Gaza Flotilla: Global Citizens Must Respond Where Governments Have Failed: The Huffington Post
Stéphane Hessel
Israel’s illegal and immoral attack on the Freedom Flotilla humanitarian aid convoy, which left at least nine dead and dozens injured, has rightfully stunned the world. The all-civilian convoy of 6 ships carried over 10,000 tons of critically-needed humanitarian aid and nearly 700 citizens from 40 countries. The Flotilla was an ambitious attempt to break the siege imposed by Israel on the 1.5 million Palestinians of the occupied Gaza strip, since 2007. Carrying distinguished parliamentarians, religious leaders, authors, journalists, a Nobel Peace Laureate, and a Holocaust survivor, the relief convoy aimed not only to provide relief supplies to Gaza; it sought to direct the international spotlight towards the humanitarian crisis imposed on Gaza’s residents and the imperative to end it. There is no denying that the latter objective has succeeded, albeit with tragic consequences.
The Israeli attack on the unarmed aid convoy in international waters was “[a clear] violation of international humanitarian law, international law of the seas, and [by most interpretations] international criminal law,” to use the words of Richard Falk, Professor of International Law and UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It is a sad reality that world governments have for too long become either complicit or apathetic to Israel’s crimes and fostered its culture of impunity, under a shield of unquestionable backing by the US. Its initial condemnation notwithstanding, the US government has pressured the UN Security Council members, again, to adopt ambiguous language which relieves Israel of responsibility and creates parity between aggressor and victim.
Characteristically, the Israeli government has blamed the victims of its raid for attacking the Israeli soldiers, claiming “self-defense.” Prominent legal expert and Director of the Sydney Centre for International Law at Sydney Law School, Professor Ben Saul, squarely refutes Israel’s claim arguing: “Legally speaking, government military forces rappelling onto a ship to illegally capture it are treated no differently than other criminals. The right of self-defense in such situations rests with the passengers on board: a person is legally entitled to resist one’s own unlawful capture, abduction and detention.” He adds that “if Israeli forces killed people, they may not only have infringed the human right to life, but they may also have committed serious international crimes. Under article 3 of the Rome Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation of 1988, it is an international crime for any person to seize or exercise control over a ship by force, and also a crime to injure or kill any person in the process.”
Despite UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s statement calling for an end to Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza, the Security Council has failed to call for an unconditional end to the blockade, allowing Israel to commit grave war crimes with impunity, as well documented in the UN Goldstone report.
The absence of meaningful action from governments to hold Israel accountable to international law leaves open one path for citizens of conscience: to take this responsibility upon themselves, as done against apartheid South Africa. Non-violent citizen-led initiatives, exemplified by the Flotilla and the various boycott and divestment campaigns around the world, present the most promising way to overcome the failure of world governments to stand up to Israel’s intransigence and lawless behavior. By flagrantly attacking the aid ship, Israel has inadvertently brought unprecedented awareness and condemnation not only of its fatal siege of Gaza but also of the wider context of Israel’s occupation practices in the Palestinian Territories, its denial of Palestinian refugee rights, and its apartheid policies against the indigenous, “non-Jewish” citizens of Israel.
The Freedom Flotilla brings to mind the kind of civil society solidarity initiatives which brought an end to segregation laws in the US and apartheid in South Africa, an analogy impossible to ignore. Like the apartheid regime of South Africa, Israel’s reaction has been to label this non-violent act an “intentional provocation.” As in the case of South Africa, the call for international solidarity, in the form of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) came from an overwhelming majority of Palestinian civil society unions and organizations in 2005, and is being embraced by citizens of conscience and social movements worldwide. The BDS initiative calls for effectively isolating Israel, its complicit business, academic and cultural institutions, as well as companies profiting from its human rights violations and illegal policies, as long as these policies continue.
I believe that the BDS initiative is a moral strategy which has demonstrated its potential for success. Most recently, German Deutsche Bank became the latest of several European financial institutions and major pension funds to divest from Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems. Last week, two main Italian supermarket chains announced a boycott of produce from illegal Israeli settlements. Last month, performers Elvis Costello and Gil Scott-Heron cancelled appearances in Israel. Reminiscent of the South African anti-apartheid popular struggle, the current generation of students across university campuses is actively calling upon their administrations to adopt divestment policies.
I endorse the heartfelt words of Scottish writer Iain Banks, who in reaction to Israel’s atrocious attack on the Freedom Flotilla suggested that the best way for international artists, writers and academics to “convince Israel of its moral degradation and ethical isolation” is “simply by having nothing more to do with this criminal government.”
Stéphane Frédéric Hessel is a diplomat, former ambassador, French resistance fighter and BCRA agent. Born German, he obtained French nationality in 1937. He participated in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
Israel ‘blocks’ Jordan nuclear bid, King Abdullah says: BBC
15 June 2010
He said Israel had been pressuring states like France and South Korea not to sell Jordan nuclear technology.
Israel, believed to be the only country in the Middle East that has nuclear weapons, has denied the accusation.
High oil prices are pushing countries to consider nuclear energy, but the spread of the technology increases the risk of proliferation, analysts say.
‘Underhanded’
In a lengthy interview in The Wall Street Journal, King Abdullah strongly criticised Israel for what he said were its efforts to persuade potential suppliers to abandon plans to sell Jordan nuclear power generating reactors, something Israel denies.
There are many reactors in the world and a lot more coming, so [the Israelis must] go mind their own business
King Abdullah
He said Israel’s “underhanded” actions have helped bring Jordan-Israeli relations to their lowest point since a 1994 peace agreement.
“There are countries, Israel in particular, that are more worried about us being economically independent than the issue of nuclear energy,” King Abdullah said. “There are many such reactors in the world and a lot more coming, so [the Israelis must] go mind their own business.”
Jordan, with US backing, is determined to develop nuclear power to escape from its near total dependence upon imported oil.
It hopes that nuclear energy will provide up to 30% of its power needs by 2030.
The desert kingdom recently short-listed a French-Japanese consortium, as well a Canadian and a Russian company, to build its first nuclear plant, due to be operational by 2019.
The Obama administration, while supportive of Jordan’s nuclear ambitions, is worried that the spread of nuclear power could open the door to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the BBC’s diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus reports.
So Washington wants to secure a nuclear agreement with Jordan under which the country would surrender its right to manufacture its own uranium fuel, our correspondent says.
That could prove a major sticking point between these two long-time allies, he adds.
Barak: Israel needs ‘daring initiative’ to thwart international isolation: Haaretz
Defense Minister says ‘the international preoccupation’ with Israel following the flotilla controversy emphasizes the need to rebuild ties with the United States.
Tags: Israel news Gaza flotilla Ehud Barak Benjamin Netanyahu
Defense Minister Ehud Barak has stressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of the forum of seven senior ministers that Israel must put forth a “daring and assertive political initiative” in the coming months to emerge from its international isolation of the past year.
Barak will travel to Washington for talks with senior administration officials on advancing the peace process with the Palestinians.
A senior political source in Jerusalem said that in talks at the forum of seven after the Gaza flotilla incident, Barak spoke a great deal about the damage to Israel’s international standing. He repeated this stance in talks about setting up a commission of inquiry.
Barak said that “the international preoccupation” with Israel following the flotilla controversy emphasizes the need to rebuild ties with the United States.
“There is no way to rehabilitate ties with the administration without presenting an assertive political program that will address the core issues of a final settlement with the Palestinians,” Barak told Netanyahu and his other colleagues. “It is necessary to make decisions and take genuine political steps.”
Barak stressed that the flotilla incident and the assistance of the Obama administration at blocking the establishment of an international commission of inquiry prove how much Israel needs to assist the United States in pushing the peace process forward. If the United States’ standing in the world is undermined further, Israel is the one that will suffer, Barak said.
“A political initiative will break us out of the isolation and prevent phenomena like the flotillas to the Gaza Strip and international investigations,” Barak told the forum of seven.
“There have been governments in Israel that were able to operate freely from a military point of view only because they initiated political moves. We all need to think what the alternative would be to presenting a political program and what is the significance of continuing with the current situation. Israel’s isolation will only intensify.”
One reason Barak is trying to convince Netanyahu and the other ministers of the need for change is the growing pressure from within the Labor Party. Ministers from the Labor Party including Isaac Herzog and Benjamin Ben-Eliezer have questioned whether the party should remain in the coalition if the political standstill continues.
The head of the Histadrut labor federation, Ofer Eini, has joined the criticism; Eini is considered a future candidate for the post of party chairman.
The senior political source said that Barak did not pose an ultimatum or threaten leaving the coalition, but in many discussions with the prime minister he made it clear that there is little time left for Israel to present a political initiative.
The next six months are likely to be critical, with September marking the end of the construction freeze in the settlements. Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly will meet in October, followed by the congressional elections in the United States in November.
Barak says that this is the time frame for making a political decision. If an initiative is undertaken, it may be necessary to broaden the coalition by including Kadima. If not, Labor may leave, which would leave Netanyahu with a narrower coalition government including right-wing parties Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu.
King of Jordan accuses Israel of ‘underhand’ plot to thwart nuclear project: The Independent
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
King Abdullah II of Jordan: ‘There will be many more reactors coming, so the Israelis should go mind their own business’
Jordan’s King Abdullah II has accused Israel of making “underhand” efforts to prevent the Middle Eastern country from developing a peaceful nuclear energy programme.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, King Abdullah said Israel had sought to persuade countries such as France and South Korea not to sell Jordan the nuclear technology it needs to develop its own civilian nuclear power industry.
“There are countries, Israel in particular, that are more worried about us being economically independent than the issue of nuclear energy, and have been voicing their concerns,” King Abdullah said. “There are many such reactors in the world and a lot more coming, so [the Israelis should] go mind their own business.”
King Abdullah, a vital ally of Israel in a largely hostile Middle East, warned that Israeli meddling in its nuclear ambitions had helped plunge relations between the two countries to their lowest point since a peace agreement was signed in 1994.
Israel, universally thought to have developed its own nuclear weapons, has long voiced its fears of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East triggered by the threat of Iran’s atomic ambitions. The United Nations and the West suspect Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian energy programme.
Jordan discovered huge deposits of uranium ore in 2007, giving the kingdom a tantalising glimpse of what an energy future free of dependence on costly oil imports might look like. Under an ambitious new energy strategy, Jordan envisages that nuclear energy will meet 30 per cent of its energy needs by 2030.
Crucially, Amman has won backing for its nuclear ambitions from Washington, which is seeking to promote the civilian use of atomic energy. Jordan is currently working out a nuclear cooperation deal with the US that would see American companies bring technology and know-how to Jordan.
The deal has been thrown into jeopardy, however, because the US does not want Jordan to produce its own nuclear fuel, the newspaper reported.
The accord would not prevent Jordan from mining the uranium, but it would not be allowed to convert it to fuel.
Jordanian officials have argued that the kingdom, a signatory of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, has the right to produce the reactor fuel that would help shore up the country’s economy.
King Abdullah argued that Jordan’s model to involve private companies in the project would allay international concerns, and set an example for other countries. Besides Iran, both Syria and Israel have tried to block external scrutiny of their nuclear capabilities.
“I believe nuclear energy in Jordan will be done in such a way where it is a public-private partnership so everyone can see exactly what’s going on,” King Abdullah said. “If we can be the model of transparency, it will push others.”
A spokesman from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office declined to comment on the Jordanian claims.
Arab MK to EU: Israeli leaders must be tried at The Hague: Haaretz
MK Afu Aghbaria, speaking at a hearing of the European Parliament, also said 700 Gazans have died at border crossings due to Israel’s actions.
Speaking at a hearing of the European Parliament, MK Afu Aghbaria (Hadash) accused Israel of deliberately harassing the residents of the Gaza Strip and called for Israeli leaders to be tried at the International Criminal Court.
The hearing, also attended by MK Nahman Shai (Kadima) and MK Einat Wolf (Labor), was organized by the Communist Party in the European Parliament.
“In its 62 years of existence, Israel has attacked its neighbors and its Arab citizens nonstop,” Aghbaria said.
“Israel prevents the passage of medicines and medical supplies to Gaza. As a result of this, 700 Gazans have died at the border crossings. [Benjamin] Netanyahu, [Ehud] Barak, [Avigdor] Lieberman and [Tzipi] Livni should be brought to the International Criminal Court in The Hague,” the lawmaker said.
Shai and Wilf quickly condemned Aghbaria’s words, in a joint statement.
“It is very grave that at a time when MKs are making every effort to calm spirits, lessen the damage and bring a positive message to the European Parliament, an Arab MK comes and arouses tempers and takes advantage of his position to call on the European Parliament to enact sanctions on Israel,” they said.
“We plan to bring the contents of MK Aghbaria’s speech to the attention of Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin.”
EDITOR: Is this a joke?
Now, after more than 18 months, with Israel leaders responsible for the senseless murder of over 1400 Palestinians in Gaza, the IOF has found fit to take ONE soldiers to court-martial for the ‘killing of two women”…
IDF to charge soldier for killing 2 Palestinian women during Gaza war: Haaretz
According to the Army Radio report, solider suspected of opening fire at the women in an alleged disregard of the IDF’s rules of engagement.
According to the Army Radio report, the solider will be charged with opening fire at the women in an alleged disregard of the IDF’s rules of engagement during Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s three-week war on Hamas which took place which took place in late 2008 and early 2009.
An Israel Defense Forces soldier is to face charges over the fatal shooting of two Palestinian women during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza early last year, Army Radio reported on Wednesday.
According to the Army Radio report, the solider will be charged with opening fire at the women in an alleged disregard of the IDF’s rules of engagement during Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s three-week war on Hamas which took place which took place in late 2008 and early 2009.
Israel’s military conduct during the Gaza war was severely criticized by a UN report compiled by former South African jurist Richard Goldstone, who charged both Israel and Hamas with war crimes and acts that amounted to crimes against humanity, saying that the conflict dominated by Israel’s military superiority had killed 1,400 Palestinians and caused widespread damage to properties in Gaza.
Earlier this year, Israel submitted its response at the end of a three-month deadline set by the United Nations General Assembly for issuing its own report on the Israel-Hamas fighting in Gaza Strip.
“This morning we handed the UN a report of the investigations and operations that took place during Operation Cast Lead,” Barak, who was speaking at a Jewish National Fund tree-planting ceremony near the Negev town of Omer, said. “This report stresses that the IDF is like no other army, both from a moral standpoint as well as from a professional standpoint.”
“All of the soldiers and officers whom we sent to battle need to know that the state of Israel stands behind them even on the day after,” Barak said.
The UN General Assembly has already endorsed the controversial investigation led by South African Judge Richard Goldstone on the 22-day fighting between December 2008 and January 2009.
Mad Israelis section
EDITOR: Melanie Phillips is not Israeli, indeed. But this piece by John Crace is too good to miss, so I have upgraded Melanie to an Honorary Israeli, so this can be included…
The World Turned Upside Down by Melanie Phillips: The Guardian
Encounter Books, £13.99
John Crace, 14 June 2010
This book arose from a sense of perplexity that almost everyone in the world thought I was clinically mad. Everywhere I looked there were people who believed boarding a humanitarian aid convoy in international waters and murdering nine people was a little bit naughty. So I did what I’ve always done as a columnist for the Daily Mail; go where my bigotry leads.
Conspiracy theories abound in public life. Almost all of them are based on myth. The simple fact is that global warming is a lie created by politically correct liberals who are holding the universe to ransom. The reality is that not a single glacier has melted in Israel over the last 50 years. Likewise, green activists try to claim the teeny oil-spill in the Gulf of Mexico is an environmental disaster. How much oil has been washed up on the beaches of Eilat? None.
The legitimacy of the war in Iraq has been similarly subverted. Hard-line Trotskyists say we were led into the war on a lie. This is not the case. After Saddam Hussein was toppled, Mossad found huge caches of nuclear weapons in bunkers throughout the country. Understandably, Mossad chose not to go public with this because, as a responsible government agency, it didn’t want to worry anyone unduly.
Not that anyone has ever thanked Israel for this act of global compassion. But this is symptomatic of the way Israel is misrepresented. It is often suggested the Palestinians have an equal right to Israeli lands. This is demonstrably false. If you follow the Old Testament family tree from Adam to Abraham, you can see God gave the country to the Jews. Indeed, it is a mark of Israel’s tolerance that it allows some so-called Palestinians to live in the Gaza slums. And how do the Palestinians repay Israel? By throwing stones. How dare the world complain if Israel responds proportionately by returning the Palestinians to the Stone Age where they belong?
These falsehoods are presented as unchallengeable truths; in fact, they are anti-Semitic leftwing ideologies based on twisted evidence. We now live in a world of moral relativism where to believe in scientific inquiry or to be gay or a Muslim is socially acceptable. How can any right thinking person go along with this new age of Reason? The Enlightenment has a lot to answer for. Surely it must be apparent to even Richard Dawkins that he couldn’t have written the God Delusion without God’s help? Though obviously not the Muslim God because he doesn’t exist.
Secularism is the curse of modern life. If everyone went to Synagogue to thank the Intelligent Designer there would be no more conflict. Instead there is a global coalition of Muslims, environmentalists and vegetarians whose sole purpose is to destroy the state of Israel. The 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre – co-ordinated by Osama bin Laden and George Monbiot – was nothing less than a dry run for a ram raid on the Burger King in central Tel Aviv.
Anti-Zionists claim the neocons are in the pockets of the Jews. Nonsense. Reason naturally aligns itself with reason. That is why no reasonable person can possibly be a Muslim. Many of the central tenets of Islam run contrary to Judaism and since Judaism is correct in every respect, ergo it must be irrational to be nice to Muslims. Yet such is our topsy-turvy world it is the Jews who get demonised for trying to do everyone a favour by preventing the Palestinians from becoming a recognised terrorist state.
The anti-Semitic lies proliferate at a terrifying speed. The most pernicious is that Israel has no sense of humour. What’s not to laugh about Mossad agents flying in to Dubai and taking out an Arab? All I can say is thank God there are still some fearless media outlets, such as Fox News and the Daily Mail, who are prepared to stand up for the truth. Hey? What’s with the strait-jacket? Where are you taking me?
Digested read, digested: Black is white.