I was one of those who chose to defy Israeli forces when they attacked and took our Freedom Flotilla ships that were trying to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to civilian organizations in the Israeli blockaded Gaza Strip. Most of us resisted, to varying degrees, for which we paid a price -- in my case multiple beatings in two days of captivity in Israel. At least nine paid with their lives. My multicolored skin and twisted joints are healing, even at age 64, but my colleagues are gone forever, and some of the dozens of wounded may never fully recover.
All of us were unarmed. I chose to resist by jumping overboard from the Sfendoni soon after we were captured, far out at sea. I took the calculated risk that Israel would find it hard to explain its failure to rescue me, and that the act might disrupt their operations to at least some extent. Later, I continued to protest by refusing to speak or walk, forcing my captors to carry me. Pain was used to force me to comply, and of course, when pain didn't work, they applied more pain, with the same result.
I practice nonviolence, so that is the way I resist, but it's not necessarily for everyone. A number of passengers aboard the Mavi Marmara, who were from thirty-two different nations, responded with their hands, feet, and whatever objects were at hand. I admire them for doing so; they knew that Israel has a reputation for disproportionate response. It also seems increasingly probable that the Israeli soldiers killed some of the victims at close range before any resistance had begun.
Let us please not try to justify Israeli actions by appealing to security arguments or "self defense." Self-defense is for those who are being attacked, not those who are attacking. Furthermore, there were no arms of any kind aboard our humanitarian aid ships. Most if not all of us would have refused to participate in the voyage otherwise. Let's not be duped into buying the snake oil that Israel is trying to peddle. If the attackers of our ships had been Iranian, would anyone be making the absurd excuses we are now hearing for Israeli actions?
Centcom Commander General David Petraeus has said that our unhealthy relationship with Israel is undermining U.S. interests in the region and the rest of the world. Our unreasonable defense of Israel's unreasonable and disproportionate actions is making us a target and destroying our credibility as a defender of democracy and human rights.
The wrath of other nations might be a reasonable price for us to bear if Israel were pursuing a policy of peace with justice. It is not. Israeli policy is and always has been to apply pain and suffering to get what it wants, whether by torturing and killing humanitarian aid volunteers, by maintaining its cruel blockade against 1.5 million Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, or by making millions of Palestinians homeless, confiscating their lands, and destroying lives.
Neither Americans nor Israelis would stand still for such treatment, so why should Turks, Greeks, Palestinians or anyone else? Why should Israeli thugs be allowed to push around and abuse ordinary citizens anywhere?
It is not wise for Americans to be accomplices to Israeli crimes through our veto in the UN or our massive foreign aid, for which we have greater need at home. It is time to take off the rose colored glasses and recognize Israel for what it is: a rogue nation that we need to stop coddling.
Paul Larudee is a human rights volunteer and a founder of the Free Gaza and Free Palestine Movements. He works as a piano technician in El Cerrito, California. For more information, go to www.freepalestinemovement.org.
The Hamas "leadership" supports a flotilla of aid to "help" their poor citizens.....ah yeah! right!!
AP reports today that:
"the Hamas rulers of Gaza have refused to accept the aid..." from the the 6 ship flotilla - 70 trucks worth seized during their blockade running ploy.
The true Hamas is thus revealed [this will be summarily ignored by the supporters of this terrorist regime].
If it truly was about the abused citizens of Gaza this should end any delusion of that lie.
It has and always appears to be about slamming the only moral democracy in the Near East.
The "Flotilla Ploy" is at its core a cynical abuse of their own people for the advancement of Hamas - the immoral thugs that they are - exposed!
If firing non-lethal crowd control weapons cause unnecessary suffering, what weapons might a military be allowed to use? You people are just naive and silly. If you fell over and got a bruise you would scream 'fascism'!
Videos showed passengers mobbing idf troops with steel clubs that had been prepared in advance. Self defence is quite legitimate.
"San Remo clearly states that military attacks are ONLY admissible when no other method is available" AND "the circumstances of non-compliance are sufficiently grave that the vessel has become, or may be reasonably assumed to be, a military objective" AND " the collateral casualties or damage will not be disproportionate to the military advantage gained or expected".
The ships were already close to gaza. Turkey had already made its position clear. IDF had to enforce blockade against all breachers or blockade could legally be questioned. Ship could have submitted to visitation but refused. Therefore soldiers sent to subdue. There was no need to escalate violence until passengers escalated by attacking idf. Breaching blockade automatically makes you a military objective.
"You mention that the IDF were assaulted when they were boarded. Passenger testomines disagree"
Its clear in video. IDF troops were assaulted as they came aboard. Second, witnesses also admit fighting and even capturing idf troopers. Third, lethal force only used on one boat where passengers attacked. All evidence from all sides including video show passengers prepared for and attacked idf at close quarters.
That has to be the understatement of the year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F_I67aVwRI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1M4eH9Kk7I
And for those who think Israel is so evil - here are some facts for you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saeky9I5T9c
(this video was made by enemies of Israel that came to their senses)
And Hamas doesn't promote propaganda? A confirmed terrorist organization? Gimme a break.
Isn't that ironic, Ground zero the symbol for the biggest Islamic terror success in modern history being decorated with a place that will be used to brain washed other potential terrorists with dual citizenship.
Americans need to wake up and understand that supporting the only real democracy in the Middle East is the only way to prevent Islam to expand into Europe and the US. The Hamas is known for having mutual goals with Al Qaida and Hezbollah of spreading Islam worldwide and killing everyone in their way.
Sharon to Peres: "Don't worry about American pressure; we control America"
Occupied Jerusalem: 3 October, 2001 (IAP News)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW2R4Iw5afc&feature=player_embedded
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2010/06/14/gordon-duff-dancing-israeli-film-studios-present-faked-attack-videos/
Most of the other stuff is inconclusive at best. I have no way of knowing if any vids were altered. If they were altered, who did the altering? Most vids from most angles show basically same scenario.
Everything I have seen points to some ihh radicals on main boat prepared in advance to violently resist. They did so. They mobbed idf soldiers and initiated a lethal escalation. Not that much drama. They got what they wanted.
Out of 6 boats only one resisted violently and the results are seen.
Of the 600-700 passengers only 9-10 killed even though dozens are seen resisting. If idf had really just wanted to kill people they could have done much more damage.
http://www.realjewnews.com/?p=211
"Undoubtedly, the US and the Zionist regime are the enemies of Iran and Saudi Arabia, so they are trying to create a gap between Tehran and Riyadh," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday.
He made the remark in a meeting with Saudi Arabia's new ambassador to Tehran Mohammad bin Abbas al-Kalabi.
On Saturday, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted a Foreign Ministry official as denying a report by The Times that Saudi Arabia had agreed to allow Israeli jets to use the kingdom's airspace for an aerial attack on Iranian nuclear sites.
The Iranian president further said, "The US and the Zionist regime will harm all the countries in the region [Middle East] if they get the chance."
Ahmadinejad called for unity between the two Muslim states and said, "If Iran and Saudi Arabia stand by each other in regional issues, the enemies do not dare do any act of aggression against Muslims in the world."
Israel has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran's nuclear installations. Iran says it will a give a crushing response to any act of aggression against the country.
http://www.freegaza.org/en/testimonies-from-israeli-jail/1221-in-their-own-words-survivor-testimonies-from-flotilla-31-may-2010
activists say they were robbed of their cash and equipment by the Israeli military after their ships came under a deadly attack on May 31.
, activists on board the aid convoy were robbed of an estimated 3.5 million dollars in cash and equipment by Israeli commandos.
Hundreds of the campaigners have reported missing cash, laptops, phones and clothes after being released by Israel last week.
Israeli military attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters, killing at least 20 peace activists including nine Turkish citizens onboard the M.V. Mavi Marmara and injuring about 50 other people .
Israel also arrested and later released nearly 700 activists from 42 countries who were on board the aid ships, attempting to break the siege of Gaza and deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to the long-suffering people of the impoverished territory.
"We had cameras and mobile phones taken off during the first process on the ship when they were moving us out of the salons and they took anything that was on you in terms of technology," Alex Philips, a Gaza flotilla survivor, told Press TV.
It is estimated that 600 mobile phones, 400 video cameras and 350 laptops still remain in the hands of the Israeli military.
Most of the passengers were also carrying large amounts of cash on them from months of fundraising. The money was intended for charities in the Gaza Strip.
Will anyone be able to look at the evidence of crimes - the volcano of evidence that Netanyahu is sitting on that's giving him a bad case of heartburn? No? - well duh, that doesn't pass the smell test
Tell me transparently, how on earth you and Bibi pulled Mr Trimble and Ken Watkin out of the woods? - some kinda deal, eh?
Did you consult with Turkey or the UN when you blessed this pact made in hell-No?
Just two rhetorical questions for you that I'll answer 'cause I know AIPAC's got your tongue:
1- will anybody believe it? NO
2- is it full, transparent (non-blacked out like all the evidence that the investigators will never see will be), and impartial? NO
FAIL - prima facie there will be no credible investigation - Israel has ALL the evidence blacked out
==
Turkey declares distrust of Israeli probe into aid flotilla attack
Monday, June 14, 2010
Turkey has "no trust" that a commission set up by Israel to probe the deadly raid on Gaza-bound aid ships would conduct an impartial investigation, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Monday.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=israel-unveils-own-flotilla-probe-2010-06-14
For years I have been upset with the Dalai Lama's lack of support for Palestine - he should know that his path to Tibet is thru Jerusalem.
How could he not have more forthrightedly supported Palestine for all these years? - well here's his chance to make rectify that bad karma
The best article I've come across describes
If Israel were prepared to grant democratic rights and freedoms to the Palestinians whose lives it controls, and China to permit the same to its citizens (including Tibetan and Uighur), then all options - negotiated independence, democratic federalism, new states or refounded states - can be freely placed on the table.
Maybe the reason he isn't supporting the palestinians is that he is more a "non-violent resistance" kind of guy. I think his karma in that regard is doing just fine.