Day: May 31, 2010

Gaza Freedom Flotilla Massacre News Roundup 31 May, 2010

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31 May, 2010 — Creative-i

For convenience, I’ve gathered together all the stories published so far (19:41 London time) on the barbaric attack by the Israeli military on 700-800 unarmed people attempting to deliver aid to Gaza, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens more. The remainder have been abducted and taken apparently to Ashdod.

Electronic Intifada Editorial: International solidarity and the Freedom Flotilla massacre

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31 May 2010 — Editorial, The Electronic Intifada

Early this morning under the cover of darkness Israeli soldiers stormed the lead ship of the six-vessel Freedom Flotilla aid convoy in international waters and killed and injured dozens of civilians aboard. All the ships were violently seized by Israeli forces, but hours after the attack fate of the passengers aboard the other ships remained unknown.

The Mavi Marmara was carrying around 600 activists when Israeli warships flanked it from all sides as soldiers descended from helicopters onto the ship’s deck. Reports from people on board the ship backed up by live video feeds broadcast on Turkish TV show that Israeli forces used live ammunition against the civilian passengers, some of whom resisted the attack with sticks and other items.

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Up to 19 reported killed as Israel disrupts Gaza humanitarian effort

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31 May, 2010 — RT Top Stories

Up to 19 people have been killed and more than 30 injured after Israeli military attacked a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, international media report.

Russian news agency Itar-Tass reports that the death toll on Monday noon was about 19, referring to Sky News channel.

According to Israeli media, Israeli soldiers are also among those injured.

Early Monday morning the Israeli navy intercepted the fleet of ships about hundred kilometers off the coast of Gaza. They sent out warning signals for the ships to turn round. A detention center has been established in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod to hold those activists who refuse to turn back. Israeli forces insist that they want to check the cargo aboard.

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Flotilla attack, some names released of captured or injured in Flotilla attack

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31 May, 2010 — Viva Palestina

1 June, 2010 — See Updated List Here

George Galloway today released the names and photographs of 12 of the British people captured or injured in the Israeli assault which took place in the early hours of this morning aboard the Turkish Humanitarian ship ‘Mavi Marmara.

As far as we know our colleagues are not injured.

Urgent help is requested by everyone to alert the FCO in London, demand that a safe passage for these innocent people is immediately made. Demand that they are all treated fairly and are all provided with medical assistance. Demand that the FCO are provided with proof by the Israeli government that these people are all safe and demand their whereabouts now!

kevin-Ovenden.jpg1. Kevin Ovenden
Nicola-Enchmarch.jpg2. Nicola Enchmarch
Nader-Daher.jpg3. Nader Daher
Hassan-Ghani.jpg4. Hassan Ghan
Alex-Phillips-(also known as Lorty).jpg

5. Alex Phillips
Ashan-Shamrak.jpg6. Ashan Shamrak
Sarah-Colbourne.jpg7. Sarah Colbourne
8. Alex Harrison
9. Ismail Patel
10. Sidique Hajee
11. Ibrahim Musaji
12. Peter Viner
 13. Mohammed Bayyat

Call The Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London 020 7008 1500 and provide the names as above as missing.

———————
Alice Howard
Viva Palestina UK
Tel: +447889726777
Email: alice@vivapalestina.org
Website: http://www.vivapalestina.org/
Sign up to the Viva Palestina Mailing List http://www.vivapalestina.org/alert.htm
Viva Palestina, helping to make the positive steps in breaking the siege of Gaza!

Building What? How SCADs Can Be Hidden in Plain Sight: The 9/11 “Official Story” and the Collapse of WTC Building Seven By Prof David Ray Griffin

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30 May, 2010 — Global Research – 911Truth.org – 2010-05-29

At 5:21 PM on 9/11, Building 7 of the World Trade Center collapsed, even though it had not been hit by a plane – a fact that is important because of the widespread acceptance of the idea, in spite of its scientific absurdity, that the Twin Towers collapsed because of the combined effect of the impact of the airliners plus the ensuing jet-fuel-fed fires. The collapse of World Trade Center 7 (WTC 7) thereby challenges the official account of the destruction of the World Trade Center, according to which it was accomplished by al-Qaeda hijackers, even if one accepts the government’s scientifically impossible account of the Twin Towers. This fact was recently emphasized in the title of a review article based on my 2009 book, The Mysterious Collapse of World Trade Center 7,[1] by National Medal of Science-winner Lynn Margulis: “Two Hit, Three Down – The Biggest Lie.”[2]

1. Why the Collapse of WTC 7 Created an Extraordinary Problem

The collapse of WTC 7 created an extraordinary problem for the official account of 9/11 for several reasons.

An Unprecedented Occurrence

One reason is that, because of the collapse of WTC 7, the official account of 9/11 includes the dubious claim that, for the first time in the known universe, a steel-frame high-rise building was brought down by fire, and science looks askance at claims of unprecedented occurrences regarding physical phenomena. New York Times writer James Glanz, who himself has a Ph.D. in physics, wrote: “[E]xperts said no building like it, a modern, steel-reinforced high-rise, had ever collapsed because of an uncontrolled fire.” Glanz then quoted a structural engineer as saying: “[W]ithin the structural engineering community, [WTC 7] is considered to be much more important to understand [than the Twin Towers],” because engineers had no answer to the question, “why did 7 come down?”[3]

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More stories on the Israeli massacre

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31 May, 2010

Israeli Massacres Go International; Commandos Kill 20 Free Gaza Activists
Israeli occupation forces massacred 20 activists on board the Gaza-bound “Freedom” flotilla Sunday overnight and Monday, according to the Israeli TV. 60 other people were also injured. The killing took place in international waters. Among the injured, leader of the Islamic Movement’s northern branch in the occupied territories Sheikh Raed Salah whose injuries are serious, according to reports.   Israeli marine commandos had opened …

Turkey to Call UN Meeting over Israeli Attack, Recalls Envoy
Turkey will call an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over Israel’s deadly raid on aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip, a Turkish diplomat told AFP Monday as above tens of thousands of people went out to Turkish streets condemning the Israeli inhumane act.   Turkey also recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said. “Our ambassador to Israel has been recalled to Ankara,” Arinc told a press …

Massive Condemnation in Lebanon of Israel’s Crime
The Israeli massacre of at least 20 activists on board the Gaza-bound aid ship drew widespread condemnations in Lebanon.   HEZBOLLAH MP: IF THEY FAIL TO ACT TO LIF THE GAZA SIEGE, SITUATION IN REGION WILL GET WORSE Hezbollah MP Hasan Fadlallah denounced the Israeli massacre as a “crime against humanity” and called on the international community to take action. “This is a premeditated crime against humanity by the Israelis,” Fadlallah told …

Shock and outrage has swept the globe after Israeli soldiers stormed a flotilla of aid ships bound for Gaza

International powers are closing ranks in condemning the deadly raid.

Gaza Freedom Flotilla Emergency Action Alert

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31 May, 2010 — Palestine Solidarity Committee

Israeli commandos descending from helicopters stormed the six-boat flotilla in the early hours of Monday morning, killing 20 while it was in international waters, about 90 miles (150km) from Gaza, where Israel has no jurisdiction

WRITE TO WILLIAM HAGUE AT THE FOREIGN OFFICE – THE UK GOVERNMENT MUST END ITS SILENCE RECALL BRITAIN’S AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL

Click here http://www.psc.iparl.com/lobby/49 and use our online tool to send an email to Mr Hague. It takes less than two minutes.

You can also cut and paste the email below, and send it to deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg at cleggn@parliament.uk

Dear Mr Clegg

Israeli naval forces this morning stormed a peaceful flotilla of boats delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, and killed 20 of the unarmed civilians on board. Dozens more have been injured. Forty British nationals were on the flotilla. None of them have yet been accounted for.

Will the British government continue to maintain its complicit silence over the attack, or will it finally speak out and condemn Israel’s piracy and murder on international waters?

You had the opportunity to defend British citizens sailing with the flotilla, and demand safe passage for them and the vital aid they were carrying, but you chose not to do so.

You now have the opportunity to stand up for international law, and to lead the international community in condemning Israel’s actions and holding them to account.

I call on you to take this opportunity. Your political and moral obligations lie with those who seek to peacefully deliver aid, not with a country which repeatedly violates international law.

Yours sincerely

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) aims to raise public awareness about the occupation of Palestine and the struggle of the Palestinian people. PSC seek to bring pressure on both the British and Israeli government to bring their policies in line with international law. PSC is an independent, non-governmental and non-party political organisation with members from communities across the UK. Join PSC today!

Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Box BM PSA
London
WC1N 3XX
Tel: 020 7700 6192
Fax: 020 7609 7779
Email: info@palestinecampaign.org
Web: www.palestinecampaign.org

Ten Things You Need (But Don’t Want) To Know About the BP Oil Spill By Daniela Perdomo

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29 May, 2010 — Global Research – AlterNet – 2010-05-27

How the owner of the exploded oil rig has made $270 million off the disaster, and nine other shocking, depressing facts about the oil spill.

It’s been 37 days since BP’s offshore oil rig, Deepwater Horizon, exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Since then, crude oil has been hemorrhaging into ocean waters and wreaking unknown havoc on our ecosystem — unknown because there is no accurate estimate of how many barrels of oil are contaminating the Gulf.

Though BP officially admits to only a few thousand barrels spilled each day, expert estimates peg the damage at 60,000 barrels or over 2.5 million gallons daily. (Perhaps we’d know more if BP hadn’t barred independent engineers from inspecting the breach.) Measures to quell the gusher have proved lackluster at best, and unlike the country’s last big oil spill — Exxon-Valdez in 1989 — the oil is coming from the ground, not a tanker, so we have no idea how much more oil could continue to pollute the Gulf’s waters.

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Real News Video Coverage of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Massacre

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31 May, 2010 — The Real News Network

Five video reports from The Real News Network

20 killed, Israel attacks Gaza aid fleet Pt1 | Press TV coverage of Gaza aid convoy

20 killed, Israel attacks Gaza aid fleet Pt2 | Press TV coverage of Gaza aid convoy  May 31, 2010

At least 10 dead in Israeli raid | EuroNews: At least 10 people are reported to have been killed in a raid by Israeli commandos on convoy  May 31, 2010

Israeli navy storms Gaza aid ship | AlJazeera: Israeli military opens fire on convoy of aid ships trying to break Gaza blockade  May 31, 2010

16 reported killed in Gaza aid flotilla | AlJazeera: Israel attacks Gaza aid flotilla – 16 activists killed  May 31, 2010

Welcome to BBC Israel By William Bowles

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31 May, 2010

The BBC has outdone itself this time with an outrageous piece of blatant Israeli propaganda

It was a tossup: should I go to the demonstration outside 10 Downing Street today (31/5/10) or write this piece on the absolutely outrageous ‘coverage’ by the BBC of the massacre of at least nineteen people by the Israeli military in international waters? Continue reading →

Israeli Butchery at Sea by Gilad Atzmon

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31 May, 2010 — Gilad Atzmon – Writings

israel-flotilla.jpgAs I write this piece the scale of the Israeli lethal slaughter at sea is yet to be clear. However we already know that at around 4am Gaza time, hundreds of IDF commandos stormed the Free Gaza international humanitarian fleet. We learn from the Arab press that at least 16 peace activists have been murdered and more than 50 were injured. Once again it is devastatingly obvious that Israel is not trying to hide its true nature: an inhuman murderous collective fuelled by a psychosis and driven by paranoia.

For days the Israeli government prepared the Israeli society for the massacre at sea. It said that the Flotilla carried weapons, it had ‘terrorists’ on board. Only yesterday evening it occurred to me that this Israeli malicious media spin was there to prepare the Israeli public for a full scale Israeli deadly military operation in international waters. Make no mistake. If I knew exactly where Israel was heading and the possible consequences, the Israeli cabinet and military elite were fully aware of it all the way along. What happened yesterday wasn’t just a pirate terrorist attack. It was actually murder in broad day light even though it happened in the dark.

Yesterday at 10 pm I contacted Free Gaza and shared with them everything I knew. I obviously grasped that hundreds of peace activists most of them elders, had very little chance against the Israeli killing machine. I was praying all night for our brothers and sisters. At 5am GMT the news broke to the world. In international waters Israel raided an innocent international convoy of boats carrying cement, paper and medical aid to the besieged Gazans. The Israelis were using live ammunition murdering and injuring everything around them.

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PCHR Condemns Israeli Attack on Gaza Freedom Flotilla

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31 May, 2010 — PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Press Release

Ref: 42/2010
Date: 31 May 2010
Time: 8:15 GMT

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the crime perpetrated by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) earlier this morning, 31 May 2010, when Israeli Naval Forces attacked the “Gaza Freedom Flotilla” in international waters as it was sailing towards the Gaza Strip.  IOF used excessive and lethal force in its attack on the ships, which left dozens of international civilian solidarity activists who were on board dead or injured.

Today’s crime is hideous, and it is a shame for the international community to remain silent while IOF commits systematic war crimes against civilians.

PCHR believes that Israel would not continue to commit crimes and attacks against civilians, including the crime committed today against the “Gaza Freedom Flotilla” and those international solidarity activists aboard, if the international community did not remain silent, thereby failing to fulfill its obligations and duties to enforce international law and provide protection for civilians.

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PACBI Statement: British Academic Union Severs Links with Histadrut, Boycotts Ariel College

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31 May, 2010 — PACBI

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) expresses its profound appreciation for the courageous positions in support of Palestinian rights taken by the membership of the University and College Union (UCU) at its Congress today in Manchester. The UCU has again firmly and decisively established its unwavering commitment to the Palestinian civil society’s campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) againstIsrael until it complies with its obligations under international law and recognizes the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. Making history in the international trade union movement in the West, UCU’s Congress also voted with an overwhelming majority to “sever all relations with Histadrut, and to urge other trade unions and bodies to do likewise.” The UCU has today confirmed its established position that it is legitimate to denounce Israel’s oppressive policies and to hold the state and its complicit institutions accountable for human rights abuses, war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

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AIC: Israel Commits Massacre, Piracy in International Waters against Freedom Flotilla

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31 May, 2010 — Alternative Information Center

This morning, 31 May 2010, the Israeli navy perpetrated a new crime against humanity when it attacked the Freedom Flotilla, bound for Gaza, sailing in international waters. On the boats were 750 people from 40 different countries, among them 44 parliamentarians and politicians. Based on the initial news after the attack, the number killed is 16 and at least 60 are wounded. All the victims are international activists who helped organized this campaign to end Israel’s aggressive siege on Gaza that has continued for three years.

This aggressive attack against the Freedom Flotilla is an astounding crime in meaning and dimension. It is an attack against unarmed civilian ships. This is a crime and an act of piracy in international waters. It is a clear breach of international laws and agreements. Despite Israel’s redeployment from Gaza in 2005, it has continued to impose a comprehensive siege against the 1.5 million people living in Gaza.

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Only a government that crossed all red lines By Uri Avnery

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31 May, 2010 — Gush Shalom

Uri Avnery: this night a crime was perpetrated in the middle of the sea, by order of the government of Israel and the IDF Command

A warlike attack against aid ships and deadly shooting at peace and humanitarian aid activists It is a crazy thing that only a government that crossed all red lines can do

“Only a crazy government that has lost all restraint and all connection to reality could something like that – consider ships carrying humanitarian aid and peace activists from around the world as an enemy and send massive military force to international waters to attack them, shoot and kill.

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BBC Shameful Reporting of Israeli Army Murder of Aid Activists

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31 May, 2010 — Awatef Shiekh

Please read below and post comments to http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/10195838.stm and complain to http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/homepage/

In their ‘reporting’ of the Israeli army’s killing of Free Gaza activists last night, the BBC revealed the exceptional depth of their pro-Israel stance, even when 16 civilians carrying humanitarian aid are murdered by the Israeli army in a completely illegal attack which was an act of piracy since the ships were in international waters.

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Israeli Occupation Archive has posted 5 new items: 31 May, 2010

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* Sephora taken to court over products from Israeli brand Ahava
* Israel stations nuclear missile subs off Iran
* UK Ministers move to change universal jurisdiction law
* Gideon Levy: Gaza flotilla drives Israel into a sea of stupidity
* Zvi Barel: Absentee loyalty

Sephora taken to court over products from Israeli brand Ahava

LVMH-owned Sephora has been taken to court by the Palestinian rights organisation CAPJPO-EuroPalestine over the sale of cosmetics brand Ahava, according to press reports. Separately, the US women’s peace organisation, CodePink, organised a boycott of the products.

Israel stations nuclear missile subs off Iran

The submarines of Flotilla 7… have visited the Gulf before. But the decision has now been taken to ensure a permanent presence of at least one of the vessels. The flotilla’s commander, identified only as “Colonel O”, told an Israeli newspaper: “We are an underwater assault force. We’re operating deep and far, very far, from our borders.” Each of the submarines has a crew of 35 to 50, commanded by a colonel capable of launching a nuclear cruise missile.

UK Ministers move to change universal jurisdiction law

“It is disgusting that the Foreign Office is exaggerating the impact on the peace process to get a few people who are suspects of very serious international crimes off the hook,” said Daniel Machover, partner at the law firm Hickman & Rose.

Gideon Levy: Gaza flotilla drives Israel into a sea of stupidity

And facing them on the seas has been the Israeli ship of fools, floating but not knowing where or why. Why detain people? That’s how it is. Why a siege? That’s how it is. It’s like the Noam Chomsky affair all over again, but big time this time. Of course the peace flotilla will not bring peace, and it won’t even manage to reach the Gaza shore. The action plan has included dragging the ships to Ashdod port, but it has again dragged us to the shores of stupidity and wrongdoing.

Zvi Barel: Absentee loyalty

The word “Arab” is not mentioned in the legislation, but the bill is directed against the Arabs. Will anyone consider stripping Anat Kamm of her citizenship if she is convicted of espionage? … The problem is a viewpoint that considers a community, by its mere existence, ethnic origin, language and links with what are described as enemy states as the target for this legislation. Without Arabs there would be no need for such obscene bills, because only Jews can be loyal to the state.
To the Israeli Occupation Archive homepage where you can see all recent news stories, commentaries, and editor’s comments: www.Israeli-Occupation.org