This is not a natural disaster.
It is a man-made disaster created by policies
that are not humane
John Ging, director of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency in Gaza

Justice for Palestine

Palestine is a geographical area situated at the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean and stretching inland to the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. It has a long history and included the city of Gaza ca 830 BC. In the past Palestine has been under the rule of the Persian and Roman empires. Emperor Constantine I’s conversion to Christianity around 330 AD made Christianity its official religion. At the time of the Israeli occupation Palestine had a mixed population of primarily Muslims and Christians. The Gaza Strip, a narrow piece of land along the Mediterranean coast bordering on Egypt in the South and surrounded by official Israeli occupation in both the North and the West, is the only part of Palestine not officially occupied by the State of Israel. The majority of the population are nowadays Muslims, but there are still thousands of Christians living in Gaza. The EU recently condemned the illegal blockade of Gaza by the State of Israel as unacceptable, but deployed no navy units as protection against the Israeli threats made against the humanitarian aid convoy the Freedom Flotilla.

Atrocity at Sea

The Israeli decision to use hundreds of commando soldiers against civilians was taken by the Israeli cabinet together with the Israeli top military commanders. What we saw yesterday wasn’t just a failure on the ground. It was actually an institutional failure of a morbid society that a long time ago lost touch with humanity.
Gilad Atzmon, Israeli jazz musician, author and political activist

The quote above comes from an online article titled Israeli butchery at sea and refers to the lethal attack on an International humanitarian aid convoy destined for Gaza. On 31 May 2010 the State of Israel in an act of mass murder on the high seas killed at least nine passengers aboard the Mavi Marmara, the lead ship of the Freedom Flotilla. Since the killed passengers were Turkish and US citizens and the attack was ordered in International waters by the Israeli government, it also constituted an act of war against these countries. The complete flotilla consisted of eight ships, but two of the ships had been sabotaged by Israeli agents forcing them into port in Cyprus before the attack. The six remaining ships carried close to 700 human rights activists and 10 000 tonnes of aid. To avoid entering Gaza waters by night the convoy had slowed down its speed, but before dawn and still more than 100 km off the coast of Gaza it was raided by the Israeli military. After the raid the ships were forced to make port in the Israeli city of Ashdod. The attack came as a shock to many people around the world, since few could believe any country would be arrogant enough to raid a civilian aid mission on International waters and think nothing of killing foreign nationals on a mercy mission to bring cement, desalination equipment, writing paper, generators and medical aid to a people suffering from a humanitarian crisis.

The Israeli propaganda machine primarily aimed at the US public (very little chance of convincing the rest of the world) has released video of passengers on board the Mavi Marmara defending it from the heavily armed special forces. While the passengers used deck chairs and sticks, the soldiers used fire arms. No soldiers were killed, but at least nine passengers lost their lives. The video does not show how. The propaganda machine refers to what took place on the ship as an attack on the soldiers. The journalists on board the ships have had their footage confiscated. No reason has been given as to why. The State of Israel initially said it would prosecute passengers for illegal entry. Defence lawyers for the passengers stated it would have been difficult cases to win for the State of Israel even in Israeli courts, since the passengers were captured in International waters and brought to Israel by military force. After international pressure, primarily from Turkey, the Israeli state later decided to release most of the passengers and all of the foreign nationals, including those that it earlier accused of assaulting their soldiers.

The wounded Turkish survivors have now returned to their native soil. In a broadcast interview on Aljazeera one of the hospitalized victims showed he had been shot in the back. Accounts from the passengers, who according to Mattias Gardell – a Swedish scholar of comparative religion at Uppsala University and one of the passengers – included Christians, Jews and Muslims, socialists, liberals and conservatives from every populated continent, differ from the Israeli version of events. The passengers reported that firing started even before the soldiers had landed on deck and that at least four people were killed execution style. On his return to Sweden Gardell told Swedish journalists We were victims of a massive military assault (...) It can not be described as anything but piracy. According to the Swedish best-selling author Henning Mankell the Israelis considered one of his razor blades a weapon since it was unused. Technically they are of course right, since pretty much anything can be used as a weapon, but this is probably not what the US public thinks of when the Israeli propaganda machine speaks of weapons on board.

At a packed meeting in central London on Wednesday 9 June 2010, British volunteers on board the Freedom Flotilla gave their eye-witness accounts of what happened to them during and after the Israeli attack: The soldiers were shooting to kill. Several people who died could have been saved by timely treatment that was denied to them. Instead of evacuating the wounded, the commandos refused them vital help. People were shot with stun guns and beaten with truncheons. During the long hours sitting on deck, the captives were denied food, water and toilet rights. After a slow journey to the port of Ashdod, the activists were searched and thrown in prison. Even after two days in prison, wounded prisoners were still wearing the same blood-stained clothes they left the ships in. They had no food for 24 hours, just a few sips of water. Consular representatives from Greece, France, Spain and Macedonia could be heard shouting at the Israeli captors demanding the release of their compatriots, yelling that rights were not being respected, yelling for food, water and access to legal representation. From the British consul there was nothing.

Analysis

Seldom has an act of aggression been so well advertised in advance. Former CIA analyst Ray Close blames US President Obama for not being tougher with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to begin with, arguing that coddling the Likud leader led to this atrocity. The Israeli authorities have still not announced a definitive list of those killed and wounded by their commandos. Typical of a psychopath the Israeli Prime Minister has expressed no remorse. Instead he invents lies and makes false claims. Turkey is or at least was a friend of the State of Israel before the attack. Israeli forces found no military weapons on board the Turkish ship as Turkey would not have allowed it. All passengers were required to pass through metal detectors before boarding. According to the latest reports eight of those killed were Turkish citizens. One had US citizenship. Preliminary autopsy reports show that all bodies had bullet wounds. The men were shot a total of 30 times. At least one passenger was shot in the back of the head.

The Freedom Flotilla has succeeded in revealing the psychopathy of the Israeli state, which has claimed that Hamas and everyone else is to blame, while it is not. The State of Israel has lied about the situation in Gaza and has at one time claimed the human rights activists had links to al-Qaeda (later retracted). The current State of Israel has no legitimacy. It is based on Zionism and illegal occupation. The Israeli state’s territory has been expanded through war and state terrorism and now occupies almost all of Palestine, but victory belongs to the oppressed, not the oppressors.

Another accomplishment of the Freedom Flotilla is that it has called the diplomatic bluffs of the European governments who have criticized the Israeli Siege of Gaza and condemned the Israeli attack on the aid convoy, but done nothing to ensure the safe passage of a peaceful mission to break the Israeli blockade, nor put in place any sanctions on the state, which is in violation of more UN resolutions than any other. Little is expected of a country which defends murder, invades others on a whim, and kills civilians in drone attacks, but of the non-nuclear states of Europe more is expected. The situation reminds of the time when Hitler was allowed to roam free, but just as the Nazi dictator ended in self-destruction, so will eventually the Zionist State of Israel (a huge difference of course lies in the amount of military aid the latter has received and continues to receive from foreign governments).

Sanctions worked against the Apartheid state of South Africa. It can work against the Zionist state of Israel as well.

Legal Aspects

As to the legal aspects of the Israeli attack here is a comment from Craig Murray, former UK Ambassador and one time Foreign Office specialist on maritime law: That the incident took place on the high seas does not mean that international law is the only applicable law. The Law of the Sea is quite plain that, when an incident takes place on a ship on the high seas the applicable law is that of the flag state of the ship on which the incident occurred. In legal terms, the Turkish ship was Turkish territory. There are therefore two clear legal possibilities. If the Israeli commandos were acting on behalf of the government of Israel in killing the activists on the ships, Israel would be in a position of war with Turkey, and the act would fall under international jurisdiction as a war crime. If, on the other hand, the killings were not authorised by the Israeli military, they were acts of murder under Turkish jurisdiction and if Israel does not consider itself in a position of war with Turkey, then it must hand over the commandos involved for trial in Turkey under Turkish law. Lawsuits have also been filed against the State of Israel for hijacking, kidnapping, and detention of aid activists.

Global Reactions

Countries around the globe have condemned the attack, some in stronger terms than others. One country has still to this day not condemned the attack. Even more importantly it has not even called for the lifting of the illegal Siege on Gaza.

According to the most renowned Swedish daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet the following countries have strongly condemned the attack: Argentina, Bahrain, Belgium, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Lebanon, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Syria, and of course Turkey. Also the EU and the Vatican have strongly condemned the attack.

The following countries have less strongly condemned or criticized the attack: Australia, Brazil, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Thailand, the UK, as well as smaller countries of Africa, Latin America and Asia.

One country has defended the attack: The United States of America. The secular US government backs the secular State of Israel and continues its long-standing view on truth as something largely irrelevant or perhaps not really understood, even calling the attack a military operation, which it certainly would not have been called had it been carried out by another country, such as Iran.

The US frequently speaks of the Israeli state’s right to defend itself, but you never hear that the Palestinians have the same right, not to mention the civilians sailing on international waters. To be completely fair the US government also defends the State of Israel when it kills US soldiers.

Public Protests

The 21 year old U.S. Jewish art student Emily Henochowicz was, according to witness, deliberately shot at with tear gas cannisters during a protest in Israel. She was hit in the face on Monday 31 May 2010 and her injuries were so bad that her left eye had to be removed.

Most capitals around the globe saw public protests following the deadly Israeli attack, including Brussels, the capital of the EU, and even Washington, D.C. in the US. On Saturday 5 June 2010 thousands of people took to the streets of Britain with demonstrations in Edinburgh and London, according to the HeraldScotland. Rallies were also replicated in other cities around the world including Dublin, Paris, Istanbul and Cairo.

On the same day, preliminary autopsy reports revealing that at least one victim was shot in the back and at least five shots had been fired at very close range, less than half a meter, fueled protests in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, where tens of thousands took to the streets.

In Tel Aviv, the Israeli capital, more than 6 000 Israelis gathered to protest the Israeli raid, reported the online edition of Haaretz. The demonstrators carried banners saying The government is drowning us all, Peace Now and Time for sanctions against Israel.

A Jewish American Perspective

In an interview for the The Huffington Post comedienne Roseanne Barr offers a Jewish American perspective on the State of Israel, its occupation of Palestine, and the blockade of Gaza. Referring to Zogby polls she states that eighty percent of young American Jews under the age of 30 are not Zionists. Barr identifies herself as an observant Jew, which supposedly means a Jew who practices Judaism. In the US this may be something just as rare as a Christian who practices Christianity.

Follow-up

All States shall cooperate to the fullest possible extent in the repression of piracy on the high seas or in any other place outside the jurisdiction of any State.
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

As of Saturday 5 June 2010 the latest ship to be hijacked by the Israeli military is the Irish-owned MV Rachel Corrie, a converted merchant ship bought by the Free Gaza Movement and named after the 23-year-old US peace activist from Olympia, Washington, who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003. The ship’s passengers were mostly women. Where were the European navy units to protect it from Israeli aggression and state piracy?

On Monday 7 June 2010 the English online edition of Der Spiegel published an article with eyewitness accounts of the Israeli raid. The same magazine predicts busy waters off the coast of Gaza this Summer. In July a German-Jewish Boat carrying school supplies and children’s clothing is to challenge the Israeli blockade. The organizers, the German branch of European Jews for a Just Peace, stated: We as Jews want to bring the Palestinians something other than bombs.

Viva Palestina has also announced new land and sea convoys to break the siege. Two simultaneous convoys – one by land and the other by sea – will set forth on Sunday 12 September 2010. The land convoy will leave from London and travel across Europe to Turkey, Syria and ultimately through the Rafah Gate into Gaza. The sea convoy will travel around the Mediterranean gathering ships, cargo, and volunteers from each country. The target is to enter Gaza with sixty ships.

On Monday 14 June 2010 EU foreign ministers urged Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza, now entering its fourth year, but put off concrete proposals until their next meeting next month. On Thursday 17 June 2010 the Israeli government said it would ease the land blockade and allow all food items, toys, stationery, kitchen utensils, mattresses and towels into Gaza. A tad surprisingly the US said the decision was a positive step but welcomed further loosening. The Hamas government and every sane person alive today called for a complete lifting of the blockade.

Starting Wednesday 23 June 2010 Swedish dock workers will no longer load and unload Israeli ships and goods to and from the State of Israel. The blockade is expected to continue until 29 June. According to Newsmill the Swedish workers act in union with their Norwegian and South African colleagues in support of two self-evident demands directed at the State of Israel. Firstly, lift the blockade of Gaza, and secondly, allow an independent international investigation into the violent raid on the Freedom Flottilla.

As of tonight Thursday 24 June 2010 a Lebanese ship filled with humanitarian supplies and activists keen to break the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip could depart the northern city of Tripoli within days or even hours. Also two Iranian aid ships will head for Gaza this month. According to a Jerusalem Post columnist it may be best to let the flotillas through.

War on Gaza

The State of Israel began the war on Gaza with a wave of airstrikes on 27 December 2008. For more than two years preceding the attack, Israel had imposed a crippling siege on the Gaza Strip. Usually in war civilians have the option of becoming refugees, but because of the siege the people of Gaza had nowhere to flee. More than 1 400 people were killed by the Israeli military. At least 900 were civilians and 252 were children. Many civilians including children playing on roof tops were deliberately targetted. A number of internationally prohibited weapons were used by the Israeli forces including white phosphorus and bombs with radioactive fragments. The use of these diabolic weapons, which were supplied by the US, was initially denied by Israel. 5 000 homes, 16 government buildings, and 20 mosques were destroyed. 25 000 homes were damaged. An Israeli website has published wanted posters for the responsible war criminals with details on their crimes.

Illegal Siege

Israel’s ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip makes the rebuilding of homes and schools difficult at best. Meanwhile Israel is building settlements and schools on occupied territory in outright violation of International law. The siege was established by the State of Israel to punish the Palestinians for having elected Hamas, a violent resistance group, in a democratic election (the only so far held in the Arab world). Among the goods not allowed into Gaza are cement needed to rebuild homes and a hospital in Gaza city, A4 writing paper (European letter standard), chocolate, and coriander. For some reason, however, cinnamon is not restricted.

According to Amnesty International the blockade constitutes collective punishment under International law and must be lifted immediately. The Gaza Strip has a population of 1,5 million people including almost three thousand Christians. The blockade does not target armed groups but punishes the entire population, of which 800 000 are children, by restricting the entry of food, medical supplies, educational equipment and building materials.

Today the people of Gaza is suffering from a shortage of all essentials including food and water. A completely collapsed economy has forced most of Gaza’s industrial plants to close, causing steep increases in unemployment, poverty and childhood malnutrition rates. Israel does not even allow children wounded in the war to exit Gaza for medical care. Some good news in all the bad is that many people around the world, including orthodox Jews, care enough to protest the great injustice.

A few weeks ago an International aid convoy also reached Gaza after having been delayed by Egyptian authorities, not allowing it to take the fastest and most direct route. More information on the aid convoy headed by UK Member of Parliament George Galloway can be found at the Viva Palestina homepage. Unfortunately the convoy was not allowed by Egypt to bring any food, only medicine, and you cannot live on medicine alone.

The Argentinian, Australian, Belgian, Canadian, Chilean, Danish, English, French, German, Greek, Indian, Irish, Italian, Jordanian, Lebanese, Malaysian, Norwegian, Palestinian, Polish, Scottish, Spanish, Tunisian, and US nonviolent Free Gaza Movement has an excellent website with a lot more information on Gaza and the movement’s mission to break the siege and free the land of Israeli occupation. Most of Gaza’s population are refugees or their descendants, driven out of the State of Israel during its founding in 1948.

Other Crimes

All the crimes committed by the Zionist (not to be confused with Jewish or Judaist) state against the Palestinians during six decades of occupation are too numerous to mention here. Even before the War on Gaza the number of Palestinians killed by Israelis far out numbered Israelis killed by Palestinians (Wikipedia graph).

One of the more disturbing Israeli crimes and one only recently revealed is the secret harvesting of organs from killed Palestinians in the ’90s. There are circumstances suggesting that organ harvesting without consent may have taken place more recently as well, but the Israeli military claims it does not happen anymore.

On the officially occupied West Bank Israel is in near total control. The standard of living is low, albeit better than in Gaza. The economic situation is affected negatively by the limitations on the freedom of movement imposed by Israeli road blocks and the continued expansion of the Israeli West Bank barrier. The Israeli state even violates its own private property laws by carrying out construction of buildings and infrastructure on private lands belonging to Palestinian West Bank residents. Today approximately 450 000 Israeli settlers live on the West Bank, which is in violation of International humanitarian law.

Christians living in Palestine have published a moment of truth document inspired by the South Africa Kairos document launched in 1985. Incidently, last Christmas, the secular State of Israel only allowed a mere three hundred of the about three thousand Christians living in Gaza to celebrate the birth of Jesus in nearby Bethlehem.

Geopolitical Background

The State of Israel is in violation of a number of UN resolutions without any sanctions, not to mention any war, imposed on it by the US or the UK. While Iraq was invaded illegally without any UN resolution against it, Israel is instead of being threatened by invasion given (yes you read right — given) weapons paid for by US tax payers. Just recently the current German government headed by Angela Merkel also gave Israel a big discount on a nuclear-capable submarine.

Egypt, the number one torture state in the world, is the second-biggest receiver of US aid after Israel. Egypt is a cruel dictatorship. At the same time Iran is in violation of no UN resolutions, has never attacked another country, does not use torture, but suffers sanctions imposed by the US because of its people having overthrowed the Shah, a puppet dictator who was listening to the US government. Iran is an imperfect democracy and the US a perfect kleptocracy.

The European Union has been critical of most of the US trade sanctions against Iran. Some EU Member States have criticized ILSA as a double standard in US foreign policy, in which the United States vigorously worked against the Arab League boycott of Israel while at the same time promoted a worldwide boycott of Iran. The EU Member States have threatened formal counter-action in the World Trade Organization.