A Great Song For The Cause
by Unbekannter Kunstler
Note: Unbekannter Kunstler in German means "Unknown Artist". Song was originally linked to Al Jazeera (circa 2000) . It's in the worldwide public domain. Please play the song on LoFi setting. Download and pass on freely: Music link is at the bottom of the "Freedom Flotilla Observer" main page.
"Palestine and Israel"
Palestine and Israel take this chance,
No more killing no more hate but some romance,
People should believe in living without bombs,
Talking to each other, creating some new songs
No more guns and no more stones today,
Understanding peace and love along the way,
Kindergarten school of joy and no more fear,
Des changes de chante to mon ou ????
The Day is near we stand and shout
Sallam shallom this wish will last,
We'll sing so Loud with happiness,
So strong and proud, no loneliness
Each generation should do the same,
No bloody games and no more blame,
Help one another if need be
Living together and be free-- yeah.
Israel & Palestine be friends,
Crazy dreams and grateful to have the end,
Everybody smiling cheerful all day long,
Waving to each other and singing this new song:
Refrain + " Each generation should do the same,
No bloody games (etc) …….."
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Freedom Flotilla: Ships, Routes, and Destinations
Above: The "Linda" before it became the "MV Rachel Corrie". Below: Bon Voyage from the Free Gaza Movement
Above: Israeli Navy Flotilla. Below: MV Rachel Corrie captured by the Israelis June 5, 2010
"Bringing the MV Rachel Corrie to the Public Eye"
(A Public Relations Failure)
by Thomas F. Jones
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but, amazingly, not a single photograph was taken of the six-boat Freedom Flotilla as it steamed in formation toward Gaza at the end of May 2010. Last Wednesday on the radio show Democracy Now!, retired Army Col. Ann Wright (a passenger on the flotilla) described the thrill of watching the convoy gather together before it headed for Gaza. Yet I (a common citizen) have still not seen this magnificent event depicted myself—neither on video nor in any photograph. From a public relations standpoint—in the cause of attracting public attention and sympathy, especially from a largely TV-oriented American audience—this was a major lost opportunity.
Now the MV Rachel Corrie is approaching Gaza, heading for a likely confrontation with the Israelis. Will the same mistake be made? Must another opportunity be thrown away in capturing and inspiring the imaginations and sympathies of the largely uninformed media audiences around the world—and, most important, in the United States?
The pictures taken of the MV Rachel Corrie to date are fine—as far as they go. But those photographs and videos of loading cargo, activists gathering for group portraits, and olive oil flowing across Rachel Corrie’s name at the ship’s christening seem intended more to motivate those already involved in the movement (the proverbial initiated) than to attract and inform a hopelessly propagandized American viewing audience.
From both a cinematic and promotional standpoint, the images I have seen to date can have little meaning for the average person: there is no sense of drama, character development, movement, context, panoramic atmosphere, saga, adventure, quest, mission, odyssey, or danger. In short, there is very little for the average American citizen to relate to or attach his or her sympathies to (which, I assume, is [or ought to be] one of the primary objectives of the flotilla organizers).
I can only suggest that flotilla organizers and others involved get some observation boats and/or airborne surveillance platforms out there to take some really spectacular pictures and videos—and keep on filming even as the MV Rachel Corrie is challenged by the Israeli navy. And please, at long last, let the world have the names, biographies, and photographs of the MV Rachel Corrie’s soon-to-be-famous captain, crew, and passenger(s). Maybe do some quick interviews on board; build up the human interest narrative as much as possible (and keep delaying the final approach to Gaza, if necessary). Let the world know what you already know yourselves. Help them to relate. Help them to care. Help them to be there with you.
Sincerely,
Thomas F. Jones
Amherst, MA
P.S. As a visual reference, on my Freedom Flotilla Observer blog (link below) I have two pictures at the top depicting (1) a photograph of an Israeli navy convoy (as a model of an effective photo) and (2) the only known daytime photograph of the MV Rachel Corrie underway (before it was renamed from the Linda). [[http://freedomflotilla.blogspot.com/2010/05/blog-post.html]]
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For Latest/Live Freedom Flotilla News:
(Follow the convoy's attempt to break the Israeli blockade.)
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Photos of Last 8 Flotilla Efforts 2008-9Passengers Head to Gaza 2008-2009
Israel Navy Blocks Ship "Gaza" in Gaza's Harbor 2008-2009
Photos of Captured Flotilla May-June 2010
Mavi-Marmara, Turkey May 2010
Destination: Gaza Harbor May 2010
Destination Gaza Harbor-Ominous Clouds May 2010
Greece May 2010
Greece May 2010
Sweden-Greece May 2010
Sweden May 2010
Istanbul May 2010
MV Rachel Corrie/Ireland May 2010
CV Rachel Corrie May 2010
Map Of Routes May 2010
Israeli Navy Exercises November, 2009
Written by Free Gaza Team | 04 June 2010
Posted in Press releases
[Cyprus, June 4, 2010] The Rachel Corrie is 150 miles away from Gaza in international waters and on her way. They will arrive on Saturday morning. The 1200 ton cargo ship is the last ship from the Freedom Flotilla and is loaded with construction materials, 20 tons of paper and many other supplies that Israel refuses to allow into the imprisoned people of Gaza.
Some of the High-Profile people on board:
Mairead Maguire from Belfast, Ireland, a Nobel Peace Laureate (l976) and Co-founder of Peace People, Northern Ireland. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work for peace and a nonviolent solution to the Ethnic/political conflict in Northern Ireland. Mairead went on the maiden Voyage of Dignity in October 2008, the second successful voyage for the Free Gaza Movement. She was also on Board ‘Spirit’ when Israel hijacked the Boat in International Waters, taking all 2l humanitarian passengers to Israel, where they were arrested, detained for a week in an Israeli prison and then deported.
Denis Halliday, from Ireland, a UN Assistant Secretary-General from 1994-98. Appointed by SG Boutros Ghali, he served as ASG UN Human Resources Management in New York and in mid 1997 to end 1998 as Head, Humanitarian Programme in Iraq to support the Iraqi people struggling under the genocidal impact of UN Sanctions. Since resigning from the UN in 1998, Halliday has delivered numerous parliamentary briefings, provided extensive media inputs and has given public/university lectures on Iraq, human rights, and the UN, in particular its reform.
Matthias Chang Wen Chieh is a Malaysian of Chinese descent. He is a Barrister of 32 years standing and once served as the Political Secretary to the Fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. He is the author of three bestsellers, “Future Fast Forward”, “Brainwashed for War, Programmed to Kill”, and “The Shadow Money-Lenders and the Global Financial Tsunami”, published in the US and in Malaysia.
Mohd Nizar bin Zakaria,Perak, Malaysia, MP Mohd Nizar bin Zakaria is a Member of the Malaysian Parliament.
In addition, there is a three-member camera crew on board from Malaysia TV3 and journalis Shamsul Akmar bin Musa Kamal.
The passengers on board the ship have stated, “Communication is difficult and sometimes impossible and there are many rumors out there started by Israeli authorities, but there is no way we are going to Ashdod. We are, for sure, on our way to Gaza.”
Contact: Greta Berlin, 00 357 99 18 72 75
Mary Hughes 00 357 6 38 38 09--
Greta Berlin, Co-Founder
+357 99 18 72 75
witnessgaza.com
www.freegaza.org
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
Timeline: Gaza aid attempts by sea
The Free Gaza Movement was the first to attempt to break the naval blockade of Gaza, and until now, the only one.
- By Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporter
- Published: 18:34 May 24, 2010
August 2008: SUCCESSFUL: 44 people from 17 countries successfully broke the Gaza blockade by sailing to it from Cyprus in two small boats, Free Gaza and Liberty. Organizers say they were tracked by Israeli naval vessels for half of the journey and the boats’ navigation systems were jammed and tampered with. They were welcomed by thousands of Palestinians lining the shore.
October 2008: SUCCESSFUL: 27 doctors, lawyers and human rights workers from 12 countries broke the blockade successfully aboard the Dignity. Passengers included Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouthi, Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire, and Italian opera singer Joe Fallisi, who delivered Gaza’s first ever opera concert.
November 2008: SUCCESSFUL: 24 passengers including 11 European parliamentarians carried more than one ton of medical supplies broke the blockade aboard the Dignity.
December 8 2008: SUCCESSFUL: A “students” delegation, headed by professors from the London School of Economics and the British Committee for Universities for Palestine successfully broke the blockade and and successfully brought out 11 Palestinian students who had been accepted to universities abroad, but were unable to exit Gaza due to the Israeli-Egyptian siege
December 18 2008: SUCCESSFUL: Dubbed the “Qatari delegation”, it included envoys from the Qatari Eid charity, making Qatar the first Arab country to contribute to breaking the siege
December 29 2008: UNSUCCESSFUL: In response to Israel’s war on Gaza, the Free Gaza Movement sent 3 tons of medical supplies as emergency aid to Gaza aboard the Dignity. Passengers included 3 surgeons, Dr. Elena Theoharous, a member of the Cypriot Parliament, and Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. congresswoman and Green party presidential candidate. Israeli warships surrounded the the Dignity, then rammed it three times without warning. The ship did not sink, and made its way to Lebanon.
January 2009: UNSUCCESSFUL: The Spirit of Humanity, a new ship, included 36 passengers from 17 countries including doctors, journalists, activists and lawmakers. The ship was forced to turn back by the Israeli navy, which threatened to fire at the boat if it continued towards Gaza.
June 2009: UNSUCCESSFUL: including former US representative Cynthia McKinney and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire as well as five Bahraini activists. The ship was siezed by Israel and towed to the port of Ashdod. All passengers were detained by Israel including McKinney and the Bahrainis. Bahraini officials subsequently made a taboo-breaking trip to Israel to collect their country’s citizens.
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Various Reports and Extracts from Flotilla Participants. (Information Links At Bottom of the Page)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Hearklin, Crete, Tuesday, May 25, 2010) As Israel continues to insist it will stop the seven-ship international Freedom Flotilla, two more ships departed from Greece to Gaza today.
A 2000 ton cargo ship and fifty-person passenger ship owned by the European Campaign Against the Siege of Gaza, and Swedish/Greek Ship to Gaza campaigns left Athens to meet the Freedom Flotilla in international waters.
They follow hot on the trail of the cargo ships of Insani Yardim Vakafi (IHH’s) and Free Gaza’s MV Rachel Corrie. IHH’s remaining 1100 capacity passenger ship and cargo ship are to sail shortly from Turkey.
In Crete, the Free Gaza Movement is readying its two passenger boats for their imminent departure. ‘Al Samoud’ (The Steadfast’) and ‘Al Haya’ (The Ship of Life) were named by children from schools in occupied Gaza and Jerusalem.
Reports coming from the Israeli Navy say they will jam the flotilla’s signals and communications, isolating those on board the ships, and barring the world from witnessing what could become a confrontation or prolonged naval stand-off.
The strategy of the Freedom Flotilla, however, is to resist any attempts by the Israeli Navy to hijack its ships or to divide cargo ships from passenger vessels.
“The message from Israel is clear: ‘We will stop you. And no-one can prevent us from stopping you.’ said Free Gaza chair, Huwaida Arraf.
“However, we will non-violently resist Israeli attempts to seize our boats. Thousands of people have contributed to making this flotilla a reality, and the people of Gaza are expecting us.
“We will not allow our flotilla to be divided. We will stay with our cargo ships – they are the core of the flotilla carrying essential construction materials denied entry into Gaza – cement, steel, and houses. This action is not a symbolic gesture but a concrete intervention to allow the people of Gaza to rebuild their lives with dignity’, emphasized passenger, Aengus O’Snodaigh, TD Sinn Féin party, Ireland
Ewa Jasiewicz added, "We are not breaking the law, we are upholding it. We are acting out of necessity to prevent a greater crime from taking place – the collective punishment of 1.5 million people imprisoned in Gaza. The international community is complicit in this collective punishment and must break its silence. Respect for international law is not optional, it is obligatory.’
Contacts
Crete Free Gaza Movement 0030 698 377 6683
Cyprus Free Gaza Movement 00 357 99 18 72 78 or 00 357 96 48 98 05
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"Treat Our Passengers and Cargo with Respect" says Senator Mark Dearey
Written by Free Gaza Team | 21 May 2010
Posted in Press releases
(Dublin, May 21, 2010) The Free Gaza Movement welcomes statements by the Irish Government to ensure the safety of the passengers and cargo currently making their way to the besieged Gaza Strip.
His Excellency Mr. Breifne O’Reilly, Irish ambassador in Tel Aviv, traveled to the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem this week “to ensure a peaceful outcome which will enable the safe delivery of these humanitarian supplies”.
The Free Gaza Movement commends the Irish government for showing true international leadership regarding the illegal siege of Gaza and is calling for other governments to follow suit. The 9 ship-strong flotilla, carrying 10,000+ tons of medical, reconstruction and educational goods, has only been made possible by the actions and donations of citizens from 60+ countries. A major donation was received from Malaysia, part of which was used to purchase, outfit etc the MV Rachel Corrie the humanitarian cargo ship. http://www.counterpunch.org/berlin05182010.html
On Wednesday, Green Party spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Senator Mark Dearey, who has personally inspected the cargo onboard the M.V. Rachel Corrie, echoed the Ambassador’s call stating: “Irish passport holders (must) be treated respectfully and be allowed complete their mission. It is the least we should be insisting on, given the gross abuse of Irish passports by Israeli agents in recent times.” Senator Dearey, who has recently replaced Minister Ciarán Cuffe as spokesperson, was referring to Mossad’s use of five bogus Irish passports when a Hamas official was assassinated in Dubai earlier this year.
Israel has yet to face sanctions from the Irish Government for this crime. Incredibly, demonstrating exactly what chutzpah means, Israel’s director of European affairs, Naor Gilon recently asked the Department of Foreign Affairs not to “let” valid passport holders participate in this legal and necessary humanitarian mission to Gaza.
The governments of the United States and Israel both have the opportunity to show new maturity in their relationship with the Palestinian citizens of Gaza by ensuring that all threats to attack the “freedom flotilla” are withdrawn and its safe passage is guaranteed.
Senator Dearey has asked Oireachtas Members to keep a watching brief on the voyage, stressing;
“It is beholden on Irish parliamentarians to offer what support we can to this legitimate humanitarian exercise, an exercise that John Ging of the UN Relief and Works Agency has called for.”
Niamh Moloughney +353 85 7747257 freegazaireland@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Fiachra Ó Luain +353-86-3193567, fiachraoluain@ireland.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Greta Berlin +33 63 142 7577, Iristulip@gmail.com
Greta Berlin--Free Gaza Movement
May 18, 2010 www.counterpunch.org/
"You Need a Proper Boat ... "
Gaza Fever
By GRETA BERLIN
We’ve all caught the fever, every one of us who works to send boats to Gaza. From August 2006, when a handful of us started the Free Gaza Movement, every one who has joined us has been stricken with a bad case of the disease. It is chronic. It sometimes causes afflicted patients to insist that if just one more voyage can be planned to this small slice of the Mediterranean, we’ll all be in remission. There is no real cure in sight… yet.
Gaza Fever has now attacked thousands of us who have a passionate sense of justice.
The disease began shortly after Israel invaded Lebanon in 2006, as a group of us were in despair that the Palestinians, once again, were the forgotten symptom of Israel’s grand designs. As the world watched the defeat of Israel by a small band of guerrilla fighters in Lebanon, Israel decided it would take its wrath out on the Palestinians, specifically the Palestinians of Gaza. We watched as Israel, in January 2009, deliberately bombed 1.5 million Palestinians into abject poverty, a man-made catastrophe bordering on genocide.
One man in Australia suggested we sail a boat from New York to Gaza in protest of the closures there. That small idea has grown into a flotilla that leaves at the end of May with 700 people on board nine ships.
We, who have traveled by boat to Gaza, come back changed, blisters of outrage forever marking us. Those who have supported us through donations, letters, outraged picketing in front of Israeli Embassies demanding Israel stop its war crimes against a civilian population are also changed, as they watched our small boats sail into Gaza five times, cheering us on our way. Then, when our last three missions were violently stopped by Israel, thousands stepped up and donated to help us buy new boats.
In July 2009, Tun Dr.Mahathir bin Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, and his wife, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah bin Mohamad visited the Free Gaza Movement in Cyprus. They had heard about the voyages to Gaza and what Israel had done to the last three, ramming the Dignity, turning one back under threat of fire and hijacking the Spirit of Humanity, kidnapping the 21 human rights observers and throwing them into detention for a week.
He wanted to come and see for himself the small fishing boat that had been, in August 2008, Free Gaza’s first vessel to enter the port of Gaza in 41 years. When he and his wife stepped on this small vessel, he was shocked. “You went all the way to Gaza on this small boat? You braved the sea in a boat that was barely seaworthy?”
When we replied that, indeed, we had crossed the sea in not only this small boat, but one even smaller, 44 of us challenging Israel’s blockade on the 1.5 million Palestinians of Gaza, he caught Gaza Fever.
“You need a proper boat,” he said. “I’m going back to my people in Malaysia and see how we can help you raise money to send more boats back to Gaza.”
And that’s exactly what he and his wife did.
They went back to their citizens and, through the Perdana Global Peace Organization, helped to raise over €300,000 for the Free Gaza to purchase a cargo ship and two passenger boats. These are the boats we are sailing to Gaza beginning mid-May.
And when the Irish cargo boat sailed out of Dundalk, it was because of the passion for justice that Tun Dr.Mahathir and his wife, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah have for the occupied Palestinians and the determination of the members of the Free Gaza Movement.
Malaysia and Ireland and the people who represent this mission embody civil society at its best.
Now our four boats will rendezvous in the Mediterranean with boats from the European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza (ECESG), Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH), Ship to Gaza Greece, Ship to Gaza Sweden, and the International Committee to Lift the Siege on Gaza.
We’re named the Freedom Flotilla and we sail to deliver reconstruction supplies, paper, medical equipment and toys for the children. The fever has spread to other organizations and other countries.
Will there be a cure?...only if their fishermen can fish without being shot and murdered, only if their farmers can harvest their crops without Israeli military vehicles burning down their wheat, only if Gaza has the same rights as every country on the Mediterranean… the right to free and open trade with the rest of the world.
Then and only then will our severe case of Gaza Fever be cured.
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From "Ships To Gaza"-Sweden
(Ship Logo Below from "Ships To Gaza" Sweden)
(April, 2005) In the beginning of May 2010, eight vessels from different harbors in Europe are scheduled to set sail toward a single goal: The little Gaza strip between the Mediterranean Sea and the Negev Desert, between Israel and Egypt. The convoy, which is organized by a coalition of international peoples’ movements and human rights organizations, is a peaceful volunteer act of solidarity which aims to break an illegal blockade, alleviate a humanitarian crisis, and, through direct people-to-people action, show Gaza’s population that they are not alone or forgotten. In addition to cargo consisting of building material, pre-fabricated homes, and diesel-run electricity generators, the vessel will carry about 800 passengers from all over Europe, including Palestinians and Israelis, members of parliament actors, journalists and activists.
Background
One of the coalition’s members is Ship to Gaza Sweden. The idea was hatched in the end of 2008 by some activists in reaction to the drastically worsened situation in Gaza which, after the withdrawal of occupying forces in 2005, was subject to blockade and isolation. Already prior to the winter war of 2008-2009, the situation was catastrophic. Industrial production had for all practical purposes come to a halt, the construction industry was crippled, and agriculture and the fishing industry was severely damaged. More than four out of five Gaza inhabitants had been forced to depend on humanitarian aid for their very survival. War made this crisis situation even worse. Twenty-two days of massive bombing claimed 1,400 Palestinian lives ––300 of which were children. Homes, day care centers, hospitals, industries, and infrastructure were reduced to rubble. Illegal weapons such as white phosphor were used in the attack which, aside from being aimed at fighters and the Palestinian civil population, were also aimed toward the United Nations presence in the area.
The Organisation
The organisation Ship to Gaza Sweden was founded on February 8th 2009 with the goal to send a ship with emergency supplies in demand from Scandinavia through European and Mediterranean ports to Gaza as fast as possible (economically and practically). The organisations’s platform emphasizes that it shall be politically and religiously independent and consists of people and organizations that work to respect human rights and international law. It was also made clear that the reception of our aid in Gaza will be administered by organizations not tied to any political party. In the beginning Ship to Gaza Sweden was based in two local groups in Stockholm and Gothenburg and has since then grown to include groups in Malmö, Jönköping, Uppsala, Varberg, Örebro, Karlstad, Sjuhäradsbygden, Helsingborg, and Umeå. The network in Sweden has gained the support of nearly twenty organizations, including LO (Sweden’s largest labour union), Olof Palme’s International Center, the Left Party, Emmaus Björkå, Sweden’s Muslim Council, and Kristna Freds (Christian Peace Group/Fellowship of Reconciliation - Sweden). Networking outside of Sweden’s boundaries has led to contact with like-minded organizations all over Europe.
Our Work
The work during the past year has consisted of four main areas: 1) raising funds, 2) finding partners, 3) organizing a suitable vessel, crew, and cargo, and 4) raising awareness. Fundraising has taken place through classic social movement means: donation boxes, solidarity events and concerts. The biggest money-maker was the sale of “sea mile certificates”. For a sum of 1,000 Swedish kronor (approximately 100 Euro), private persons, shop-owners, associations, and businesses could buy a beautiful certificate to frame and hang on the wall. Organizations, political parties, and individuals have also made donations. During our first year we managed to collect a total of about 900,000 Swedish crowns (90,000 Euro). It’s a lot of money but it’s also far from the amount it costs to buy a vessel, fuel, and cargo as well as hire a crew. Thanks to international networking, we established contact with partners in Greece and Turkey who had developed similar plans.
The Future
Through the cooperation with Ship to Gaza Greece, we have now bought a ship which in our first voyage will join the above-mentioned convoy to Gaza in May. But the Ship to Gaza project will not be finished there. After that, the plan is to sail the ship to Sweden where it will be re-loaded with a new cargo and, with the help of our partners on the Atlantic coast and in the Mediterranean –journey again to Gaza. This trip is currently sch
eduled to take place sometime around August-September 2010. Furthermore, our partners in Greece and Turkey plan to send more ships to Gaza after the first convoy. Yet another joint-project entails dredging and establishing a mobile pontoon harbor in Gaza City. Hence, the work to raise funds, network, and influence public opinion continues on. Svenska
From the Free Gaza Movement
Israel's Intimidation Tactics Won't Stop Us: First Ship Sets Sail for Gaza!
| 15 May 2010FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
London – 14 May 2010 – At 22:45 local time tonight, the MV Rachel Corrie, a 1200-ton cargo ship, part of the eight-vessel Freedom Flotilla, set sail from Ireland on its way to the Mediterranean Sea. There, ships from Turkey and Greece will join her, then sail to Gaza.
This past week reports from Israel have indicated that the Israeli authorities will not allow the Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza with its cargo of much-needed reconstruction material, medical equipment, and school supplies. According to Israeli news sources, clear orders have been issued to prevent the ships from reaching Gaza, even if this necessitates military violence.
The Free Gaza Movement, which has launched eight other sea missions to Gaza, confirms that Israel has tried these kinds of threats and intimidation tactics before in order to try to stop the missions before they start. “They have not deterred us before and will not deter us now,” said one of the organizers.
Ship to Gaza -- Sweden, a Freedom Flotilla coalition partner, together with parliamentarian Mehmet Kaplan (Green Party) yesterday asked for an audience with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Carl Bildt, to discuss what measures the Swedish government and the European Union will take to protect the Freedom Flotilla’s peaceful, humanitarian voyage. Earlier this week during a meeting with the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza – another coalition partner, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyib Erdogan expressed his support for “breaking the oppressive siege on the Gaza Strip...which is at the top of Turkey’s list of priorities.“
Coalition partners, Ship to Gaza – Greece and the Turkish relief organization IHH, stressed that the ships, passengers, and cargo will be checked at each port of departure, making it clear that we constitute no security threat to Israel.
Israel’s threats to attack unarmed civilians aboard vessels carrying reconstruction aid are outrageous and indicative of the cruel and violent nature of Israel’s policies towards Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla is acting in line with universal principals of human rights and justice in defying a blockade identified as illegal by the UN and other humanitarian organizations. Palestinians in Gaza have a right to the thousands of basic supplies that Israel bans from entering, including cement and schoolbooks, as well as a right to access the outside world. The Freedom Flotilla coalition calls on all signatories to the Fourth Geneva Conventions to pressure Israel to adhere to its obligations under international humanitarian law, to end the lethal blockade on Gaza, and to refrain from attacking this peaceful convoy.
For more information:
Free Gaza Movement – Greta Berlin - +33 607374512
ECESG – Mazen Kahel - +33 1 46 81 12 92
IHH – Ahmet Emin Dag – +90 530 341 1934
Ship to Gaza / Greece – Vangelis Pissias - +30 697 200 9339
Ship to Gaza / Sweden – Dror Feiler - +46702855777
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, and the International Committee to Lift the Siege on Gaza, with hundreds of groups and organizations around the world supporting the effort.
www.freegaza.org www.savegaza.eu www.ihh.org.tr
www.shiptogaza.gr www.shiptogaza.se
Radio: "Democracy Now!" April 21, 2010
A daily TV/radio news program, hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, airing on over 800 stations, pioneering the largest community media collaboration in the U.S.
Link: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/21/headlines#5
Humanitarian Ships to Attempt New Breach of Gaza Blockade
In other Mideast news, a coalition of activist groups has announced it will try to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip with a fleet of eight ships next month. The Free Gaza Movement says over 600 passengers will attempt to reach the port of Gaza and deliver supplies barred under the Israeli blockade. The flagship vessel will depart from Ireland and will be named after the American peace activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer in March 2003. Israel has stopped at least three Free Gaza sailings since January 2009. One Free Gaza ship almost sunk after being deliberately rammed by an Israeli vessel. Israel intercepted another ship in international waters and arrested all of its passengers. Another ship was forced to turn back after the Israeli navy threatened to shoot the civilian passengers on board.
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