Statement from imprisoned Greek activists

Ship to Gaza Greece

Tuesday, June 1st 2010

“Eleftheri Mesogeios”, the cargo ship with Greek flag and 22 Greek passengers, which participated in the international “Freedom Flotilla” mission, carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, was under pirate raid by Israeli commandos in the international waters, during early hours on Monday 31/5. The same violent attack had already taken place on “Sfendoni”, a ship with Greek passengers as well, and all 4 other ships of the flotilla. There was use of live ammunition, unarmed citizens were murdered. Israeli commandos with their guns extended, violently attacked Greek passengers by using physical violence and electrified sticks, they handcuffed them, dragged them brutally to the deck. Israelis continued using violence when arrived to Ashdod port, where the ships and passengers were driven, where Greek people were brutally beaten with unprecedented violence and 3 of them were carried to hospitals and the others to separate detention centers.

All of us Greek men and women who are illegally imprisoned in Israeli prisons, we strongly refuse signing any statement forced on us by the terrorist state of Israel.

We denounce by all means this murderous attack against our international mission.

We ask the Greek government to break all diplomatic relations with Israel, the state-piracy that abolishes 5,000 years of free navigation in the Mediterranean.

We state that as long as Gaza is under blockade, as long as Palestine is occupied, as long as the international community does not dare to impose on Israel international legitimacy and international decisions, we will continue to prepare new missions and to sail for Gaza waters.

Until the biggest concentration camp created by Israelis in the 21st century stops to exist.

Beersheba Prison, Israel
Signed by
The 20 people included in the telephone list,
The 6 women,
Karypidis Giannis,
Boukos Theodoros,
G.K.

Flotilla: Did Israel deliberately murder civilians aboard Freedom Flotilla?

Witness Gaza

Israeli Ambassador to the United States admits that ships were “too large to stop with nonviolent means.”

On May 31st, 2010, elite Israeli military commandos stormed six humanitarian aid ships taking part in the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ to Gaza, killing between 9-20 civilian passengers and injuring dozens more. As the facts of the attack come out it is clear that these killings cannot in any way be justified.

PRIOR TO THE ISRAELI ATTACK – The Freedom Flotilla
The Freedom Flotilla was an effort by a coalition of human rights and humanitarian organizations to nonviolently break through Israel’s illegal blockade, and deliver much needed humanitarian and developmental aid to the Palestinians of Gaza. Almost 700 passengers from 40 different countries joined the flotilla, including: human rights workers, humanitarian aid workers, Members of Parliament, doctors, nurses, teachers, community leaders, and international journalists.

The lead coalition partners included:

  • Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH), the largest coalition partner, contributing 2 Turkish-flagged cargo ships, the Turkish-flagged passenger ship “Mavi Marmara,” and 380 Turkish nationals to the effort. This was IHH’s first attempt to break the Gaza blockade.
  • The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza, contributing the Greek-flagged passenger ship “Sfendoni.” This was the European Campaign’s second mission to Gaza.
  • The Free Gaza Movement, contributing the U.S.-flagged passenger ship “Challenger I.” This was Free Gaza’s ninth mission to Gaza.
  • A Ship to Gaza, Sweden, and A Ship to Gaza, Greece, contributing the Greek-flagged cargo ship “Eleftheri Mesogeios.” This was the first voyage of A Ship to Gaza, Sweden, and the fourth of a Ship to Gaza, Greece.

All ships were thoroughly searched by local port authorities in Greece and Turkey prior to their departure. Additionally, the coalition hired an independent security firm to search the ships and certify that no weapons were on board. All passengers went through nonviolence training and were likewise searched for weapons prior to boarding. The Turkish government, a member-state of the NATO alliance, vetted all the Turkish passengers to insure there was no one with ties to extremist groups. These precautionary steps were deliberately taken to prevent Israeli propaganda officials from ever being able to claim that the Freedom Flotilla posed any ‘security risk’ to Israel.

There was a live satellite feed broadcasting the voyage from the Mavi Marmara, as well as GPS transponders showing the exact location of the flotilla at all times to anyone viewing the coalition website. The intention of the Freedom Flotilla was never to ‘provoke a confrontation,’ but simply to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to besieged Gaza, and in so doing to draw attention to the brutal Israeli policies that are forcing the Palestinian people into a state of impoverished dependency.

PRIOR TO THE ISRAELI ATTACK – The Israeli Government
On 27 May, Bloomberg News reported that Israel was threatening to use its military forces and “use all available means to stop the ships” (‘Israel Threatens Naval Action to Stop Aid Ships Bound for Gaza’).

On 28 May the Associated Press reported that the Israeli government was prepared to stop the flotilla “at any cost,” including being “prepared to use force.” (‘Israeli gunships head to sea to block flotilla’). It was further reported that masked naval commandos were being “trained” to stop the flotilla.

On 1 June the Guardian reported that Matan Vilnai, Israel’s deputy Defense Minister, suggested that the Israeli military had sabotaged several of the Freedom Flotilla ships. The flotilla was in fact delayed by two days due to unexpected mechanical problems, and 3 of the original 9 ships intending to join the flotilla were forced to drop off. (‘Gaza aid flotilla: Israeli sabotage suspected,’ Guardian, 1 June 2010)

THE MASSACRE ABOARD THE MARI MARMARA
On 31 May, under cover of darkness, Israeli military forces surrounded the Freedom Flotilla in international waters. Armed and masked commandos stormed all 6 ships from sea and from air, killing between 9 and 20 civilians. After more than 2 days, Israel still refuses to release the names and identities of the dead, nor even confirm the number of passengers killed by their forces.

An Israeli military spokesperson, Avital Leibovich, confirmed the attack took place in international waters, stating: “This happened in waters outside of Israeli territory, but we have the right to defend ourselves.”

Did the passengers aboard the Mari Marmara possess a similar right to defend themselves?

Israel released highly-edited videos of the confrontation, claiming that civilian passengers aboard the Mari Marmara attempted to “lynch” the well-armed military commandos when they first stormed the ship. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak praised the commandos, stating: “You carried out the mission and prevented the flotilla from reaching Gaza. We need to always remember that we aren’t North America or Western Europe, we live in the Middle East, in a place where there is no mercy for the weak and there aren’t second chances for those who don’t defend themselves.” (‘Barak: In the Middle East, there is no mercy for the weak,’ Haaretz, 2 June 2010.)

Again, one wonders whether this sentiment extends to the civilians killed by those commandos as well.

In contrast to the Israeli account of events, which is self-evidently absurd, Jamal Elshayyal, an Al-Jazeera correspondent aboard the Mari Marmara was able to issue a brief report before Israeli forces cut all communications with the ships. Elshayyal’s report contradict the Israeli version of events, stating that Israel fired live ammunition on the civilians after they had raised a white flag. View the live report yourself:

Israeli troops storm Gaza flotilla

Eyewitness testimony from the handful of passengers who have been released directly contradicts Israel’s version as well. According to Nilufer Cetin, who sailed on the Mari Marmara with her one-year-old baby, “The operation started immediately with firing. First it was warning shots, but when the Mavi Marmara wouldn’t stop these warnings turned into an attack,” she said.”There were sound and smoke bombs and later they used gas bombs. Following the bombings they started to come on board from helicopters.”(‘Israelis opened fire before boarding Gaza flotilla, say released activists,’ Guardian, 1 June 2010)

Cetin’s account is just one of several contradicting the Israeli narrative. Haneen Zoubi, a Member of the Israeli Knesset, and just one of several parliamentarians aboard the flotilla, stated that Israeli warships surrounded the Mavi Marmara, firing on the ship before the commandos stormed aboard.

At a press conference in Nazareth, shortly after her release, MK Zoubi also stated that: ““Israel had days to plan this military operation. They wanted many deaths to terrorize us and to send a message that no future aid convoys should try to break the siege of Gaza.” (‘Israeli Knesset member rejects navy account of attack,’ Irish Sun, 2 June 2010)

Yonatan Shapira, former pilot in the IDF for the very squadron that conducted the assault on the Mavi Marmara stated: “No Israeli pilot would drop commandos on a ship in the middle of the sea, in the middle of the night, during such an operation without the soldiers carrying live ammunition. Paint ball canisters may have been attached to the automatic weapons that they had, but there is no doubt that the soldiers had and were prepared to use live ammunition”

In an interview on the Diane Rehm Show on 2 June, a nationally-broadcast radio program in the United States, Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, stated that in planning their assault the Marmara, the Israeli government had concluded that the ship was “too large to stop with nonviolent means.”

There is clear evidence present that the State of Israeli may have deliberately and with forethought intended to provoke a conflict in order to assassinate civilians sailing aboard the Freedom Flotilla, and therefore violently discourage any further attempts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinians of besieged Gaza.

The Free Gaza Movement calls upon the international community to enforce international standards and laws, fully investigate these crimes, and hold Israeli officials accountable for the willful murder of international human rights and humanitarian aid workers aboard the Freedom Flotilla.


For More Information, please contact:
Free Gaza:
Greta Berlin or Mary Hughes, +357 99 187 275 / + 357 96 383 809
http://www.freegaza.org/

Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH):
Ahmet Emin Dag, +90 530 341 1934
http://ihh.org.tr/

European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza:
Mazen Kahel, +33 1 4681 1292
http://savegaza.eu/eng/

Yonatan Shapira, former IDF pilot
+1 443 465 7610

Chicago activists demonstrate against deadly raid on Freedom Flotilla

2 June 2010

Activists dropped banners throughout the city

On Tuesday, the 1st of June, over 1,000 activists gathered in front of the Israeli Consulate in Chicago to voice their outrage over the attack on the Freedom Flotilla, and to demand the release of all of the prisoners held in Israeli detention facilities.

The demonstration, organized by the Chicago chapter of the International Solidarity Movement and American Muslims for Palestine, picketed the consulate waving Palestinian flags and holding banners denouncing the attack and demanding an end to the siege on Gaza. Most of the demonstrators came from the Palestinian community in Chicago.

The previous night, on the 31st of May, Palestinian solidarity activists dropped four banners over major streets in Chicago. The banners read, “Stop Israeli Terror,” “Avenge Gaza,” and “Free Palestine.”

Activists in Chicago intend to continue organizing in solidarity with Palestine, working for an end to the siege and occupation.

Gaza flotilla activists resist deportation until all are released

ISM London

2 June 2010

4:30pm (GMT), 2 June 2010

At least 37 British citizens currently held by Israel are resisting attempts to deport them until all flotilla prisoners are released at the same time.

Israeli spokespeople have said all foreign activists will be deported by the end of the day.

However four Palestinian citizens of Israel among the activists have been remanded and face criminal charges. Free Gaza Movement activists say they will non-violently resist any attempts to deport them until all prisoners are released together.

Lawyers from Israeli civil rights NGO Adalah said that among the four charged are Ms. Lubna Masarwa of Al Quds University and Sheikh Raed Salah, the Head of the Islamic Movement in Israel (northern branch).

Israeli officials have prevented lawyers from speaking to the prisoners today, and there are fears they will be violently rushed onto planes and out of the country – possibly to Turkey. If they manage to do so, the Palestinian passengers will remain behind in prison.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said in Parliament today that Israel has blocked consular access to some of the British prisoners, with only 28 having been contacted so far

All of the activists were kidnapped in international waters during Israel’s raid on the flotilla of aid vessels from the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish NGO IHH in the early hours of Monday morning.

Israel is still refusing to release the names of the dead people, two days after the massacre. We still do not know the final death toll. Reports have ranged from nine to 19 dead.

It is believed that six were Turkish nationals. The nationalities of the rest are yet unknown.

The bodies of the Turkish dead will be flown home later today.

IPSC: MV Rachel Corrie continues en route to Gaza as all-party Dail motion calls for its safe passage

Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Two Irish deported, three remain in detention, including one wounded

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The MV Rachel Corrie
The MV Rachel Corrie

(1st June 2010, 3pm) Yesterday’s Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in which up to 19 human rights activists were murdered in international waters has not deterred the Irish cargo ship the MV Rachel Corrie which is currently en route to Gaza and hopes to arrive this Saturday. Meanwhile the fall-out from the attack has pressured Egypt into opening the Rafah Crossing.

In the Dail, an all party motion which calls upon the government to ensure the safe passage of the MV Rachel Corrie and calls for the blockade of Gaza to be lifted is expected to be passed at around 7pm this evening. The IPSC welcomes this motion and hopes the Israeli government will heed it.

The Rachel Corrie was slightly behind the rest of the flotilla due to having to dock in Malta to undergo some engine repairs. The crew and passengers – which include 5 Irish people – made the decision to continue their journey to deliver supplies and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza despite further threats from the Israeli military. The Irish on board are Denis Halliday, Mariead Maguire, Fiona Hamilton, Derek and Jenny Graham (bios below).

Speaking in support of the mission, Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) spokesperson Freda Hughes said: “We commend this brave direct action taken by international activists, an action who’s significance has increased exponentially in both humanitarian and political terms since Israel committed yet another act of state terrorism by murdering 19 passengers on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and hijacking their aid flotilla, “

Ms Hughes continued: “The IPSC has been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs urging them to take all measures necessary to ensure that Israel does not attack this ship and that it lets them bring their independently checked humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. The government of Ireland has a clear duty to protect Irish citizens, uphold international law and help bring an end to the siege of Gaza. We welcome the the all-party Dail motion calling for the Rachel Corrie’s safe passge.”

Meanwhile, Shane Dillion, the kidnapped first mate of the Challenger II is on his way home after being deported from Israel. He will arrive in Ireland later today, but his family are asking that the media do not go to the airport. According to family, he will hopefully be available for media interviews sometime tomorrow. Isam Bin Ali, a Libyan-Irish citizen is also due to be deported.

Al Mahdi Al Harati, a wounded Libyan-Irish citizen remains in Israeli detention, as do Dr Fintan Lane of the IPSC and Fiachra O Luain.

Mr Al Harati’s wife Eftaima Al Najar today said: “I lost all contact with my husband four days ago and have been telling my four that he is on holiday. I have just got news that he is in an Israeli detention centre but have no news on if and when he will be released. We are of course, all extremely worried.”

The Irish Ambassador to Israel was due to meet with all the detainees this afternoon.

Speaking yesterday, the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Michael Martin, said: “These people did not enter Israel illegally. They were essentially kidnapped from international waters, taken into Israel. And now they are being asked to sign a document almost confirming that they entered illegally. And we think that is unacceptable”.

Last night over 3,000 people attended a demonstration in Dublin against the unprovoked attacks by Israel where they heard from speakers Jack O’Connor (ICTU President), Aengus O Snodaigh TD, Chris Andrews TD, Senator Mark Daly, Lord Mayor of Dublin Emer Costello, Dr David Landy and Freda Hughes of the IPSC.

Addressing the rally at the Spire, Ms Hughes took Israel to task for its portrayal of events: “For the Israel PR machine to now attempt to brand a humanitarian mission to Gaza as an act of provocative violence is abhorrent. The irony is that for the Israeli state to sanction and carry out the murder of 19 international aid activists in international waters itself constitutes an act of state terrorism. This is not a conflict of equals and we must not believe the Israeli propaganda that would have us believe that the unarmed civilians on the Flotilla set out with the aim of attacking the fourth biggest military power in the world, namely Israel.”

Over the past two days there have been protests around the country in Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Sligo, Kilkenny and Galway and further protests will occur over the coming days in Dublin, Wexford, New Ross, Kilkenny and Castlebar.

Bios for Irish on Board Rachel Corrie

Mairead Maguire (66) [Belfast, Ireland]
A Nobel Peace Laureate (l976) and Co-founder of Peace People, Northern Ireland, She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work for peace and a nonviolent solution to the Ethnic/political conflict in Northern Ireland. Mairead has travelled many times to the occupied territories of Palestine to support the nonviolent peoples’ movement for Human Rights, International Law, and Self Determination of the Palestinian people. Maguire was shot with a plastic bullet whilst participating with Palestinians/Israelis/Internationals in a peaceful protest March to the Wall in Bilin, in April, 2007. Mairead went on the maiden Voyage of Dignity in October, 2008, the second successful voyage for the Free Gaza Movement. She was also on Board ‘Spirit’ when Israel hijacked the Boat in International Waters, taking all 2l humanitarian passengers to Israel, where they were arrested, detained for a week in an Israeli prison and then deported.

Denis Halliday [Manhattan, NYC and Connemara, Ireland]
UN Assistant Secretary-General from 1994-98. Appointed by SG Boutros Ghali, he served as ASG UN Human Resources Management in New York and in mid 1997 to end 1998 as Head, Humanitarian Programme in Iraq to support the Iraqi people struggling under the genocidal impact of UN Sanctions. Prior to that, as a development manager, Halliday served UNDP from 1964-94 in Iran, New York Hqts, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Samoa, New York again and finally as head of the UNDP Regional Office in Thailand. Since resigning from the UN in 1998, Halliday has delivered numerous parliamentary briefings, provided extensive media inputs and has given public/university lectures on Iraq, human rights, and the UN, in particular its reform. He was a visiting professor at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and teaches/speaks at universities in Ireland, Canada, UK and USA. Halliday is a graduate of TCD, has an honorary PhD, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and was awarded the UK Gandhi Peace Prize.

Derek Graham [Ballina, County Mayo]
Derek has been a qualified electrician for 20 years. He was a member of the reserve defence forces in Ireland for 21 years and was the first member of the reserves to make the Army sailing team. He has been sailing all of his life and is a crew member on the MV Rachel Corrie. He has participated in many previous Free Gaza boat trips to Gaza and has been on four of the five voyages that landed in Gaza. He is married to Jenny, who is also on the MV Rachel Corrie.

Jenny Graham [County Mayo]
A member of the Free Gaza Movement, Jenny has participated in previous boat trips to Gaza and is a member of the crew of the MV Rachel Corrie. She is married to Derek Graham.

Fiona Thompson [Dundalk]
Film maker

Contacts:
Family Members and MV Rachel Corrie passengers

  • Eftaima Al Najar (wife of Al Mahdi Al Harati): 087 9703605
  • Jim Lane (father of Fintan Lane): 087 2872374 / 021 4962993
  • Elanor Lamb (mother of Fiachra O Luain): 089 4185445
  • Denis Halliday (on board teh MV Rachel Corrie): 085 215 9477
  • Mairead Maguire (on board the MV Rachel Corrie): 0044 7736147713

IPSC Contacts

  • IPSC Office: 01 6770253
  • Freda Hughes (IPSC): 086 1260359
  • John Dorman (IPSC): 087 2208560
  • Mark McDonnell (IPSC): 086 841 6297