Israeli attack on Palestinian relief flotilla

I am following the story on the Israeli attack on the Palestinian aid marine convoy carefully, though at this time I don’t have any comment. If anyone would like to participate in fact finding, you are invited to post relevant comments, videos, articles or other media in the comment area. Thank you.

Eric Francis

PS, not also — I am looking for as many sources of the data as possible. If you see the data published, please include that with the source in a comment. Thank you.

33 thoughts on “Israeli attack on Palestinian relief flotilla”

  1. I just ran across this, which I can only post as a link to a jpeg (I think is what you’re getting here):
    http://i.imgur.com/u9Kul.jpg

    and which I do not fully understand enough of the tech to be at all sure of but it purports to demonstrate that a photo supposedly taken of weapons aboard the ship where the killings occurred (part of the justification for said killings presumably) is actually not from the date of the event but some significant time earlier…… if you follow that, and if you don’t click on the URL and biggerize it and you will see…….

  2. .. well, just a bit of “crazy” reason, … (and I’ll drag the periods out, ’cause they’re fun..)..

    ..Confusion is rampant. Askew, is portioned upon this reality…

    ..It’s the relinquish, and gathering of the vibrations, that dictates/(asks), that we as a species/culture/world/”whatever the fuck you call it”,.. come into our own beings, as far as the rightful caretakers of these realities.

    I Love You. And that’s all I have to say…

    Jere

  4. Carrie,

    “A compromise statement instead calls for an impartial investigation which Washington indicated could be carried out by Israel.”

    I suppose I should have added to that post some comment about how my jaw dropped and how loud my guffaw was when I read that — where is the “you got to be kidding me!!!!!!” emoticon when ya need one?

    The very idea of am impartial investigation into this event being carried out by Israel is, like, a contradiction so glaring I am truly stunned the article was able to print it with a straight face.

    oh right, no facial expressions on news words, I do tend to forget.

    yeah, truly amazing.

  6. Kyla,

    “The United States has blocked demands at the UN security council for an international inquiry into Israel’s assault on the Turkish ship carrying aid to Gaza that left nine pro-Palestinian activists dead.

    A compromise statement instead calls for an impartial investigation which Washington indicated could be carried out by Israel.”

    Fox investigate other foxes and the hen house eh? The U S reaction to unacceptable Israeli actions always makes me ask…how does Israel have the U S by the short hairs to such a degree that we don’t pull our funding and tell them “hell no, no more funding” until they stop their human rights violations?

    Unless the U S prefers the mideast to be in perpetual turmoil (divided they fall that way and we can control the Arab oil) then it makes no sense to keep siding with Israel when they perpetrate these atrocities against innocent people. Seems to me that the U S prefers things all stirred up and divided; all that oil under the control of people the U S doesn’t like to trust. Some say it is the whole Judeo-Christian thing that keeps us supporting Israel despite their human rights violations; the Christian Bible says the Jews are “God’s chosen” and Christians believe they must side with them because of that distinction.

    If anyone wants to know why Hamas, al Qaeda, Hezbollah and any other Arabic terrorist group continues to have support and target the U S, our backing of Israeli policy toward the Palestinians as Israel occupies, starves, humiliates, and demoralizes them is the first place to look. The Arab world doesn’t keep harping on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because they like wasting their breath; it really IS one of the more prominent reasons the U S is a target of the terrorists.

  9. “UN Security Council Calls for Impartial, Credible Investigation of Israeli Boat Raid” (“for more information” POC’s at the end)

    http://www.freegaza.org/

    Interesting piece asking the question “What could Israel’s leaders been thinking?”; speaks of the Obama administration and 18 months of effort with little result; talks about taking this opportunity should be used to beg a different approach to an old problem; and about something going “terribly wrong with the Zionist dream”; and more.

    http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/05/31/israels_latest_brutal_blunder?sms_ss=twitter

    Comparison of Gaza to Ghetto Warsaw of 1943, so Israelis to Nazis:

    http://windowintopalestine.blogspot.com/2010/05/freedom-flotilla-in-face-of-nazis-of.html

  10. I’ll try posting in segments.

    Also, that video I posted yesterday I think was a joke. Anyone else get that idea?

    Patricia MoonRose

    EU has been lax on Israel’s previous misbehavior – will this time be different?

    http://www.turkishweekly.net/columnist/3342/the-israeli-attack-on-humanitarian-aid-ships-an-eu-perspective.html

    Growing demands to end Israel’s blockade of Gaza:

    http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/102615/merkel-demands-that-israel-end-gaza-blockade.html

    Good Article which asks and answers the question, “What are the rights and duties of Israel as the occupying power under international law including international humanitarian law?” revised Jan 2009 and very relevant to yesterday’s event.

    http://www.diakonia.se/sa/node.asp?node=3500

  11. I’ve tried to post a few listings but for some reason the post isn’t taking… could too many url’s in one comment be the reason?

    Patricia MoonRose

  12. This is the closest I’ve found to a time on Democracy Now!:

    Just heard Amy say around 4:00 am Palestinian time on the radio; would have to find transcript.

    I had already found this on the Democracy Now! blog:

    TRANSCRIPT

    Amy Goodman: This is Democracy Now!, I’m Amy Goodman. We have on the line with us Adam Shapiro. He is a board member of the Free Gaza Movement. Adam, we got word several hours ago that the Israeli military had attacked the Free Gaza Flotilla. We are speaking to you at about 3:30 AM Eastern Standard Time. Can you tell us what you understand has happened?

    Adam Shapiro: The Israelis launched a military operation involving about a thousand soldiers, using ships, using helicopters, and using airplanes to attack the flotilla of six ships–three passenger and three cargo ships, at approximately between 8 and 9 pm Eastern Standard Time. All the ships have been captured. One of the ships that we know for sure, which had a satellite communication ability, the large Turkish ship with about 600 passengers including members of Parliament from different countries, was attacked by Israeli soldiers using live ammunition. We now know that at least 14 people have been confirmed killed, and perhaps as many as 20 killed, with over 60 injured, and currently all the ships are being brought into the Israeli port of Haifa.

    Link to the rest of the interview:
    http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2010/5/31/interview_at_least_15_dead_after_israel_attacks_gaza_bound_aid_flotilla

    Rush Transcript for today’s Democracy Now! with interviews (only partial at time of this post):

    http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/1/global_condemnation_of_israeli_armed_attack

    and a russian newscast with some video with a time stamp, but no idea what time zone the camera was set for:

    http://www.ntv.ru/novosti/194026

  14. Syd: I just want to register my complete agreement with your point of view.

    I noticed last night that the internet vitriol from the supporters of Israel was at top volume and full flood…. I also noticed, which I had not when I was first reading about this, that the ship that was boarded was actually named for Rachel Corrie….

  16. Historic UNSC Condemnation of Israel, and of Gaza Blockade;
    World Body Demands release of Aid Activists, Ships

    Posted on June 1, 2010 by Juan

    In a rare public denunciation of Israel, the United Nations Security Council on Monday condemned the Israeli raid on the Gaza aid flotilla and deplored the loss of innocent life that attended it. The world body insisted that Israel immediately release the 480 humanitarians it had taken captive, and demanded that it also let their ships go. The UNSC also instructed Israel to lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip, calling the siege “not sustainable.” Although the statement was weaker than the text urged by Turkey and the Arab world, it was brutal compared to the anodyne language usually insisted upon by Washington when it comes to Israel.

    This development is head-spinning in its implications. The United States almost never allows UNSC resolutions condemning Israel to go forward (though this text was admittedly a presidential statement rather than a full resolution). But here it is clear that President Barack Obama instructed his ambassador to the UN to join in the condemnation of the Israeli “acts.” Since Turkey is currently a non-permanent member of the UNSC and led the charge on the condemnation of Israel, it is possible that the US felt it had to trade horses with Ankara if it has any chance of still getting a UNSC resolution tightening sanctions on Iran (a step that Turkey opposes, as does Brazil, though neither has a veto). It is also possible that Israel’s rash attack has sabotaged the Obama administration’s push for increased UN sanctions on Iran, hardening opposition to an Israel-driven policy toward Tehran. (emphasis by FB)

  17. From Starhawk’s blog:

    “Early Monday morning, at 4:30 AM local time, commandos from an Israeli military helicopter assaulted the lead ship of the Gaza Freedom flotilla while it was still in international waters. Soldiers droped from the air in full combat mode and fired live ammunition at the unarmed activists—killing somewhere between ten and twenty people and wounding dozens.

    “I have at least four friends on that flotilla, all women. They are part of a group of seven hundred activists who include members of parliament from many European countries, retired US diplomats, a nobel prize winner and many caring, committed human rights activists.”

    Continued here http://starhawksblog.org/?p=346

  18. HI Eric,  Just wanted to send you my thoughts in discussion with some friends last night about the attack on the flotilla by Israel.  It was pretty much unanimous that everyone felt this was a provocation on Israel’s part to begin a wider regional war.  The US is speaking more about Iran and its ties to the Taliban  (kind of ridiculous as the Taliban is Sunni and does not really have ties to Shia Iran) and it appears that there is a desire to widen this wore (perhaps as another distraction?)…more oil?   Does this at all coincide with all of the astrological events that you discuss that are being activated near the Aries Point.  

    Blessings,
    Lynelle

  19. From Juan Cole’s Informed Comment:

    “Historians may look back on the Marmara raid as the moment a new order began emerging in the Middle East, grouping Turkey with Iran, Syria, Iraq and Palestine rather than with Washington and Tel Aviv.”

  20. First I would like to thank Eric for this section. It is important to clarify the American people on what has been going on. I find profoundly worrying when people say that maybe some professional soldiers that have shot 19 unarmed people might have acted correctly. And that the murdered were the responsible for their own death. It is time to object this suggestion.

    I live in the Mideast and I am a member of the resident diplomatic community in the region. At first, I was shocked with the whole mess, but now I ‘m simply pissed off with the cynical and misleading approach of Israel.. And before any ad hominem crap: No I am not muslim, I am not arab, I am not anti-semitic, I am not against the existence of Israel,…

    No, Kyla, the guys weren`t minding their own business. They were facing a danger that most of people choose to ignore, confronting the illegal- I repeat illegal by reasonable international law standards- siege of a population. Israel has no right whatsoever to impose a blockage on Gaza (as anything concerning law, there is a minority that disputes my opinion, Israeli government among them). So what happened was that an special unit of an army of an illegitimate power practicing an illegitimate act (invading a civil vessel in international waters) to defend an illegitimate status quo. No matter how much AIPAC find this unpleasant. But most people prefer to avoid any sense of logic and justice and fall pray to Israeli`s right-wing world view that is fighting the terrorists of the “Armada of Hate” that carried terrorists (among them a former US ambassador and 2 noble prizes laureates. All al-quaeda and international jihad related? Please, the Israelis just lot it…) Shame. I `m not surprised if ~the- whole- arms- to -terrorist- hysteria, bushist way, starts to show up.

    If it were in Somalia, CNN would have called it piracy. If the Mavi Marmara were called Exodus, it could even become a hollywood blockbuster and the “provocative”, defiant passengers would have become heroes, who knows… Yeah, double standards are alive and kicking. But if you have the money to pay for political campaigns your standard might prevail.It’s said that even twitter has censored tweets about the raid.Who would imagine.

    Finally, I`ve been living around here for a while. I have never ever heard an israeli spokesperson saying “sorry, we have screwed up. We were wrong this time. We are doing our best to repair the damage. Criticism is legitimate and we do not think that all critics are anti-semitic. ” What a great bunch of governmental officials. Never make a mistake. Maybe US could import some of them. More efficient than the republicans.

    For further information :

    http://www.alternet.org/story/147052/3_facts_you_need_to_know_about_the_israeli_attack_on_peace_activists_on_the_gaza_flotilla/

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/01/ambassador-aboard-flotilla-returns-dc/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+(Text+-+Politics)

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/01/israelis-gaza-flotilla-activists

    And if you think that that the blockage is unanimous among Israelis, think again

    http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/a-special-place-in-hell/a-special-place-in-hell-the-second-gaza-war-israel-lost-at-sea-1.293246

    http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=39311

  23. ..No relevance,.. just commentary.. the Israeli gov. is dumb mother fuckers. I’m so tired of their “fortifying” their banks…

    LOOK FUCKERS!, YOU’RE ALL RELATED!.. WE’RE ALL RELATED!.. DUMB-ASS MOTHER FUCKERS! QUIT BEING INFANTILE ‘TARDS, ACCEPT THE FACT THAT WE ALL MUST SHARE THIS SPACE WE CALL REALITY!!! YOU HAVE NO SPECIAL PLACE RELATIVE TO ANY OTHER.

    So, Quit being DICKS, and LOVE your freakin’ neighbor, assholes! Stop the violence, NOW!

    ..am I fucked up, or is this shit just fucking stupid?!?

    (I’m tired, man. I need a way off this wheel. [Inside, I know..].. I’m almost gone..)

    ..It’s the folks, and their connections that will bring these reigns within soulular grasp.

    Love, Peace,.. other common Good Vibes..

    Jere

  25. The flotilla had quite clearly proclaimed that they intended to bust through the Israeli blockade of Gaza….. so we can’t really say they were just kind of out there minding their boatness….. but even so.

    And now Turkey is announcing an escalation:

    http://ibnlive.in.com/news/turkey-threatens-action-israel-on-alert/116743-2.html

    (excerpt)

    “….Two Turkish activists were reported to be among those killed in the flotilla. Ankara warned that further supply vessels will be sent to Gaza, escorted by the Turkish Navy, a development with unpredictable consequences…..”

  26. Israel have the audacity to call these aid-workers terrorists! Is a Nobel laureate a terrorist? A Holocaust survivor? School-teachers, swedish politicians, journalists? Israeli propaganda-tactics is so blatantly obvious, the have completely isolated the aid-workers not allowing them to even speak with their own families! They aren’t releasing any information about the passengers on the flotilla, only what suits Israel. Propaganda!

  27. Even if Israel knows that these ships carry nothing but aid, they still cannot allow that aid to get into Gaza. Israel has been engaging in a complete blackout of information coming out of Gaza. Nobody is let in, and certainly no one is let out. The borders are blockaded, and recently Israel has concocted this story of “thousands of tons of medical aid” going to Gaza from Israel.

    An international group seeing the state of Gaza currently would blow the lid off what conditions are like in there. it would expose Israel and what israel is doing, and prove the lie to the brand-new story of Israel generously supplying Gaza with aid and medicine and food.

    In other words, if this flotilla were to land and start distributing, it would become a huge embarassment for Israel, and given how many leaders of the nations involved were keeping an eye on the situation, would have very likely led to substantial condemnation of Israel’s “efforts” in Gaza.

    So rather than risk that, Israel intercepted the flotilla, shot some people, and is now pretty much depending on the US to bail them out. For Israel, it’s a better option than the alternative; the US wouldn’t be able to give israel a free pass when it came to conditions in Gaza, but it can do so over their attack on civilians in international waters.

    That’s why Israel did this.

  28. I mentioned this event to my friend and she commented if the Israelis attacked that ship there was more than just food on board.

    Shortly after I found this video that seems to confirm her suspicions:

    http://windowintopalestine.blogspot.com/2010/05/video-saddams-wmd-found-aboard-gaza.html

    awordedgewise, apparently the self defense they claim has something to do with missing nukes that goes back to 1991:

    “In a long secret “lost nuke” scenario dating back to 1991 and involving Israel, South Africa, Britain, Oman and the U.S., Israel claims “self defense” in attacking ships in international waters today, killing 16. Three Israeli “nuclear armed” submarines sit off Iran today, they believe covered by this same deception. This was also the rationale for other acts to isolate Palestinians including walling off hundreds of thousands in a virtual prison in Gaza, walls built and designed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, walls that America should have on its own southern border.”

    http://windowintopalestine.blogspot.com/2010/05/is-this-why-israel-gets-away-with.html

    Maybe I’ll surf a little more tomorrow, as we’re supposed to get rain, but right now it’s time for rest.

    G’night.

    Patricia MoonRose

  29. I’m missing something. If the boats were in international waters and were um, oh, boats in the water – you know, going along doing what boats do in the water…..then what were the “Israeli forces” doing there anyway? “Protecting themselves ” from – say what?

    If someone finds that missing piece, um, let me know.

  30. These links were passed along to me and I am passing them on. I have watched them and read both the associated article and comments, but they are not my regular sources for world news, so I hesitate to voice an opinion.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmLl_Pq9SjM&feature=related

    http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/05/201053113252437484.html

    This is my contribution to the conversation, although I won’t say they are unbiased or what I do or do not believe to be the truth. How’s that for a disclaimer/soft stance?

    No doubt more information will arrive in the coming days…

  31. Al Jazeera’s report:
    http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/05/201053133047995359.html

    Israeli forces have attacked a flotilla of aid-carrying ships aiming to break the country’s siege on Gaza.

    At least 19 people were killed and dozens injured when troops intercepted the convoy of ships dubbed the Freedom Flotilla early on Monday, Israeli radio reported.

    The flotilla was attacked in international waters, 65km off the Gaza coast.

    Avital Leibovich, an Israeli military spokeswoman, confirmed that the attack took place in international waters, saying: “This happened in waters outside of Israeli territory, but we have the right to defend ourselves.”

    Footage from the flotilla’s lead vessel, the Mavi Marmara, showed armed Israeli soldiers boarding the ship and helicopters flying overhead.

    Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal, on board the Mavi Marmara, said Israeli troops had used live ammunition during the operation.

    Free Gaza Movement, the organisers of the flotilla, however, said the troops opened fire as soon as they stormed the convoy.The Israeli military said four soldiers had been wounded and claimed troops opened fire after “demonstrators onboard attacked the IDF Naval personnel with live fire and light weaponry including knives and clubs”.

    Our correspondent said that a white surrender flag was raised from the ship and there was no live fire coming from the passengers.

    Before losing communication with our correspondent, a voice in Hebrew was clearly heard saying: “Everyone shut up”.

    Israeli intervention

    Earlier, the Israeli navy had contacted the captain of the Mavi Marmara, asking him to identify himself and say where the ship was headed.

    Shortly after, two Israeli naval vessels had flanked the flotilla on either side, but at a distance.

    Organisers of the flotilla carrying 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid then diverted their ships and slowed down to avoid a confrontation during the night.

    They also issued all passengers life jackets and asked them to remain below deck.

    Al Jazeera’s Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from Jerusalem, said the Israeli action was surprising.

    “All the images being shown from the activists on board those ships show clearly that they were civilians and peaceful in nature, with medical supplies on board. So it will surprise many in the international community to learn what could have possibly led to this type of confrontation,” he said.

    Meanwhile, Israeli police have been put on a heightened state of alert across the country to prevent any civil disturbances.

    Sheikh Raed Salah,a leading member of the Islamic Movement who was on board the ship, was reported to have been seriously injured. He was being treated in Israel’s Tal Hasharon hospital.

    In Um Al Faham, the stronghold of the Islamic movement in Israel and the birth place of Salah, preparations for mass demonstrations were under way.

    Protests

    Condemnation has been quick to pour in after the Israeli action.

    Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, officially declared a three-day state of mourning over Monday’s deaths.

    Turkey, Spain, Greece, Denmark and Sweden have all summoned the Israeli ambassador’s in their respective countries to protest against the deadly assault.

    Thousands of Turkish protesters tried to storm the Israeli consulate in Istanbul soon after the news of the operation broke. The protesters shouted “Damn Israel” as police blocked them.

    “(The interception on the convoy) is unacceptable … Israel will have to endure the consequences of this behaviour,” the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

    Ismail Haniya, the Hamas leader in Gaza, has also dubbed the Israeli action as “barbaric”.

    Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists, including a Nobel laureate and several European legislators, were with the flotilla, aiming to reach Gaza in defiance of an Israeli embargo.

    The convoy came from the UK, Ireland, Algeria, Kuwait, Greece and Turkey, and was comprised of about 700 people from 50 nationalities.

    But Israel had said it would not allow the flotilla to reach the Gaza Strip and vowed to stop the six ships from reaching the coastal Palestinian territory.

    The flotilla had set sail from a port in Cyprus on Sunday and aimed to reach Gaza by Monday morning.

    Israel said the boats were embarking on “an act of provocation” against the Israeli military, rather than providing aid, and that it had issued warrants to prohibit their entrance to Gaza.

    It asserted that the flotilla would be breaking international law by landing in Gaza, a claim the organisers rejected.

  32. The thick plottens:

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100601/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

    (excerpt)
    Most of the information about what happened on the single ship where violence broke out came from Israel, which cut off all communication to and from the activists and provided testimony and video evidence that its soldiers came under attack by activists armed with metal rods, knives, slingshots and two pistols snatched from the troops.

    Passengers reached at an Israeli hospital and journalists aboard the ship accused the soldiers of using excessive force. One passenger, who identified himself as American, spoke briefly with reporters.

    “I’m not violent. What I can tell you is that there are bruises all over my body. They won’t let me show them to you,” he said before he was pushed away by a security escort.
    ~~~~~~

    “video evidence”.

    I don’t think so.

  33. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/10195997.stm

    very short article with video. Israeli troops boarded the aid ship in international waters, from helicopters. Apparently, the aid workers and volunteers aboard were not the total pacifist non-resistance types, not the Rachel Cory type to just stand and be squashed…. although even the degree of resistance they offered is in question….

    Just the fact that they were boarded in international waters strikes me as huge.

    O I believe that ole sword of Damocles is landing on Obama’s neck right about now, bless his soul!

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