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Mark · Site Admin Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 1052

Israel Rams Gaza Relief Boat

Institute for Public Accuracy
915 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045
(202) 347-0020 * http://www.accuracy.org * ipa@accuracy.org
___________________________________________________

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Israel Rams Gaza Relief Boat

CNN reports: "An Israeli patrol boat struck a boat carrying medical volunteers and supplies to Gaza early Tuesday as it attempted to intercept the vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, witnesses and Israeli officials said.

"CNN correspondent Karl Penhaul was aboard the 60-foot, Gibraltar-registered pleasure boat Dignity when the contact occurred. When the boat later docked in the Lebanese port city of Tyre, severe damage was visible to the forward port side of the boat, and the front left window and part of the roof had collapsed.

"The Dignity was carrying crew and 16 passengers -- physicians from Britain, Germany and Cyprus and human rights activists, including former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney -- who were trying to reach Gaza through an Israeli blockade of the territory.

"The captain of the Dignity said the Israelis broadcast a radio message accusing the vessel of being involved in terrorist activity. But Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor denied that and said the radio message simply warned the vessel not to proceed to Gaza because it is a closed military area." http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD.../30/gaza.aid.boat/?iref=hpmostpop

The following representatives of the Free Gaza Movement are available for interviews:

EWA JASIEWICZ, [in Gaza] freelance@mailworks.org
LUBNA MASARWA, [in Cyprus] lubnna@gmail.com
CAOIMHE BUTTERLEY, [in Lebanon] sahara78@hotmail.co.uk
RAMZI KYSIA, rrkysia@yahoo.com
GRETA BERLIN, iristulip@gmail.com

Up-to-date information is available at: http://www.FreeGaza.org

For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
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Mark · Site Admin Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 1052

More:

Israeli Gunboats Came out of the Darkness and Rammed us Three Times

http://www.freegaza.org/index.php...714c7ffaf8b1534783da3&offset=

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date : 12-30-2008
For more information, please contact:
(Gaza) Ewa Jasiewicz, +972 598 700 497 / freelance@mailworks.org
(Cyprus) Lubna Masarwa +357 99 081 767 / lubnna@gmail.com
(Lebanon) Caoimhe Butterley +961 70 875 727 / sahara78@hotmail.co.uk
http://www.FreeGaza.org

(Lebanon, Tuesday 30 December) - Today the Free Gaza ship "Dignity" carefully made its way to safe harbor in Tyre, Lebanon's southern-most port city, after receiving serious structural damage when Israeli warships rammed its bow and the port side. Waiting to greet the passengers and crew were thousands of Lebanese who came out to show their solidarity with this attempt to deliver volunteer doctors and desperately needed medical supplies to war-ravaged Gaza. The Lebanese government has pledged to provide a forensic analysis of what happened in the dark morning, when Israel rammed the civilian ship in international waters, and put the people on board in danger of losing their lives.

The Dignity, on a mission of mercy to besieged Gaza, was attacked by the Israeli Navy at approximately 6am (UST) in international waters, roughly 90 miles off the coast of Gaza. Several Israeli warships surrounded the small, human rights boat, firing live ammunition around it, then intentionally ramming it three times. According to ship's captain Denis Healy, the Israeli attack came, ""without any warning, or any provocation."

Caoimhe Butterly, an organizer with the Free Gaza Movement, stated that, "The gunboats gave us no warning. They came up out of the darkness firing flares and flashing huge flood lights into our faces. We were so shocked that at first we didn't react. We knew we were well within international waters and supposedly safe from attack. They rammed us three times, hitting the side of the boat hard. We began taking on water and, for a few minutes, we all feared for our lives. After they rammed us, they started screaming at us as we were frantically getting the life boats ready and putting on our life jackets. They kept yelling that if we didn't turn back they would shoot us."

Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. congresswoman and Green Party presidential candidate, was traveling to Gaza aboard the Dignity in order to assess the impact of Israel's military onslaught against the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. According to McKinney, "Israeli patrol boats...tracked us for about 30 minutes...and then all of a sudden they rammed us approximately three times, twice in the front and once in the side...the Israelis indicated that [they felt] we were involved in terrorist activities."

The Dignity departed from Larnaca Port in Cyprus at 7pm (UST) on Monday 29 December with a cargo of over 3 tons of desperately needed medical supplies donated to Gaza by the people of Cyprus. Three surgeons were also aboard, traveling to Gaza to volunteer in overwhelmed hospitals and clinics. The ship was searched by Cypriot Port authorities prior to departure, and its passenger list was made public.

Israel's deplorable attack on the unarmed Dignity is a violation of both international maritime law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which states that "the high seas should be reserved for peaceful purposes."

Delivering doctors and urgently needed medical supplies to civilians is a just such a "peaceful purpose." Deliberately ramming a mercy ship and endangering its passengers is an act of terrorism.

CALL the Israeli Government and demand that it immediately STOP attacking the civilian population of Gaza and STOP using violence to prevent human rights and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.

Mark Regev in the Prime Minister's office at:
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5 0620 3264
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il

Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:
+972 3697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
mediasar@mod.gov.il

Major Liebovitz from the Israeli Navy at:
+ 972 5 781 86248

###
The Free Gaza Movement, a human rights group, sent two boats to Gaza in August 2008. These were the first international boats to land in the port in 41 years. Since August, four more voyages were successful, taking Parliamentarians, human rights workers, and other dignitaries to witness the effects of Israel's draconian policies on the civilians of Gaza.
http://www.FreeGaza.org

Guest · Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:02 pm Post subject:

Cynthia McKinney her interview on CNN..

link of the original broadcast on CNN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnhfSFMrlF8

Then, in a re-air of the interview of Cynthia McKinney's run in with the Israeli military, they cut out the end of the interview when she reminds the viewing public of when Israel attacked the USS Liberty in 1967, and killed and wounded 170 American sailors...

If you don't remember the USS Liberty..

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7267134620652018859

Mark · Site Admin Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 1052

I just posted a diary on Daily Kos:

Israel Hates Me!

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/12/30/175452/31/712/678654

If you have an account there, please recommend it and leave a comment before they delete it.

Guest · Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:50 pm Post subject:

Hey Mark I posted the CNN interview for you and i see you posted it on the Daily Kos.

And i'm from Germany?

More like sunny Southern Cali..

wadada

Jah Red

Ron Paul R3volution

Mark · Site Admin Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 1052

I'm terribly sorry, Jared.

Paul is the one who usually forgets to log in and posts as "guest," so I thought it was him.

Please forgive me!

And thanks for posting!

I just got back from a pro-Palestine protest and it was a pretty good turnout for San Diego. Saw a lot of Palestinian-Americans, many with darling kids just like the ones being killed in Gaza right now, some people from various groups who go to all the local protests, and there was one guy who looked sort of like he might be an anarchist, only not wearing black. So I asked if he was with a group, and he said yes. I asked, "What group?" He said, "The whole group--it is only one group."

Cool!

Oh yeah -- there was also one guy I don't know who was wearing a Palestinian scarf and a "Don't vote!" t-shirt.

Paulmb · Guest

Yep sorry I must admit I do!.But in my defence I must have got wrong f both password and user name as no matter what I enter I cant get in!.Paul from Germany!. Rolling Eyes

kim s · Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 5:42 am Post subject: Israeli attack on Aid Workers

The above mentioned attack on a civilian boat in international waters, bringing aid to Gaza is a blatant disregard to international law.
That Israel feels they can do as they please without ramifications is another example of how Israel feels toward the rest of the world and cannot be tolerated!
It's time for our world leaders to grow some cojones and bring economic sanctions against Israel until they stop the aggression against the Palestinian people. The US must stop ALL aid to Israel in the form of monies and military munitions as well. We, as the citizens of the world cannot continue to allow this form of genocide in the our societies.
My thanks Mark for your efforts to bring sanity to humankind.
I pray 2009 brings such sanity to the world so we can begin working together for PEACE. Smilie_PDT

You know there really is still a chance for peace and that chance will definitely increase if we each do our piece. So let’s make peace -- in our homes, in our own hearts, in our relationships, in our communities, in all of our dealings and in the world. Peace be with us all.
_________________
PEACE-MONGER

Mark · Site Admin Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 1052

Thank you, Kim.

Israel, which has ground troops and tanks massed outside of Gaza, is likely to call a 48-hour truce, during which time the Palestinians will have no food, no medical supplies, no electricity, nothing, and then Israel will invade on the grounds that during those 48 hours, the Palestinians did not overthrow their own elected government.

This is torture. But then the U.S. casually sponsors torture. We weren't able, during eight years to overthrow our own unelected government, as it wrought havoc on the world and on our own economy, spending trillions on wars based on lies as it outsourced our jobs, deregulated the banking industry, and did as much as it possibly could to destroy the environment.

Yes, peace is the answer. But Israel and the United States bomb first and ask questions later, if at all. There are no words.....

Mark · Site Admin Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 1052

Oops, spoke too soon. Israel has, according to the U.N., rejected the 48-hour truce and is continuing to bomb Gaza prior to invading.

They are so heedless of world opinion that they don't even care to pretend that they have given the Palestinians any way to survive.