help your fellow Irishmen!), in Europe you can do a bank transfer, in Ireland cold hard cash is also accepted, or if yur in England or Ireland you can do a weekly standing order or transfer or cheque deposit!! There now that's all covered, no excuses now;-)

HELP IRELAND BREAK THE SIEGE
FREEDOM FLOTILLA 2
IRISH SHIP TO GAZA


THANK YOU!!

FLOTILLA TAKE ACTION NOW!!!!

TAKE ACTION!

Please TAKE ACTION and DEMAND that the United Nations launch an independent investigation into the Israeli attack against unarmed relief ships in the Freedom Flotilla. DEMAND that the international community stop simply condemning Israel's brutal and illegal blockade of Gaza - and start doing something to end it!

CONTACT
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon
The United Nations, New York NY 10017
tel: +1 212 963 5012
fax: +1 212 963 2155
email: sg@un.org

For three days as they were held in captivity last week and unable to speak on their own behalf, Israel presented the massacre against civilian passengers on the Mavi Marmara as self-defense against a “lynching.” Now that the passengers are returning to their home nations, the global community is hearing a much different story, not just regarding the May 31st attack but also new allegations of brutality in the treatment of several passengers afterwards once they were in custody inside Israel. Free Gaza is posting these survivor testimonies on our website, and we will continue to provide updates as more passengers share their experiences.

As the passenger accounts trickle in, survivors portray the Israeli military as using excessive and disproportionate force against activists not just on the Mavi Marmara but the other passenger ships as well. Use of tasers, electric shocks, rubber bullets and live ammunition (both on board and from the helicopter hovering above) are documented. Multiple passengers tell eyewitness accounts of soldiers refusing to allow medical treatment of injured passengers, specific and focused targeting of journalists on board and beatings of passengers after their arrival in Israel, causing at least two passengers to need hospitalization.

“Keeping passengers held in captivity so that they could not share their perspective was a deliberate attempt by Israel to cover up what really happened on the Mavi Marmara that fateful night,” notes Free Gaza co-founder Greta Berlin. “They knew what the passengers would be recounting, but they hoped that by delaying the release of their testimony until days after the immediate incident, media coverage would be buried as backpage follow-up stories or dismissed purely as old news.” She adds.

In her testimony, Annette Groth, a German Parliamentarian who was a passenger on Mavi Marmawa validates that assertion saying “The scandal is that we have to fight the Israeli images only with words. The Israelis confiscated all the activists' cameras, computers, and mobile phones.”

These accounts reveal an “alternative narrative” of the attack on the Freedom Flotilla that cannot be reconciled with the Israeli version. CONTACT Secretary General Ban Ki Moon today and DEMAND an independent investigation!

Updated survivor testimonies available here

Testimony from passengers aboard the Freedom Flotilla

Haneen Zuabi
Member of Parliament, Israeli Knesset

“Israel had days to plan this military operation. They wanted many deaths to terrorise us and to send a message that no future aid convoys should try to break the siege of Gaza.”

Sarah Colborne
Director of campaigns and operations, PSC, United Kingdom

"I couldn't even count the amount of ships that were in the water. It was literally bristling with ships, helicopters and gunfire. It was horrific, absolutely horrific. ...Israeli forces handcuffed members of the activists' medical team who were sent to help treat the injured. It was terrifying...If you talked they pointed a gun at you. ...We wrote a sign in Hebrew saying, 'SOS! Need medical assistance. People are dying. Urgent' Hanin Zoabi, who’s a Knesset member, an Israeli Knesset member, took that sign to the front—to the back of the boat, where the soldiers were pointing at her. They ordered her to go back."

Henning Mankell
Bestselling Swedish crime author

"It was an act of piracy. We were actually kidnapped. ...On the ship I was on, they found one weapon: my razor. And they actually came up and showed it off, my razor, so you see what level this was at."

Professor Norman Paech
Member of Parliament (ret.), Germany

"We had not prepared in any way to fight. We didn't even consider it because we knew very well that we would have absolutely no chance against soldiers like this. ...The Israeli government justifies the raid because they were attacked. This is absolutely not the case."

Annette Groth
Member of Parliament, Germany

"It was like war. They had guns, taser weapons, some type of tear gas and other weaponry, compared to two-and-a-half wooden sticks we had between us. [For Israel] to talk of self-defence is ridiculous. ...The scandal is that we have to fight the Israeli images only with words. The Israelis confiscated all the activists' cameras, computers, and mobile phones."

Iara Lee
Brazilian Filmmaker (based in San Francisco)

"(The attack) was a surprise, because it happened in the middle of the night, in the darkness, in international waters, because we knew there would be a confrontation but not in international waters. Their first tactic was to cut all of our satellite communications and then they attacked. All I witnessed first hand was the shooting. They came on board and started shooting at people. ...We expected them to shoot people in the legs, to shoot in the air, just to scare people, but they were direct. Some of them shot in the passengers' heads. Many people were murdered – it was unimaginable."

Jamal El-Shayyal
Journalist from Al Jazeera

"...as this attack started I was on the top deck and within just a few minutes there were live shots being fired from above the ship from above from where the helicopters were. The first shots that were fired were some sort of sound grenades. There was some tear gas that was fired as well as rubber coated steel bullets. They were fired initially and the live bullets came roughly about five minutes after that, after those initial shots were fired.

"There was definitely fire from the air because one of the people who was killed was clearly shot from above. He was...the bullet targeted him at the top of his head. There was also fire coming from the sea as well. Most of the fire initially from the sea was tear gas canisters and sound grenades. But then it became live fire. There is no doubt from what I saw that live ammunition was fired before any Israeli soldier was on deck.

"[From the top deck] you could almost see the soldiers pointing their guns down through some sort of hole or compartment at the bottom side of the helicopter, firing almost indiscriminately without even looking where they were firing and those bullets were definitely live bullets. There was a Knesset member who approached the Israeli soldiers saying we have injured, she was saying they have injured people, please come and take them. Yet the Israelis refused. Three hours later all three of those people that were injured ended up dying on the spot because no one came to take them."

FLOTILLA TOLD BY ISRAEL WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THEM

Israel lays out the "WELCOME MAT" for the Flotilla


And tells Flotilla members what they can expect when the Israeli pirates come aboard and kidnap them:

1. Thousands of Israeli troops prepare to attack unarmed civilians from 20 countries and members of the European Parliament and one Palestinian member of Israel's parliament, the Knesset from in international waters.

2. Netanyahu told the armed forces to use force, if necessary

3. Navy missile boats and Israeli warships will surround them. Navy commandos wearing black masks to prevent identification as war criminals and murderers, will board the ships and redirect them to Israeli waters

4. "We wish to avoid using force, but the moment that there is danger to the lives of the troops, we will be forced to use live fire as a last resort, " the officer said.

5. After the pirates take over the ships, Israel's "Engineering Corps" and the "Oketz dog unit" will search everyone on board for weapons and explosives.

6. If no weapons or "terrorists" are found, people then be taken to the port of Ashdod, where MORE soldiers and police will escort them to a special Concentration Camp, I mean "registration camp" where they will be detained/imprisoned. (wonder what definiation of “terrorist” Israel will be using, o doubt the one where everyone not supportive of the evil rogue state is considered a so called “terrorist”)

7. After more security checkS AND full body searches, the IDF will register each person and force them to sign a document agreeing to be deported to their country of origin.

8. If you refuse to “Sign zee paper” you will then be given a “medical exam” and immediately transferred to an Israeli prison.

9. Journalists and Diplomats are to be given “special treatment” However, it is noted that "since they will have cameras, there is very great concern about something happening that could endanger the troops''. Yeah, like being caught on camera committing a war crime or beating an innocent person senseless perhaps?

OUTRAGED AT THIS??

Call the news desks at Sky and the BBC now if you would like to support the flotilla. Ask why when dozens of Brit citizens and Irish Citizens are being threatened by Israel and there is nothing carried on their channel?? There's a live feed available for news desks via IHH here. Call NOW you can make a difference! BBC foreign desk: 0044208 624 9111. Sky News desk: 0207 705 3000

HELP THE GAZA FLOTILLA NOW

PLEASE LINK TO THIS AND SPREAD IT

Subject: SUPPORT URGENTLY REQUIRED - TEMPLATE LETTER AND EMAIL
As you may be aware that Israel has confirmed that they will stop the flotilla by any means necessary and news of temporary prision being set up for all individuals that are taking part to provide vital aid to the Palestinans.

Now we need your help urgently please send out letters, emails to all addresses below, the more people that are involved the more chance we will get noticed and possibly have a chance to influence someone whom is able to do so for a safe passage for all individuals on the convoy.

Template letter:

To whom it may concern:

I, (insert your name) am writing this letter to you to express my concern for the safety of the 750 passengers from 50 various countries on board the 9 ships who are sailing towards Gaza today.

Israel have issued several threats indicating that they will stop this flotilla by force, and arrest everyone onboard. This is an extremely worrying development, and these threats to civilians has to be taken very seriously.

I am appealing to you to do all in your power to ensure the safety of these brave individuals, and for the 15,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid onboard.

The situation in Gaza is the greatest humanitarian disaster in our time, and it is not only my duty, but the duty of every person worldwide to play their part in making sure the illegal siege on Gaza is lifted.

1.5 million people have been suffering daily due to the effects of this Israeli imposed siege, and the time has come for the world to stand up and say, “Enough Is Enough”.

Will you add your voice to this appeal, or will you sit idly by and allow Israel to not only attack and imprison this flotilla, but to continue the slow genocide of the Palestinian’s in Gaza?

Awaiting your response,

(insert your name )

JUST COPY AND PASTE THE ADDRESS BELOW you can E mail addresses in groups of 50 and please remember to keep the commas between each email:

UPDATE (Thanks to Gaby:),exclude these 3 mails which back rejected : info@brent-libdems.org.uk, info@solihullmeridenlibdems.org.uk, NickNorthDevon@hotmail.co.uk, david@davidheath.co.uk, cablev@parliament.uk. ALL THE REST BELOW ARE FINE, SO GET GOING!!

leader@libdems.org.uk,danny@highlandlibdems.org.uk, info@normanbaker.org.uk,info@berwicklibdems.org.uk,gordon.birtwistle.bly@gmail.com,info@middorsetlibdems.org.uk,office@tauntonlibdems.org.uk,info@malcolmbruce.org.uk,paul@paulburstow.org.uk,info@solihullmeridenlibdems.org.uk,info@vincentcable.org.uk,fife_office@mingcampbell.org.uk,alistair.for.the.isles@googlemail.com,mike_crockart@hotmail.com,edward@edwarddavey.co.uk,lynne@lynnefeatherstone.org,don@donfoster.co.uk,andrewgeorgeppc@live.co.uk,stephen@stephengilbert.org.uk,duncan@duncanhames.org.uk,email@mikehancock.co.uk,NickNorthDevon@hotmail.co.uk,david@davidheath.co.uk,john.hemming@jhc.co.uk, martin@martinhorwood.net,simon@simonhughes.org.uk,chris@chrishuhne.org.uk, info@cheadle-libdems.org.uk,

contact@julianhuppert.org.uk,charles@highlandlibdems.org.uk,norman@normanlamb.org.uk,enquiries@yeovil-libdems.org.uk,info@john-leech.org.uk,stephen@stephenlloyd.org.uk,
michaelmoorebrs2010@gmail.com,

info@gregmulholland.org,enquiries@andrewstunell.org.uk, info@brent-libdems.org.uk,steve@stevewebb.org.uk,info@jennywillott.org.uk,david.ward@fsmail.net,president@whitehouse.gov

Israeli e mail addresses:

INFO@NEWYORK.MFA.GOV.IL,INFO@WASHINGTON.MFA.GOV.IL,INFO@MONTREAL.MFA.GOV.IL,INFO@BRUSSELS.MFA.GOV.IL,PM_ENG2@pmo.gov.il,
pniot@mod.gov.il,sar@mfa.gov.il,info@education.gov.il,mancal@justice.gov.il,pniot@moh.health.gov.il,sar@moin.gov.il,lishka.sar@moital.gov.il,sar@mot.gov.il,

sar@mops.gov.il,info@moia.gov.il,info@ng.pmo.gov.il,pniot@mni.gov.il,pniot@sviva.gov.il,ministerts@most.gov.il,minister@most.gov.il,mankal@moag.gov.il,sar@moch.gov.il,dorital@molsa.gov.il,sar@tourism.gov.il,dovrut@moc.gov.il,ifat.aloni@pmo.gov.il

GUNS AND CONCENTRATION CAMPS AT THE READY

Israel is currently building a massive white tented concentration camp where they will forcibly take 800 people, from many countries, including Parliamentarians, off their humanitarian boats, sailing on International waters. Israel has 40 buses standing by for transport to the Concentration Camp. Those who refuse to board the trains to the Camps,


I mean the buses to the camps, will be jailed. The Zionists will take the Passengers to the "camp" for QUOTE "identification and medical attention."

And Chemical toilets have been set-up and tents housing immigration booths and areas for people to be searched.

But that's not all, Israel says it is QUOTE "prepared for a military confrontation if necessary" now theres a surprise! Israel using military force against civilians, imagine that!! Remember British Citizen Tom Herndall

link Israel set up three massive white tents at its main southern seaport on Thursday to hold hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists who hope to breach Israel's 3-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The activists are headed toward Gaza's waters on board a flotilla carrying 10,000 tons of supplies. Israel says it won't let the eight boats reach Gaza's shores, and that it will deport or imprison the activists aboard.

The military said it would divert the boats to the Israeli port at Ashdod, where the activists will be taken into the tents for identification and medical attention.

Officials said 40 buses will be on hand to ferry them to Israel's international airport for deportation or to a nearby prison if they refuse to be deported voluntarily.

"We want to do this as quick and efficiently as possible," said Maya Kadosh, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.

Israeli authorities said they will make every effort to avoid using force, but they were prepared for a military confrontation if necessary.

Israel claims it no longer occupies Gaza, that it withdrew in 2005. Yet Israel controls all aspects and blocks international humanitarian aid from traveling to Gaza or entering Gaza via open international waters. Israeli Lies Exposed again!

FLOTILLA MOVING~ISRAEL PLANS ARRESTS

Few things to report today. First these most recent updates:

1. Following a Press Conference in Turkey this morning, the Flotilla will set sail in a few hours.


2. Freedom Flotilla is on the move, Challenger 1 & 2 left Crete this morning our MV Rachel Corrie is on her way, Turkish ships have left the port.

Next this:

link The Freedom Flotilla to Gaza, which includes 11 Irish people, expects to arrive at it's destination within 48 hours despite Israel's vow to block the mission from delivering much needed aid to the beleaguered coastal strip. A forum of seven senior Israeli ministers who met on Wednesday 26th May have decided that the Israeli Navy will enforce a twenty mile exclusion zone around Gaza and will arrest all 800 crew and passengers taking part in the Freedom Flotilla should they pursue their mission to break the ongoing siege of Gaza.

INFORMATION ON THE IRISH PARTICIPANTS

Denis Halliday was born in Dublin in 1941 and educated at Trinity College Dublin. He is a former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed him to the post of United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq as of 1 September 1997, at the Assistant Secretary-General level, and he served as such until the end of September 1998. He resigned from the post in Iraq and from the United Nations as a whole effective 31 October 1998 after serving the organisation since mid 1964 - some 34 years. He has been a strong opponent of the US/UK-led war in Iraq.

Mairead Maguire, Nobel peace prize laureate, was co-founder of the Community of Peace People for a peaceful resolution of the Northern Ireland conflict. She has been to Palestine several times defending the human rights. In April 2007, she was wounded by the Israeli army while non-violently protesting with Palestinians against the apartheid wall in the village of Bil'in. This will be her third trip to Gaza on board one of the Free Gaza boats.

Derek Graham is from Ballina in County Mayo. He has been a qualified electrician for 20 years. He was a member of the reserve defence forces in Ireland for 21 years and was the first member of the reserves to make the Army sailing team. He has been sailing all of his life and is a crew member on the MV Rachel Corrie. He has participated in many previous Free Gaza boat trips to Gaza and has been on four of the five voyages that landed in Gaza. He is married to Jenny, who is also on the MV Rachel Corrie.

Jenny Graham is from County Mayo and is a member of the Free Gaza Movement. She has participated in previous boat trips to Gaza and is a member of the crew of the MV Rachel Corrie. She is married to Derek Graham.

Shane Dillon is a Dublin-based Irish seafarer who has served as Chief Officer on Irish and British merchant ships. He has sailed on numerous leisure craft on transatlantic trips and in European waters. He is part of the crew of the MV Rachel Corrie.

Caoimhe Butterly (born 1978) is a Dublin-born Irish human rights activist, who has worked with AIDS victims in Zimbabwe, the homeless in New York, and with Zapatistas in Mexico as well as more recently in the Middle East and Haiti. In 2002, during an Israeli attack in Jenin, she was shot by an Israeli soldier. She spent 16 days inside the compound where Yasser Arafat was besieged in Ramallah. She was described by Time magazine as one of their Europeans of the Year in 2003. Butterly is a pacifist who is a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), an organisation that seeks non-violent alternatives to armed intifada by mobilising international civil society. She is a coordinator with the Free Gaza Movement.

Fintan Lane is a writer and historian. He is a member of the National Committee of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Originally from Cork, he now lives in Chapelizod in Dublin. He graduated with a PhD in history from University College, Cork and is the author/editor of seven books on modern Irish history; he has also contributed many articles and reviews to academic history journals. He was the Editor of Saothar, the scholarly journal of Irish labour history, for several years.

Senator Mark Daly is a Fianna Fáil member of Senead Eireann from County Kerry. He was elected as one of the youngest members of the 23rd Senate in the 2007 election and has been active in community affairs and local politics since college. He was born in Kerry in 1973 and holds a Diploma in Property Valuation from Dublin Institute of Technology and a B.Sc. in Management from Greenwich University, London.

Chris Andrews TD (born 25 May 1964) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He is currently a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South East constituency. He was first elected to the Dáil at the 2007 general election.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh Sinn Fein TD is a native Irish speaker who was born in Dublin in 1964. Aengus is married to Aisling and has three children. He was first elected in 2002 to the Dáil (Irish parliament) and re-elected in 2007. He is Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on social and family affairs, housing, justice and international affairs. He travelled by boat in November 2008 to Gaza which was (and still is) under siege by Israel.

Fiachra Ó Luain is from County Donegal. He is an Irish peace activist and was an independent candidate in the North-West constituency in the 2009 European elections. He was compelled to become a candidate upon watching the massacres of Israel’s ‘Operation Cast Lead’. He is a member of the Free Gaza Movement

EXCELLENT READ ON STATUS OF GAZA

And Israel's playing loose with propaganda and words are now exposed:

link What is Gaza's legal status?

Canadian-Palestinian lawyer Diana Buttu, a former legal adviser to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, said Israel “confuses” occupation with colonisation

While Israel withdrew its troops and colonies from the Gaza Strip in September 2005, it has failed to convince the international community that its occupation of the tiny strip of territory has ended. Israel has vowed to stop the flotilla by any means necessary, but under what legal pretext it aims to do so is unclear.

Israel’s flags, tanks and colonists have ended their permanent presence on the strip, but Israel continues to control Gaza’s borders, airspace and territorial waters. The United Nations and the international community continue to consider the strip to be occupied by Israel, along with the West Bank and occupied Arab East Jerusalem.

And here's the million dollar question:

Why then does Israel insist that the occupation of Gaza has ended?

More:

Canadian-Palestinian lawyer Diana Buttu, a former legal adviser to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, said Israel “confuses” occupation with colonisation. While the colonisation of Gaza, in the form of its military and settlement presence there, ended in 2005, its occupation continues, she said.

“After it pulled out [of Gaza], the Israeli government went to the Supreme Court to get an assessment as to whether Gaza was still occupied. The court determined that Gaza was no longer occupied,” she said.

On the contrary, she said, Israel’s occupation of Gaza has intensified, as it controls every aspect of life in Gaza, including the population registry and the issuance of identity documents.

Israel however is expected to face a dilemma in legally justifying any attempt to bar the Freedom Flotilla. If Gaza was indeed liberated territory, any Israeli action in its territorial waters would be considered as having taken place in the waters of another entity.

Israel, however, has a loophole. It has designated Gaza as a “hostile entity” and has reserved the right to protect itself from it. Buttu said that that is where Israel “traps itself”.

“Territory is either occupied or it’s not. There’s no shade in between. It’s like being half-pregnant,” she said.

She stressed, however, that as an occupying power, its laws hold little credibility, saying that international law, and specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention, should be the first reference. If all else fails, Israel could cite the security provisions in the Oslo Accords with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation of 1993, under which it has certain rights in a “security perimeter”.

Buttu argued, however, that those security perimeters were clearly defined in Oslo, but violated by Israel. Not only does Israel extend its activities to further than the defined perimeter, she said, it has also extracted natural gas off Gaza’s coastline, “which belongs to Gaza”.

“The caveat under Oslo is that in 2001 Israel declared Oslo dead… So it’s not really an argument any longer. They can’t say we want to maintain the security aspects of Oslo but we’re going to keep building colonies [in the West Bank] at the same time,” she said.

FLOTILLA BOUND FOR GAZA

link Three ships carrying Turkish activists have set off from Turkey to Gaza on Saturday, the biggest effort by international aid groups to break the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.

The biggest of the nine ships from Istanbul is heading to the south western city of Antalya where two other Turkish ships will be waiting to join the convoy.

The seaport was overwhelmed by thousands of well-wishers, who had come to show their support for the people of Gaza.



The three ships will then travel to the waters off Athens and Crete to rendezvous with the other six, before making the four-day journey to Gaza.

The second ship to join the Freedom Flotilla en route to Gaza left Istanbul Saturday afternoon, joining eight other boats from three countries carrying 10,000 tons of aid for Gaza's residents, supplies embargoed by Israel.

A statement issued by the Freedom Flotilla's organizers said the latest ship is sponsored by the Turkish humanitarian organization or IHH and will carry 600 passengers to Gaza as part of the "blockade busting" flotilla.

Boats will meet in the Mediterranean, then turn toward Gaza to arrive at its beseiged slice of beachfront by the end of May.

Free Gaza Movement’s MV Rachel Corrie is already en route from Ireland and is presently off the coast of Portugal loaded with cement, paper and supplies for school children and medical equipment, the statement said. Rachel Corrie was a US peace activist who was killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza in 2003.

The convoy is from the UK, Ireland, Algeria, Kuwait, Greece and Turkey, and is comprised of people from 50 nationalities. It is made up of three cargo ships and five passengers boats.

Israeli violence?

But, news reports from Israel indicated that Tel Aviv will attempt to prevent the ships from reaching the blockaded coastal enclave.

A statement from Israel's foreign ministry said it had "no intention of allowing the flotilla into Gaza" but has not elaborated on what measures could be used to stop them.

Representatives from six organisations, including the European Campaign to End the Siege in Gaza (EGESG), said they were determined to enter the area regardless of pressure from Israel.


Israel should not be under any illusion whatsoever that their threats or intimidation will stop us or even that their violence against us will stop us," Huwaida Arraf, from the Free Gaza Movement, said.

Kahel Mazen, from EGESG, added: "If they choose to resort to destruction and death, our mission is to try to open a window of hope for the people of Gaza."

Earlier this month, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees director John Ging called upon the international community to break the siege on the Gaza Strip by sending ships loaded with aid.

"We believe that Israel will not intercept these vessels because the sea is open and human rights organisations have been successful in similar previous operations, proving that breaking the siege of Gaza is possible," Mr Ging declared.

Gaza is still considered under Israeli occupation as Israel controls air, sea and land access to the Strip.

The Rafah crossing with Egypt, Gaza's sole border crossing that bypasses Israel, rarely opens as Egypt is under immense US and Israeli pressure to keep the crossing shut.

LIES, LIBERTY AND AID TO GAZA

Hey good people, do we all remember the stunning announcement by the ZOF last week? Here is a reminder:

link Over 14,000 tons of humanitarian aid were transferred from Israel into the Gaza Strip last week, the IDF announced on Tuesday in its weekly summary of COGAT operations.

"A total of 637 truckloads, consisting of 14,069 tons of humanitarian aid, were transferred into the Gaza Strip from Israel via the various crossings," read a statement by the IDF Spokesperson.

So why did they suddenly allow all this “aid” into Gaza only 4 days ago?? Did they suddenly have a pang of humanity spread through them? Did they decide to start helping the civilians who are suffering? Did they decide to join the human race? Nah, it served a purpose for Israel, as usual.. It was merely a pre-planned stunt to be used as an excuse to stop the flotilla. Notice 2nd paragraph:

link The IDF is gearing up to stop a flotilla of aid ships that is directed at breaking the blockade on the Gaza Strip next week.

While the Free Gaza movement claims that the flotilla is needed to provide Palestinians in Gaza with basic supplies, the IDF pointed out on Tuesday that it had, in the past week, allowed over 14,000 tons of supplies into the Gaza Strip.

On Monday night, Foreign Ministry officials met with ambassadors from Turkey, Greece, Ireland and Sweden and informed them that the ships would be stopped on their way to the Gaza Strip

And when reading the evil Zionist comments under this article I found an interesting exchange between a Zionist and an American regarding the USS Liberty:

First the Zionist murder supporter who calls for more murders of Americans on the Flotilla:

6. Breaking into Gaza
• Author: Isaac
• Country:
• 20/05/2010 06:20

What shame these people bring on their own Western cultures. Its a clear case of anti-semitism in the form of anti-Israelism. If they break any barriers, shoot-down the ships after sufficient warnings. Remember that during the Six-Day War, the USS Liberty suddenly appeared outside the shores of Israel. It was loaded with electronic gear and was listening and recording Israel's troop movements and passing them onto Syria and Egypt. MI-6 was behind the whole operation. After being given sufficient warning by the IAF, it was shot down on the orders of Moshe Dayan. Ehud Barak has to do the same.

Answer by an American Patriot:

9. #6
• Author: fred
• Country: USA
• 20/05/2010 07:45

Well all these years Israel told us that the USS Liberty attack was an accident and was mistaken for an Egypt ship. Now your telling me that it was no mistake but was intentional. Well thats news. The crew that survived that attack also thinks it was intentional too. I will pass on your information. They would love to get justice for the suffering they have endured for decades. By the way they were in international waters and they had no hebrew speaking person on the ship. You would think they would of had one if they were "passing" information to Syria or Egypt. Oh they were never sunk.......but 34 of them were murdered by the State of Israel.

POINT, SCORE, FOR THE AMERICAN!! And speaking of the crime and murder of men aboard the USS Liberty. Check out who is going on this flotilla from America. Perhaps Israel wants to kill more of them because the ones who lived dare to speak out against Israel murdering in cold blood their fellow American soldiers onboard the Liberty that day:

link Participating in the FPM delegation will be:
• Joe Meadors, a decorated Navy veteran and one of the survivors of the 1967 attack on the U.S.S. Liberty, in which Israeli fighter planes and ships killed 34 Americans and wounded 173;

HERE WE GO FOLKS, ISRAEL GETTING READY

The rogue state has been plotting and planning, you knew this was coming and here it is:

QUOTE;"Israel will stop the Flotilla of Boats to Gaza At any Price" They are not content in getting rid of Rachel Corrie once, they will now get rid of the "Rachel Corrie" Irish Cargo ship named after her, carrying aid to Gaza from Ireland in the Flotilla.

link Washington - The Israeli Navy is allegedly training to seize the eight-boat "Freedom Flotilla," which is scheduled to reach Gaza shores May 24, Ma'an News Agency reported Wednesday.

The boats will be loaded with prefabricated homes, cement, and medicine and will be accompanied by 600 individuals in a bid to break the siege on Gaza," Ma'an said.

Arabic-language news station Al-Hurra reported:

About half of the Israeli naval forces will participate in an operation that was approved by the cabinet. [Israeli] Defense Minister Ehud Barak will supervise the operation.

Israel will prevent the boats from reaching Gaza "at any price," an Israeli security source told Ma'an.

The largest-ever sea convoy aimed at breaking the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip will take off for the coastal enclave in three phases, IMEMC reported last week.

Palestinian legislator and Popular Committee Against the Siege chairman Jamal El Khodary said at a press conference last Thursday that the first ship in the convoy will leave Ireland for Greece May 12. Eight ships will sail from Greece to Turkey on May 22, and those ships are set to reach Cyprus May 26. The entire convoy will sail to Gaza May 27.

El Khodary said the Free Gaza Movement "Freedom Flotilla" is determined to sail to Gaza's shore no matter what, and he said the ships will be outfitted with sufficient supplies should they be surrounded by the Israeli Navy.

Free Gaza cofounder Mary Hughes Thompson said of the May voyage:

“Although we were happy with the first trips, it was bitter-sweet, knowing that our small boats and symbolic amounts of relief paled in comparison to what was really needed in Gaza. Now, we finally feel we are helping to organize a powerful action, one with the potential to translate into a sustained campaign of much more effective challenges to Israel's brutal siege.”

The heart of the convoy will be a cargo ship sponsored by donors from Malaysia and outfitted with cargo form Ireland, Scotland and Britain among others countries.

England Questions Israel On Kidnapped Britains

Days after Ireland verbally battered the rogue state, England finally gets the picture that piracy is a crime. About fecking time! Hey Obama your turn now..........

A spokesperson for the United Kingom's foreign secretary has raised the issue of an aid ship seized by Israel's navy with the country's government, according to British news reports.

"We can confirm that six British nationals were detained by the Israeli authorities. We have visited them and we are providing consular assistance to them," a spokesperson for UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Saturday, according to Sky News.

"We would be concerned if the stories of the Israeli navy boarding the Spirit of Humanity in international waters were true," she added, but said that the legal status of Gaza's coast is complex.

Nevertheless, the said the country's Foreign Ministry was looking into claims that the takeover by Israel's navy of the ship and her 21-member crew on Tuesday violated international law, according to Sky.

Meanwhile, several of the six British nationals being held by Israel told the news agency that they were being held in "atrocious conditions" at the prison, where they are awaiting deportation apparently for entering Israeli waters, which they have categorically denied.

Ishmahil Blagrove, 40, said, "I'm in a cell with 14 of us. The cell is about seven by four. There were just two fans that only covered half of the cell when we got here." "We all screamed and shouted so they gave us a third. It's really hot in here. Everyone is complaining."

The British nationals, who said they had no idea when they would ultimately be released, reportedly spoke to Sky News via mobile phones provided by UK consular officers who visited their cells, which are inside Israel's Ramla Givon high security prison in Tel Aviv. source

Israeli Pirates Forced to Release Some Activists

A High Ranking delegation from Bahrain has arrived in Israel to rescue their citizens from the terrorist pirates. Additionally they are now talking of the terrible ordeal they endured at the hands of the Zionist Terrorists, two reports:

An official Bahrain delegation travelled to Israel on an unprecedented trip to recover a group of nationals held by the Jewish state, the state news agency reported yesterday. According to BNA, the Bahrainis were in a group of pro-Palestinian activists on a ship seized by the Israeli navy on Tuesday as it headed for the Gaza Strip in defiance of Israel’s blockade of the territory.

Israel handed over the Bahraini citizens at the international airport near Tel Aviv, BNA said. source

Check out what the terrorists tried to do to them:

Freed Bahraini activists last night revealed their agony in Israeli captivity after a failed mercy mission to Gaza.

The five said Israeli forces tried to force them into signing documents in Hebrew and were subjected to racism and discrimination, with Arabs being separated and moved away from the others.

The activists, who were speaking at a Press conference, arrived in Bahrain early yesterday after a high-level intervention by Bahrain's leadership.

They were among 21 people aboard the Spirit of Humanity, which was intercepted by the Israeli Navy on its way to deliver aid to Gaza on Tuesday.

Most other members of the group, including US Representative Cynthia McKinney and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire, remained in Israeli custody yesterday.

The activists - Khaled Abdelkader, Khaled Al Shenoo, Kathoum Ghuloom, Fatima Al Attawi and Juhaina Alqaed - said they were held at the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv.

Israeli forces informed them they would be deported via Egypt, then said via Jordan and then changed their mind saying via Turkey, they said.

Finally, they were led, handcuffed, to a private plane where they were received by a Foreign Ministry delegation, the activists said.

An official Bahrain delegation had travelled to Israel overnight on an unprecedented trip to bring back the activists.

The activists said Israeli navy boats had rammed their mercy ship.

They were intercepted by six warships and four boats with 10 elite soldiers on each of them..source

LIVE INTERVIEW~Mairead Maguire

This is a recorded live interview from Mairead Maguire of the FREE GAZA MOVEMENT who was aboard the "Spirit of Humanity" boat headed to deliver aid to Gaza. The boat was terrorised and threatened by Israeli Terrorist Pirates, who disabled the boat and boarded it with weapons, then kidnapped all the crew and passengers. This interview was by phone from Ireland this morning from inside her Israeli Jail cell where she has been imprisoned by Israeli terrorist pirates.



We were threatened by the Israeli navy when we were in |international waters and during the night they told us they would shoot if we didnt turn back to Cyprus, she said.

They cut off all our satellite communications and our lives were very much in danger,| because we could have strayed into Israeli waters.

We sailed on and they kept threatening that they would shoot if we didnt turn back.

In the early hours of Tuesday navy boats pulled up to Maireads ship and special forces troops began to board it.

They were fully armed and wore balaclavas, she said.

They took all our equipment off us and handcuffed several people. They took me into a separate place and forcibly took our ship to Israel.

The 21 passengers and crew were taken to a detention centre before being moved to prison in Ramala.

I was taken handcuffed in a military vehicle and Im here in the prison in the clothes I arrived in, said Ms Maguire.

At the moment there are |19 of us still being held here after two Palestinian women were released.

They have said we are going to be deported, but deportation orders arent appropriate for us, as we were taken to Israel against our will. We want to leave Israel, but with our friends and all the belongings that were taken from us.

The contested Gaza territory is currently under blockade from Israel with only limited supplies being allowed in to Palestinians living there.

Physically I am very well, but I think more of the Palestinians who are denied the ability to cross the border and see their loved ones, said Ms Maguire.

It gives us a reflection of how tough it is for the Palestinian people and the way that they are treated.

It is a complete blockade of Gaza and collective punishment of 1.5m people which breaks the Geneva Convention. We have |to highlight how desperate |that is.

Irish Government Demands Release of Activists~Condemn Israeli Actions

Two Irish citizens remain in Israeli custody after a small boat carrying aid for Gaza was seized 24 miles from shore.

Minister for Justice Micheal Martin yesterday called for the immediate release of the two.

Nobel laurest Mairead Maguire (65) and former Irish soldier Derek Graham (40) sailed on a ferry from Cyprus in a bid to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip with a consignment of aid.

The pair were stopped 24 miles from shore and are waiting to be deported. Mr Martin said officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs have been in contact with Israeli authorities through the embassy in Dublin and the Irish Ambassador in Tel Aviv to secure their release.

Consular staff based in Tel Aviv visited Ms Maguire and Mr Graham yesterday after they were brought ashore on board the Greek-flagged The Spirit of Humanity .
Mr Martin said his immediate priority was ensuring their safety and welfare.
I would again renew my call for the release of Ms Maguire and Mr Graham as well as the other nineteen passengers detained, he said.

I would also call upon the Israeli Government to ensure that the humanitarian supplies for the people of Gaza being transported on The Spirit of Humanity are made available as soon as possible to the Palestinian authorities for distribution.Mr Martin repeated calls for border crossings and trade links to be reopened. They were effectively shut down by Israeli authorities after the military offensive in Gaza in December and January.

I do not need to recall my strong views on the completely unacceptable nature of the blockade now being imposed on the people of Gaza, he said.

All border crossings into Gaza should be opened immediately to humanitarian and normal commercial traffic so that the dire humanitarian situation can be adequately addressed and the reconstruction of Gaza begin.

This is the only effective remedy which we should seek to offer to the long-suffering people of Gaza.

IPSC Chair Marie Crawley commented: We welcome Minister Martins intervention and the statement in which he described the ongoing situation in Gaza as completely unacceptable, and his call on Israel to open all border crossings for both humanitarian. and commercial traffic.

In addition, we strongly welcome the call by Senator Terry Leyden to hold a government debate on the issue of Gaza. Irish Times

Ireland to Israel~ "Release Our People Now"

I have two reports this morning on the Free Gaza Activists who were attacked by Jewish Jihadist Pirates, kidnapped and imprisoned. The first report covers the Bahraini and Palestinian activists, who mostly have already been deported, or are in the process of being deported. The others are still being held by the Pirate kidnappers in a squalid prison cell. Second article covers the Irish activists and what the Irish government has to say about the Pirates and kidnapping. Special Note: I am working on getting posted a phone interview given by kidnapped Nobel Peace Prize activist Mairead Maguire from her prison cell this morning. When I get that sorted and uploaded I will post it on this blog, so check back later for that interview by Mairead.

Five Bahraini citizens participating in the Free Gaza Movement’s voyage to Gaza were deported on Friday, following their Tuesday afternoon seizure by Israeli forces in international waters off the Gaza coast.

Coordinator of the Palestinian International Campaign to lift the siege Amjad Ash-Shawa confirmed that one of the Bahraini nationals is a reporter for the Al-Jazeera network. All five are expected to be escorted to Ben Gurion International Airport where other Al-Jazeera journalists will be awaiting their arrival.

Two Palestinian activists and organizers with the Free Gaza Movement were released Thursday, and reported being held in unsanitary warehouse-quarters and were questioned by Israeli intelligence.

A report from the New York Times said the Bahrainis were kept in a separate facility from other imprisoned solidarity activists like former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and Irish peace activist and Nobel laureate, Mairead Corrigan Maguire.

The Free Gaza Movement’s ship, the Spirit of Humanity, was overtaken by eight Israeli naval warships in international waters on 30 June. All 22 crew members aboard the vessel were detained and most will be deported, Israeli authorities said. The Israeli navy threatened to fire on the boat, which identified itself as a civilian ship bringing supplies to the Gaza Strip, and noted they had been cleared for sail by Cyprus customs authorities.

The ship was nonetheless boarded and taken over, then brought to the Israeli port of Ashdod where activists were taken to prison facilities.source

Next report from Ireland. Can I just say that Obama needs to give this kind of reaction and support to the Americans who were kidnapped and imprisoned illegally:

Irish Government Demands Release of Activists~Condemn Israeli Actions

Two Irish citizens remain in Israeli custody after a small boat carrying aid for Gaza was seized 24 miles from shore.

Minister for Justice Micheal Martin yesterday called for the immediate release of the two.

Nobel laurest Mairead Maguire (65) and former Irish soldier Derek Graham (40) sailed on a ferry from Cyprus in a bid to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip with a consignment of aid.

The pair were stopped 24 miles from shore and are waiting to be deported. Mr Martin said officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs have been in contact with Israeli authorities through the embassy in Dublin and the Irish Ambassador in Tel Aviv to secure their release.

Consular staff based in Tel Aviv visited Ms Maguire and Mr Graham yesterday after they were brought ashore on board the Greek-flagged The Spirit of Humanity .
Mr Martin said his immediate priority was ensuring their safety and welfare.
“I would again renew my call for the release of Ms Maguire and Mr Graham as well as the other nineteen passengers detained,” he said.

“I would also call upon the Israeli Government to ensure that the humanitarian supplies for the people of Gaza being transported on The Spirit of Humanity are made available as soon as possible to the Palestinian authorities for distribution.”Mr Martin repeated calls for border crossings and trade links to be reopened. They were effectively shut down by Israeli authorities after the military offensive in Gaza in December and January.

“I do not need to recall my strong views on the completely unacceptable nature of the blockade now being imposed on the people of Gaza,” he said.

“All border crossings into Gaza should be opened immediately to humanitarian and normal commercial traffic so that the dire humanitarian situation can be adequately addressed and the reconstruction of Gaza begin.

“This is the only effective remedy which we should seek to offer to the long-suffering people of Gaza.”

IPSC Chair Marie Crawley commented: “We welcome Minister Martin’s intervention and the statement in which he described the ongoing situation in Gaza as ‘completely unacceptable’, and his call on Israel to open all border crossings for both humanitarian. and commercial traffic.

In addition, we strongly welcome the call by Senator Terry Leyden to hold a government debate on the issue of Gaza. Irish Times

Proud to be Irish today, once in a while we get it perfectly right! What say you Mr Obama? What about YOUR people?

ALL EUROPEANS ACTION ALERT

Action Alert: Protests in front of Israeli embassies tomorrow

London, 2 July, (ECESG) – The European campaign to end the siege on Gaza (ECESG) called today for international human rights organizations and lobbying groups to organize large protests in front of Israeli embassies across Europe in solidarity with activists of Freegaza Movement. Activists onboard of the humanitarian boat were kidnapped by Israeli naval forces while they were sailing in a peaceful mission to end the siege.

The call aims at creating factual movements on the ground to release “the spirit of humanity” activists. Additionally, head of ECESG, Dr. Arafat Madi contacted EU officials and MPs to urge on moving to release the activists immediately.

British Baroness, Jenny Tonge, expressed her deep anger and concerns towards the Israeli doing. She said that, “I shall take up the matter with the Foreign office.”

Sinn Féin Justice Spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD has described the Israeli government’s decision to board and hijack a peace boat on route to Gaza carrying medical aid as contemptible, adding; “The piracy of the Israeli Navy in boarding the boat in international waters and towing it towards Israel this is yet another astounding example of just how beyond reproach this administration believes it is.”

The boat was boarded by highly-profiled people like Mairead Maguire, winner of a Noble Peace Prize and a former U.S. congressperson, Cynthia McKinney. The vessel was forcibly taken to one of the Israeli seaports under direct threats from naval boats.

Maguire, winner of a Noble Peace Prize was taken against her will and isolated from the rest of the team. The Israeli army cared about neither her old age nor her position. Two activists were released only while the rest are in Israeli detention of Ramallah. The exemplary punishment against the activists is a small glimpse of what’s happening to 12 thousand Palestinians in Israeli jails.

ECESG is organizing a number of protests in various European
countries to call on releasing the kidnapped peace activists.

Actions’ Timetable



Israeli Embassy in Roma, Italy

Location: Via Michele Mercati, 14

In front of the Israeli embassy

3rd of July 2009

12:30 pm



Embassy of Israel in Copenhagen, Denmark

Lundevangsvej 4

2900 Hellerup

12:30 pm



Israel Embassy, Sweden

Torstenssonsgatan 4

Stockholm

Sweden

12:30 pm

Embassy of Israel

Chancellery

Alpenstrasse 32

P.O.Box

3006 Bern

12:30 pm


Israeli Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands

Embassy of Israel in The Hague, Netherlands

Ambassade van Israel

Buitenhof 47

2513 AH Den Haag

12:30 pm

Sinn Fein Condemn Israeli Boat Attack

Israeli attack on peace activist boat unacceptable
Published: 1 July, 2009

Sinn Féin Councillor Gerry MacLochlainn has described the Israeli government's decision to board and hijack a peace boat on route to Gaza carrying medical aid as contemptible adding; "The piracy of the Israeli Navy in boarding the boat in international waters and towing it towards Israel this is yet another astounding example of just how beyond reproach this administration believes it is." A previous boat Free Gaza the Dignity was rammed in December on another humanitarian trip after Israel launched its renewed military offensive against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

"The passengers and crew of the 'Spirit of Humanity' boat are peace activists and human rights workers from 11 countries. Even before Israel's military attack throughout Christmas and the New Year, over half of Gaza was without electricity because of Israel's refusal to allow fuel into the city. Israel's ongoing blockade of fuel, food and medical supplies had brought the city to its knees clearly softening the city up for its ferocious attack which destroyed the city and left thousands dead and wounded.

"Israel needs to understand there are political and economic consequences for its crimes against Gaza and its people, and European leaders need to step up and make their voice heard. Slowly starving an entire nation, blocking medical, humanitarian and reconstruction aid is contrary to international and human rights and needs to be opposed. If nothing else this should be another signal to European leaders to immediately end all EU-Israeli trade agreements.

"European leaders need to demand the immediate release of those aboard the Spirit of Humanity. Just last week Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin noted, 'Some key issues relating to Gaza remain to be dealt with. The humanitarian crisis is ongoing and is altogether unacceptable in terms of the failure to open up crossings and allow the free flow of aid.'

"In the absence of Israel ceasing it human rights violations against Gaza and political leader's refusal to toughen up their stance and move from words to action it has been left to activists like those aboard the Spirit of Humanity to get aid to the city."

"I call on the Irish government and on other EU states to demand the release of Irish and other citizens illegally arrested in international waters, that the confiscated humanitarian aid on board, (medicine, toys, olive trees and cement) which had been cleared by the customs of another EU country, Cyprus, be returned and that the boat be released and allowed proceed on its way." END

Israeli Pirates, Somali Pirates~No Difference

Israeli Pirates terrorize, board, kidnap crew and steal cargo off Greek Vessel in international waters. More after article:

Israeli naval forces blockading Gaza have intercepted a ship whose passengers include former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. Israeli forces on Tuesday intercepted the Greek-registered Arion in the Mediterranean Sea 23 miles off the Gaza coast, the BBC reported.
The Arion was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to the U.S.-based Free Gaza Movement.

In a press release issued by freegaza.org, McKinney called the boarding “an outrageous violation of international law against us.”link

So lets’ look at what constitutes Piracy, international waters and territorial waters. Remember the Zionist Pirates intercepted and began terrorizing the crew at the 23 mile mark, which is still international waters. Taken from Wiki:

Territorial waters
Out to 12 nautical miles from the baseline

Palestine owns the waters from it’s shore out to 12 nautical miles. Israel has no jurisdiction in International Waters. International Law covers International Waters, not Israel the rogue evil state.

So lets look at what constitutes Piracy (Wiki):

In modern times, ships and airplanes are hijacked for political reasons as well. The perpetrators of these acts could be described as pirates. Modern definitions of piracy include the following acts:
• Kidnapping of people for ransom
• Robbery
• Murder
• Seizure of items or the ship
• Sabotage resulting in the ship subsequently sinking

So, according to the above list of definitions, Israel has committed piracy, not once, but twice. The first time was when they rammed the original boat McKinney was on, causing it to sink. This would reflect the last definition, e.g. “Sabotage resulting in the ship subsequently sinking “ and more recently as of yesterday, Israeli Pirates have struck again. They have kidnapped and seized property not belonging to Israel, but rather belonging to Greece. Hence, each time Israeli Pirates force a ship from International Waters into Israeli Territorial Waters and then seize the cargo, if that cargo is then kept from being sent to its original destination, that is theft, that is piracy.More from Wiki:

Piracy is a war-like act committed by a non-state actor, especially robbery or criminal violence committed at sea, on water, or sometimes on shore.

Definition
Maritime piracy, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982, consists of any criminal acts of violence, detention, or depredation committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or aircraft that is directed on the high seas against another ship, aircraft, or against persons or property

IMB Definition
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) defines piracy as:
the act of boarding any vessel with an intent to commit theft or any other crime, and with an intent or capacity to use force in furtherance of that act.[85]

So then, according to the United Nations “criminal acts of violence, detention, or depredation “ are all acts of Piracy, as noted above. Clearly there is no distinction between Somali Pirates and Israeli Pirates. Both used the threat of violence to board a vessel, both Illegally boarded and terrorized vessels in International Waters. Both steal cargo, and both kidnap and detain the crew and passengers.

Here is how Pirates were dealt with:

Punishment
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, once pirates were caught, justice was meted out in a summary fashion, and many ended their lives by "dancing the hempen jig", or hanging at the end of a rope. Public execution was a form of entertainment at the time, and people came out to watch them as they would to a sporting event today.

Oh, the good ole days……………..

Israel Commits Act of War on Greek Vessel

Update on the Free Gaza Boat to Gaza and a shout out to Chet over at JUSTICE blog ;-)

Israel has boarded and stopped a Greek Vessel from sailing to its intended location which was Palestine. Israel has no right to inhibit international vessels from sailing to any country of its choosing. This is an act of war.

Israeli navy commandeers Gaza aid boat

The Associated Press
Tuesday, June 30, 2009; 9:46 AM

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- The Israeli navy intercepted a ship carrying foreign peace activists trying to break a blockade of Gaza on Tuesday and forced it to sail to an Israeli port, the military said.

A statement said the Greek-registered freighter Arion ignored a radio message from the Israeli military saying it would not be allowed to enter Gaza waters and ordering it to turn back.

The statement said naval personnel boarded the small vessel without any shots being fired.

The 20 passengers include former U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire and other activists from Britain, Ireland, Bahrain and Jamaica source

HELP NOW~Israel Taking Aim At Free Gaza Boat

this just in from the Free Gaza Movement, they need YOUR help:

Tuesday, 30 June 2009 13:23 Written by Free Gaza Team

Dear Friends,

We've just received word from the Spirit of Humanity. They are 24 miles off the coast of Gaza, and are still surrounded by Israeli warships. Israeli Occupying Forces have threatened to take violent action against the small boat unless it turns around. They will not turn around.

Our people on the boat have slowed their speed significantly and are telling the Israelis that they must not fire on unarmed human rights workers and journalists, including Nobel peace prize laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. Regardless of Israeli threats, they will not turn around. They continue, slowly, sailing toward Gaza.

PLEASE immediately call Israeli Occupying Forces and demand that they STOP threatening the Spirit of Humanity.

CALL & FAX the Israeli Navy at:
tel: +972 3737 7777 or +972 3737 6242
fax: +972 3737 6123 or +972 3737 7175

CALL Mark Regev in the Prime Minister's office at:
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5 0620 3264
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il

CALL Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:
+972 33697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
mediasar@mod.gov.il

TAKE ONE MINUTE AND CALL THESE TERRORISTS NOW
DEMAND THEY BACK OFF