I was unable to keep the blogrunning over the last ten days, for which apologies. I will fill the gap as time goes on. Today there aresome incredibly important items!
Pirates of the Mediterranean: Israel attacks and ransacks the FreeGaza Boat!
The Free Gaza Movement will again challenge Israel’s illegal closure of the Gaza Strip and collective punishment of its civilian population by sailing the HOPE FLEET, a flotilla of passenger and cargo ships, to Gaza at the end of June 2009 – to be followed by freedom riders this summer. We are turning to you, our friends & supporters, to help make Hope come alive.
Our small yet committed group has already made five successful voyages to Gaza, delivering needed human rights workers & humanitarian supplies, and helping to lessen Gaza’s terrible isolation from the world. We are confident that with the universal outrage over Israel’s massacres in Gaza, we will be able to send a flotilla of ships to shatter the siege and deliver a message of international hope and solidarity to the people of Palestine.
Israeli policies of racism, ethnic cleansing and the brutal military occupation of Palestine demand determined & direct action to overcome them. When our governments fail to act, we – the citizens of the world – must stand up and make our voices heard. Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights grants all people the right to leave and return to their own country – a right that Israel summarily denies Palestinians.
We are looking for ships wishing to join the Hope Fleet and sail to Gaza in late June, and we are looking for high-profile people, including parliamentarians and celebrities, who want to join us and demand that a besieged Gaza cannot forever remain an open-air prison with no access to the world. The Free Gaza Movement will continue to challenge Israel’s brutal policies. We will go to Gaza again, and again, and again, until the Israeli siege is broken and the people of Gaza have access to the rest of the world.
If you are interested in joining or supporting this action, please email Iristulip [at] gmail.com. We will begin collecting names and information as we ready for this historic voyage. With your help, we will make the HOPE FLEET a reality!
The whole world seems to care about the pirates of the Horn of Africa, so what about the Pirates of Mediterranean? 26 miles from the shore, in international water, Israel commits crimes with impunity. Did Obabma read the papers today? Does he care? Is he there?
Attack on Spirit of Humanity: Pursuing Justice
Breaking News:
While in international waters, the Israeli Navy warships surrounded the SPIRIT of HUMANITY. The captain of the boat is reporting that the Israelis are threatening them, telling them to turn back or they will fire on them. The Israeli Navy are jamming all the navigation systems of the boat.
The Pirates of the Mediterranean are once again on the attack. Israel apparently wants to show the whole world that it is a country with absolutely no moral boundaries. A country that without flinching will use its naval forces and mighty firepower to attack a tiny boat of unarmed civilians sailing in international waters and bringing medical supplies the children’s toys to Gaza. If this is not state terrorism and piracy on the high seas, I don’t know what is.
Free Gaza Movement Update at 21:30 EST:
We just spoke again with our people aboard the Spirit of Humanity. The Israeli Navy is continuing to try and intimidate the ship, and is actively jamming its radar, GPS, and navigation systems in direct violation of international maritime law. This jamming is extremely dangerous and directly threatens the welfare and safety of everyone aboard our civilian ship. Because their instrumentation is being jammed, they are using compass & paper to attempt to navigate. They are in international waters & they believe their location is approximately 110km off of the town of Hadera. Everyone is tired but determined. They are not being deterred by the Israeli aggression & are continuing toward Gaza. Please help them.
Earlier, at 20:14 EST, the Free Gaza Movement released the following report:
We just spoke to the passengers. Everyone is OK, but the situation is still very tense. They continue to be surrounded by Israeli warships which are threatening to open fire. The Israeli Navy is actively jamming all navigation systems in violation of international maritime law, endangering the people on board.
Former U.S. Congresswoman, Cynthia McKinney, speaking from on board the SPIRIT, stated, “I am extremely angry. We demand that the Israeli government call off their attack dogs. We are unarmed civilians aboard an unarmed boat delivering medical and reconstruction aid to other human beings in Gaza. Why in God’s name would Israel want to attack us and threaten our safety and welfare. I call on President Obama and the international community to intervene now to prevent this situation from escalating with potentially drastic results to the civilians on board.”
CALL or FAX Major Liebovitz from the Israeli Navy at:
Tel + 972 5 781 86248 or +972 3737 7777 or +972 3737 6242
Fax +972 3737 6123 or +972 3737 7175
CALL Mark Regev in the Prime Minister’s office at:
Tel +972 2670 5354 or +972 5 0620 3264 mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il
CALL Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:
Tel +972 3697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
mediasar@mod.gov.il
Israelis intercept Gaza aid ship: BBC
Israeli forces have boarded a ship trying to carry aid and pro-Palestinian activists to the Gaza Strip in defiance of Israel’s blockade of the territory.
The 20 passengers include former US congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and Nobel Prize winner Mairead Maguire.
The activists also include some Britons, campaigners said.
Ms McKinney described it as “an outrageous violation of international law”, as the boat was on a humanitarian mission and was not in Israeli waters.
The Israeli military said the boat was trying to enter Gaza illegally.
The US-based Free Gaza Movement has breached the blockade five times since August 2008.
Two other attempts by the activist group were stopped by Israeli warships during Israel’s three-week military offensive in Gaza in December and January.
Israel keeps a tight hold on Gaza, which is ruled by the militant Palestinian group Hamas.
The Israeli military said the passengers and crew of the Greek-registered ship Arion would be handed over to immigration authorities in Ashdod, and its humanitarian aid cargo would be taken to Gaza by road after a security check.
“An Israeli navy force intercepted, boarded and took control of the cargo boat Arion… as it was illegally attempting to enter the Gaza Strip,” a military spokesman said.
Reconstruction
The British Foreign Office said on Tuesday it was aware of the situation and was trying to clarify the facts.
“We would be concerned if the stories of the Israeli Navy boarding the boat in international waters were true,” a spokesman said.
“We have made it clear to Israel that we are very concerned for the safety of British nationals.”
The mission is the latest by the Free Gaza Movement, which has renamed the ferry Spirit of Humanity.
“This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip,” said Ms McKinney in a statement.
“President [Barack] Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that’s exactly what we tried to do. We’re asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey.”
On Monday, a report by the International Committee of the Red Cross described the 1.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza as people “trapped in despair”, unable to rebuild their lives after Israel’s offensive.
Donors have pledged $4.5 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation in Gaza following the 22-day offensive which left more than 50,000 homes, 800 industrial properties and 200 schools damaged or destroyed, as well as 39 mosques and two churches.
Activist on boat seized by IDF laments world apathy to Gaza: Ha’aretz
One of the international activists who sought to sail to Gaza on Tuesday lamented the world’s “apathy” to the plight of the Hamas-ruled territory shortly before the Israel Navy seized control of the vessel.
“We didn’t come with guns and weapons, but with just humanitarian aid, in an attempt to break the siege of Gaza and to tell the apathetic world about what is happening in the Strip, especially after the last war,” said Huwaida Araf in an interview with the Nazareth-based radio station Al-Shams.
She added: “I was born in the United States to a family of immigrants from the [Arab Israeli] village of Ma’ilia, and still have relatives in Israel, and I’m sure that everyone supports my step.” The voyage’s organizers, the Free Gaza Movement, said the vessel, renamed the Spirit of Humanity, left the Cypriot port of Larnaca on Monday bound for Gaza with three tons of medical supplies.
The activists were attempting to break a blockade of Gaza, imposed by Israel after the Islamic group Hamas took over the territory in a bloody 2007 coup. Early Tuesday, the navy surrounded the vessel, which was also carrying humanitarian aid, and told the activists to turn back because of security risks in the area and the blockade, according to the IDF. But the boat later entered Gaza’s coastal waters, the IDF Spokespersons’ Office said in a statement, after which a naval force boarded it.
No shots were fired during the boarding of the boat, and the crew was to be handed over to the appropriate authorities, the IDF said.
In the statement, the IDF Spokespersons’ Unit added that it “would like to emphasize that any organization or country that wishes to transfer humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, can legally do so via the established crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip with prior coordination.” The army said humanitarian goods found on board the boat would be transferred to the Gaza Strip, subject to authorization. The 20 passengers include former U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire and other activists from Britain, Ireland, Bahrain and Jamaica. The ship was flying a Greek flag, but no Greek citizens were aboard. The Greek government issued a statement saying it sent a message to Israel demanding that it release the ship, crew and passengers. Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said Israel was planning to
free the crew and passengers. ”
Nobody wants to keep them here,” he said. “They will be released as soon as they are checked.” The Free Gaza Movement has organized five boat trips to Gaza since August 2008, defying a blockade imposed by Israel when the militant group Hamas
seized control of the territory from its Palestinian rivals in June 2007.
Two other attempts were stopped by Israeli warships during Israel’s three-week offensive against Hamas in the territory in December and January. Nobody on board was harmed. Israel tightened a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after Hamas seized control of the territory, home to some 1.5 million people.
Please note that the piracy act itself did not merita headline in this ‘liberal’ paper. If there ever was an example for Agamben’s concept of the ‘state of exception’, israeli behavioursupplies it daily.
Jews Confront Zionism: Monthly Review
Daniel Lange/Levitsky
Daniel Lang/Levitsky is a theatre worker and organizer based in New York City, and a co-founder of Jews Against the Occupation/NYC. Current projects include Palestine solidarity work with Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East; supporting the Right to the City Alliance with the Rude Mechanical Orchestra (NYC’s radical brass band) and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice; and staging a new queer & gendertreyf production, “Who Loved You Before You Were Mine,” with Killer Sideburns Nepon.
One of the main accomplishments of the Israeli government’s bombing and invasion of the Gaza Strip last winter was to inspire new vitality within leftist and peace groups in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for justice and liberation. This wave of activity has continued after the supposed ceasefire, with demonstrations and direct actions from New York to Los Angeles, Paris, Jaffa, and Tel Aviv. Most noteworthy has been a coming out of sorts of an increasingly large and vocal segment of the Jewish world that is not only opposed to the Israeli government’s wars and military occupations, but critical of Zionism itself.
Blockades of the Israeli consulates in Los Angeles and San Francisco were undertaken in part by members of the recently launched International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. The occupation of the Toronto consulate was carried out by Jewish Women for Gaza, including members of the Canadian anti-Zionist Not In Our Name network. A seven-hundred-person demonstration in New York City was organized by Jews Say No, an ad hoc group of Jewish activists, many of them longstanding critics of Zionism. The London diasporist group Jewdas used a hoax e-mail to cancel a pro-war rally called by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and received a flood of support. And the Israeli antinationalist direct action group, Anarchists Against the Wall, blockaded an Israeli Air Force base in Tel Aviv. Almost all of the most visible public events showing Jewish opposition to the latest escalation in the war on Gaza were organized and carried out largely by non- and anti-Zionist Jews (as well as those who oppose Zionism but prefer not to define their politics in relation to it).
A notefrom PACBI: OmarBatghouti writes about a further defeat for Zionist propoganda in Canada:
Another major BDS achievement in the Canadian trade union domain …
The Centrale des Syndicats du Quebec (CSQ), the third largest labor federation in Quebec, Canada, passed a decisive BDS resolution today.
CSQ represents over 180,000 workers.
Letters of support can be sent to:
Rejean Parent , president of the CSQ parent.rejean@csq.qc.net
Monique Pauzé President of Champlain Teachers Union mpauze@synd-champlain.qc.ca
The motion is below in French. A rough google translation follows.
————————————————————————-
http://www.csq.qc.net/
Il est résolu que :
* La CSQ réponde favorablement à la demande de 172 organisations
palestiniennes qui appellent au boycott d’Israël, au retrait des
investissements dans ce pays et à l’imposition de sanctions contre l’état
israélien.
* La CSQ se joigne à la campagne internationale appelant au boycott
d’Israël, au retrait des investissements dans ce pays et à l’imposition de
sanctions contre l’état israélien.
* La CSQ s’engage aussi à faire la promotion de cette campagne de
boycott et à inciter ses membres à soutenir le peuple palestinien dans sa
résistance au quotidien pour mettre fin à l’occupation israélienne.
* L’appui de la CSQ au boycott, désinvestissement et sanctions contre
Israël demeure jusqu’à ce que Israël se conforme au droit
international et aux principes universels des droits humains.
__._,_.___
Be it resolved that:
* CSQ responds favorably to the request by172 Palestinian organizations
that call for boycott of Israel, the withdrawal of investments from that country and the imposition of sanctions against the state of Israel.
* CSQ is joining the international campaign calling for a boycott of Israel, the withdrawal of investments from this country and the imposition of sanctions against the Israeli state.
* CSQ is also committed to promote this campaign of boycott and encourage its members to support the Palestinian people in their everyday resistance to end the Israeli occupation.
* The support of the CSQ for a boycott, divestment and sanctions against
Israel remains until Israel complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.
activist Ezra Nawi faces the court and needs solidarity!: Kibush Magazine
Tomorrow, July 1, Ezra will be sentenced according to his conviction
of assaulting a police officer and participating in a riot. The
sentencing will take place at 15.00 at the Peace Court (Magistrate`s Court) of Jerusalem *Russian Compound) by judge Eilata Ziskind. Those who wish to show their support are very welcome.
Ezra has written a letter that was placed on The Nation yesterday:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090713/nawi
As mentioned in his letter, the international pressure did not fall on
deaf ears, as the Israeli Ministry of Justice and other governmental
bodies have responded to our letters with confused and irrelevant
statements such as `Mr. Nawi provokes the local residents. [ie. Jewish
Settlers]` or `…Mr. Nawi who has often uses insults…`; the
official response can be found here:
http://www.supportezra.net/JusticeMinistry.pdf
see recent reports on the case in:
New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/world/middleeast/28westbank.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
YNET http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3738813,00.html
We still demand the complete exculpation of Ezra, and the
investigation of his continual harassment by the Israeli police,
Israeli army and the civil administration.
Please post and forward his letter to your friends; as Ezra says `What
strengthens me and gives me energy is the widespread and constant
support I have always received.`
Thank you,
The Committee Supporting Ezra Nawi
PSC Education Conference in Birmingham: PSC
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
PSC National Education Conference
Justice for the Palestinians – the Moral Issue of our Time
Birmingham 11 July 2009
10.30 – 4.00
Carrs Lane Church Centre, Birmingham B4 7SX
Book your tickets online here: http://www.palestinecampaign.org/store/index2.asp?origin=UK&m_id=1&l1_id=22&l2_id=49
· 1948 and after – ethnic cleansing and the refugee question
Prof Ilan Pappe and Karma Nabulsi
· The Reality of Occupation:
– Politics – Prof. Manuel Hassassian
– Economy – Samia Botmeh
– Health – Dr. Rita Giacaman
· Lessons from the Anti Apartheid Movement: Victoria Brittain
– War crimes – Daniel Machover
– Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions – Betty Hunter, Hugh Lanning, Salma Yaqoob
– After Gaza – getting active on campus – student activist networking session
Cost: £10 (£7 concessions) – includes lunch
Venue details: http://www.carrslane.co.uk/travel
This conference is an opportunity following the attacks on Gaza for members and supporters to discuss the current situation in Palestine in its historical context and to address issues of solidarity work.
Please book your place with the PSC office or online:
http://www.palestinecampaign.org/store/index2.asp?origin=UK&m_id=1&l1_id=22&l2_id=49
Tel: 02077006192
Email: psc.admin@palestinecampaign.org
www.palestinecampaign.org