2 June 2010
As we all now know, the Freedom Flotilla bound for Gaza with tons of humanitarian aid was attacked in international waters far off the coast. As masked commandos repelled from helicopters and fired assault rifles at unarmed activists dozens were injured and many were killed. The Israeli media blackout has prevented an accurate count of exactly how many were killed but reports range from 9 to 19, with the Jerusalem Post reporting 15. Over 600 activists were arrested. Many have been deported and some are still in custody. As information becomes available, updates can be found on the Free Gaza Movement’s web site at: www.freegaza.org/
At a demonstration in the West Bank in solidarity with the Flotilla, an ISM activist was shot in the face with a tear gas canister and has had her left eye removed.
The final boat in the Freedom Flotilla was delayed in port for engine repairs and is now en route to Gaza. This boat, THE MV RACHEL CORRIE NEEDS YOUR HELP TO ENSURE A SAFE PASSAGE.
Please act now!
Contact your national governments and demand that they pressure Israel to:
1. Insure the well-being of all the flotilla passengers still in Israel and immediately release the identities of those killed and injured.
2. Insist that other boats from the flotilla, including the MV Rachel Corrie be permitted to sail through international waters to Gaza unobstructed.
Join or organize a demonstration. Paste the following address into your browser:
http://gazafreedommarch.org/cms/en/flotilla/protest.aspx
Part of a statement by Rachel Corrie’s parents:
“We call on the U.S. government and governments of the world to act now. First, the well-being of all the flotilla passengers still in Israel must be secured, and the identities of those killed and injured must be released immediately. Second, governments around the world must demand an independent investigation into the attack upon the flotilla and the killings that occurred. An Israeli-led investigation into an international incident of this magnitude is unacceptable. Our family’s own experience has made it all too painfully clear that the Israeli military is unable or unwilling to adequately investigate itself. Third, the U.S. and other governments can and must insist that other boats from the flotilla, including the MV Rachel Corrie, named for our daughter, be permitted to sail through international waters to Gaza unobstructed. Finally, we demand that the governments of the world act as courageously as did the activists on the Free Gaza flotilla and, themselves, break the illegal and immoral siege of Gaza.”