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Breaking the Israeli Siege of Gaza: Attack at Sea, Detention Camps and Deportation Await
By the time you read this, we will be on the high seas of the Mediterranean (we hope the seas will not be too high).
Our two U.S. flagged Free Gaza boats, will join two other passenger ships, a 600 passenger ship from Turkey sponsored by the Turkish humanitarian organization, Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH) and a 50 passenger ship from Athens sponsored by the European Campaign Against the Siege and the Greek/Swedish Ships to Gaza campaign, to sail to the shores of Gaza to break the Israeli naval blockade of the 1.5 million citizens in Gaza.
Four cargo ships from Ireland, Greece, Algeria and Turkey, will carry a total of 10,000 tons or 2 million pounds of construction materials for the housing of 50,000 made homeless during the 22 day Israeli attack on Gaza that killed 1440 Palestinians and wounded 5,000.
Many of us would like to see our boat renamed “The Audacity of Hope” as that is what we want to see from the Obama administration– courage to challenge the Israeli government on the siege of Gaza. It would be a really brave, bold move as every U.S. presidential administration since the formation of the State of Israeli in 1948 has blindly given free-rein to Israel in whatever actions it wishes to undertake no matter if the actions are a violation of international law. The carte blanche given to Israel by the United States has been dangerous for Israel’s national security as well as for the national security of the United States.
Probable reaction of Israeli Navy Ships-Bow shots, ramming or boarding
In less than 48 hours, the Israeli Navy will probably fire U.S. made ammunition and rockets in international waters over the bows of two U.S. flagged boats and one Greek boat with U.S. citizens aboard as well as citizens from 13 other countries and over the bows of the Turkish 600 passenger ship.
Ironically, on one passenger ship will be Joe Meaders, a U.S. citizen who is a survivor of the Israeli air and naval attack on a United States Navy ship, the USS Liberty, in 1967 killed 34 U.S. sailors and wounded 173. The Israeli government has never acknowledged, much less apologized for, the deaths of these sailors, nor the destruction of the USS Liberty.
According to Israeli media (http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=176491), the Israeli military is preparing for our arrival off the shores of Gaza. The Israeli navy has been practicing its plan for preventing us from docking in Gaza, a plan that probably includes demanding by radio that the ships change course away from Gaza, firing weapons in front of the ships, ramming the ships and sending well-armed boarding parties onto the ships.
Israelis prepare a detention camp
As our 8 ship flotilla prepares to depart Greece and Turkey to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, the Israeli military is preparing a detention camp for the flotilla’s 700 delegates from 20 countries who are passengers on four of the ships.
Those passengers include Hedy Epstein, an 85-year-old holocaust survivor, Parliamentarians from Germany and Ireland, two former diplomats from the United States, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, authors, journalists, activists, businesspersons and clergy.
Additionally, the military has identified a warehouse in the Ashelod area, just over Gaza’s northern border that will be used to detain the 700 passengers on the 8 ships.
Taking a page from the New York City police who put over 1,500 persons into a filthy, unclean warehouse on a pier in New York City during the 2004 Republican convention, the Israeli government no doubt will make the surroundings as difficult as possible for us.
The Israeli government has extensive experience in warehousing dissent, as over 10,000 Palestinians are in Israeli jails and prisons, including juveniles who are arrested regularly in nighttime raids in villages of the West Bank.
20 passengers on the May, 2009 Free Gaza boat trying to break the siege were imprisoned for 10 days before they were deported from Israel. They included Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.
Wish us luck as we challenge the Israeli, Egyptian, European Union and United State’s unlawful siege and collective punishment of 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza!
What will you do to help break the siege of Gaza?
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About Ann Wright:
Ann Wright is a 29 year US Army/Army Reserves veteran who retired as a Colonel and a former US diplomat who resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to the war on Iraq. She served in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia and Mongolia. Wright made three trips to Gaza in 2009 and helped organize the Gaza Freedom March that in December, 2009 brought 1350 persons from 44 countries to Cairo, Egypt in an attempt to break the siege of Gaza. She is the co-author of the book “Dissent: Voices of Conscience.” (www.voicesofconscience.com)
Free Gaza from Israeli Oppression
What will it be and What Will YOU Do About it?
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=33150
Posted by Yanira Farray on May 27 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under Corruption, Foreign Relations, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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After I read this, I am now saying a prayer, invoking God’s presence and protection on your voyage and requesting it’s success and your safe passage home.
Remember The United States Navy ship, the USS Liberty i was serving in Viet Nam at the time where info of this tipe was censored didn’t hear about it till 71 when i got back to the World
Having lost a son in Viet Nam to a “friendly fire” incident, I understand how tragic that can be. I also lost a family member on 9/11 at the hands of Islamic militants who murdered thousands of innocent New Yorkers at work.
Do you realy thinking ‘the hands of Islamic militants’ or ‘the hands of MOSSAD & CIA COOPERATION’ ?
Thank you Michael Leon for this post.
My admiraton and respect to Ann Wright, and the rest of the passengers on this remarkable convoy aiming at breaking the seige of Gaza, by the way, i`v just heared the Israeli goverment spokesman commenting on the incident and describing this humanitarian initiative as a political STUNT, ..what an outrageous political INSULT.
I served in the IDF but unfortunately not in the Navy branch.
It will be nice to torpedo the boats and than use 12.5mm to gun the antisemitic creatures that own them. I challenge all of you to come here and try to enter into the Islamic Republic of Hamastan
With “Love” from Israel
The current flotilla is the second humantarian aid to Gaza via Sea. The previous attempt to reach Gazzah by sea was in June 2009 — then, Free Gaza ships were intercepted by the Israeli Navy off Gazzah, and forced to proceed to the southern Israeli port of Ashdod, where the cargo was impounded (some of it was later transferred by land to Israeli crossings and sent into Gaza). The activists aboard were jailed before deportation.
However, this attempt has some political and military implications as some of the pessanger and cargo vessels would be flying Turkish flags. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, conceived by an Istanbul-based charity group Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH) in April 2010. The flotilla is comprised of: Free Gaza Movement (FG), European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza (ECESG), Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH), Ship to Gaza Greece, Ship to Gaza Sweden, and the International Committee to Lift the Siege on Gaza, with hundreds of groups and organizations around the world supporting the effort.
According to a reliable Israeli source (Debka), Ankara has warned Tel Aviv in a secret memo on May 24 that Turkish government has reprisals option on the table if Israeli Navy prevent the flotilla. Some sources have said that one or more Turkish Army helicopters may be escorting the two Turkish vessels to challenging Israeli Air Force.
Some political analyst believe that Tel Aviv would not block the vessels flying Turkish flag or arrest its pessengers – as Turkey being a NATO member, any attack on those vessel would mean an attack on NATO alliance. But past Israeli record shows that no one stopped it attacking even the ships of NATO’s godmother USA – for example, Israelis did attack the USS Liberty (1967) and the USS Cole (2000).
Since 2007, Israeli seige has deprived 1.5 million residents of Gazzah of food, fuel, medicine and other daily necessities.
Israeli Navy is not the only one threatening the flotilla – Israeli fanatic Jews have a 16-yachts flotilla already set sail off the shores of Hezeliya to counter the 3-vessel flotilla which left Turkey en route to Gazzah on May 22. The Israeli yachts waves huge Israeli flags, pictures equating Turkish prime minister Erdogan to Iranian Presidet Dr. Ahmadinejad plastered to the sides. Other boats hosted pictures of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit
http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/freedom-flotilla-under-israeli-threats/