The killings on the flotilla were pre-meditated and deliberate. Make no mistake. The decision to take the ship well into international waters, breaking many laws, (the flotilla was legally
entitled to use any force it wanted to prevent those soldiers boarding) and not waiting for it to reach the disputed occupation waters was intended. This is a murderous act of piracy to provoke a
reaction from Turkey.
IHH’s Turkish flagged ship ‘Mavi Mara’ was supposed to be sailing alone when it was attacked. All other ships were delayed due to sabotage but caught up later as the flotilla was delayed. Not
suspected sabotage, it was admitted by the Israeli foreign ministry spokesman. This was part of the Israeli plan. Also part of the plan was the collaboration of Cyprus in preventing the (non-Turkish)
humanitarians, including holocaust survivor Hedi Epstein, and their boats leaving from Cyprus. All of the previous eight ‘Free Gaza’ flotillas have left from there without any hindrance.
The reaction to the offer by Israel for the aid to go through their checkpoints would always be refused. No humanitarian in their right mind would trust Israel with their aid. Israel is responsible
for the humanitarian crisis in the first place and 80% of aid donated by other countries and NGO’s has been denied entry. Nor would they trust the Israeli-manipulated Egyptian authorities with their
aid. I have witnessed them with my own eyes taking truckloads of aid, donated and driven 5000 miles by UK citizens including myself, that was never seen again. I was part of a second convoy to Gaza
this time alongside the humanitarian group IHH and was hospitalised in a non-lethal attack, by Egyptian riot police on the group. This time the aid was untouched. Was this just a plan to see the
reaction of IHH members to an unprovoked assault? Either way they were never going to dock in either country.
There is a smokescreen in place due to the tirade of Israeli lies, given a free reign in the western media, that would be hilarious if it were not for the tragic circumstances. It is either enraging
or confusing us, to the point where we cannot take a look at the bigger picture. Thought these lies will soon come out as the flotilla members come home to give their account of events.
This attack by Israel on a Turkish flagged ship in international waters is legally a direct attack on a NATO state that obliges other NATO states to defend it. They wont of course because they can’t.
The US is the unelected leader of NATO and will veto all decisions that would not be in Israel’s interest. The Israeli lobby, and this is so well documented it is irrefutable, controls US foreign
policy (see Walt and Mearsheimers book ‘the Israel Lobby‘). How on earth did the events of September 11th ’01, an attack by a rogue group of mainly Saudi individuals provoke America to attack on the
sovereign state of Iraq? No links to Al-Qaeda were ever found, we were then spun the WMD lie and then the installation of democracy came into play. Oil was not the reason Iraq was invaded either. Oil
companies prefer stability. If the control of Iraq’s oil was the motive for overthrowing the regime then we would have seen a more peaceful attempt a regime change. Just like the attempted coup of
Hugo Chavez, and overthrow of Mohammed Mossadeq, the first democratically elected PM of Iran, both of whom intended on putting more of the money from their nations oil back into the country.
Iraq was Israel’s biggest threat to middle east domination. Israel has invaded 5 of it’s neighbours unprovoked, and now 6 if you include Turkey, in it’s recent history. Iraq fired scud missiles at
Tel-Aviv and Haifa back in January ‘91 Israel did nothing. Confronting Iraq would have been far too dangerous for Israel being so close in location to the military power. So the war was done by proxy
using the lives of British and American soldiers to wipe out Iraq’s threat.
Iran is now the only other threat to Israeli domination in the region. We were being fed, again, the lie of WMD threats. Although now Iran has started dealing peaceful nuclear technologies with
Turkey, mediated by Brazil, making it completely legal in the eyes of the UN. Israel is now looking for another way to get
Iran’s military power destroyed. What better way now than instigating war with Turkey? Bring it on Erdogan they are silently screaming in his face. The immediate reaction of Turkey was to announce
military escort for the delayed ship ‘MV Rachel Corrie” who is still to sail into Gaza to deliver aid. This has now, wisely been taken back.
The world now sees the real Israel, the slaughter of 1400 in Gaza did not do it, Israeli PR won that time but this time they went too far.
When John Snow asked Mark Regev, the Israeli live on channel 4 if, for killing it’s nationals, he would apologise to Turkey he arrogantly replied ‘for what?’
We now know what disregard Israel has for human lives and international condemnation. Measures must be taken to reduce the threat this rogue nuclear state (they have 300 nukes and deny their
existence so they don’t have to sign any) poses. Our governments cannot act on this properly without bringing a possible nuclear war to the world. It is on our shoulders to start a bottom-up economic
reduction of the threat of Israel, through the boycott of Israeli goods, that will bring about peaceful change through internal dissent in Israel as war with this country will bring about very
serious consequences for the world.
Gaza aid flotilla activists talk of beatings, electric shocks
By Elena Becatoros, Suzan Fraser, The Associated Press
Last Updated: June 1, 2010 7:02am
ATHENS — Activists returning to Europe after Israeli forces raided their aid flotilla said Tuesday that the commandos had beaten passengers and used electric shocks during the assault.
Six Greeks and several others, including a Turkish woman and her 1-year-old baby, were released Tuesday, but Israel has barred access to hundreds of others seized during the raid that killed at
least nine people and wounded dozens early Monday.
Most of those killed were aboard the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, and there have been conflicting accounts of what happened during the assault.
Turkish activist Nilufer Cetin, who had hidden with her baby in her cabin’s bathroom aboard the Mavi Marmara, told reporters she believed there were 11 dead.
“The ship turned into a lake of blood,” Cetin told reporters in Istanbul, having returned after Israeli officials warned that jail would be too harsh for her child.
“We were aware of the possible danger” in joining the trip, she said. “But there are thousands of babies in Gaza. If we had reached Gaza we would have played with them and taken them food.”
She said Israeli vessels “harassed” the flotilla for two hours starting around 10 p.m. Sunday, and returned at around 4 a.m. Monday, fired warning shots and told the ships to turn back.
“When the Mavi Marmara continued on its course the harassment turned into an attack. They used smoke bombs followed by gas canisters. They started to descend onto the ship with helicopters,” she
said, calling the clashes that then erupted “extremely bad and brutal.”
“I was one of the first victims to be released because I had a child,” she told reporters, but “they confiscated everything, our telephones, laptops are all gone.” Her husband — the ship’s
engineer — was still being held by Israeli authorities.
Some 400 Turkish activists were on the six-ship flotilla, along with more than 30 Greeks and people of some 20 other nations including Germany, the U.S. and Russia.
The ships had been trying to break the three-year blockade of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, the activists said.
“Suddenly from everywhere we saw inflatables coming at us, and within seconds fully equipped commandos came up on the boat,” said Greek activist Dimitris Gielalis, who had been aboard the
Sfendoni. He was among six Greeks returned home Tuesday.
“They came up and used plastic bullets, we had beatings, we had electric shocks, any method we can think of, they used,” he said.
He said the boat’s captain was beaten for refusing to leave the wheel, and had sustained non-life-threatening injuries, while a cameraman filming the raid was hit with a rifle butt in the eye,“ he
said. “Of course we weren’t prepared for a situation of war.“
The returning Greeks said those still in custody were refusing to sign papers demanded by Israeli authorities.
“During their interrogation, many of them were badly beaten in front of us,” said Aris Papadokostopoulos, who was aboard the Free Mediterranean travelling behind the Turkish ship and carrying
mainly Greek and Swedish activists.
Papadokostopoulos said the flotilla was about 80 miles (130 kilometres) off Gaza when the raid occurred around 4 a.m. Monday.
“The Turkish ship was in front of us ... on which there was a terrible raid from the air and from the sea and from everywhere, with shooting,” he said.
Aboard the other boats, he said, commandos beat activists, but nobody was gravely injured. He said no one put up resistance on the Free Mediterranean, which was carrying a cargo of wheelchairs,
building material and medical and pharmaceutical aid.
“Some people were hit by clubs and electric shocks,” he said.
Crew member Mihalis Grigoropoulos said he was on the bridge of the Free Mediterranean and heard shooting coming from the Turkish ship.
Several people who tried to stop the Israeli forces from getting to the bridge were hit by electric shocks and plastic bullets, he said. “We didn’t’ resist at all. Even if we had wanted to, what
could we do?”
Civil engineer Thanassis Petrogiannis said he had joined the flotilla to provide help in rebuilding destroyed Palestinian homes.
He said that, while in Israeli custody, authorities had demanded he sign a paper written in Hebrew. He refused, and was eventually given another document that he signed.
“Everyone who didn’t accept to sign is in jail,” he said.
Grigoropoulos, the crew member, and Gielalis said they were not asked to sign anything, though their cellphones, cameras and clothes were confiscated before they were expelled.
While the six Greeks “are in good health,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras said Greece was demanding the others still in custody be repatriated as soon as possible.
“Israel bears responsibility for their safety. So it must contribute so they can return quickly to Greece,” he said.
Turkey said it was sending three ambulance planes to Israel to pick up 20 more Turkish activists injured in the operation.
Three Turkish Airlines planes were on standby waiting to fly back other activists, the prime minister’s office said.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/world/2010/06/01/14210026.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
US activist loses eye after being shot in face with tear gas canister
International Solidarity Movement
31 May 2010
US citizen Emily Henochowicz was shot directly in the face with a tear gas canister as she non-violently demonstrated against the Flotilla massacre
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
American activist loses eye after being shot in face with tear gas canister
31 May 2010: An American solidarity activist was shot in the face with a tear gas canister during a demonstration in Qalandiya, today. Emily Henochowicz is currently in Hadassah Hospital in
Jerusalem undergoing surgery to remove her left eye, following the demonstration that was held in protest to Israel’s murder of at least 10 civilians aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in international
waters this morning.
21-year old Emily Henochowicz was hit in the face with a tear gas projectile fired directly at her by an Israeli soldier during the demonstration at Qalandiya checkpoint today. Israeli occupation
forces fired volleys of tear gas at unarmed Palestinian and international protesters, causing mass panic amongst the demonstrators and those queuing at the largest checkpoint separating the West Bank
and Israel.
“They clearly saw us,” said Sören Johanssen, a Swedish ISM volunteer standing with Henochowicz. “They clearly saw that we were internationals and it really looked as though they were trying to hit
us. They fired many canisters at us in rapid succession. One landed on either side of Emily, then the third one hit her in the face.”
Henochowicz is an art student at the prestigious Cooper Union, located in East Village, Manhattan.
The demonstration was one of many that took place across the West Bank today in outrage over the Israeli military’s attack on the Gaza freedom flotilla and blatant violation of international law.
Demonstrations also took place in inside Israel, Gaza and Jerusalem, with clashes occurring in East Jerusalem and Palestinian shopkeepers in the occupied Old City closing their businesses for the day
in protest.
Henochowicz lost her left eye after being shot directly in the face with a tear gas canister
Tear gas canisters are commonly used against demonstrators in the occupied West Bank. In May 2009, the Israeli State Attorney’s Office ordered Israeli Police to review its
guidelines for dispersing demonstrators, following the death of a demonstrator, Bassem Abu Rahmah from Bil’in village, caused by a high velocity tear-gas projectile. Tear-gas canisters are meant to
be used as a means of crowd dispersal, to be shot indirectly at demonstrators and from a distance. However, Israeli forces frequently shoot canisters directly at protesters and are not bound by a
particular distance from which they can shoot.
Israeli occupation forces boarded the Mavi Marmara, one of six ships on the Freedom Flotilla at 5 a.m. this morning, opening fire on the hundreds of unarmed civilians aboard. No-one aboard the
ships were carrying weapons of any kind, including for defense against a feared Israeli attack in international waters. At least 9 aid workers aboard the ship have been confirmed dead, with dozens
more injured. The assault took place 70 miles off the Gaza coast in international waters, after the flotilla was surrounded by three Israeli warships. The Freedom Flotilla, carrying 700 human rights
activists from over 40 countries and 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid, was headed for the besieged and impoverished Gaza Strip. The Israeli blockade on Gaza, combined with the illegal buffer zone,
has put a stranglehold on the territory. 42% of Gazans are unemployed, and food insecurity hovers around 60% according to figures from the Palestine Centre for Human Rights.
Updated on June 1, 2010
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/05/12604/
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