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!!

RESPONSE TO NETANYAHUS TESTIMONY ON THE FLOTILA

ECESG Response to Israeli PM Netanyahu’s testimony to the Turkel
Commission: Statement is a “pointless pantomime of political propaganda.”

For Immediate Release

Date: 09-08-2010, 15:30 GMT

London, UK: The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza today describes the statements of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as a “pointless pantomime of political propaganda.”

In light of PM Netanyahu’s statement that “Israel is a liberal, democratic country governed by the rule of law, with independent courts, a bona fide parliament, and a free press,” we wish to highlight a number of issues, including:

-Why the footage, cameras and electronic devices of the civilians onboard the humanitarian “Freedom Flotilla” were illegally taken by Israeli authorities and have yet to be returned/or were instantly wiped. All footage should be immediately released and private property returned.

-Why the Mavi Marmara was not preserved as a potential crime scene. Under international law, as the Mavi Marmara was a Turkish flagged vessel, Turkey is responsible for conducting any investigation into any violence which took place on the boat.

-While he legitimately calls for the Third Geneva Convention rights of Gilad Shalit to be observed why does he continue to enact a policy violating the Fourth Geneva Convention rights of 1.5 million civilians in Gaza – which the International Red Cross described on the 14/06/10 as constituting “a collective punishment imposed in clear violation of Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law”SOURCE HERE

-Why his desire to continue “the previous government’s policy of preventing the entry of weapons and war materiel into the Gaza Strip,” meant he should also continue the policy of allowing (according to the UN OCHA) only a “weekly average of 553 truckloads” of goods into Gaza before the “Freedom Flotilla” took place. This is 19.7% of the “weekly average of truckloads that entered Gaza during the first five months of 2007 (2,807).” SOURCE HERE

-Why, though he claims “there was no hunger in Gaza,” UNWRA has stated that “80 per cent of Gazan households are dependent on food aid” and that “207,000 pupils at UNRWA schools receive basic nutrition” in school as they cannot be guaranteed to receive this at home. Thus he has abjectly failed to ensure that implementation of the “the fourth principle of [Israel government] policy [which] was to avoid a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.” SOURCE HERE

-Why, even since the Israeli government has been embarrassed into taking some small-scale actions after the “Freedom Flotilla” it only allowed “979 truckloads” of goods into Gaza between the 18th to 24th of July 2010 or 34.8% of the 2007 level. Moreover, it is still banning virtually all exports from Gaza at a time when unemployment rates are above 50%. SOURCE HERE

Notes:

The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG) is an umbrella group of 34 European human rights and humanitarian organisations who have come together to collectively pressure the international community and Israel to end the siege on Gaza’s civilian population.

The “Freedom Flotilla” comprised boats from the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG), Free Gaza Movement (FG), Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH), Ship to Gaza Greece, Ship to Gaza Sweden, and the International Committee to Lift the Siege on Gaza

ALL ABOARD THE MAVI MARMARA

David Rovics has written an evocative song called "All Aboard the Mavi Marmara." The Free Gaza team has added images in tribute to the nine brave men on board who gave their lives in pursuit of justice for the Palestinians.

A HERO'S WELCOME AWAITS THEM

From IHH:

Nine survivors of Israeli raid to visit Gaza
Nine activists who were injured in the Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara boat have headed for Gaza.

The vehicle convoy set out from Spain and the humanitarian aid volunteers will meet in Egyptian port city al-Arish and cross into Gaza through Rafah border crossing.

The activists were seen to be quite happy about the trip as they said they were excited about visiting Palestine.

Yavuz Dede, deputy head of the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, noted the nine activists got the opportunity to go on this trip by winning in a raffle among the 54 who were wounded in the Mavi Marmara incident.

The names of the nine activists are as follow: Alper Mutlu, Ayetullah Tekin, Cevdet Ökenek, Halim Yazıcı, İlyas Yılmaz, İsmail Hakkı Vehapoglu, Mehmet Ali Akdeniz, Mikail Kurt and Canip Tunç.

ISRAEL UPSET AT ITS NEW NAZI IMAGE

Posted by Desertpeace

Yesterday I posted a piece which made reference to Israel’s Foreign Minister being a nazi… Today Israel sent a protest to an Egyptian newspaper for publishing a cartoon linking Israel to nazis…. Instead of protesting, perhaps they should stop acting as such.


The Toon in question (BTW, By Carlos Latuff)
See his statement in the article that follows….

Israel protests Nazi cartoon
Egyptian caricature published by ruling party’s newspaper features swastika-bearing flag

Reuters

The Israeli embassy has sent a complaint to the newspaper of Egypt’s ruling party about a cartoon that linked Israel and Nazis, an unusual step from a mission that tends to ignore its Egyptian media critics.

Al-Watani al-Youm (the National Today) published a cartoon on June 15 showing an aid ship apparently bound for Gaza being grabbed by an octopus carrying an Israeli flag with a Nazi swastika in place of the Star of David symbol.

The weekly is the mouthpiece of President Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party.

“The Israeli Embassy chose to comment on this caricature specifically because of the comparison between Israel and Nazism,” spokeswoman Shani Cooper-Zubida told Reuters.

“There are a lot of anti-Semitic comments and caricatures in the Egyptian media that we prefer not to comment on. This one didn’t present legitimate opposition to Israeli policy, but defamation,” she said in an e-mailed response.

“Using the Nazi swastika symbol in the heart of the cartoon, and even the idea of using it, is an insult to humanity and is tantamount to an anti-Semitic statement,” said the letter sent to the newspaper and that was passed to Reuters by the embassy.

Editor Mohamed el-Alfy defended his newspapers position in an editorial saying it was a matter of freedom of expression.

Source

~~~~~

Israeli mission complains over Egypt press cartoon
CAIRO (Reuters) – The Israeli embassy has sent a complaint to the newspaper of Egypt’s ruling party about a cartoon that linked Israel and Nazis, an unusual step from a mission that tends to ignore its Egyptian media critics.

Al-Watani al-Youm (the National Today) published a cartoon on June 15 showing an aid ship apparently bound for Gaza being grabbed by an octopus carrying an Israeli flag with a Nazi swastika in place of the Star of David symbol.

The weekly is the mouthpiece of President Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party.

“The Israeli Embassy chose to comment on this caricature specifically because of the comparison between Israel and Nazism,” spokeswoman Shani Cooper-Zubida told Reuters.

“There are a lot of anti-Semitic comments and caricatures in the Egyptian media that we prefer not to comment on. This one didn’t present legitimate opposition to Israeli policy, but defamation,” she said in an emailed response.

The cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, a Brazilian, said in an email to Reuters: “The Israeli ambassador could show the same interest, that he shows for my cartoons, for the lives of the activists lost in the Freedom flotilla.”

“Allegations of anti-Semitism are a well-known strategy of the Israeli government and its supporters in order to neutralise any criticism against the Israeli apartheid. These malicious allegations will not prevent me keeping on making my cartoons on behalf of the brave Palestinian people,” he added.

Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel, but ties have often been chilly. The storming of a Gaza aid flotilla in May by Israeli forces in which nine activists died drew Egyptian and world criticism.

The flotilla had sought to break an Israeli blockade of Gaza. Egypt, the only Arab state to border Gaza, had been criticised by the Arab public for also imposing restrictions on border crossings. Those restrictions have now been partially lifted.

“Using the Nazi swastika symbol in the heart of the cartoon, and even the idea of using it, is an insult to humanity and is tantamount to an anti-Semitic statement,” said the letter sent to the newspaper and passed to Reuters by the embassy.

Editor Mohammad el-Alfy defended his newspaper’s position in an editorial, saying it was a matter of freedom of expression.

Egypt’s president and other officials hold frequent meetings with top Israelis, but the government is often critical of Israeli policies.

Egyptian media and the public are more vocal critics, particularly over Israel’s dealings with Palestinians. The flotilla raid drew critical articles in Egypt’s press.

(Reporting by Yasmine Saleh, editing by Edmund Blair and Peter Graff)

Source

NOT SO FAST~MV RACHEL CORRIE FLOTILLA

FALSE REPORTS FILED LAST NIGHT
THE RACHEL CORRIE IS NOT STOPPED, IT'S STILL ON THE WAY TO GAZA!!!

After following the course of the ship and all reports, during a live interview with Irish Passenger Mairead Maguire, the person interviewing her stated that Israeli navy ws approaching and the ended the phonecall. Another hour of reports stated the boat was bing surrounded, (two israeli gunboats and then smaller boats) including one report from a Malaysian passenger. Then Irish Organisations HERE and many reliable sources began confiriming this on Twitter reporting the boat being boarded were CONFIRMED, then began confirming that the boat was not only being boarded but, shortly after that confirmation that it has been "taken" by Israel. That was my last update in the post below it was close to 4AM and I went on to bed. Then 4 hours later I find out the so caled "confirmations" were instead wrong reports by numerous people who and organisations which are usually reliable. This is what I reported at 3:36 AM Irish time but it is NOT TRUE!!!


THE PRIOR REPORT BELOW FROM LATE LAST NIGHT IS TOALLY INCORRECT:

35 miles from Gaza at 3:36 AM Irishtime, been following things for hours now forgot to post it here, apologies. Over the lsat hour two large gunboats arrived, followed by smaller boats, people are having troble contacting the passengers now. Mairead Magurie was doing an interview when the ships apporached the Rachel Corrie. Communications on Rachel Corrie are now jammed I am told now that they are being boarded UPDATE they are currently being boarded right now.

UPDATE, Israel has taken control of the ship

MV RACHEL CORRIE UPDATE

Latest news is there was just a live interview with the ship and they are now only 80 miles from Gaza. If people recall the Zionist murderers attacked the Turkish ship 90 miles out. Here's the interview:


And in other news the Irish free state government said this today:

04/06/2010
Statement by Minister Micheál Martin on the Rachel Corrie

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Micheál Martin, T.D. has issued the following statement:

“The Government has made clear that it believes that the Rachel Corrie should be allowed to proceed to Gaza and to unload its humanitarian cargo. Those on board the Rachel Corrie have indicated that they are ready to accept inspection of their cargo at sea, prior to docking in Gaza. However, the Israeli government has stated that it is not willing to allow any breach of their naval blockade of Gaza.

As the Rachel Corrie continues to approach Gaza, the Government’s primary concern is the safety of Irish citizens and others on board. We are also conscious of the urgent need to address the humanitarian concerns of the people of Gaza, the desirability of reducing international tensions following the violent storming of humanitarian supply vessels by Israeli commandos earlier this week, and the obligation of States to respect the right to peaceful protest.

Acting on these considerations, I sought through various contacts to secure an agreement which would ensure the safety of those on board the Rachel Corrie, allow them to make their protest, and provide for the delivery to Gaza of the Rachel Corrie’s full cargo.

On Friday morning, an understanding was reached with the Israeli government whereby the Rachel Corrie would have approached the Israeli exclusion zone before accepting diversion to the Israeli port of Ashdod. At Ashdod, the cargo would have been unloaded and inspected under the supervision of UN and officials from the Irish Aid Division of my Department. The entire cargo, including what is understood to be 550 tonnes of cement, would then have been transported to Gaza. Two persons from the Rachel Corrie would have been permitted to accompany the cargo to the Israeli border crossing into Gaza at Erez.

In my view, such an arrangement would have offered a useful precedent for future humanitarian shipments, pending the complete lifting of the blockade.

This proposal was put to those on board the Rachel Corrie who, on Friday afternoon, after careful consideration and having thanked the Government for its efforts, declined to accept it. I fully respect their right to do so and to continue their protest action by seeking to sail to Gaza.

If, as is their stated intention, the Israeli government intercepts the Rachel Corrie, the Government demands that it demonstrate every restraint. Those on board the Rachel Corrie have made clear their peaceful intentions and have stated that they will offer no resistance to Israeli forces. Based on these assurances, there can be no justification for the use of force against any person on board the Rachel Corrie.

The Government also urges the Israeli Government to ensure the transfer to Gaza of the entire cargo of the Rachel Corrie, including cement which is urgently needed for the reconstruction of Gaza. The Government continues to call on Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza. Pending that, Israel should immediately facilitate the import into Gaza of all goods, other than weapons.”

ENDS

04 June 2010

REST IN PEACE YOU BRAVE FLOTILLA MARTYRS

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
(Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!


REMEMBER THEM ALL:

Cevdet Kılıçlar (38)

Necdet Yıldırım (32)

İbrahim Bilgen (61)

Ali Heyder Bengi (39)

Cengiz Akyüz (41)

Cengiz Topçuoğlu (54)

Cengiz Songür (47)

Fahri Gündüz (43)

Furkan Dogan (19) Turkish/USA

ABBAS MORPHS INTO MILITANT

Tricky situation this; So there's the old no longer legally elected, US Israeli puppet President of Palestine, sitting there wondering how he can claim some of the limelight after the deaths of the Freedom Flotilla civilians. Comes up with this:

link President Mahmoud Abbas granted Palestinian nationality to all participants of the Freedom Flotilla on Wednesday.

"Jerusalem is under siege, Gaza is under siege, Hebron is torn apart, Bethlehem is isolated and our lands are occupied," Abbas said, asking the world

Stunning, This from a man who is directly invovled in keeping Rafah closed for years no less!! More:

"When will this tyranny and occupation end? When will Israel respect the laws of international legitimacy, so bloodshed ends and true peace prevails?"

Answer: When you stop playing party politics, unite with Hamas and all other parties, and then collectively as a Palestinian nation stand up to both Israel AND the US, that's when!

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.

ISRAEL PICKS FIGHT WITH IRELAND

Oh no they won't. Israel will soon see Ireland does not back down from your threats. Unfortunately for Israel, the Irish have had 800 years of threats and war, so Israel, you're no match for us, the Irish are coming, get used to it!

link Israel tells diplomats it will stop Gaza aid boats. A senior Israeli official told European diplomats on Monday that a plan by pro-Palestinian activists to break Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip was a "provocation" and would be stopped.

The Free Gaza Movement, an international group seeking to ship humanitarian goods and activists into the coastal strip, aims to send three cargo ships and five passenger vessels to Gaza from Ireland, Greece and Turkey.

"This is a provocation and a breach of Israeli law," Naor Gilon, a foreign ministry deputy director general, told the ambassadors of Greece, Ireland, Turkey, and Sweden, whose nationals the ministry said were involved.

"Israel has no intention of allowing the flotilla to enter Gaza," a ministry statement quoted Gilon as saying.

The website of the Free Gaza Movement says the 1,200-tonne Rachel Corrie left Dundalk in Ireland on May 14 and would rendezvous with the rest of what it calls the "Freedom Flotilla" in the Mediterranean

The MV Rachel Corrie is named after a US activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer during a demonstration in Gaza in 2003.