Israel Murders Human Rights Workers Delivering Humanitarian Aid

On Sunday, Israel murdered human rights workers who were attempting to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, because Gaza has been virtually cut off from the outside world by Israel. At least 19 people were reportedly killed and dozens injured when Israeli troops boarded the six-ship Freedom Flotilla convoy in international waters and immediately fired live ammunition at the people on board the ships. The convoy was comprised of 700 people from 50 nationalities and included a Nobel laureate, members of parliament from Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Turkey and Malaysia, as well as Palestinian members of the Israeli Knesset and a Holocaust survivor.

Israel's armed attack on these human rights workers constitutes a clear breach of international law. The human rights workers should be released immediately, medical treatment should be provided for the wounded, and all humanitarian aid materials should be immediately transferred to Gaza.

Human rights organizations and bar associations, including the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, the National Lawyers Guild, the American Association of Jurists, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, MADRE, the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy, World Human Rights, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, and the governments of Britain, France, Germany and Turkey have condemned the Israeli assault. The U.S. government has not yet spoken out in opposition to the assault by Israel, the largest recipient of U.S. aid.

There should be an international investigation of crimes committed during and after Israel's armed attack on the Freedom Flotilla and prosecution of all Israeli officials and soldiers responsible.

Israel must end its illegal blockade of Gaza, which constitutes unlawful aggression under General Assembly Resolution 3314 (1974). When the Security Council convenes, it should order Israel to cease its acts of aggression.

 

Comments

[station agent]

01:28 AM on 06/01/2010

i'd like to see what Edward Peck (former US Ambassador) has to say when he gets home...i hope that at least some of the aid supplies reached the people of Gaza...
My heart goes out to the aid workers and their families...

[tobiasaurusrex]

01:57 PM on 06/03/2010

Edward Peck said this to Keith Olbermann (via FireDogLake/YouTube):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z47wKB94ZGM

[ractivist]

07:44 PM on 05/31/2010

Humanitarian aid? The facts are quite clear, humanitarian aid has been arriving via truck for quite some time. The flotilla was a blockade busting event, a sensational, extremely visual plan to undermine Isreals blockade. A blockade that was and is necessary due to an enemy, Hamas, that is hell bent on destroying Isreal. Literally it's stated purpose in life. Gaza recieved goods via trucks daily. This was not necessary, it was a staged event by those looking to provoke.

Did you hear, Bill Ayers and his wife Bernadine Dohrn were in this flotilla. These two are major players in comperable uprisings, like the Days of Rage in Chicago. Why were they here? What role did they play? Makes an enquiring mind want to know. Who psyched these people up to organize and attack these special forces upon the assault...........? What right minded activist would consider attacking a force with lethal clubs? Oh, that's right, there not "right" minded..........

[YankeeCanuck]

08:40 PM on 05/31/2010

According to the WHO two-thirds of Gazans receive barely enough calories to live on. According to Amnesty INternational, four-fifths of Gazans need humanitarian aid. Israel is allowing just enough through to keep the population barely above starvation.
That is reality.
And since you invoked the Vietnam years--this is being called "Israel's Kent State" when students were massacred. Yes, it turned a lot of minds around.

[rjvg50]

11:52 AM on 06/01/2010

The fact that Days of Rage and the entire Mobilization against the war worked - it ended lingering support by the American public - might give us a clue...

[EastAsia]

06:17 PM on 05/31/2010

This is terrible slander and dishonesty on the part of M Cohn. This is the kind of lie that provokes further violence. Killing someone in self defense is not murder. And if Cohn is really a lawyer she would know that.

The laws of peacetime are not the same as the laws of war. That does make it less obvious.

It's amazing how both the boaters and the IDF make such terrible videos. You'd think there would be one clear shot of the action. This so-called "Censored" video is the clearest I've found so far:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaiMjAULWn0

Except that it isn't censored. Oh well. The video speaks for itself if you watch it two or three times. At first I had trouble seeing the fire bomb, the Molotov cocktail. But if you're careful you can infer it from the way the crowd backs away from it in a circle, keeping their distance.

[lisakaz2]

06:29 PM on 05/31/2010

Laws of war? Turkey was an ally of Israel. How 'bout that as slander?

[YankeeCanuck]

08:42 PM on 05/31/2010

Even is wartime, what do you call a force that attacks humanitarian aid convoys like, say, the Red Cross?
THat's right, criminals.

[lisakaz2]

05:13 PM on 05/31/2010

What official group(s) were in charge of the flotilla? That's quite an impressive less of ppl on board of it. I hope they speak out about what happened.

[charlietuna11]

04:40 PM on 05/31/2010

any one care to bet which members of congress will be the first to defend the murders of those trying to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of gaza. i see on this site there are some new bloggers ready and willing to justify israels actions. i'm predicting after a full israeli investigation, that every person they killed were done so under life threatening conditions.when this is over congress will declare turkey our newest and most dangerous enemy.

[BillZBubb]

04:25 PM on 05/31/2010

Even the US must condemn this Israeli outrage if we plan to keep any sort of moral relevancy.

[RodbfromNC]

04:25 PM on 05/31/2010

I think it is time for us to stop giving aid to Israel, pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan and leave the Middle East to the Middle East. It will also force us to deal with our own lack of energy and create green energy.

[Countess]

04:06 PM on 05/31/2010

The world community must denounce this piracy and insist these outrageous violations of international law and human decency end. Sanctions and boycotts are in order.

[bonncaruso]

04:05 PM on 05/31/2010

This article is biased in EXTREME. That flotilla was told more than once to turn around and to not enter Gaza. That flotilla was also given other options by the Israeli government. And for peaceloving humanitarians, they sure knew how to beat the hell out of israeli soldiers, who were only armed at first with paint guns.

So, you really should get your facts straight here.

Once again, a PR nightmare for Israel. Once again, a blatant attempt to paint Israel as the devil.

Typical islamic manipulation of the facts. SPIT.

[BillZBubb]

04:24 PM on 05/31/2010

Nice try to spin out of this. Israel's actions were brutal and illegal. Back in the early 1960's we used to hear the same kind of spin out of the Southern US racists who attacked civil rights workers.

[phute]

04:25 PM on 05/31/2010

Israel messed up - noone else.
Hate that.

[noweknow]

03:42 PM on 05/31/2010

This is war crime for Israel to kill these humanitarian aid workers.
But nothing will happen to Israel on the U.S. watch.

[EastAsia]

06:29 PM on 05/31/2010

If they were only humanitarian aid workers, then it would be a crime. If they attacked the boarding party with sticks and knives then it is not a crime. Humans are allowed to defend their lives. And that includes boarding parties.

The boarding was legal.

[CigarGod]

03:33 PM on 05/31/2010

If you would like to contact the Turkish Embassy and express your support for their courageous words and actions...and their stated intent to immediately send aid ships to Gaza, escorted by warships, you can contact them here:
[e-mail]
Ambassador Namik Tan

[lisakaz2]

05:17 PM on 05/31/2010

How do we get to do something in English?

[CigarGod]

05:43 PM on 05/31/2010

Upper right corner of the main page that comes up.
Click English.

[station agent]

01:14 AM on 06/01/2010

Fanned...

[siro]

03:24 PM on 05/31/2010

This is a facetious lie. All the violent incidents occurred on one ship, the Marmaris filled with Turkish pro-Hamas activists.
watch for yourselves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaiMjAULWn0

[phute]

04:26 PM on 05/31/2010

Nah - not working. Try another angle.

[Londoncall]

07:48 PM on 05/31/2010

phute, I think they have tried every angle under the sun today. Shame none of them is remotely believable.

[siro]

05:57 AM on 06/01/2010

maybe you'll believe sources in arabic?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3L7OV414Kk

[NanoHaxial]

03:17 PM on 05/31/2010

Video evidence of the events clearly shows that the claim of Israeli troops firing immediately upon boarding is patently false. Rather, the video shows the troops being swarmed and beaten as they land on the ship. Two of the troops were shot, one was stabbed, and another in serious condition as a result of blows to the head. You can even see the troops being tossed down to lower decks in the videos.

[bonncaruso]

04:07 PM on 05/31/2010

Yup, those were those peace-loving humanitarians. And I cannot wait until the complete inspection of all the ships is over with. The weapons caches will be found also.

[BillZBubb]

04:27 PM on 05/31/2010

Just like Saddam's WMDs, right bonn? If the Israeli's find weapons THEY PUT THEM THERE.

[lisakaz2]

06:31 PM on 05/31/2010

And how did they board? By force or invitation?

[siro]

05:59 AM on 06/01/2010

Under common international law, ships are expected to respect naval blockades, and running blockades gives the belligerent force a grant to an inspection of the ship and its seizure.