Freedom Flotilla - Ali El-Ewaisi testimony
Freedom Flotilla - Ali el-Ewaisi testimony (2)
Off the hook: Israel's own Widgery inquiry into Bloody Monday
The inquiry chairman, Jacob Turkel, has stated that holding people to account is a marginal issue. Israeli soldiers will not testify at the inquiry. Would any of the activists co-operate with or trust this kangaroo court? Would an activist beaten up by Israeli soldiers, who has seen their friends and colleagues killed and shot, feel safe going back? Will all their photographs and video footage be released intact after having been illegally confiscated by the Israeli authorities? Israel was very fast to release its own carefully edited selected footage. Turkey has understandably dismissed this inquiry. A valid inquiry requires Turkey's co-operation to share the findings of the post-mortems into the nine Turkish citizens killed. They reportedly show that one victim was shot five times from less than 45cm. Netanyahu has hand-picked two international observers including Lord Trimble who on the day of the attack on the flotilla was starting a "Friends of Israel initiative". They will not be allowed to vote on the inquiry's conclusions. In case of need, the commission can hold closed sessions as it sees fit.
Roger Waters - "We Shall Overcome"
Gaza Freedom Flotilla Massacre: London Rally - Ewa Jasiewicz and Alex Harrison
87 US senators support Israeli self-defense
Izrael je uglednu tursku humanitarnu organizaciju IHH proglasio terorističkom organizacijom, a 87 američkih senatora poziva Obamu da SAD to također učine.
The lawmakers brought particular attention to the Turkish Muslim charity involved with organizing the aid flotilla, and urged Obama to consider branding the IHH -- the acronym for the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation -- as a terrorist organization, as Israel did earlier this month. They also commended Obama for the action he took "to prevent the adoption of an unfair United Nations Security Council resolution (about the deadly raid) which would have represented a rush to judgment by the international community." A UN Security Council statement condemned the attack, but fell short of a call for an independent investigation, with the United States backing an Israeli probe.
Nobel Peace Prize Winner shot by Israeli army in Palestine
Greta Berlin Conveyed Message (Flotilla Massacre)
Iran will not send aid ship to Gaza
Iran je odustao od slanja brodova s humanitarnom pomoći u Gazu.
Dr. Fintan Lane describes raid on Challenger I part 1
Dr. Fintan Lane describes raid on Challenger I part 2
Dr. Fintan Lane describes raid on Challenger I part 3
Free Gaza Movement: Who Will Speak for the Palestinian Prisoners?
Iara Lee: The Video Israel Doesn't Want You to See: Smuggled Footage From the Flotilla Attack
Furthermore, after a meticulous examination of our footage, journalist Ali Abunimah has discerned some very troubling details about Israeli conduct aboard the Mavi Marmara. This includes evidence of Israeli commandos indiscriminately firing with live ammunition on groups of passengers who pose no threat, as well as the possible use of American and European-made weapons in hijacking the ship -- an infraction of both US and European arms agreements. What happened on the Mavi Marmara is not an anomaly for Israeli forces, nor is it a "botched" raid as many like to refer to it. Since the 2006 invasion of Lebanon, where Israeli forces dropped cluster bombs on civilian targets, through the devastation of "Operation Cast Lead" in 2008-09, where Israeli forces were found to have used white phosphorous on civilians in Gaza, we see a pattern of escalating brutality in which Israel continues to act with total impunity in violation of international law. We must use the momentum and outrage generated by Israeli actions aboard the flotilla to bring this pattern to an end.
Rim Banna: Defend Freedom
Edward Peck, Former US Ambassador describes raid on Gaza Flotilla
Jonathan Cook: Blockade 'Eased' as Gaza Starves more Slowly
The real goal of the blockade was set out in blunt fashion at its inception, in early 2006, shortly after Hamas won the Palestinian elections. Dov Weisglass, the government's chief adviser at the time, said it would put Palestinians in Gaza “on a diet, but not make them die of hunger”. Aid agencies can testify to the rampant malnutrition that followed. The ultimate aim, Mr Weisglass admitted, was to punish ordinary Gazans in the hope that they would overthrow Hamas. Is Mr Weisglass a relic of the pre-Netanyahu era, his blockade-as-diet long ago superseded? Not a bit. Only last month, during a court case against the siege, Mr Netanyahu's government justified the policy not as a security measure but as “economic warfare” against Gaza. One document even set out the minimum calories – or “red lines”, as they were also referred to – needed by Gazans according to their age and sex. In truth, Israel's “security” blockade is, in both its old and new incarnations, every bit a “civilian” blockade. It was designed and continues to be “collective punishment” of the people of Gaza for electing the wrong rulers. Helpfully, international law defines the status of Israel's policy: it is a crime against humanity. Easing the siege so that Gaza starves more slowly may be better than nothing. But breaking 1.5 million Palestinians out of the prison Israel has built for them is the real duty of the international community.
PCHR Calls for the Immediate and Complete End of the Illegal Closure of Gaza
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) emphasizes that in order to put an end to this dire situation a dramatic change is needed. Measures to ease the blockade announced by Israel in recent days are purely cosmetic and will not represent any significant improvement. According to media reports - and in line with a proposal put forward by the Quartet Representative to the Middle East, Tony Blair - Israel is planning to expand the list of permitted goods into Gaza moving from a list of permitted items to one of prohibited items; this measure is not adequate and does not represent any substantial change to the current illegal policy. Israel’s proposal is only shifting attention from the real problems and does not deal with the root causes of the crisis. Israel's proposed easing of the blockade fails to address the necessary measures to restart the economy of Gaza, such as the import of fuel and construction materials or the export of products from the Strip. Expanding the list of permitted items cannot improve the situation unless it is accompanied by the unconditional opening of all border crossings of the Gaza Strip. PCHR stresses that the alleged easing of the closure fails to address the most important issue: the freedom of movement of the imprisoned Palestinian population of Gaza. The 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip have the legitimate right to live normal, dignified lives, to enjoy freedom of movement and to have access to work, education and medical treatment. "The siege has transformed the Gaza Strip into an animal farm" forcefully notes Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR. "The risk is that Gaza is just passing to another form of illegal blockade, one that may become internationally accepted and institutionalized." The Quartet noted that the situation of the civilian population of Gaza is unsustainable, unacceptable and cannot be resolved by providing humanitarian aid; as confirmed by the ICRC, there is no sustainable solution other than the complete, immediate lifting of the closure. The whole international community must act decisively in order to put an end to the illegal closure of the Gaza Strip, and to ensure civilians legitimate human rights.
Yvonne Ridley: US Fear Factory Kills Free Speech
And should you be in any doubt, read a story about the latest decision to emerge from the US Supreme Court. In a majority 6-3 ruling it becomes virtually impossible for anyone to put food into the mouths of malnourished babies in Gaza or to give money to a charity to do the humanitarian act for you. Insane as it sounds, it is now a crime in America to work for peace and human rights in Gaza because the day-to-day running of The Strip is carried out by the democratically-elected Hamas government. Therefore it would be virtually impossible to bypass Hamas to operate in Gaza. In an astonishing McCarthy-like ruling any American who even offers advice to banned organizations like Hamas, including legal assistance and information on conflict resolution, will be prosecuted as terrorists. Be afraid, be very afraid … this is happening in the USA, here and now. Barack Obama's barmy administration reckons that even giving advice intended for peaceful purposes will amount to "material support" for terrorism. "The supreme court has ruled that human rights advocates, providing training and assistance in the nonviolent resolution of disputes, can be prosecuted as terrorists," said David Cole, a Georgetown university law professor who argued the case before the court. In the name of fighting terrorism, the court has said that the first amendment [on free speech] permits congress to make it a crime to work for peace and human rights. That is wrong." The ruling is designed to intimidate Palestinian supporters and their fundraising activity. Some have already been prosecuted and jailed for raising cash for social groups dealing with issues such as housing and welfare in Gaza.
Još nekoliko vijesti/linkova o Palestini/Izraelu:
UN urges Israel to rethink East Jerusalem construction plans
UN poziva Izrael da ne gradi u okupiranom Istočnom Jeruzalemu
Glavni tajnik UN-a Ban Ki-Moon je izrazio duboku zabrinutost zbog odluke jeruzalemskog gradskog poglavarstva o rušenju palestinskih kuća i daljnjoj izgradnji ilegalnih izraelskih kolonističkih naselja na području Silwana. Ki-Moon je upozorio da su ti potezi izraelskih vlasti u suprotnosti s međunarodnim pravom i voljom palestinskog stanovništva koje na tom području živi. Izraelsko je jeruzalemsko poglavarstvo odobrilo početne planove za rušenje 22 palestinska doma u četvrti Silwan koja se nalazi u Istočnom Jeruzalemu, ilegalno okupiranom palestinskom teritoriju. Američko ministarstvo vanjskih poslova je kritiziralo odluku. Izraelske desničarske skupine su pak u srijedu (23. lipnja) prijetile da će silom izbaciti 4 palestinske obitelji za koje tvrde da žive „na židovskom vlasništvu“ u četvrti Silwan u palestinskom Istočnom Jeruzalemu. Knessetski zastupnik Uri Ariel je u Knessetu najavio da će kolonisti unajmiti privatne zaštitarske tvrtke da do 4. srpnja 4 obitelji (ukupno 40 osoba) izbace iz zgrade koja je prije nastanka države Izrael bila sinagoga. Ta je sinagoga izgrađena u 19. stoljeću za malu zajednicu jemenskih Židova u Silwanu. U toj zgradi već 50 godina živi obitelj Abu Nab i tvrdi da je vlasnik te zgrade. U posljednjih nekoliko godina pojavili su se „nasljednici“ spomenute zajednice jemenskih Židova koji traže „povrat“ te zgrade, a potporu im pruža nacionalistička organizacija Ateret Cohanim, koja je zaposjela 2 susjedne zgrade – kontroverzne Beit Yonatan i Beit Hadvash. Ateret Cohanim je Beit Yonatan, 7-katnu stambenu zgradu, izgradio protuzakonito usred četvrti u kojoj je većinsko stanovništvo palestinsko. Izraelska se policija navodno već tjednima „sprema“ deložirati koloniste iz ilegalno sagrađene zgrade Beit Yonatan, a izvršenje naloga za deložaciju i zatvaranje zgrade, koji već 2 godine čeka na izvršenje, odgođeno je za potkraj mjeseca. Ilegalni kolonisti iz ilegalne zgrade Beit Yonatan zaprijetili su da će stvari slijedeći mjesec preuzeti u svoje ruke, ako policija ne deložira palestinske obitelji za koje tvrde da žive u „židovskom vlasništvu“.
Infrastructure Minister warns Hezbollah: Israel will fight for its gas fields
Israel will not hesitate to use force to protect its gas fields from being claimed by Lebanon, Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau warned this week in an interview with Bloomberg News. Lebanon parliament speaker Nabih Berri earlier this month urged his government to start exploring its offshore natural gas reserves, claiming that otherwise Israel would claim the resources.
Abbas: Israel must not expel Hamas politicians from Jerusalem
Jeruzalemska je policija početkom lipnja zaplijenila izraelske osobne iskaznice 4 Hamasovih zastupnika u palestinskom parlamentu i naredila im da do srpnja napuste okupirani Istočni Jeruzalem. Izrael je tisućama Palestinaca oduzeo pravo na prebivalište u Jeruzalemu od 1967, od kada okupira Istočni Jeruzalem, ali aktivisti za ljudska prava upozoravaju da je ovo prvi puta da Izrael palestinskim građanima Jeruzalema oduzima pravo na prebivalište zbog političke pripadnosti.
Eitan Bronstein: An Israeli on Nakba Day: 'Our humanity is bound up with your right to return'
My request is, therefore, that you persist and will not give up your right to return. It might sound a little strange because who am I to ask of you to insist on your own rights, the basic right of people who were uprooted from their land and their homes. But despite this, despite how awkward or absurd this request may be, despite it sounds as minefield, I insist. Please, you and your children, don't ever give up your right to return. Not (only) for yourselves but for me also. Do you understand? If you give up this right all chance for a just life in this land will be lost and I will be sentenced to the shameful life of an eternal occupier, armed from the soles of my feet to the depths of my soul and always afraid, like all colonizers. From my point of view dangerous things might happen to us, the Israelis, if it happened that you, the Palestinian refugees, give up your right to return. ... Our humanity is bound up with your right to return. The day we expelled you from your land you carried a part of it with you. Only when you can return we will be able to restore our humanity. It is hard for us to continue in this way, with damaged humanities. It doesn't mean that all our humanity has left us, but, as you know, we were left mainly with vulgarity, condescension, militarism and fear. Yes, we have some beautiful things but about real humanity occupiers cannot even dream of. Actually to dream of it may be possible. About a life in cooperation with you here in our shared land. It is a beautiful and moving dream.
