'Israel , Gaza, Flotillas and Derivative Dynamics'    

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MSM: "Israel Cuts Access to 85% of Gaza Fishing Waters" [10/21/11] "A recent report published Tuesday by the Untied Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) showed that 35% of Gaza’s farmland and 85% of its fishing waters are totally or partially inaccessible due to Israeli military measures. [...]"  

Turkey: "Interview with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan" CNN [10/19/11] [11:11] A very important interview with a major player in the Middle East. Related: "Charlie Rose interviews Turkish PM Erdogan" [10:56] Part 2 [10:56]| Part 3 [10:56]| Part 4 [10:56]| Part 5 [10:55] " [...]"  Note: One cannot understand the dimensions of what is happening in the Middle East right now, and in the near future without understanding this ... where Turkey is coming from and what their perspective is. It will help you evaluate events and dynamics as they unfold on this level.

MSM: "Israeli Warplanes Blast Central Gaza" [10/02/11] "Israeli army tanks and huge bulldozers had infiltrated 300 meters into central Gaza and bulldozed cultivated land east of Deir Al-Balah amidst random firing at a late hour on Wednesday night, local sources told the PIC reporter. [...]"  

MSM: "US Blocks $200 Million In Aid To Palestinian Authority" [10/02/11] "The United States Congress has blocked nearly $200 million in aid for the Palestinians in response to President Mahmoud Abbas' request to join the UN, a British newspaper report said Saturday. The Independent called the move the most tangible sign yet of the seriousness of US threats to halt funding in the coming year if Abbas continues with his actions at the UN. The unpublicized block has been in force since August and was imposed in response to the then-planned UN recognition bid and to earlier reconciliation efforts between Fatah and Hamas, the newspaper said. The decision was strongly condemned by the Palestinian Authority, the daily reported. The cutoff threatens projects such as food aid, health care, and support for efforts to build a functioning state, it said. "This is not constructive at all. Such moves are unjustified," said PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib. "These are mainly humanitarian and development projects -- it is another kind of collective punishment which is going to harm the needs of the public without making any positive contribution." Khatib added that the Palestinian Authority had not done anything wrong or illegal and that, "it is ironic to be punished for going to the United Nations," the newspaper reported.  [...]"   Related: "Saudi Arabia Donates $200 Million To The PA"   Saudi Arabia will pay $200 million to the Palestinian Authority, the official Palestinian news agency said on Monday, funds that will ease a financial crisis faced by the authority as it prepares to apply for full UN membership this week. 

Commentary:  "Norm Finkelstein And Huwaida Arraf  Dissect Bogus UN Report Whitewashing Murderous Zionist Operation Against Gaza Flotilla" [09/10/11]   [12:47]   Part 2 [8:48] "Turkey has downgraded diplomatic ties with Israel and frozen military co-operation ahead of a long-awaited United Nations report on Israel's deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid ship in 2010. The report accuses Israel of "excessive and unreasonable" force in its attack on the ship, Mavi Marmara — which killed nine people — and says Israel should issue a statement of regret and compensate the families of the dead as well as wounded passengers. But it also chides passengers aboard the Marmara and the other flotilla ships for what it calls a "reckless" attempt to breach Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. In a major development with broader implications, the U.N. report concludes that the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip is legal under international law. [...]"  

MSM: "Gaza Under Attack From A Swarm Of Drones" [07/20/11] "The whole of Gaza City is under air attack with Israel Defense Force (IDF) drones and other aircraft roaming the skies firing rockets and dropping bombs on the Palestinian population. For Scoop, Julie Webb-Pullman reports that there are swarms of strike aircraft: “There was at least one explosion, then sirens. I can still hear drones , more sirens, lots of sirens, more explosions.” From one vantage point, she can see a lot of smoke emitting from near Gaza City's university. From her rooftop, Julie Webb-Pullman reports: “It looks like a massive airstrike - the city of Gaza is under a pall of acrid smoke. The drones still droning. I can't tell where the strikes were, but definitely in the middle of town, as well as further out.” [...]" 

MSM: "Israel Aircraft Raid Gaza For Fourth Day In Row" [07/17/11] "Israeli aircraft struck Gaza overnight for the fourth time in as many days, wounding a militant who was about to fire a rocket, Palestinian security sources said on Saturday. The Palestinian was admitted to hospital but his injuries were not life-threatening, the sources said. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that an air strike had targeted a Palestinian. The raid was followed by the firing of two rockets from Gaza into Israel, neither of which caused casualties or damage, she added. There has been a sharp increase in rocket fire by Gaza militants in recent days, ending two months of relative calm in which just two rockets were fired into Israel in two months. [...]"  

MSM: "Israeli Warplanes Pound East Gaza" [07/10/11] "Israeli warplanes have attacked the eastern Gaza Strip in yet another use of excessive force against the Palestinian residents of the besieged territory. In the incident, which happened in the early hours of Sunday, Israeli F-16 jets flew over Gaza City and fired a missile at the area of Jabal al-Rayes, east of the city, Xinhua reported. The Israeli military frequently bombs the Gaza Strip, saying the actions are being conducted for "defensive purposes". However, disproportionate force is always used, in violation of international law, and civilians are often killed or injured. Gaza has been blockaded since 2007, which is a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty. After Israel's assault on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in international waters on May 31, 2010, in which nine civilians were killed, Tel Aviv slightly eased the land blockade of Gaza, allowing in more consumer goods.However, the naval siege of the Gaza Strip remains in place, exports are banned, and imports of raw materials and construction materials are restricted. [...]"  

 Exposé: "Israeli Document: Gaza Blockade Isn't About Security" [07/06/11] "As Israel ordered a slight easing of its blockade of the Gaza Strip Wednesday, McClatchy obtained an Israeli government document that describes the blockade not as a security measure but as "economic warfare" against the Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Palestinian territory.Israel imposed severe restrictions on Gaza in June 2007, after Hamas won elections and took control of the coastal enclave after winning elections there the previous year, and the government has long said that the aim of the blockade is to stem the flow of weapons to militants in Gaza. ... in response to a lawsuit by Gisha, an Israeli human rights group, the Israeli government explained the blockade as an exercise of the right of economic warfare. "A country has the right to decide that it chooses not to engage in economic relations or to give economic assistance to the other party to the conflict, or that it wishes to operate using 'economic warfare,'" the government said. McClatchy obtained the government's written statement from Gisha, the Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, which sued the government for information about the blockade. The Israeli high court upheld the suit, and the government delivered its statement earlier this year. The Israeli government took an additional step Wednesday and said the economic warfare is intended to achieve a political goal. A government spokesman, who couldn't be named as a matter of policy, told McClatchy that authorities will continue to ease the blockade but "could not lift the embargo altogether as long as Hamas remains in control" of Gaza. [...]" 

 Report: "Gazan Reality Faces Political Spin As Flotilla Considers Its Next Moves" [07/05/11] "Richard Lightbown describes the reality of extreme hardship in the Gaza Strip, "denied by world political leaders who know the facts better than anyone", that has led to the formation of yet another flotilla for Gaza, and chronicles the Israeli, US and European dirty tricks aimed at aborting the humanitarian mission to the Strip. [...]"  

Commentary: "Sabotaging Flotilla II: Waging War Against Civil Society" [07/05/11] "The reports that two of the foreign flagged ships planning to be part of the ten vessel Freedom Flotilla II experienced similar forms of disabling sabotage creates strong circumstantial evidence of Israeli responsibility. It stretches the imagination to suppose that a sophisticated cutting of the propeller shafts of both ships is a coincidence with no involvement by Israel’s Mossad, long infamous for its overseas criminal acts in support of contested Israeli national interests. Recalling the lethal encounter in international waters with Freedom Flotilla I that took place on 31 May 2010, and the frantic diplomatic campaign by Tel Aviv to prevent this second challenge to the Gaza blockade by peace activists and humanitarian aid workers, such conduct by a state against this latest civil society initiative, if further validated by incriminating evidence, should be formally condemned as a form of ‘state terrorism’ or even as an act of war by a state against global civil society. [...]The Israeli Government has so far done little to deny its culpability. Its highest officials speak of the allegations in self-righteous language that is typically diversionary, asserting an irrelevant right of self-defense, which supposedly comes mysteriously into play whenever civil society acts nonviolently to break the siege of Gaza that has persisted for more than four years. From the perspective of the obligations to uphold international law it is the Flotilla participants who are acting legally and morally, certainly well within their rights, and it is Israel and their friends that are resorting to a variety of legally and morally dubious tactics to insulate this cruel and unlawful blockade from what is essentially a symbolic challenge. The behavior of the Greek Government, [...]"  

"Israel Accepts Greek Offer To Transport Flotilla’s Aid To Gaza" [07/04/11]   [0:00] "Israel has agreed to the Greek government's offer Sunday to send the flotilla’s humanitarian aid to Gaza with Greek diplomats, under UN supervision. The offer is intended to serve as a compromise in order to "end the flotilla affair". [...]"  Note: End 'the affair'?" Right ... it would be the end if Israel would leave Gaza alone.

PressTV: "Israel manipulating Greece over Gaza" [07/03/11] [10:32] Part 2 [14:38] "The audacity of hope, the US boat in the Gaza freedom flotilla, makes a break for freedom out of the harbour in Athens. It's quickly intercepted by the Greek coastguard, and escorted into a naval base, where it's now trapped. The Greek government has officially made it clear that it's enforcing Israel's blockade, and has instructed its coastguard and navy to use all available means to prohibit flotilla boats from leaving its shores. "The Tahrir is no different. Its passengers have been ready for a week, its paperwork is in order, its passed all the extraordinary safety checks imposed by the Greek authorities, and its fuel tanks are full. But still, it's going nowhere." Organisers of the Canadian boat say they're using all available avenues to get their boat freed. They plan to challenge the government's order over the next few days through legal and direct action. And the vast majority of passengers onboard the Tahrir are ready to wait it out, their determination still palpable. Earlier the passengers rallied through the town of Agios Nikolaos in Crete, where the boat is docked to express their fury at the government's decision. And despite their government's position, many Greeks support the effort. But the hidden hand of Israel has been revealed. And the flotilla's hopes that the Greek government would support its mission, given the Greek people's history of opposition to imperialism and support for Palestine, has fallen by the wayside. But the passengers say too much hope, love and finance have been invested by millions around the world to give up now. [...]"  Related: "US Captain Of Gaza Ship Held In 'Shocking Conditions'" "The captain of a US vessel intercepted after it tried to defy a ban and sail for Gaza from Greece was being held in "shocking conditions" Sunday and has not received consular assistance, a lawyer said. Captain John Klusmer was arrested when the US boat Audacity of Hope -- the flagship in a flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists -- attempted to leave Greek waters on Friday after Athens banned all Gaza-bound ships from setting sail. Klusmer was charged with felony and ordered to appear in court on Tuesday. The US Boat to Gaza organisation said he was being held in jail in "shocking conditions" and as far as it was aware, had not yet received consular assistance. New York lawyer Richard Levy -- a passenger on the boat who has visited Klusmer in jail in a port town near Athens -- told enraged US activists that "he had no bed or toilet in his cell, and is receiving no food or water" [...]" |Commentary: "The “Deplorable” Acts: The ‘Quartet’ Comments on Gaza"   "... The so-called “Middle East Quartet” – that is, the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia – has issued a “Statement on the Situation in Gaza” today. It is a brief and unsurprising document. No mention of a “siege” or “blockade,” of course. While it states that the “conditions facing the civilian population in Gaza” are “unsustainable,” it provides absolutely no indication of the extent of the humanitarian crisis (i.e. 80% aid dependency, 95% of water is undrinkable, a mere 20% is food secure, 36% unemployment – 47% among Gaza’s youth – and 38% living below the poverty line). The statement ignores all of this. Instead, it “notes that efforts have improved conditions over the last year, including a marked increase in the range and scope of goods and materials moving into Gaza, an increase in international project activity, and the facilitation of some exports.” Yet, these “improved conditions” are illusory. 

World Politics: "Freedom Flotilla II Sets Sail For Gaza" [06/18/11] "The aid flotilla is being organized by a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups, most of them based in Europe, the Associated Press reported. The mission is named after the first Freedom Flotilla, which Israeli naval commandoes attacked on May 31, 2010, in international waters, killing nine Turkish activists and injuring around 50 others. [...]"   

MSM: "Israel's Government Authorises Mining of Natural Gas off Gaza Shore" [06/16/11] "The Israeli Ministry of Infrastructure has demanded permission from the gas company Nobel Energy to start working in developing the natural gas field that was found off the Gaza Strip shoreline, under the pretext that Israel fears gas shortages in the coming year. In a press statement on Monday, the Israeli Ministry of Infrastructre said that it officially requested permission from Nobel Energy to submit a work programme to dig and develop gas fields by July. [...]"  Note: It is Palestinian gas fields. Related: MSM: "State of Emergency: New Egypt To Shut Off Gas To Israel?"   [3:11]  "The toppling of President Mubarak in Egypt is now turning up the heat on Cairo’s gas supply deal with Israel. Egyptian officials are probing allegations the agreement was a scam, orchestrated by the Mubarak family. Cairo’s reportedly considering raising gas export prices to Israel – or even suspending supplies altogether. [...]"  Note: Interesting, how these things are connected ...

World Political Theatre: "Freedom Flotilla II" [06/10/11]   "Freedom Flotilla II will leave during the third week of June, with ships departing from various European ports, including Marseilles. We’re very pleased to announce the recent addition of a Swiss-German boat to the flotilla. In July 2010 Germany’s Bundestag passed a resolution calling for an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza. A number of our respective governments have said the same. The UN Human Rights Committee Fact Finding Mission into the 2010 flotilla attack found Israel’s blockade on Gaza to be unlawful. The International Committee of the Red Cross has said that Israel must end its illegal closure of Gaza. Yet Israel continues to disregard international law and ignore the will of the international community. Without any strong diplomatic action being taken to enforce international law and defend the human rights of the Palestinian people, the flotilla must sail and other international initiatives to end Israel’s impunity are called for. [...]"  Note:  They should arrive around the July 1, 2011 T-Square major Solar Eclipse.

MSM: "Egypt Permanently Opens Gaza Border Crossing" [05/28/11] "Egypt lifted a four-year-old blockade on the Gaza Strip's main link to the outside world Saturday, bringing relief to the crowded territory's 1.5 million Palestinians but deepening a rift with Israel since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak earlier this year. The Egyptian move will allow thousands of Gazans to move freely in and out of the area — heightening Israeli fears that militants and weapons could easily reach its doorstep. [...]"  

Film Clip Trailer: "Tears Of Gaza" [05/13/11] [2:31] Note: People are known for what they do, and no one can change the reality of that. The film also depicts the ability of women and children to handle their everyday life after a dramatic war experience. Many of them live in tents or in ruins without walls or roofs. They are all in need of money, food, water and electricity. Others have lost family members, or are left with seriously injured children. Can war solve conflicts or create peace? The film follows three children through the war and the period after the ceasefire. Related: Documentary: "Children of Gaza" [10:01]  Part 2 [10:00]| Part 3 [4:00]| Part 4 [10:01]| Part 5 [10:00] | Part 6 [3:54]  "This documentary focuses on the lives of a few of the children living in that small strip of Palestinian land whose lives were devastated when Israel launched its military attack on their homes, killing many of their parents and relatives, and shattering their already fragile existences. It shows how they have bravely tried to deal with their losses and bereavements and have tried to move on with their lives, and simultaneously how Israel has ensured that this is well near impossible as a result of the childrens literal incarceration in Gaza due to Israels illegal and ongoing siege. The documentary focuses on how they have been struggling to deal with the fallout of their physical injuries as well as their psychological scars which, in all probability, they will never fully recover from. For once, this documentary is an opportunity for the children of Gaza themselves to speak out and to tell their own stories instead of it being told on their behalf by propagandists with a vested interest in how these children are portrayed. [...]"  Note:  We hear from the people themselves, and examine the social dynamic.

MSM: "Israeli Forces, Tanks Cross Into Gaza" [05/11/11]   "Israeli soldiers apparently entered the Palestinian territory from Karni crossing on Wednesday and advanced hundreds of meters toward the east of Gaza City. According to Press TV's correspondent in Gaza, Israeli soldiers dug a series of holes in the area and filled them with explosives. Israeli soldiers then blew up the explosives, causing loud explosions in the area, our correspondent added. Israeli officials claim that the troops were searching and destroying "possible tunnels" in the area that could be used by Palestinian resistance fighters to enter Israeli posts and capture Israeli soldiers. But analysts believe the Israeli attack aimed at provoking Palestinian fighters into firing on Israeli troops, which could have escalated the situation. [...]"   

Report:  "US Helped Israel Contain UN Gaza War Probe" [04/20/11] "The United States worked behind the scenes to help Israel contain UN probes into possible war crimes committed during the 2008-2009 Gaza war, Foreign Policy reported Tuesday. The online foreign affairs magazine cited exclusive WikiLeaks cables detailing moves by the US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice to prevent a more thorough UN investigation of alleged abuses during the conflict. Some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed during the three-week-long Israeli offensive in December 2008 and January 2009, which was aimed at halting Palestinian rocket attacks. According to one cable, Rice spoke with UN chief Ban Ki-moon three times on May 4, 2009 to urge him to remove recommendations for a wider investigation from a board of inquiry report into attacks on UN sites in Gaza. Rice "underscored the importance of having a strong cover letter that made clear that no further action was needed and would close out this issue," the US diplomatic cable said. Ban said his staff was working with the Israeli delegation and "called her after the letter had been finalized to report that he believed they had arrived at a satisfactory cover letter." Later that year Israel and the United States pushed back against a similar effort to investigate the war by the UN Human Rights Council, which appointed a team led by the South African jurist Richard Goldstone. [...]"    

"Israelis Try and Use Wikileaks Concept As "Prognosticator of the Future" To Suit Their Own Political Agenda" [04/13/11] "Israel expects next war against Hezbollah to be much more painful, leaked cables reveal, with 24,000 to 36,000 rockets and missiles expected to be launched at Israel. [...]"  Note:  Bullshit. It's so transparently a useless ploy .... to justify the already-planned genocidal activities in Gaza.

"Israel To Turkey: Help Us Thwart Upcoming Gaza Flotilla" [04/13/11] "Israel's ambassador to Turkey reiterates Jerusalem's opposition to the naval 'provocation,' says Israel would allow the pass of humanitarian aid through other channels. Israel contacted Turkey concerning a Gaza aid flotilla planned for May of this year, an Israeli official said on Tuesday, reiterating Israel's objection to a breaking of Gaza's naval blockade and its willingness to transfer aid to the Strip via legal channels. [...]"  Note: Yeah, right. The Israelis cannot be trusted under any circumstances.

World Political Theatre: "Israel Attacks Gaza: Operation Scorching Summer" [04/09/11] "Israeli apache helicopters open fire at Palestinian houses in the heavily populated neighbourhood of Shuja’eya east of Gaza. There are also reports of Israeli military boats firing at houses. Palestinian sources say that an ambulance was hit in one of the strikes. Five people have been killed, one a man of 50 by an Israel tank shell and the latest victim is Saleh Tarabin (38). Some 30-40 people have been wounded.  Israeli warplanes are opening fire on Khan Younis city, south of Gaza, but so far no casualties have been reported.  Heavy shelling in Rafah and tunnels being targeted. Bo,bs falling on the border between Gaza and Egypt. F-16s over Gaza City now.  Israeli airstrikes have targeted two high voltage electricity converters in Khan Younis and Gaza City causing power outages. All hospitals in Gaza have now declared a state of emergency. UN staff have been evacuated from Gaza.  [...]"  More  Related: "Israel Kills Hamas Commander In Gaza Strike" | "ElBaradei: If Israel Attacks Gaza, Egypt Will Strike Back" "Egyptian presidential candidate and former International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei has said that, if elected, he would fight back against an Israeli offensive in Gaza, Ynet News reports. In an interview with an Arab newspaper Monday, ElBaradei emphasized his determination to protect Palestinians in Gaza, stating that any Israeli military attacks would result in a declaration of war from Egypt. [...]" | "Egyptian protesters march on Israeli Embassy" "Several thousand Egyptians have marched to the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, protesting Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip. Around 2,000 protesters broke away from a mass demonstration Friday in central Tahrir Square — which was demanding ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his family be put on trial for alleged corruption — to march on the embassy on the other side of the Nile River. Chanting slogans against Israel, they have been stopped at a military checkpoint that kept them away from the embassy entrance. Earlier Friday, Israeli aircraft and ground forces struck Gaza, killing four Hamas militants and five civilians in retaliation for a Palestinian rocket attack on an Israeli school bus the day before. [...]"  "US Wants Gaza War Crimes Report To "Disappear" "Susan Rice, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations, said on Wednesday she wanted a war crimes report on Israel's 2008-09 Gaza offensive to "disappear". [...]"   

"Goldstone Report Author 'Rethinks Findings' On Israel And War Crimes" [04/03/11] "The head of a U.N.-appointed expert panel that investigated the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas in the winter of 2008-2009 said in a newspaper article that new accounts by Israel's military indicate that it did not deliberately target civilians, his report's central and most inflammatory accusation. Israel's prime minister said the military was vindicated by Richard Goldstone's acknowledgment in an op-ed piece published Friday by The Washington Post that his conclusion appeared to have been wrong. The Goldstone Report's findings, released in September 2009, triggered outrage in Israel, which refused to cooperate with the investigation on the grounds that the panel he led was biased. "We know a lot more today about what happened in the Gaza war," Goldstone wrote. "If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document." The Goldstone Report concluded both sides committed potential war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. It accused Israel of using disproportionate force, deliberately targeting civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure, and using people as human shields. It also accused Hamas of deliberately targeting civilians and trying to spread terror through its rocket attacks. [...]"  Related:  Commentary: "Reconsidering the Goldstone Report on Israel and war crimes" Richard Goldstone    Note:  "Did Israel threaten his family? Threaten him? His bank account? What did the Mossad dig up on this guy to make him write: "The allegations of intentionality by Israel were based on the deaths of and injuries to civilians in situations where our fact-finding mission had no evidence on which to draw any other reasonable conclusion. While the investigations published by the Israeli military and recognized in the U.N. committee’s report have established the validity of some incidents that we investigated in cases involving individual soldiers, they also indicate that civilians were not intentionally targeted as a matter of policy." [...]" "Lieberman lauds new Goldstone conclusions about Gaza war"   

"Switzerland Promises To Rebuild Gaza And Break The Siege With Egypt's Cooperation" [03/25/11] "Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey has announced her country is developing a project to open up all crossings to the Gaza Strip, which has been suffocating for the last five years from an Israeli blockade. She also said if Egypt would agree to open the Rafah crossing to bring in building materials and commodities, her country would be ready to restore it. The statements came Monday during a meeting with several high-profile politicians in Europe staged by the European-Palestinian relations council. They met to discuss Switzerland's role in supporting the democratic movements sweeping the Mideast and issues affecting Palestine. Discussions included British MP Lord Andrew Phillips, member of European Parliament Alexandra Faith, MEP Derek Vaughan from Wales, and Swiss MP Geri Müller. For his part, Lord Andrew Phillips, who headed the delegation, said world silence was to blame for Israel's obstinacy, saying that Tel Aviv understands that silence over recent attacks has provided a green light for more attacks. [...]"   

Propaganda: "Israel Seizes German Egypt-Bound Ship In International Waters Using 'Weapons For Gaza' Excuse" [03/15/11]    "Israeli commandos have intercepted an Egypt-bound ship Israel says was "carrying arms for militant groups in the Gaza Strip". The German-owned vessel - the Victoria - was on its way from Turkey to the Egyptian port of Alexandria, it said. It was seized some 200 miles (320km) from the shore in international waters. Israeli forces did not meet resistance from the crew and the vessel was being taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod, security sources told the BBC. "On the boat we discovered many weapons destined for terror groups in the heart of Gaza," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "The source of the weapons was Iran which is trying to arm the Strip." The Liberian-flagged vessel was chartered by a French company, the military said. It departed from Lattakia port in Syria to Mersin port in Turkey, from where it set off bound for Alexandria, it said. It stressed that Turkey was not involved in the alleged weapons shipment. Relations between the two countries have been strained since Israeli commandos raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last May, killing nine Turkish activists on board. [...]"  Note:  No astute individual would believe the Israelis ... who fail to say how 'munitions' magically appeared on the ship without docking in Iran ....

"Revealed story of Israeli troops told to 'cleanse' Gaza " [03/12/11] [13:28]  "Israeli soldiers tell Channel 4 News they were ordered to "cleanse" Palestinian neighbourhoods, as filmmaker Nurit Kedar says "the atmosphere was that nobody should talk about this war". Nurit Kedar's film, Concrete, hears from Israeli soldiers who blame their military leaders for encouraging a "disproportionate" response to Hamas's rockets. They claim their commanders used to "psych up" soldiers before an operation so they were ready to shoot indiscriminately. This is the first time Israeli soldiers have come forward publicly with claims which counter those of their bosses. In a report first aired on Channel 4 News on Wednesday, 24-year-old tank commander Ohad remembers being told the night before the operation that the entry into Gaza was to be "disproportionate". Once into Gaza, he says his orders were unambiguous: "We needed to cleanse the neighbourhoods, the buildings, the area. It sounds really terrible to say "cleanse", but those were the orders....I don't want to make a mistake with the words." The IDF [Israel Defence Forces] has said its operational orders during the war emphasised "proportionality" and "humanity". [...]"  

"Intelligence Report Links PKK To Israel" [03/09/11]   "A new classified intelligence report has disclosed links between Israel and the Kurdish militant group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). According to the report presented at Turkey's National Security Council (MGK ) meeting on February 24, the PKK has been forging new ties with Israel, and Kurdish militants are receiving training from Mossad officials, Today's Zaman newspaper reported on Tuesday. The MGK also stated that it has footage from an interview in which PKK leader Murat Karayilan says his group collaborated with Tel Aviv to facilitate the attack launched by Israeli forces on a Turkish aid ship bound for the besieged Gaza Strip. [...]"   

"Israeli Air Force Bombs Gaza Targets" [03/06/11]    "Amid continued Qassam fire directed at Israel, the IDF on Saturday attacked targets across the Gaza Strip.
Eye witnesses said some of the posts were completely destroyed. No injuries were reported.  The IDF said that IAF aircrafts attacked two terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip center and a smuggling tunnel in the northern Strip. "The terror tunnel served terrorists infiltrating into Israel who carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers," it was stated. Palestinian sources reported that IAF jets bombed targets in the neighborhood of Zeitoun, east of Gaza city, near the Musab bin Umar mosque. Later on Saturday, sources reported that IAF jets also attacked targets in Deir al-Balah, located at the center of the Strip. An Izz al-Din al-Qassam post in Khan Younis was reportedly bombed as well. Although no rocket landings have been reported inside Israel, Ofakim resident Ariel Mimran told Ynet that "you can feel the blast waves of the explosion. We heard no alarm here – it's strange – we never hear one." On Friday, Palestinian militants fired two Qassam rockets at Israel. One exploded within the bounds of the Sdot Negev Regional Council and the other likely landed in Palestinian territory. No injuries or damage were reported. Last Monday, the IDF launched two attacks on the Gaza Strip. At least one Palestinian was injured when IDF artillery fire targeted a terror cell near the defunct airport located east of Rafah. The army said the cell had launched terror attacks against Israeli targets in the past, but the Palestinians said one of those injured in the strike was a construction worker who was collecting gravel.  [...]" 

"Document Released Proves Israeli Government Lied To Justify Operation Cast Lead Against Gaza In 2008" [02/11/11] "Back at the end of 2008 when the Israeli government launched its war against Hamas-controlled Gaza, it insisted that it had no choice: Hamas had not maintained the cease-fire with Israel and the IDF had no choice but to respond. But a WikiLeak cable released yesterday indicates the cease-fire was working well, perhaps too well from the point of view of Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak. A secret cable, sent by the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv to the State Department reports that Barak had told Egyptian officials that the cease-fire (it is referred to by the Arabic term, tahdiya) was working fine. [...]"     

"New Attacks In Gaza, Censored From Western Press" [02/10/11] "February 9, 2011 (VT) Gaza: Last night, Israeli planes bombed a medical supply center in Gaza. The bombing attack lasted only 20 minutes or so, short when compared to the “London blitz” during World War II but similar in other way. Israeli planes were still overhead while film crews were on the scene. Israel has yet to release a statement taking credit for the attack. The systematic destruction of necessary support services, health care, water, sewage, electric, schools continue. Were our film team not to have been on the scene, media would likely have reported this as a poison gas plant or a rocket factory. [.. 

"Israeli Planes Hit Gaza Tunnel, No Casualties" [02/02/11] "The Israeli air force bombed a suspected smuggling tunnel on the Gaza-Egypt border on Wednesday in response to rocket attacks, the military said. No casualties were reported. “The site was targeted in response to the recent rocket fire from the Gaza Strip,” a military statement said, referring to Grad rockets and mortar rounds fired from Gaza on Monday night, one of which exploded near a wedding in southern Israel, although nobody was injured.  [...]"  

"Wikileaks cable: Israeli intelligence chief encouraged Hamas takeover of Gaza Strip" [12/23/10] "In the latest revelation to come out of the hundreds of thousands of leaked diplomatic cables provided by the website 'Wikileaks', a diplomatic exchange between then Israeli Director of Military Intelligence, Major General Amos Yadlin, and US Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones showed Israeli support for a Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip which Israel could then declare Gaza to be a 'hostile entity'. [...]"   

UK Jewish MP: "Israel acting like Nazis in Gaza" [12/22/10] [5:40]   "Israel was born out of Jewish Terrorism" Tzipi Livnis Father was a Terrorist" Astonishing claims in the House of Parliament. SIR Gerald Kaufman, the veteran Labour MP, yesterday compared the actions of Israeli troops in Gaza to the Nazis who forced his family to flee Poland. During a Commons debate on the fighting in Gaza, he urged the government to impose an arms embargo on Israel. Sir Gerald, who was brought up as an orthodox Jew and Zionist, said: "My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town a German soldier shot her dead in her bed. "My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza. The present Israeli government ruthlessly and cynically exploits the continuing guilt from gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians." He said the claim that many of the Palestinian victims were militants "was the reply of the Nazi" and added: "I suppose the Jews fighting for their lives in the Warsaw ghetto could have been dismissed as militants." He accused the Israeli government of seeking "conquest" and added: "They are not simply war criminals, they are fools." [...]"   

"Israeli air strike on Gaza Strip" [12/21/10] "Israeli jets have carried out air strikes in the Gaza Strip, injuring at least two Palestinian militants, doctors say. It follows a strike on Saturday in which which killed five militants. This was the deadliest attack since Operation Cast Lead - Israel's major offensive in Gaza almost two years ago. BBC Gaza correspondent, Jon Donnison, says there has been a recent rise in tension along the Gaza-Israel border in recent weeks. Israel says its latest air strikes targeted tunnels, a Hamas training centre and a weapons factory in Gaza. The rockets fired by Palestinian militant groups into Israel rarely cause injury or damage, but they do cause widespread fear. They are not fired by Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza, but by smaller militant groups. Nevertheless Israel says Hamas is responsible because it controls the territory. The Israeli military says the air strikes were in retaliation for the firing of 13 rockets and mortars at Israel this week. [...]"   

False Flag Op: "Israel: IAF strikes targets in Gaza in response to rocket fire" [11/19/10] "Follows 11 rockets fired at western Negev, Ashkelon area in less than 24 hours; 4 mortar shells fired contained white phosphorous; Salah-al-Din Brigades claim mortar fire response to IDF assassination... [...]"  Note:  I am sure these are all classified Mossad ops inside Gaza, aimed at Israel, to make it APPEAR like the Palestinians are doing something. Besides, in all probability, the Israelis are the ONLY ones ABLE to get anything with white phosphorus .... what THEY used on the Palestinians during 'Operation Cast Lead'. US weapons.

Israeli government documents show deliberate policy to keep Gazans at near-starvation levels [11/07/10] "Documents whose existence were denied by the Israeli government for over a year have been released after a legal battle led by Israeli human rights group Gisha. The documents reveal a deliberate policy by the Israeli government in which the dietary needs for the population of Gaza are chillingly calculated, and the amounts of food let in by the Israeli government measured to remain just enough to keep the population alive at a near-starvation level. This documents the statement made by a number of Israeli officials that they are "putting the people of Gaza on a diet". In 2007, when Israel began its full siege on Gaza, Dov Weisglass, adviser to then Prime-Minister Ehud Olmert, stated clearly, "The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger." The documents now released contain equations used by the Israeli government to calculate the exact amounts of food, fuel and other necessities needed to do exactly that. [...]"  Note:  Uruknet takes a few moments to load.

Jewish peace activists set sail for Gaza from Cyprus [09/26/10] "A boat carrying Jewish activists from Israel, Germany, the U.S. and Britain set sail on Sunday for Gaza, hoping to breach Israel's blockade there and deliver aid. Richard Kuper, an organizer with the U.K. group Jews for Justice for Palestinians, said one goal is to show that not all Jews support Israeli policies toward Palestinians. Kuper said the boat, which set sail from northern Cyprus flying a British flag, won't resist if Israeli authorities try to stop it. [...]"  Note:  What do they mean, 'if'? The only way this would really matter is if they DID resist (murderous tactics) .... otherwise, why bother? Would Israel behave the same as they did before, especially with Jews? No ... so why bother.

UN rights council: ‘Clear evidence’ against Israel in flotilla raid [09/23/10] "A UN probe said Wednesday there was "clear evidence to support prosecutions" against Israel for "willful killing" and torture committed when its troops stormed a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May. In a scathing report, it also threw out Israel's argument that activists on the aid ship were violent thereby justifying the decision by  [...]" "unacceptable" brutality  Related: UN experts: Israel flotilla raid broke int'l law  "A report by three U.N.-appointed human rights experts Wednesday said that Israeli forces violated international law when they raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla killing nine activists earlier this year. The U.N. Human Rights Council's fact-finding mission concluded that Israel's naval blockade of the Palestinian territory was unlawful because of the humanitarian crisis there, and described the military raid on the flotilla as brutal and disproportionate. [...]"   

Israeli jets bomb Gaza as tanks line up [09/10/10] "Sixteen Israeli warplanes have attacked the coastal strip a few hours before midnight on Thursday, firing at least one rocket into a security compound west of Gaza City, a Press TV correspondent reported.  Two other rockets were fired south of Gaza in the town of Rafah injuring two Palestinians. Another rocket was also fired east of Gaza city, he said. Witnesses say they have spotted Israeli tanks along the Gaza border but there is no further detail available, the Press TV correspondent reported. Israeli officials have confirmed that a military operation has taken place in the coastal strip, without giving any further details. The incident happened when the streets of Gaza were packed with people preparing for celebrations of Eid al-Fitr on Friday to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.  [...]"  

Israeli Blockade has Turned Gaza Strip into a 'Prison Camp' [07/29/10] "David Cameron used a visit to Turkey to make his strongest intervention yet in the intractable Middle East conflict today when he likened the experience of Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip to that of a "prison camp". Although he has made similar remarks before, his decision to repeat them on a world stage in Turkey, whose relations with Israel have deteriorated sharply since it mounted a deadly assault on the Gaza flotilla, gave them much greater diplomatic significance. Cameron's comments, in a speech to business leaders in Ankara, prompted the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to issue another strong condemnation of how Israel dealt with the flotilla. Erdogan likened the behaviour of Israeli commandos, who shot dead nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists, to Somali pirates. Cameron's criticism of Tel Aviv came when he called for Israel to relax its restrictions on Gaza. "The situation in Gaza has to change," he said. "Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp." [...]"   

Israel deploys navy to stop aid ships [07/24/10] "Israel has urged Lebanon to stop a Gaza-bound aid convoy, saying it will use “all necessary means” to stop the humanitarian convoy from reaching the blockaded coastal sliver. The Israeli navy has deployed ships at sea to stop the Lebanese vessels and commandos from the navy’s Flotilla 13 — known as the Shayetet — are put on standby so that in case it becomes necessary they would board the ships to prevent them from sailing into the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post reported on Friday. Two Lebanese vessels are expected to depart in an attempt to break the Gaza blockade and deliver humanitarian supplies to Gazans by the end of the week. Meanwhile, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev once again threatened the new convoy in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday. [...]"    

Gaza-Bound Aid Ship Unloads in Egypt [07/17/10] "he Moldovan-flagged Amalthea, loaded with 2,000 tonnes of medical supplies and food, docked at the port of El Arish, on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, about 45km south of the border with Gaza, on Wednesday. [...]"  Note:  Avoiding the confrontation that led to the flotilla fiasco in May, a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship has docked and unloaded its cargo in Egypt after the Israeli navy forbid it to sail directly into Palestine. While the aid materials are set to be delivered to the economically-devastated Gaza Strip, some have criticized the ship’s detour as tacit acceptance of the illegal blockade that Israel has made against passage into Palestinian territory. 

Exposé:  Connecting the Dots: Israel's Vengeance, Loose Nukes, Gulf Ecocide [07/03/10] "Israel's self-fulfilling prophecy moved one step closer to its tragic conclusion last month as its façade of normalcy slipped and the world glimpsed the true nature of the Zionist project in the Middle East. The massacre of innocents aboard the Mavi Marmara has galvanised global citizens to end the Siege of Gaza once and for all. But Israel's lunacy is altogether more dangerous following the UN's official acknowledgment that Israel is armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons. Its willingness to use them "by way of deception" strengthens the likelihood of a false-flag nuclear attack being carried out to avenge humanity's non-existent "victimisation" of the "Light unto the Nations."  We will examine the latest ridiculous case of "homegrown terrorism" in the US which took place on the eve of momentous discussions on nuclear disarmament in New York City, as well as the framing of North Korea for the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan. Was Israel involved in both events? The hysteria these two attacks generated as well as their timing certainly indicates that somebody is blowing smoke to distract people from moves on the grand chessboard. The clownish Times Square car bomb was not the real terrorist act in New York last month. Financial terrorists held the US government hostage until it reversed its decision to break up organised crime on Wall Street. Is the eurozone debt crisis similarly contrived?  [...]"  Note: Well written article. Includes comprehensive details about the Gaza Flotilla event.

Turks shot multiple times on Gaza aid ship: forensics [06/30/10] "All but two of the nine Turks killed in an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship were shot more than once, and five died from bullet wounds to the head, according to forensic reports. The documents, penned this month, were made available to AFP Tuesday by lawyers for the victims' families, who have petitioned Turkish prosecutors to investigate the May 31 bloodshed on the Turkish Mavi Marmara ferry. "The findings make it clear the Israeli forces shot to kill the activists and not to overpower them," one of the lawyers, Yasin Divrak, told AFP. The youngest victim, 19-year-old Furkan Dogan, a dual Turkish-US national, was shot five times, including twice in the head, the report said. [...]  The forensic experts failed to detect other close-distance shots on the remaining victims. [...] "  Note:  They paid special attention to Turks.

Member of Israeli flotilla "investigation" has history of terrorism [06/28/10] "Amos Horev, the retired IDF general, former Technion president, and chief booster of the Israeli defense industry, has a rather sordid past that many might find akin to being a terrorist, Israel-style. He is one of three panel members of the Gaza flotilla investigation and this incident, described by the inimitable Tom Segev in a 2002 Haaretz article, should shed light on the type of justice he might mete out in this inquiry: [...]"  

Iran says Gaza aid delegation to go on Lebanon ship [06/28/10] "Iranian lawmakers protesting at Israel's blockade of Gaza are planning to travel on an aid ship that is to leave from Lebanon. Lebanon said last week it would allow a Gaza-bound ship called the Julia to sail, via Cyprus, despite warnings from Israel that it reserved the right to use all necessary means to stop ships that tried to sail from Lebanon to Gaza. [...]"  

Iran 'to hit back at ship inspection' [06/28/10] "The Chairman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), Mohammad Hossein Dajmar, says Tehran will retaliate if its cargo ships come under inspection. "To protect its national interests, Iran would be sure to use its legal rights to retaliate if any Iranian ships are inspected," Dajmar said in an interview with IRNA on Sunday. "According to numerous international rules, all countries have the right to protect their waters," he said, arguing further that Iran "can inspect suspicious ships to confront those countries which support the resolutions." The UN Security Council passed a US-sponsored anti-Iran resolution on June 9 that imposes restrictions on the country's shipping industry in addition to other sectors. [...]"  

Demolishing Israel's lies about Gaza Freedom Flotilla: Interview with ex-US Marine Kenneth O'Keefe [06/28/10] 3 Video clips "Please spare a few minutes to watch the following three-part video – a recording of an interview with former US Marine Kenneth O'Keefe, to be broadcast on the BBC's "HARDtalk" programme on Monday 28 June 2010.  Kenneth O'Keefe was one of the peace activists abroad the Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship, Mavi Marmara, when it was attacked by Israeli commandos who murdered nine peace activists on the ship. In the interview, Mr O'Keefe eloquently, politely and calmly demolishes all the Israeli lies and justifications for the murder of the peace activists. [...]"   

 Israel: Arab-Israeli Parliamentarian Fights Death Threats [06/21/10] ""I stopped counting after I had received 50 death threats. I told my secretary not to tell me about them any more," Arab-Israeli Knesset (parliament) member, Haneen Zoabi told IPS.  "As a result of the death threats I’ve been given personal body guards both within the Knesset and outside," adds Zoabi. Zoabi, a member of the Arab-Israeli political party Balad, was on board the ‘Mavi Marmara’, part of the Free Gaza (FG) flotilla, when it was attacked by Israeli commandos in international waters as it tried to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza several weeks ago. [...]" Israel wants Turkish PM out of office   "An Israeli minister has called for the removal of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has condemned the deadly Israeli attack on an aid flotilla, from office. "The Turkish people aren't the enemy, but Erdogan is Israel's enemy," Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov was quoted by the Israeli daily, Ha'aretz as saying on Saturday. [...]"    

Netanyahu: Gaza flotilla probe will show the world Israel acted lawfully [06/14/10]  Note: Israel cannot conduct a legitimate analysis of its own behavior and come out with anything credible. The whole planet (except Israel) knows this ... bunch of buffoons. To announce the results of a probe before a probe is conducted is rather transparent, as well. Related: Turkey dismisses Israeli probe into raid, warns it may revise ties  "Turkey strongly dismissed Monday a commission established by Israel to investigate the deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship and warned it may revise bilateral ties with Israel if a U.N.-led inquiry is not launched. [...]"  

Iranian aid ships head for Gaza [06/14/10] "Iran is sending aid ships to blockaded Gaza, state radio said on Monday -- a move likely to be considered provocative by Israel which accuses Tehran of arming the Palestinian enclave's Islamist rulers, Hamas.  One ship left port on Sunday and another will depart by Friday, loaded with food, construction material and toys, the report said. The boats would be part of international efforts to break Israel's isolation of the Gaza Strip. "Until the end of the Gaza blockade, Iran will continue to ship aid," said an official at Iran's Society for the Defence of the Palestinian Nation. [...]"   

UN Special Rapporteur Calls for Full Flotilla Inquiry, All Records [06/14/10] " Professor Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, released a statement calling for any Israeli inquiry into the flotilla incident to be set up in accordance with international standards. He stated that for the inquiry to be credible, it must be independent of the government, it must be given full legal authority to investigate, and its final report must be made public. [...]"   

Israeli Disinformation Challenged: New Smuggled Clip Shows IDF Commandos Kicking and Apparently Shooting Victim [06/13/10] [0:22]  "The false narrative initially put out by the Israeli government of hapless IDF commandos severely threatened by hardened “terrorists” on the Mavi Marmara has fallen apart, amid revelations of doctored photos, dubbed voices and other deceptions and the patent absurdity of the claim that the commandos had boarded the ship armed only with “paint guns” and low-caliber pistols. Now the Big Lie stands further exposed, thanks to a smuggled-out video showing IDF commandos kicking a prone, helpless victim and then apparently executing him with semi-automatic rifle fire at almost point-blank range. This smuggled video, showing IDF commandos brutally kicking their captive, who is clearly posing no threat to them, and then firing four shots downward, shows these commandos were on the ship with intent to kill and injure, and that is what they did. They were certainly not kicking and shooting here to protect their lives. This looks more like a Rodney King moment than self-defense. There are claims from Turkish sources that this clip depicts the 19-year-old American-born Furkan Dogan being executed. Dogan’s autopsy showed he was shot four times in the face, and at least once in the back. IDF defenders are claiming that the video doesn’t actually show the victim, but unless you think the first commando is kicking soccer goals on the deck, and the shooter is firing at the deck for sport, there can be no doubt that the target of both acts of violence is being first pummeled with kicks, and then peppered with bullets. [...]"  

Analysis: Israel Suffers Strategic Blowback in Flotilla Raid [06/13/10] "Speaking before a parliamentary committee about last month’s Israeli raid on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, which killed nine and injured over 60 international volunteers, a senior Israeli intelligence official warned that “[e]vents [like this] are likely to go out of control and the situation could deteriorate to extreme scenarios”. The official was no other than Meir Dagan, director of the Mossad, Israel’s foremost external intelligence agency. As I explain in an article published yesterday in Daily News Corner, to some extent, Dagan’s “extreme scenario” has already materialized. [...]"  

Feinstein Calls for Inquiry Into Israeli Raid on Aid Flotilla [06/13/10] "In a significant departure from most of her colleagues, Sen. Dianne Feinstein called Tuesday for an “impartial inquiry” into the Israeli commando raid on a humanitarian flotilla carrying aid to the Gaza Strip that left nine activists dead, including one American. The California Democrat, one of Israel’s most dependable supporters on Capitol Hill, also urged Israel to “reassess” its “forced isolation” of the Gaza Strip and allow more humanitarian assistance and other materials to reach its beleaguered Palestinian population. The call by Feinstein, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee and commands respect as a moderate voice on foreign and national security affairs, stands in sharp contrast to those of most other lawmakers....Feinstein’s call for an impartial inquiry into the incident and an easing of the Gaza blockade are far more in line with the approach favored by President Obama and his top foreign policy aides, who have made similar calls. [...]"  

Gaza: 81 Questions We Will Never Get Answers To [06/13/10] "If a real Commission of Inquiry had been set up (instead of the pathetic excuse for a commission), here are some of the questions it should have addressed: [...]"  

Commentary: Reid-McConnell Letter on Israel  [06/12/10] "According to a recent poll, 49% of U.S. citizens have been intoxicated by the media. They think that the seige of Gaza is legal and that the humanitarian activists on the Flotilla are to blame for the violence during the raid on the Mavi Marmara. In this context, Senators Reid and McConnell, respectively majority and minority leaders of the Senate, have asked President Obama to use his veto power to prevent the Security Council from creating an international commission of investigation into those events. [...]"  Note: In any decent venue, both Senators would have been arrested and imprisoned, a long time ago.

 Commentary:  Israel’s Embargo is about Economic Warfare, Not Security [06/12/10] "Despite the fact that spokespersons for the Israeli government and military continue to claim that the economic blockade of Gaza is meant to be measures to protect Israel’s “security,” documents obtained from a McClatchy newspaper investigative reporter indicate that the real motive behind the blockade is something else: economic warfare on the people of Gaza. McClatchy obtained the government’s written statement from Gisha, the Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, which sued the government for information about the blockade. The Israeli high court upheld the suit, and the government delivered its statement earlier this year. [...]"   

Spain seeks EU backing on plan to lift Israeli blockade of Gaza [06/11/10] "Spain is drawing up new proposals for lifting Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip as the EU scrambles to forge an effective policy following international outrage over the killing of nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists in a "freedom flotilla". Miguel Moratinos, the Spanish foreign minister, is to present Madrid's ideas to EU colleagues next Monday amid signs of disagreement between member states and demands for tougher action. [...]"   

Israel:  "Iran's Gaza-bound ships ready for clash with Israel - Ahmadinejad"  [06/09/10] "An Iranian sea convoy will back up the Turkish campaign to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad assured Turkish leaders whom he met in Istanbul Tuesday, Jan. 8 that the vessels due to enter the disputed waters within days will not shrink from a head-on clash with Israel's Navy and Air Force exclusion forces. "We'll breach the Gaza blockade," the Iranian president vowed. The Iranian Red Crescent vessels will carry "volunteer marines" of the Revolutionary Guards "who will teach the Israelis a lesson." Tehran's "humanitarian convoy" for Gaza will consist of three Iranian vessels flying Red Crescent flags. [...]"   Note: Debkafile is believed to be supportive of, or connected with, the Mossad.

Israel wants 'own probe' on Flotilla [06/09/10] "Israel says it would lead its own controlled examination of its carnage of Gaza-bound activists, defying the global community's call for an international probe. [...]"   Note: Israel takes the cake for self-preoccupation. 

"A short primer on Israeli propaganda for media dummies" [06/09/10] Note: "Stuart Littlewood deconstructs the Israeli propaganda that has been flooding the airwaves following Israel’s murder of humanitarian activists aboard the Gaza-bound international aid flotilla, most notably from the orifice of the Israeli prime minister’s spokesman, Australian-born Mark Regev, and debunks the propaganda manual used by Israeli officials and stooges to hoodwink Westerners." 

George Galloway announces new convoys to break the siege of Gaza [06/08/10] "Five hundred vehicles and 60 ships to break the criminal siege of Gaza Viva Palestina founder George Galloway, speaking to a crowd of around 20,000 protesting outside the Israeli embassy in London, revealed the latest plan to bring about the end of the siege on Gaza.  Two simultaneous convoys – one by land the other by sea – will set forth on SUNDAY 12 SEPTEMBER bound for Gaza. Viva Palestina, the International Committee to break the Siege on Gaza and any allies who will join us will organize the two convoys. The land convoy will leave from London and travel across Europe to Turkey, Syria and ultimately through the Rafah Gate into Gaza. Cooperation will be offered and sought with all relevant governments and agencies. It is expected the convoy will pick up vehicles and volunteers in each country through which it passes. The target is to enter Gaza with 500 vehicles. The sea convoy will travel around the Mediterranean gathering ships, cargo, volunteers from each country. The target is to enter Gaza with 60 ships. The aim will be to arrive on Gaza’s frontiers at the same time. And to enter with the world’s largest ever aid convoys. And to thereby render the siege null and void. [...]"  

Commentary:  "We Bought The Bullets" [06/08/10] "In search of a candid description of the doctrine of collective responsibility and indiscriminate warfare that prevails in both Jerusalem and Washington, we turn to the detestable Alan Dershowitz.  ..... The place assigned by Dershowitz to such people on his “continuum of civilianality” depends entirely on their response to aggression by people wearing state-issued costumes: If their reaction is anything other than immediate, unconditional submission, then — according to Dershowitz — those defending themselves become terrorists, and the costumed aggressors are the victims. Where the use of aggressive force is concerned, the only serious moral question — for Dershowitz and other high priests of statism — is whether those committing it are swaddled in government-approved attire.  As Augustine pointed out, the key difference between a state and any other criminal gang is not the “renouncing of aggression” but rather the “attainment of impunity.” Like the behemoth in Washington that lavishly underwrites it, nurtures its worst and most corrupt instincts, and shields its rulers from accountability, the Israeli government is a criminal band that acts with utter impunity — not to protect its citizens, but to defend and enhance the state’s power and the material advantages of those allied to it.  The Israeli government, like the one ruling us, thrives on crises and seems to go to great lengths to cultivate them. As I’ve pointed out before, there is a sick symbiosis between the Israeli regime and Palestinian terrorist chieftains, a relationship documented by Richard Ben Cramer in his valuable and infuriating book How Israel Lost.  “Things are not as they seem,” writes Cramer. “The [Palestinian Authority's] business intersects with Israeli business at the highest levels of Israeli political life.” This explains the tacit “arrangement” in which Israeli and Palestinian rulers sustain each other through carefully timed incidents of lethal violence.   Before Yasir Arafat died, he would be regularly “rescued” by Israeli military strikes against Palestinian targets, Cramer observes. The same was true of Arafat’s supposed arch-enemy, Ariel Sharon: “If his polls dropped, something terrible happened — dead Jews all over the TV” — and Sharon’s political fortunes would dramatically improve.  One reason Israeli intelligence helped create Hamas in the first place was to provide a hunting preserve of Palestinian radicals who could be killed in this ongoing charade. Now we’re told that the establishment of a Hamas-dominated political regime in Gaza justifies the starvation blockade and the slaughter on the high seas of anyone — including American citizens — who tries to run that blockade.  All of this is necessary, we are incessantly told, in order to ensure the survival of the Jewish State. But self-defense is an individual right. No state, Jewish or otherwise, has the “right” to exist, and all of them — the Israeli state emphatically included — prosper at the expense of those they supposedly protect. [...]"   

Israel:  Lieberman heads to US to explain Israel's position on flotilla [06/08/10] "Foreign Minister (and former nightclub bouncer) Avigdor Lieberman was set to leave for North America Sunday night to meet with Israeli diplomats, as well as with Jewish communities in the US and Canada, to explain the Israeli government's position on the Gaza flotilla affair. Lieberman and his deputy Danny Ayalon will speak before the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and meet Israeli Ambassador to Washington Michael Oren, UN Ambassador Gabriela Shalev, Ambassador to Canada Miriam Ziv and consul generals stationed throughout the US. [...]" Ambassador Says Israel Will Do 'Whatever It Takes' to Uphold Blockade "Without elaborating on what actions would be taken in the face of a potential Iranian Revolutionary Guard escort of ships to break through the blockade of Gaza Ambassador Michael Oren said the country needed to defend itself. [...]"  

"Passengers grabbed Israeli weapons to stop the killing" [06/07/10] [3:00]  "After seeing passengers shot at close range they tried to grab the weapons to stop the killing. Kenneth Nichols O'Keefe was later beaten by the Israelis.  A US war veteran said yesterday he confronted Israeli commandos when they raided a Gaza-bound aid ship which he had boarded as a peace activist, Anatolia news agency reported. Kenneth Nichols O'Keefe, his face bruised and still stained with blood, flew to Istanbul from Tel Aviv, on his way to Ireland, the report said. "We overpowered three Israeli commandos. They looked at us... They thought we would kill them, but we let them go," O'Keefe said, adding he took the weapon of one of the soldiers and emptied it, according to Anatolia. The ex-marine said he saw five people being killed on board the Mavi Marmara. [...]"  

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard offers to escort future Gaza aid vessels [06/06/10] "Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards are ready to provide a military escort to cargo ships trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, a representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday.  "Iran's Revolutionary Guards naval forces are fully prepared to escort the peace and freedom convoys to Gaza with all their powers and capabilities," Ali Shirazi, Khamenei's representative inside the Revolutionary Guards, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Mehr news agency. Any intervention by the Iranian military would be considered highly provocative by Israel which accuses Iran of supplying weapons to Hamas, the Islamist movement which rules Gaza.  Iran does not recognize the Israeli state and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has often predicted its imminent demise. Israel and its ally the United States decline to rule out military action against Iran if it looks like acquiring nuclear arms capability, something Israel sees as a threat to its survival. [...]"   Related: Iran’s navy offers to escort Gaza ships "Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards are ready to provide a military escort to cargo ships trying to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, a representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday. “Iran’s Revolutionary Guards naval forces are fully prepared to escort the peace and freedom convoys to Gaza with all their powers and capabilities,” Ali Shirazi, Khamenei’s representative inside the Revolutionary Guards, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Mehr news agency. Any intervention by the Iranian military would be considered highly provocative by Israel which accuses Iran of supplying weapons to Hamas, the Islamist movement which rules Gaza. [...]"  Note:  That would take the cake. Get prepared for the astrological rollercoaster ... See the "Gaza" Big News page link in the Special Articles panel for related developments in this exploding news venue.

Popular Anger Grows As World Leaders Let Flotilla Killers Off The Hook [06/06/10] "With as many at least nine young lives taken in international waters and the Middle East once again plunged into crisis, the so-called leaders of the world have done nothing but petition Israel to investigate and punish itself. As attention now shifts from the high seas to closed door meetings in Washington, Ankara and the Hague, there is a growing frustration as politicians and spin doctors ingloriously try to manage the diplomatic fall-out  [...]"  Note: Includes a video report. 

Aid ship to sail for Gaza from Beirut next week [06/06/10] "The National News Agency (NNA) reported on Saturday that the Free Palestine Movement and Reporters without Borders held a press conference at As-Safir Hotel in Beirut announcing that an aid ship will set sail from Beirut to Gaza at the end of next week. The organizations also said that the ship will carry 25 European activists—including a number of EU MPs—as well as 50 journalists, who will cover living conditions in Gaza under the siege. [...]"  

 Exposé: Israel got Green Light From U.S. Before The Humanitarian Aid Flotilla was Attacked [06/06/10] "...The United States' statements on the Freedom Flotilla attack were utterly hypocritical and the US was a co-criminal in the enterprise, a US academic says. [...]"  Note: Video advanced to 4:47 for start. Click here to watch it from the beginning. Yes, Israel got the Green Light from Obama to kill people, including an American ...  Citizen's death may push US to review probe options into raid

Erdogan may try to break blockade himself, Arab paper says [06/06/10] "Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considering arriving in Gaza himself to break the blockade of the Strip, Lebanese newspaper Al-Mustaqbal reported Saturday. [...]" |Turkish prosecutors go after Israeli politicians "Israel’s prime minister, defense minister and chief of General Staff are among the prime suspects in an investigation initiated by the İstanbul Bakırköy Prosecutor’s Office into Monday’s military operation against a Gaza-bound civilian aid flotilla that left nine peace activists, all of whom were Turkish citizens, dead. [...]"  

  Commentary:  Israeli War Crimes: From the U.S. Liberty to the Humanitarian Flotilla [06/06/10] "It is unthinkable that Israel’s premeditated deadly assault on the humanitarian flotilla could have gone ahead without a nod from Washington. James Petras lambastes Barack Obama and the U.S. Government for their refusal to condemn Israel and their outrageous political cover-up of a deliberate criminal act. In the face of such State complicity, the only way to put pressure on Israel is for civil society to sustain the world-wide boycott, disinvestment and sanctions campaign (BDS) against all Israeli products, cultural activities and professional exchanges. [...]" Loss of Liberty - The real story about USS Liberty   5 Video clips  

Israel under fire for doctoring flotilla recordings [06/06/10] "Bloggers soon picked up on discrepancies between the two. Ma'an also investigated, approaching the army early Saturday and confirming with Huwaida Arraf, a Palestinian activist and chair of the Free Gaza Movement, that her voice was used in the recording. She is heard speaking normally via radio. Saturday's version supposedly came from the Marmara, at least according to the military. But Arraf was actually a passenger on another of the flotilla's boats, the Challenger 1. [...]"    

The Legal Framework of International Law The Attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla by Israeli Navy Commandos [06/05/10] "Salient points: Since no state of war existed at the time, the attack on these vessels constitutes an act of war against those governments under whose flags the vessels were sailing. The attack falls within the purview of the ius ad bellum, those laws which govern the resort to armed conflict. Israel’s action does not fall into the category of the ius in bello or the laws which govern the actual conduct of war. Because this attack was carried out in international waters, the status of the relationship between Hamas, or any other Palestinian body, and the state of Israel is of no relevance whatsoever. Likewise, neither the blockade of Gaza nor Israel’s claims and legal interpretations regarding it has any bearing on its acts of aggression in international waters. [...]"  

At least 17 nations summon Israeli ambassadors [06/05/10] "As international condemnation over the killing of at least 10 activists by Israeli forces as they raided an aid convoy en route to Gaza, a host of governments have summoned Israeli ambassadors to provide a full explanation on the assault. [...]" 

Israeli commandos ready to board the 'Rachel Corrie' [06/05/10] "The same commandos who launched a nighttime assault on aid ships bound for Gaza will also try and stop the Irish aid ship Rachel Corrie. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear late Thursday that the ship will not be allowed into Gaza but will be boarded and brought to an Israeli port. [...]"  

  Investigations: Proof emerges IDF audio of radio communication with Mavi Marmara is fabricated [06/05/10] [0:27]  "Today, Israel released what it claimed to be the audio of a conversation between Israeli naval vessels and the Turkish-owned ship Mavi Marmara which occurred prior to the Israeli assault that killed at least 9 passengers and injured dozens more in the early hours of 31 May in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean. This audio clip, which the Israelis titled "Radio Transmission from Mavi Marmara to Israeli Navy" appears to be fabricated. [...]"    

Detailed Compiled Eyewitness Accounts Confirm Cold-Blooded Murder and Executions by Israeli Military [06/05/10] "After carefully studying the eyewitness accounts, it can be concluded that "the fighting" on the Gaza Peace Flotilla between heavily armed Israeli commandos and unarmed civilians was deliberately instigated by the Israeli military. The actions of the Israeli commandos ordered by the Israeli government were characterized by cold-blooded murder and executions. According to testimony of the passengers, individuals who surrendered were killed, while a white flag was flying. Because some activists in critical condition were refused aid by the Israelis, they also died. The Israeli commandos, through their actions, deliberately triggered these acts of self-defence, with a view to demonizing the passengers and justifying Israeli brutality. [...]"   

Captured and detained by Israel, an American tells his story [06/05/10] "When on land, Larudee was taken to the processing area, but refused to cooperate with authorities, who wanted him to say that he entered the country illegally. "This happened at 18 miles at sea, which is well beyond their own territorial waters, or anyone's territorial waters," he said. "We were in international waters. We weren't violating anyone's sovereignty or breaking any rules that we knew of, even by their standards." [...]"  

French charity files legal complaint after Gaza fleet raid [06/05/10] "A French charity said Friday it had lodged a legal complaint for kidnapping, false imprisonment, armed violence and ship hijacking after Israeli forces captured its members on the Gaza aid flotilla. "The victims are French. The French legal system is competent" to deal with the case, said Liliane Glock, a lawyer for the Committee for Charity and Support for the Palestinians (CBSP). Most of the 10 French nationals who were involved in the flotilla were from the CBSP, which provides support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The CBSP was in 2003 listed as a terrorist fundraising group by the United States, which says it provides funds for Hamas, the Islamist group that rules Gaza but is blacklisted as a terrorist group by Western governments.[...]"  

'Rachel Corrie' proceeding to Gaza [06/04/10] "An Irish-owned boat laden with humanitarian supplies is continuing its journey towards Gaza despite Israel’s insistence it will not allow any vessel break its blockade on the territory. The MV Rachel Corrie , which has five Irish citizens aboard, including Nobel peace laureate Mairéad Corrigan-Maguire and former UN official Denis Halliday, is currently in Libyan waters some 640 km (400 miles) from Gaza. The boat, which is captained by Eric Harcis, is travelling at approximately 340 kms (210 miles) a day and expects to reach Gaza by Saturday. Film-maker Fiona Thompson from Dundalk and husband and wife Derek and Jenny Graham from Co Mayo are also on board. [...]"   

UN orders Israel to lift Gaza blockade [06/04/10] "UN chief Ban Ki-moon has demanded that Israel lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip immediately in the wake of a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.  Speaking on his return from visits to Brazil, Malawi and Uganda, Ban told reporters on Wednesday that the underlying problem behind Monday's tragedy was the long-running, crippling Israeli siege of Gaza which he described as "counter-productive, unsustainable and wrong." [...]"   

Commentary: Sabotaging Peace: The Real Motive Behind the Freedom Flotilla Attack [06/04/10] "The real motive behind the Israeli assault is far more sinister: to deliberately undermine (if not entirely abort) consequential, substantive peace talks with the Palestinians and Syrians, and repay the Turks for negotiating a nuclear fuel-swap deal with Iran (which significantly set back Israel’s case for military intervention). In essence, it was done to sabotage peace. “We have to set up a dynamic state bent upon expansion,” David Ben Gurion once famously stated. And peace, stability and diplomacy are obstacles to Zionism’s tenets of land acquisition and subjugation of indigenous peoples.  [...]"   

Greece, Sweden back Iran deal with Turkey and Brazil - Flotilla attack a factor [06/04/10] "Iran, Turkey, and Brazil signed a declaration in the Iranian capital on May 17, committing Tehran to shipment of 1,200 kilograms (2,640 pounds) of its low-enriched uranium in Turkey in exchange for 120 kilograms of 20-percent enriched nuclear fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor that produces radioisotopes for cancer treatment. In their telephone conversation, the three high ranking officials also discussed the recent Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy and denounced the brutal assault against the Palestinian community. [...]"    

Gaza flotilla attack: British activists tell of abuse by Israelis [06/04/10] "Sarah Colborne, director of campaigns and operations at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, was also on board the Mavi Marmara. Insisting that no one on board the boat was armed, she said the attack was an act of piracy and a "massacre". At one point, she saw a man being shot dead by an Israeli commando.  "We still don't know how many people were actually murdered because there are still many missing," she said. As I walked up, the dinghies the Israelis used were bristling with arms. I couldn't even count how many ships there were in the water. It was just literally bristling with ships, helicopters, gunfire. The whole thing was just horrific. [...]"    

Did the IDF Stage Their New “Flotilla Terrorists” Video? [06/04/10] "Its late and this is something I am still working on but I thought I would put this up for you guys to check out.  The two images on the left come from the new, Wed. June 2nd, IDF video that can be found on their propaganda page on Youtube, here. The new video from the IDF purports to show passengers preparing to attack IDF commandos.  The two images on the right are from the security camera video (found at the 3:54 mark of that video and also found on the Democracy NOW! segment) released the same day as the assault on the humanitarian aid flotilla, Mon. May 31st.  The IDF and the Israeli propaganda machine would have the world believe (or at least the Americans) videos came from the same camera. I suggest to you that they did not.  The camera quality is better, the time-stamp is different, and the red smudge that appears to be on the lens of the actual security camera from the ship ( upper right corner) is missing in the new IDF footage of the passengers getting ready to attack the innocent Israeli commandos.  [...]"    

Sea blockade of Gaza was “temporary” – 15 years ago [06/04/10] "Stuart Littlewood views a little-mentioned blockade of Gaza: an interim, five-year agreement signed by the Palestinian Authority in 1995 – probably under duress – but still in force, allowing the Israelis “to weave a tangled web of security zoning in Gaza's coastal waters” and leaving them in charge offshore, where there is a massive gas field. [...]" 

Irish ship Rachel Corrie was sabotaged by Israeli intelligence says report [06/03/10] "The Irish ship, MV Rachel Corrie, was tampered with by the Israeli Defense Forces according to Colonel Itzik Turgeman.  The Rachel Corrie was planned to be the first ship to arrive into Gazan waters last weekend but was delayed due to mechanical problems now suspected to be a form of sabotage. An Israel newspaper reported “A senior officer in the Israel Defence Forces hinted that the IDF sabotaged the engines of five ships, saying “they took care of them.” The Colonel also told the newspaper that the army decided not to sabotage the Turkish ferry, Mavi Mamara which was attacked on Monday. Currently the Rachel Corrie is in a holding position in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. According to, Free Gaza Movement’s, Greta Berlin the Rachel Corrie is waiting for the Challenger II ship, which was damaged during the attacks. The Rachel Corrie will pick up more passengers, including human rights activists and journalists, before continuing their journey toward Gaza. [...]"  Note:  There is no actual Israeli government 'intelligence'. Only stupidity, arrogance and sadism.  Related: The Rachel Corrie to be quietly allowed to dock?  "A diplomatic solution seems imminent to allow the humanitarian aid vessel the Rachel Corrie to dock without incident at the Ashdod Port. According to European diplomats and senior Foreign Ministry officials in Jerusalem, quiet messages have been exchanged over the past few days between Israel and the group operating the ship, to allow it to dock. [...]"  Note: The actions of this dead sequential lightsider being used as a political sideshow.

Perspectives: What The Israeli Raid Is Really About: Illusions of Neo-zionism and Lingering Neo-conservatism  by Vassilis Fouskas [06/03/10] "...  The irony is that neo-zionism, assessing matters in terms of power-politics, thinks of a world in which Israel and the US alone are the only players. Neo-zionism has been cultivating this illusion in the US political establishment since 1967, but for all intents and purposes the world and the US today are not as they were in 1967 and 1948. The Obama administration has recognised this – see, for example, Obama's speech in Cairo last year – but neo-zionism keeps pushing Obama's ruling elites in the old neo-con, Cold War, direction. But neo-zionism has to understand that the US is no longer the credit power it was, or the industrial engine it once was, not to speak of the tottering dollar and its huge current account and budget deficits. Irony and illusion at the same time, these are but facts of life that both Israeli and US elites as a whole have to come to terms with and abandon their cult for macho politics, as times have changed to their disfavour. Doing otherwise, they simply perpetuate unnecessary conflicts, ultimately leading to their inevitable downfall. [...]"  Note:  Vassilis Fouskas is a Professor of International Relations, University of Piraeus, Greece, and Managing Editor of the Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies (quarterly, Routledge); Bulent Gokay is a Professor of International Relations, Keele University, and the the founder of the Eurasian Studies Network. 

One Activist Killed Was American Citizen, Shot Four Times In Head [06/03/10] "A State Department official says one of the nine people killed in the Israeli raid on an aid flotilla Monday was a 19-year-old man with dual U.S.-Turkish citizenship.  The official identified the victim as Furkan Dogan, who was believed to have been residing in Turkey. [...]"   

Israelis shot people in forehead, says Pakistani [06/03/10] "A Pakistani journalist who was captured during a naval attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla alleged Wednesday that Israeli soldiers were shooting people in cold blood.  Talat Hussain, one of the 124 people arriving in Jordan following their release by Israeli authorities, claimed that the commandos 'shot people in the forehead'.  'I witnessed myself the first Israeli assault on the ship. There was no weapon on the ship,' Hussain told Aaj news channel by phone from Jordan. [...]"   Related: Turkish Sources - Israeli Advance Target Assassination List Found on Flotilla

UN Secretary General to Israel: ‘End the blockade’ [06/03/10] "Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. Secretary-General, said Wednesday that Israel should end its blockade of Gaza and that the deaths of activists aboard an aid flotilla could have been avoided. “Had the Israeli government heeded to international calls and my own strong and urgent and persistent call to lift the blockade of Gaza, this would not have happened,” Ban told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. He added, "It would have been avoided without such tragedy, therefore I again urge Israeli authorities to lift this blockade." Israel began a blockade of the region after Hamas won a plurality during elections in the region in 2007. Ban has called for an end to the blockade before. [...]"  

Organizers: Freedom Flotilla 2 in a few weeks [06/02/10] ""Following the massacre committed by Israeli forces against solidarity activists on board the Freedom Flotilla in international waters, there have been increasing calls by Arab, Islamic, and European countries to launch a new aid fleet much bigger than the first one. This is a clear challenge by the free people of the world in the face of Israel’s arrogance," Madhi said. During a televised speech Tuesday, Erdogan said future flotillas bound for Gaza territorial waters under Israeli threat would be accompanied by a military escort to ensure their safety. [...]"  Freedom fleet 2 to set sail to Gaza in weeks  "The "European Campaign to End Siege on Gaza", announced that it already obtain the funding of the first three ships of the new fleet which will go to the Gaza Strip, which will be named "fleet of Freedom 2", related to the name of the First Fleet, who was exposed to piracy and a bloody massacre by Israel against the peace activists on board. [...]"   

Israeli Navy Official: Next Time Could Be Worse [06/02/10] "we will have to come prepared in the future as if it was a war. Navy prepares for expected arrival of 2 more activist ships."  [...]"  Note:  There you are. We can't have people defending themselves with clubs ... typical Israel disproportional overkill mentality.

Turkey Promises to Send Supplies to Gaza With Naval Escort [06/02/10] "Turkey has threatened Israel with unprecedented action after Israeli forces attacked an aid vessel, killing 10 peace activists headed to Gaza.Israel said 10 people died while those on the ship said at least 15 were killed.  A shocked world has responded with outrage. Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel and warned of unprecedented and incalculable reprisals. Two Turkish activists were reported to be among those killed in the flotilla. Ankara warned that further supply vessels will be sent to Gaza, escorted by the Turkish Navy, a development with unpredictable consequences. Israel has sounded an alert throughout the country fearing rocket attacks by Hezbollah in Lebanon. [...]"  Note:  Well, now Israel has done it. They have actually provoked Turkey to the point that they may start a war over this incident.

No weapons on stormed Turkish ship: Report [06/02/10] "A Turkish customs official on Monday denied Israeli allegations that activists aboard a Turkish aid ship for Gaza stormed by Israeli forces possessed weapons, the Anatolia news agency reported. "Allegations that there were weapons aboard the Turkish ship are baseless," Fevzi Gulcan, the head of customs at the Mediterranean port city of Antalya, told Anatolia. [...]"  Related: Israeli lawmaker: No arms on Flotilla [06/02/10] "A member of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) who was onboard the Gaza-destined aid convoy when it came under Israeli fire dismisses allegations that the Freedom Flotilla was carrying weapons. [...]"  Note: So, there were was even a member of the Israeli government IN the flotilla .... 

Israel rejects call for independent probe [06/02/10] "Israel on Tuesday night rejected international calls to end its naval blockade of Gaza and to launch an “independent” investigation into the death of at least nine activists during an IDF raid of the Mavi Marmara passenger ship, which was part of a flotilla that aimed to break that closure. “It’s important to understand that this [blockade] is essential to protect Israel’s security and its right to defend itself,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told a special meeting of the diplomatic-security cabinet in Jerusalem. Gaza is an “Iranian-sponsored terrorist state,” and as such it is vitally important to prevent the entry of weapons there, whether by air, sea and land, he said. Organizers of the aid convoy meanwhile insisted they would push ahead with a fresh bid to break the blockade. "We knew what the risk would be and we will continue to run these flotillas," said Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza Movement. [...]"  Note: Netanyahu is a delusional psychopath, as are the other top officials. 

Ex-Mossad agent: Gaza flotilla raid ’so stupid it’s stupefying’ [06/02/10] "While the United States has reserved judgment in the matter, a former Mossad agent is casting blame for the botched raid on a Gaza aid flotilla, pointing directly at Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for allegedly ordering forces to act without vital preparation.  The former Mossad agent is Victor Ostrovsky, who enlisted in the Israeli Defense Force at age 18 and has since written two books highly critical of Israel's war-fighting apparatus. His first book, "By Way of Deception," illustrates the brutal and often confusing nature of the Israeli spy service's covert operations, casting the agency as a villain that engages in the drug trade to further their ambitions over the good of Israel. His other book, "The Other Side of Deception," speculates as to Mossad's greater agenda. The book is available online in its entirety. If one were to ask him, he'd say that Israel's raid on the Gaza aid flotilla was "so stupid it's stupefying" -- exactly the words he used speaking with Washington Post "Spy Talk" columnist Jeff Stein.  For one, Ostrovsky suggested, commandos could have approached the ship from under water and disabled the propellers, letting the activists drift for days until their food supplies ran out. He added that Israeli soldiers should not have fast-roped into a crowd as they had, instead suggesting that it would have been more productive to board the ship from the front and back, then work inward. "The mistakes were on every level," Ostrovsky told Stein, "from the order to forcefully board outside the territorial waters to the actual attack." [...]"  Note:  I think he misses the point - it shouldn't have happened in the first place, period.

 Commentary: Flotilla Massacre is a Reply to the Turkish-Iranian Relations [06/02/10] "The leaders of the Israeli gang of War criminals, the so-called “Israeli government” is currently engaged in inciting and planning to launch a nuclear war against Iran, was not able to do anything in response to the Turkish- Iranian-Brazilian agreement of last May 17 2010 to transfer 1.200 Kg of low-enriched uranium to Turkey in return for nuclear fuel. In retaliation, they perpetrated the massacre on the Freedom Flotilla of humanitarian aid-carrying ships aiming to break the Israel genocide of siege on Gaza imposed since 2006. The Turkish-Iranian-Brazilian agreement stood as an obstacle against the Israeli ambitions to force the world to enter into a spiral of bloody nuclear war. It is wrong to believe that the Turkish government was not expecting the massacre against the Freedom Flotilla which carried 10.000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The military maritime piracy and massacre operation carried out by Shayetet 13, a naval commando unit, in which at least 20 peace activists were murdered and over 50 were wounded, was a decision of the inner circles of power in israel and approved by the Israeli Cabinet headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak and other war criminals. This Israeli massacre was a message addressed to Turkey and its new Iranian and Syrian allies. Anyone who knows to read between the lines and the history of Israel's military leaders can understand that Israel has never distinguished between civilians and militants of the groups which are considered as enemies according to the non-logical standards of the zionists.  [...] Turkish sources and media revealed a document which shows that a death list had been prepared in Picture of the assassination list lost by an israeli soldier.advance by the Israelis, showing names and pictures of people on board of the ships to be murdered, who, according to Israel, were “involved in the International humanitarian aid for Gaza”. According to the Turkish sources, hundreds of Israeli soldiers stormed the blue Turkish ship “Marmara” flotilla and they had copies of the death list. The list included the names of civilians on the fleet who should be killed”. The document was apparently recovered after one of the Israeli soldiers lost it during the piracy act. [...]"  Related: Israelis celebrating attack on Turkish Aid Ship - in front of Turkish Embassy,Tel Aviv [3:15] 

US veteran on board 'Liberty' was flotilla passenger [06/02/10] "A US Navy veteran who was on board the USS Liberty, which Israel attacked during the Six Day War, is now missing after taking part in the conflict-ridden flotilla, US news agencies reported Tuesday. Sixty-three year-old Joe Miduras, of the Texas town of Corpus Christi, has not yet made contact with his wife, Jean. [...]"   

NATO requests release of "Freedom Flotilla" [06/02/10] "At Turkey’s request, an emergency meeting of the Atlantic Council was held on 1 June 2010 to closely examine the Israeli operation against the "Freedom Flotilla".  At the end of the meeting, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen solemnly decleared: "I ... request the immediate release of the detained civilians and ships held by Israel".  Turkey is a founding member of NATO. Israel is not officially a candidate for membership, but regularly takes part in the military manoeuvres of the Alliance. [...]"  

Irish aid vessel still sailing for Gaza, ‘most serious consequences’ promised if passengers harmed [06/02/10] "rish humanitarian aid ship the MV Rachel Corrie is still sailing for Gaza, in spite of Israel's recent, devastating attack on other vessels in the Gaza aid flotilla, resulting in at least nine dead activists and hundreds of prisoners.  The ship, named after 23-year-old U.S. peace activist Rachel Corrie -- who was crushed to death in 2003 by an American-built bulldozer operated by the Israeli army -- has been pleading with the international community to pressure Israel into leaving them alone. The Irish government, for its part, has threatened Israel with "serious consequences" if any Irish national, captured or currently aboard an aid vessel, is harmed. "If any harm comes to any of our citizens, it will have the most serious consequences," Taoiseach Brian Cowen said, according to The Irish Times. "Taoiseach" is the position bestowed upon the individual who leads Ireland's government. The MV Rachel Corrie is reportedly due to arrive in Gaza tomorrow, according to the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Irish officials have demanded Israel let the boat pass unimpeded. Ireland has long opposed Israel's military blockade of Palestine. [...]"   

Could Turkey invoke NATO clause over Israeli attack on flotilla? [06/01/10] "IntelNews hears there is some speculation in diplomatic circles that the government of Turkey may try to involve the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in its dispute with Israel, which began after Israeli commandos killed several Turkish citizens in international waters yesterday. [...]"  

US blocks Security Council criticism of Israeli raid  [06/01/10] "Israel faced heavy criticism in an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council on Monday, in response to its deadly attack on the aid flotilla trying to breach the Gaza blockade, but attempts to issue a formal statement stalled after the United States rejected the strong condemnation. [...]"   

Irish citizens 'kidnapped' in international waters [06/01/10] "The Minister for Foreign Affairs has accused Israel of kidnapping Irish citizens in international waters. Micheál Martin is furious after Israel announced it would deport all foreign nationals seized from a convoy of ships carrying aid to Gaza.  Israel launched an attack on the flotilla overnight, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens more. Seven Irish passport holders have been taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod from where it is planned to deport them. One has already signed papers agreeing to the move.  The Israeli government requires people to sign papers so that they can be deported," Minister Martin said. "But of course 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. [...]"  Related:  Australian shot in Israeli boat raid [06/01/10] "One Australian has been wounded during a deadly commando raid on ships taking humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. [...]"  Note:  I wonder who arranged this flotilla ... when one stands back far enough, it could also turn out to be a brilliant effort at breaking the Gaza restraints by forcing Israel, known to be a mad dog anyway, to act and thereby discredit and shame itself, and force retributions by many. It sure seems astrologically auspicious, doesn't it? Time to create a special 'Big News" page for this topic , before it overruns the normal overview stream.

State of alert throughout Israel: “Brink of war or new Intifada” [06/01/10] "Israeli police and security forces have raised a state of alert across the country after the attack on a group of ships off the coast of Gaza, leading to at least 19 dead and dozens injured (see Israel attacks ships carrying aid to Gaza. At least 10 dead). An Israeli policeman tells AsiaNews that “We are on the brink of war or a new Intifada.”  Here and there in Israel, particularly in Nazareth, there are demonstrations against the attack on the ships carrying humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, forcing the Israeli blockade on the Strip. Arab organizations have declared a general strike. Security forces have decided to close the Gaza crossings, some roads that communicate with the West Bank and the Temple Mount mosques. The seized vessels (all six) were conducted in the port of Ashdod. There are fears about the fate of a Palestinian leaders from northern Israel, Raed Salah, who was on the attacked ships. At first the news spread that he had been killed in the raid. Palestinian sources now say that he is seriously hurt.  Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority has declared three days of mourning throughout the West Bank and called the Israeli operation a “massacre”.   Israel is also battling the media. MPs and ministers continue to assert that the activists were not at all “peaceful” but waited for the arrival of soldiers carrying weapons (long knives, bats, other instruments of offense). At least six soldiers were wounded, one of whom seriously.  For Israel, ships and humanitarian aid were “a provocation”. The deputy foreign minister, Daniel Ayalon said that before attacking, the Israeli military command ordered the ships to stop several times and agree to land the aid under Israeli control. He also said that the activists on the ship are linked to Hamas and other terrorist organizations.  According to some Israeli analysts, the incident of the Gaza flotilla is likely to further exacerbate the relationship between Palestinians and Israelis, on the brink of a new, third intifada. An Israeli policeman, speaking to AsiaNews, confirmed the risk of a third intifada, but also added: “We are on the brink of war. There is a fear that Hezbollah front in Lebanon could be sparked again and that anti-Israel demonstrations spread throughout the world. ”  Currently there are demonstrations in Turkey, especially Istanbul. The Foreign Ministry urged all Israelis leaving for Turkey to cancel their departure and said he will hold the Ankara government responsible for anything that could happen to Israelis on soil Turkish. [...]"    

Turkish Sources - Israeli Advance Target Assassination List Found on Flotilla [06/01/10] "Turkish sources and media revealed a document which shows that a death list had been prepared in advance by the Israelis, showing names and pictures of people on board of the ships to be murdered, who, according to Israel, were “involved in the International humanitarian aid for Gaza”. According to the Turkish sources, hundreds of Israeli soldiers stormed the blue Turkish ship “Marmara” flotilla and they had copies of the death list. The list included the names of civilians on the fleet who should be killed”. The document was apparently recovered after one of the Israeli soldiers lost it during the piracy act." [...]"   

Turkey will reportedly send military escort with future Gaza aid boats [06/01/10] "Once Israel’s closest ally in the region, the Turkish government has reacted with fury at last night’s Gaza aid ship massacre, condemning it as ‘inhuman state terror.’ The attacked ship was Turkish in origin and at least two of the slain aid workers were Turkish citizens. Turkey says future aid ships will be dispatched with a military escort so as to prevent future Israeli attacks. Turko-Israeli relations have been on the decline in recent months, including a staged photo-op by the Israeli Foreign Ministry designed to shame Turkey’s ambassador. Israel also reportedly arrested a Turkish citizen weeks ago for being a member of a humanitarian group involved with the aid ship.  Israeli officials have defended the killings as “self defense,” claiming the aid workers were secretly in league with al-Qaeda. A top Israeli investment house has also called for a divestment from Turkey to protest Turkey’s criticism of the massacre. [...]"  

9 Americans on Gaza relief flotilla being held by Israeli authorities [06/01/10] "As many as nine Americans may have been aboard the Gaza relief flotilla attacked by the Israeli military, and are now being held by Israeli authorities, a State Department official said Monday. [...]"   

In raw video, reporters claim Israelis fired on activists before boarding ship [06/01/10] "... in raw video captured by an Al Jazeera producer and published to YouTube late Monday, two journalists provide a play-by-play of the harrowing event as pops and cracks echo in the background. Even before the Israeli forces were aboard, one says, they were pelting the boat with tear gas and stun grenades, injuring numerous people. Then he confirms the first death, saying the individual was killed by "munitions," but not specifying whether it was a bullet or something else. Then he confirms that Israeli forces were boarding the ship. [...]"  

'Israel is a Lunatic State' - Finkelstein on Gaza Flotilla Attack [06/01/10] " [5:24]  "Political scientist Norman Finkelstein has spoken to RT to give his assessment of Israel's raid on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. [...]"   

Commentary: Criminal pirate Israel makes a fool of the OECD only days after it clasped the viper to its bosom [06/01/10] "Stuart Littlewood argues that the West, which has traditionally rewarded Israel for its crimes against Palestinians, most recently by admitting it as a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, must be held directly responsible for the latest Israeli outrage – the murder in international waters of aid workers bound for Gaza. [...]"   

Iran: 'Israel deserves collective punishment' [05/31/10] "Iran's Foreign Ministry has condemned Israel's deadly attack on an aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip as an act of "maritime terrorism." [...]"  Note:  Somehow, I just don't see it happening.

Turkey rejects Israeli weapons claim [05/31/10] "Turkey's customs office has denied Israel's claim that the vessels carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip had weapons aboard. [...]"   

Israel Commits Massacre, Piracy in International Waters against 'Freedom Flotilla' [05/31/10] "At the very moment Israel created a blood bath against civilian ships carrying hundreds of internationals from many countries, Netanyahu is welcomed in the White House. Meanwhile, Israel continues its settlement policy in Jerusalem and its aggression against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It is the governments of the international community and their political cover which allow Israel to continue its action and aggression as a state above and beyond the law. [...]"   Israeli allies freeze military ties over deadly Gaza ship raid "Israel's allies froze military ties and summoned its ambassadors Monday over the storming of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, as Muslim leaders slammed the deadly raid as "criminal" and "inhuman".  UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "shocked" by the Israeli navy's assault on a convoy carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists, lawmakers and journalists through international waters towards besieged Gaza.  Ban called on Israel to "urgently" explain itself over the raid, which Israel's Channel 10 TV left 19 passengers killed and 36 wounded, many of them Turks.  Israel's closest ally Washington described the loss of life as a "tragedy," on the eve of talks between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "The United States deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained and is currently working to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy," a White House spokesman said. [...]"  Note: But they fell short of condemning Israel for doing it. | Gaza Flotilla Attacked: Israeli troops storm aid ships, up to 20 killed [11:38] "The Israeli Navy have attacked a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid and international activists to Gaza. Reports say up to 20 people were killed and dozens injured as Israeli commandos stormed the vessels over a hundred kilometres off Gaza's coast. Some of the ships are now being towed to the Israeli port city of Ashdod. [...]"  Related: Aid flotilla sets sail for Gaza  "A flotilla of ships carrying activists and aid for the blockaded Gaza Strip finally steamed south from Cyprus Sunday, heading for a fleet of Israeli naval vessels determined to stop them.  The ships, carrying more than 700 passengers, are on the last leg of a high-profile mission to deliver tonnes of aid to Gaza, which has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007. "We have just left in the last few minutes," Huwaida Arraf, chairman of the Free Gaza Movement, told AFP by phone from the boat Challenger 1. "Israel is blocking an area about 20 nautical miles out from the Gaza coast and we expect to hit that area in the late morning or early afternoon" on Monday, she said. In the Gaza Strip, anti-siege activists called on the international community to ensure the protection of the so-called "Freedom Flotilla" which had been aiming to arrive on Saturday. [...]"  Humanitarian convoy heads to Gaza  "A convoy of eight ships carrying peace activists and humanitarian aid was headed toward Gaza Saturday as the Israeli Navy prepared to intercept it. [...]"   Israeli PM backs attack on Gaza aid "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported the military action against the Freedom Flotilla, carrying humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip. [...]"