More than four months ago, the Freedom Flotilla bringing humanitarian supplies to Gaza and seeking to breach the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza was attacked by Israeli commands, leaving one U.S. citizen and eight other passengers dead. The passengers who survived the attack, including 15 Americans, were forcibly taken to Israel, detained and then deported.
Last week, a U.N. appointed fact-finding mission reported to the Human Rights Council that the attack on the civilian passenger ships was "unlawful" and that lethal force employed by the Israeli forces was "unnecessary, disproportionate, excessive and inappropriate." It labeled the killing of 19-year-old Furkhan Doğan, who was shot five times, including twice in the head and once in the back at point blank range while lying on the ground, as "an extra-legal, arbitrary and summary execution." The U.S. response? Criticism of the report, not the Israeli attack. And its response to the qualification of the killing of a U.S. citizen as a summary execution? Silence.
This week, thirteen U.S. passengers from the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and Ahmet Doğan, whose son Furkhan was killed during the Israeli attack, submitted an open letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressing their anger "at the lack of any visible, active effort on the part of any agency in our government to conduct and release an independent investigation of the killing of one and assaults on other Americans by a foreign military force, the Israeli commandos." In their letter, the U.S. passengers assert that "the State Department has allied itself with Israel, ignoring its responsibilities to its own citizens."
Ann Wright, the author of the letter, said, "As a former US diplomat, I am appalled at the protection that successive US administrations have given to the criminal acts of the State of Israel. As a passenger on the Gaza flotilla, I am outraged that my own government is relying on the Israeli "investigations" without doing its own investigation which would include formal statements from U.S. passengers on the flotilla."
The passengers demand to know what steps, if any, the U.S. has taken to investigate the death of Furkhan Doğan, who was born in upstate New York. Upon release of the letter, Furkhan's father said, "Up to this moment, I still do not understand why the United States government is deaf to what has been done to my son, an American citizen. I urge the U.S government to act to defend the rights of my son."
The U.S. passengers highlighted the findings of the UN Human Rights Council's fact-finding mission, which included that the blockade of Gaza is illegal and constitutes "collective punishment" of the people of Gaza, that the flotilla did not present an imminent threat and that the Israeli treatment of the passengers constituted "totally unnecessary and incredible violence [that] betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality." In Geneva last week, the U.S. delegation criticized the report in general terms but provided no examples to support its claims that the report contained "unbalanced language, tone and conclusions." Ahmet Doğan expressed his frustration with the U.S. response. "I would like to know why the US voted against the Gaza Flotilla Report of the UN Fact Finding Mission at the Human Rights Council last week, as that report included information about the execution of my son," he said.
The passengers also expressed anger that the United States has not pressed Israel to return the property that was seized from them. Of particular concern is the electronic equipment seized, including cameras, mobile phones and computers, which could contain evidence relevant to the attack -- if it has not already been destroyed. The passengers wrote, "[i]f the Israeli government insists that we pay for the eventual return of our property, we expect that the United States government will deduct the costs from the $3 billion given to it each year."
The Center for Constitutional Rights has sought to receive answers to some of the questions raised by the U.S. passengers through the filing of Freedom of Information Act requests to various U.S. agencies, including the Department of State. To date, no information has been released from the State Department.
We all must continue our efforts to get answers from the U.S. government about what its role in, or knowledge of the attack on the flotilla, and what it has done since the attack to protect and vindicate the rights of its citizens, including Furkhan Doğan, the other passengers on the flotilla, and the people of Gaza who continue to suffer under the illegal Israeli blockade.
To read the letter sent by the U.S. passengers and Ahmet Doğan to Secretary of State Clinton and for more information on the Center for Constitutional Rights response to the attack on the Gaza flotilla, go to: CCRJustice.org/gaza-flotilla.
this says it all . .the US has not responded nor will it .. . and for all those who think hilary is doing a good job as sos .. . read this article . . .read the letter, read the UN report . . . our government is too craven to criticise israel . . . the aipac/israel owns congress . . . yet more reasons for the Us to be shoved aside by the UN . . . the US is not and has never been an honest broker . . . . it just continues to give at the expense of America citizens . . money and arms to this rogue state . . . . America is a disgrace
"There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.
Why would I do that? hamas and IHH are terrorist groups, I don't associate nor support such groups. Besides, hamas doesn't believe in peace, they believe in war and hostilities.
and you are still surprised specially after the USS Liberty incidence...
This is very typical of Hillary Clinton and her management of the State Dept. Yet within 72 hours of the flotilla incident, she did okay a statement saying there should be an "investigation" by the perpetrators itself of the massacre. And this woman is to be taken seriously as any "honest broker" in peace negotiations? What a bad joke. She's accomplished nothing in her role as SOS in almost 2 years except to keep her ultimate ambition alive for another day, Lady Macbeth in a pantsuit.
Lack of such intel was a critical factor in sending in the Israelis unprepared for the violence they encountered.
Annd keep in mind that Israeli spokespersons’ propaganda are NOT proof.
http://europenews.dk/en/node/33682
The Terror Finance Flotilla
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/terror-finance-flotilla
IHH Terrorist Ties Confirmed
http://www.investigativeproject.org/blog/2010/06/ihh-terrorist-ties-confirmed
Turkish Group Behind Gaza Flotilla Has Suspect Links
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/67090
Here is some accurate history and eye-witness accounts of the intentional attempted sinking and killing of 34 Americans and wounding of 174 by Israeli forces.
http://www.ilaam.net/Intl/USSLiberty.html
http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/ussliberty.html
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/margolis12.html
http://www.rense.com/general39/pilot.htm
"the State Department has allied itself with Israel, ignoring its responsibilities to its own citizens" and obligations under the UN charter to which both Israel and the US are signatories. The subversive power of both the Israeli state and its foreign agents in the US, AIPAC, et al, is shown conclusively by this act of cowardice and injustice for the victims of Israeli/IDF brutality and war crimes. The fact that Israel is hiding the evidence of its crimes by confiscation the electronic property of the flotilla’s members proves their guilt. The collusion through silence (and support) with Israeli summary executions of unarmed people, including the American citizen only one of many Israeli killings of Americans and others, going back to the Israeli sneak-attack on the USS Liberty that killed 34 US citizens, is not acceptable and a clear violation of American and International law and American justice.
It is all shameful (and blatantly illegal). If you don't know what that word means, I suggest you get a dictionary.
yeah, yeah when nothing works use the perpetual victim-hood; well i have news for you it's just because of apologists who try to white-wash everything which IDF does specially the bad part that this doesn't work anymore...
The Mission notes a certain tension between the political objectives of the flotilla
and its humanitarian objectives. This comes to light the moment that the Government of
Israel made offers to allow the humanitarian aid to be delivered via Israeli ports but under
the supervision of a neutral organization. The Mission also notes that the Gaza Strip does
not possess a deep sea port designed to receive the kind of cargo vessels included in the
flotilla, raising practical logistical questions about the plan to deliver large quantities of aid
by the route chosen. Whilst the Mission is satisfied that the flotilla constituted a serious
attempt to bring essential humanitarian supplies into Gaza, it seems clear that the primary
objective was political, as indeed demonstrated by the decision of those on board the
Rachel Corrie to reject a Government of Ireland-sponsored proposal that the cargo in that
ship to be allowed through Ashdod intact.
Anyone who goes to a foreign land to take sides in a deadly serious conflict is asking for trouble.
Maintaining the blockade against Gaza is a legal act of war. Running the blockade is likewise an act of war. Any nation organizing an attempt to run the blockade is performing an act of war; since they don't want to go to war against Israel, they abstain. The flotillas generally launch from contested territories that are not clearly part of some country; usually this is northern Cyprus. Turkey alone recognizes northern Cyprus as a separate nation, but nobody else wants to physically contest this.
Attorney Vincent Warren could have told you all of this, but he chose not to. Why?
Or the 25,000-35,000 Iraqi civilians we "executed" over a course of 4 days with indiscriminate artillery fire in the 2nd battle of Fallujah (we were PO'd over 4 contractors who had been killed, and their bodies mutilated - US doesn't take kindly to casualties, see "Haditha")
600,000 to 1,000,000 Iraqi civilian casualties in total
The other ship tried to run the blockade and had armed Jihadists on board. They made videos of what they planed to do. They should be tried and jailed for what they did to the soldiers who boarded that ship.
The blockade is there for a reason. To keep Hamas, a terrorist organization from acquiring weapons and bomb making material.
This picture and article says it all take a look.
http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2010/06/danish-report-from-gaza-wheres.html
If this was the aim as you contend please explain to us why the majority of the goods excluded by the blockade were dropped from the Israeli blockade list immediately following the publicity of this incident?
Could it be because this was obviously not the aim of the blockade and you are just peddling obvious propaganda nonsense to all but those fantasists who think you can make bombs out of children’s shoes and random spices?
Don’t let the facts trip you on the way out the door now will you?
(a) it has the sole purpose of starving the civilian population or denying it other objects essential for its survival; or
(b) the damage to the civilian population is, or may be expected to be, excessive in relation to the concrete
and direct military advantage anticipated from the blockade.
103. If the civilian population of the blockaded territory is inadequately provided with food and other objects essential for its survival, the blockading party must provide for free passage of such foodstuffs and other essential supplies, subject to:
(a) the right to prescribe the technical arrangements, including search, under which such passage is permitted; and
(b) the condition that the distribution of such supplies shall be made under the local supervision of a Protecting Power or a humanitarian organization which offers guarantees of impartiality, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross.
104. The blockading belligerent shall allow the passage of medical supplies for the civilian population or for the wounded and sick members of armed forces, subject to the right to prescribe technical arrangements, including search, under which such passage is permitted.
These Jihadists wanted to break a legal blockade. The ship was stopped in international waters so no other smaller ships in the harbor would be harmed or involved. The Israelis were avoiding more problems by stopping it in international waters in case of violence.
Don't let the facts trip you on the way out the door.