Externe

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 15:03

A humanitarian aid ship which set sail for the Gaza strip has been seized by occupying Israeli forces today. The Israeli military abducted 21 human rights workers from 11 countries including former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and Noble laureate Mairead Maguire. The passengers and crew, though traveling in international waters, were forcibly dragged toward Israel.
Members of the crew are being detained. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said Israel was planning to free the crew and passengers. “Nobody wants to keep them here,” he said. “They will be released as soon as they are checked.”
From the FreeGaza press release:
“This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip,” said Cynthia McKinney, a former U.S. Congresswoman and presidential candidate. “President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that’s exactly what we tried to do. We’re asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey.”
ccording to an International Committee of the Red Cross report released yesterday, the Palestinians living in Gaza are “trapped in despair.” Thousands of Gazans whose homes were destroyed earlier during Israel’s December/January massacre are still without shelter despite pledges of almost $4.5 billion in aid, because Israel refuses to allow cement and other building material into the Gaza Strip. The report also notes that hospitals are struggling to meet the needs of their patients due to Israel’s disruption of medical supplies.
“The aid we were carrying is a symbol of hope for the people of Gaza, hope that the sea route would open for them, and they would be able to transport their own materials to begin to reconstruct the schools, hospitals and thousands of homes destroyed during the onslaught of “Cast Lead”. Our mission is a gesture to the people of Gaza that we stand by them and that they are not alone” said fellow passenger Mairead Maguire, winner of a Noble Peace Prize for her work in Northern Ireland.
Just before being kidnapped by Israel, Huwaida Arraf, Free Gaza Movement chairperson and delegation co-coordinator on this voyage, stated that: “No one could possibly believe that our small boat constitutes any sort of threat to Israel. We carry medical and reconstruction supplies, and children’s toys. Our passengers include a Nobel peace prize laureate and a former U.S. congressperson. Our boat was searched and received a security clearance by Cypriot Port Authorities before we departed, and at no time did we ever approach Israeli waters.”
Arraf continued, “Israel’s deliberate and premeditated attack on our unarmed boat is a clear violation of international law and we demand our immediate and unconditional release.”

http://www.chartingstocks.net/2009/06/israel-attacks-gaza-aid-ship-us-congresswoman-kidnapped/

Israelul o va schimba cu soldatul rapit...


La 2009-07-01 05:28:17, Zenn a scris:

>
>
> Tuesday, June 30, 2009 15:03
>
> A humanitarian aid ship which set sail for the Gaza strip has been
> seized by occupying Israeli forces today. The Israeli military
> abducted 21 human rights workers from 11 countries including former
> U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and Noble laureate Mairead
> Maguire. The passengers and crew, though traveling in international
> waters, were forcibly dragged toward Israel.
> Members of the crew are being detained. Israeli Foreign Ministry
> spokesman Yigal Palmor said Israel was planning to free the crew and
> passengers. “Nobody wants to keep them here,” he said.
> “They will be released as soon as they are checked.”
> From the FreeGaza press release:
> “This is an outrageous violation of international law against
> us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights
> mission to the Gaza Strip,” said Cynthia McKinney, a former U.S.
> Congresswoman and presidential candidate. “President Obama just
> told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and
> that’s exactly what we tried to do. We’re asking the
> international community to demand our release so we can resume our
> journey.”
> ccording to an International Committee of the Red Cross report
> released yesterday, the Palestinians living in Gaza are
> “trapped in despair.” Thousands of Gazans whose homes
> were destroyed earlier during Israel’s December/January
> massacre are still without shelter despite pledges of almost $4.5
> billion in aid, because Israel refuses to allow cement and other
> building material into the Gaza Strip. The report also notes that
> hospitals are struggling to meet the needs of their patients due to
> Israel’s disruption of medical supplies.
> “The aid we were carrying is a symbol of hope for the people of
> Gaza, hope that the sea route would open for them, and they would be
> able to transport their own materials to begin to reconstruct the
> schools, hospitals and thousands of homes destroyed during the
> onslaught of “Cast Lead”. Our mission is a gesture to the
> people of Gaza that we stand by them and that they are not
> alone” said fellow passenger Mairead Maguire, winner of a Noble
> Peace Prize for her work in Northern Ireland.
> Just before being kidnapped by Israel, Huwaida Arraf, Free Gaza
> Movement chairperson and delegation co-coordinator on this voyage,
> stated that: “No one could possibly believe that our small boat
> constitutes any sort of threat to Israel. We carry medical and
> reconstruction supplies, and children’s toys. Our passengers
> include a Nobel peace prize laureate and a former U.S.
> congressperson. Our boat was searched and received a security
> clearance by Cypriot Port Authorities before we departed, and at no
> time did we ever approach Israeli waters.”
> Arraf continued, “Israel’s deliberate and premeditated
> attack on our unarmed boat is a clear violation of international law
> and we demand our immediate and unconditional release.”
>
> http://www.chartingstocks.net/2009/06/israel-attacks-gaza-aid-ship-us-congresswoman-kidnapped/
>
>