1 June 2010 — t r u t h o u t | Report

The Israeli military has attacked a flotilla of international peace activists, killing as many as 19 innocent civilians while they were carrying ten tons of aid through international waters to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. This is not the first time the Israeli military has attacked a nonthreatening entity in international waters.

On June 8, 1967, while sailing in international waters, the US Navy intelligence ship USS Liberty was attacked by air and naval forces of the state of Israel. Of the Liberty’s crew of 294, more than half were killed or wounded. More than 40 years later, survivors are still seeking justice.

The Israeli forces attacked with full knowledge that the Liberty was an American ship, yet survivors have been forbidden to tell their story under oath to the American public.

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1 June 2010 — Viva Palestina

THIS photo of Kevin Ovenden, 42, from East Ham, the leader of the Gaza aid flotilla was taken on the Mavi Marmara just days before it was captured in the bloody commando raid by Israeli forces yesterday which left at least 19 dead and 50 injured.

There is still no concrete news on his fate.

At this time the organising Viva Palestina charity expressed growing concern for his safety having failed to make direct contact with him.

“We still have had no news about Kevin’s whereabouts or whether or not he has been injured,” said its spokeswoman Alice Howard.

A veteran of three previous aid runs, Mr Ovenden has worked as a parliamentary assistant to the former Tower Hamlets Respect MP George Galloway in his constituency office in Shoreditch.

It is also revealed that another East Londoner, named as Noor Chudhary, from Tower Hamlets, was also sailing with the ‘Freedom Flotilla’.

The group’s only news has come from monitoring Turkish TV.

Said Ms Howard: “From what we have seen the detainees have been escorted off the ship, questioned ands detailed. There appears to be only two outcomes – deportation or prison.”

Israel has since apologised for loss of life and claimed its forces were attacked by a mass mob and they were forced to defend themselves.

Just before the raid Mr Ovenden wrote on the charity’s official website: “We are 90 miles from land – 22 miles further than the Israel decided 68 mile exclusion zone – but we are being approached by an Israeli vessel.

“Triage is set up and various strategies implemented to resist seizure.
 
Piece taken from the Newham Recorder

End
———————
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!

1 June, 2010 — The National

Resorting to brute force is an expression of fear. Its deployment yesterday by the Israeli soldiers who raided and opened fire on the freedom flotilla on route to Gaza, killing more than ten civilians and injuring dozens more, will not serve Israel or treat its existential anxiety.

As a psychologist and a resident of Gaza, I understand Israel’s reflexive use of force against civilians as a symptom of a structural pathology. Israel resorts to the use of maximum force as a form of intimidation. But this is the choice of the weak. It is quite possible that through Israel’s actions, it is tightening its own noose. 

More than a decade ago the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a book defending Israel’s right to “a place under the sun”. But it is the racist desire to create “a nation above nations” that is the desire of Zionist extremists. In this context, peace is an anathema; the siege and war on Gaza are legitimate and justified; Israel will use every possible means to avoid reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

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1 June, 2010 — Free Gaza

Cyprus – The UN Security Council Calls for Impartial, Credible Investigation of Israeli Boat Raid. The raid in international waters, on the aid convoy headed to Gaza left at least 16 civilians dead. After an emergency session wrapped up in the early hours this morning, the council agreed to language condemning the acts that resulted in the deaths and injuries aboard the Turkish vessel Mavi Marmara and the European Campaign’s vessel Spendoni.

The council called for a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards. The council statement also reemphasized the importance of implementing U.N. resolution 1860, which calls for the unimpeded provision and distribution of humanitarian assistance to Gaza’s 1.5 million residents. The flow of aid has been severely hampered by Israel’s three-year blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Yesterday, Israeli-licensed attorneys filed two habeas briefs: one is asking for to release the passengers and the boats, so we can continue on our way to Gaza, since it was illegal to stop us in international waters. The other one is asking for information on all of the passengers, because there has been a total blackout on where the passengers are, who was wounded and who was murdered.

Lawyers are only being allowed access for three hours every day from 13:00-16:30. They have the names of three Palestinians still in detention: Sheik Salah, Mohammad Zeidan and Lubna Marsawa.

Haneen Zuabi, a member of the Israeli Knesset, has been released, because she has immunity as a member of the Knesset. She held a press conference this morning in Nazareth to talk about the attack. She was on board the Mavi Marmara

For more information:
Free Gaza Movement – Greta Berlin +357 99187275
Free Gaza Movement – Mary Hughes + 357 96 38 38 09
ECESG – Mazen Kahel +33 1 46 81 12 92
IHH – Ahmet Emin Dag +90 530 341 1934

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is comprised of: Free Gaza Movement (FG), European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza (ECESG), Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH), Ship to Gaza Greece, Ship to Gaza Sweden, The Perdana Global Peace Organization, and the International Committee to Lift the Siege on Gaza, with hundreds of groups and organizations around the world supporting the effort.

—
Greta Berlin, Co-Founder
+357 99 18 72 75
witnessgaza.com
www.freegaza.org
http://www.flickr.com/photos/freegaza

1 June, 2010 — Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights

In principle, it is unlawful for a State to enforce a blockade against ships which are flying the flag of another State in the high seas. The only exceptions to this would be if the blockade were mandated by the UN Security Council acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. The basic principle under customary international law as regards ships in international waters was set out by the Permanent Court of International Justice in the Lotus case (1927):

‘…vessels on the high seas are subject to no authority except that of the State whose flag they fly. In virtue of the principle of the freedom of the seas, that is to say, the absence of any territorial sovereignty upon the high seas, no State may exercise any kind of jurisdiction over foreign vessels upon them.’

While international law does allow for exceptions to the above rule, entitling warships to interfere with ships flying the flag of another state while in international waters in limited circumstances, those exceptions do not apply to the events of 31 May 2010. Indeed, a 1988 treaty (to which Israel is a party) criminalises the unlawful and intentional seizure or exercise of control over a ship by force and all connected injuries or deaths.

If the Israeli boarding of the ship was illegal, then arguably the passengers were entitled to act in self-defence against the invading commandos. If so, they could use reasonable force to defend themselves: the amount of force permitted being determined by Turkish law. And that is the point: it is clearly Turkish criminal law that can and should predominate from this point on. The Mavi Marmara is a Turkish registered ship and was travelling peacefully in international waters when Israeli forces boarded it. At least one of the dead civilians is reportedly a Turkish citizen. The Turkish authorities have the absolute right to assert that their criminal justice system take sole charge of a criminal investigation.

Turkey is therefore perfectly entitled to demand that all evidence, including the identity of all Israeli naval and other forces, is handed over to its criminal justice authorities for a full investigation and that Israel allow Turkish law enforcement officials unimpeded access to the Israeli suspects. Israel is after all a party to the 1959 European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters.

If Israel were to refuse, the UN Security Council, if concerned about a threat to international peace and security, could then back Turkish and international demands to this effect in a Chapter VII resolution. The question therefore arises: will Turkey and the international community require Israel to comply with the rule of law on this occasion?

Download ‘The Attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and International Law: LPHR Q & A Document’

Daniel Machover is the head of civil litigation for Hickman & Rose Solicitors in London and was a co-founder of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights in 1988.

31 May, 2010 — Palestine Think Tank

It is impossible for one to maintain calm while reading lies. Today’s dosage of lies (called Hasbara, and from now on, when an Israeli is lying, I will start to use the very “to hasbara”, conjugated appropriately) was more poisonous than usual. It runs under the topic of “defending atrocities”, which is only slightly less frequent than the “defending racist policies” rubric. My comments to these obscene utterings from the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministy in Rabid Red.

Seizure of the Gaza flotilla: Press conference with Deputy FM Ayalon

DEPUTY FM AYALON: Good morning, everyone. I want to report this morning that the armada of hate and violence in support of the Hamas terror organization was a premeditated and outrageous provocation.

Thus begins the greatest lie/hasbara of the day. The invention of a catchy little phrase that only the most audacious would utilise word for word, but the hasbarists will have time to refine it. That they choose to put Hamas and “terror” right in the first line, though is the most important part. This is what may pass to the international news agencies, which is the whole point, and the statements made earlier in the day by outraged politicians the world over are being softened as the minutes pass. Of course the flotilla was premeditated, and of course it was a provocation! How else can one do things with Israel there? Spontaneous, improvised and expecting applause? The intent, however was not violent and there’s not a stitch of evidence for this, but the violence that follows such an act of a bloody massacre indeed is spontaneous and very real. People are enraged. It is right to be enraged by such an attack on humanitarians bringing aid!!! However, let’s assume that cement powder can be lethal if the bags are swung around, and that paper can cause lots of cuts on the fingers that make it hard to pull triggers of Uzis. Continue reading →

1 June, 2010 — Viva Palestina

This is an urgent request asking you all to call The Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London on Tel: 020 7008 1500 and to provide the 16 names as listed below as missing.

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!

Demand that all the passengers are all receiving British Consulate attention and are able to contact their families to let them know that they are safe and well!

1. Kevin Ovenden	2. Nicola Enchmarch	3. Nader Daher	4. Hassan Ghani	5. Alex Phillips	6. Ashan Shamrak
7. Sarah Colbourne	8. Alex Harrison	9. Ismail Patel	10. Sidique Hajee	11. Ibrahim Musaji	12. Peter Viner
13. Mohammed Bayyat	14. Nur Choudhary	15. Mr Baboo Adam Zanjharwala	16. Tauqir Sharif

If you know of any person who was travelling on the Turkish Humanitarian ship ‘Mavi Marmara that was viciously assaulted in the early hours of yesterday morning. Please contact me URGENTLY!

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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!