Follow its progress in near real-time on Twitter, here.
Robert Fisk reminded his audience in Qatar yesterday that back in 1948 the democratic nations of the west worked hard together to send essential supplies to civilians in a city– West Berlin– that had been blockaded by an authoritarian power.
Those of us not on the high seas this week should call our legislators and urge them to support the life-saving work of the flotilla. Israel’s illegal act of collective punishment against Gaza’s 1.5 million people has gone on far too long.
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No matter what the short-term outcome of this attempt to relieve the siege of Gaza – assuming this is the flotilla negotiated with Israel by Turkey (Turkey having already fulfilled its end of the bargain) – the long-term effect of using force to block it will be disastrous for Israel in both the short and the long term.
Editorial note: I was in two minds about supporting the retailing/retelling this apparently anti-Semitic utterance here. I am doing so because it is a non-trivial and apparently authentic historic (conceptual) artefact; and the broader idea expressed here– that survivors of past oppression and mistreatment of many religions, ethnicities, etc, often go on to treat those weaker than themselves with equivalent brutality– is also a significant and thought-provoking one. But the fact that I publish this quotation should not imply that I subscribe to all the thoughts expressed therein. ~HC
As noted in President Harry S. Truman writings and published in The Washington Post Friday, July 17, 2003 (googled) :-
“The Jews, I find, are very, very selfish. They care not how many Estonians, Latvians, Finns, Poles, Yugoslavs or Greeks get murdered or mistreated as D[isplaced] P[ersons] as long as the Jews get special treatment.
Yet when they have power, physical, financial or political neither Hitler nor Stalin has anything on them for cruelty or mistreatment to the under dog.
Put an underdog on top and it makes no difference whether his name is Russian, Jewish, Negro, Management, Labor, Mormon, Baptist he goes haywire. I’ve found very, very few who remember their past condition when prosperity comes.”
Best wishes to this peaceful mission and all of it’s sailors. Much love from “real” USA citizens. Feel our love and admiration.
Gilad Atzmon wrote on his blog about the ” Evil Navy” against the ” Humanitarian Flottila”.
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/humanitarian-flotilla-vs-evil-navy.html
I reached this blog by accident, but I found that has a very interesting information. Good job. A greeting.
The Cacophony of the US Silence.!
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Friday called for an immediate end to Israel’s Gaza blockade, as an aid flotilla prepared to set sail for the enclave despite the embargo.
“The continued policy of closure is unacceptable and politically counterproductive,” she said in a statement.
“We would like to reiterate the EU’s call for an immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza.”
In spite of this appeal, the government of Cyprus has taken the extraordinary step of preventing members of the European parliament from joining the Freedom Flotilla.
Cypriot authorities prevented pro-Palestinian activists, including 30 MPs from nine European countries, from leaving the island yesterday to join a flotilla in international waters, which is on its way to blockaded Gaza.
In addition to issuing an edict banning ships headed for Gaza to set sail from the island’s ports, or dock on the island on their way back, the authorities yesterday forbade any small vessels from leaving Cyprus in case they were on their way to the flotilla of eight ships carrying around 700 peace activists, and 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid.
The government denied it bowed to pressure from Israel to put the ban in place.
The European Union guarantees the right of freedom of movement of its citizens within the territory of its member states. Cyprus has been a member of the EU since 2004.
A Tweet @freegazaorg said at about 11AM Eastern:
Twenty have left from Famaghusta, Northern Cyprus, four German MPs, one Swedish MP, all the passengers from Challenger 1. Hedy [Epstein] not going.
Meanwhile, Haaretz reports:
The Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh said Saturday that if Israel behaved like pirates and attacked the international Freedom Flotilla carrying 10,000 tons of aid meant for Gaza, then the Palestinians will have won.
“The flotilla’s message is clear and it will reach the entire world,” Haniyeh said Saturday morning during a press conference held at the Gaza port where the ships were expected to dock.
It would be nice if the message did reach the American people, but it is not going to happen through the American MSM. The NYT and WAPO are studiously ignoring the issue as are many other blogs such as Huffington Post. Since I don’t watch TV news, I don’t know what they are doing or not doing, but I would certainly be surprised if there was any appropriate, unbiased coverage. Even the staid BBC finds it headline , breaking news, but not our good old AIPAC controlled or cowed MSM.
What I don’t understand is why they don’t just go to Egypt and cross into Gaza there? Oh yeah, because Egypt also maintains the blockade but that would be politically incorrect to focus on either the fact that a fellow Muslim country has sealed the border or ask why?