Well folks, as some of you already know, a flotilla of ships will be sailing to Gaza next week.
9 ships in total will be sailing, 4 cargo ships, and 5 passenger ships.
600 people and approx 10,000 tonnes of aid will set off from various ports over the weekend
and by next Tuesday, they should be in Gaza. So, as you can imagine, a stand off is on the cards
on the high sea's of the Med.
Last week, an Irish ship left Dundalk and is currently on its way to meet up with the other ships.
This Flotilla is been headed up by IHH, a Turkish charity. On the last convoy, they teamed up with
Viva Palestina, and together, 517 people in over 200 vehicles broke the siege and delivered aid.
The Turkish Government is fully behind this flotilla, and have given it full support. So, a major diplomatic
stand off is also going to occur.
I was to be on the Turkish ship, but I have decided not to go and instead, I will be managing the media
aspect of the flotilla. I will be in constant communication with the ships, and will be the 1st point of contact for a few of the groups on board, 24 hours a day. Viva Palestina will be represented with a delegation on board, and they will report directly to me.
I have set up a News site on Facebook, "Gaza TV News" (GTV)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gaza-TV-News/119275738102852?v=wall&ref=mf
Each day at 6pm I will be filing a report, and if any breaking news develops, I will have it reported instantly.
This Flotilla is going to be a major news item next week, and as things progress, I will keep you all informed.
Thanks
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Well done, the Palestines need all the help, support and solidarity they can get.
I also see this week that Israel has barred Noam Chomsky from the West Bank.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100518/twl-banned-by-israel-chomsky-gives-w-ban-3cd7efd_1.html
Fair play to you and all the organisers....hope it alls goes smoothly and safely.
It's wrong that over half of the population of Gaza is dependent on food aid. It could all be ended tomorrow.
I'm glad you posted that image to show the route of the ship from Ireland... I was wondering how they'd get there :)
Best of luck.
Safe trip John you are a legend. I currently reside in Chicago which has a large population of people from Palestine. A lot of them are well aware of the support they receve from Ireland.
Fair play to you. The rest of us waffle on about this and that but you actually get off your ass and do something useful.
Interesting that it is being run by a turkish outfit. Turkey used to be a key Israeli ally until Israel
went over to the dark side under Sharon.
The Noam Chomsky affair from last Sunday has once again shown Israhell up for been a rogue state who don't care for anyone. Noam Chomsky, who is jewish, is regarded as been the worlds greatest living intellect, and he was due to deliver a speech in Palestine on Monday. At approx 4pm last Sunday, he was crossing from Jordan into Palestine, and the Israhelli Occupation Forces stopped him, interrogated him for 3 hours, and then denied himself and his daughter entry into Palestine.
Pretty much the same as Canada refusing entry to the US for someone from Mexico. They control every border around the West Bank, and they are ruthless. Of course, seeing as they are an apartheid state, there are Jew gates, and "Others". As you can imagine, the "other" gate has a long long line of people waiting to cross, while the Jew gate takes minutes to cross. They learned quite a lot from South Africa and the Warsaw Ghetto.
Israhell have been getting away with unbelievable acts of apartheid, genocide, racism, and just about every other form of crimes against humanity for far too long. Too many western leaders bend over backwards to help them, and turn a blind eye to their inhumane treatment of the Palestinians. Ireland is no exception.
If Israhell think they can attack this flotilla and arrest everyone, then they will have a rude awaking coming. Turkey will not stand idly by and let this happen. They are the 1st country to stand up to the Zionist oppressors, and hopefully, other leaders will back them up. It's time Israhell were taught a lesson.
Anyhow, below are 2 links for a video of an interview I had with Noam Chomsky a few months ago. He talks about Gaza, the flotilla, and prospects for peace in Palestine.
Well worth a watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX3d1rpYt3M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPlOSD6x_9Y&feature=related
Oh, and don't forget todays 6pm Gaza TV News:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gaza-TV-News/119275738102852?ref=search&sid=100001027405109.3712654172..1
Quote from: give her dixie on May 20, 2010, 06:12:52 PM
The Noam Chomsky affair from last Sunday has once again shown Israhell up for been a rogue state who don't care for anyone. Noam Chomsky, who is jewish, is regarded as been the worlds greatest living intellect, and he was due to deliver a speech in Palestine on Monday. At approx 4pm last Sunday, he was crossing from Jordan into Palestine, and the Israhelli Occupation Forces stopped him, interrogated him for 3 hours, and then denied himself and his daughter entry into Palestine.
Very good from the Finkelstein site . Israel is way beyond saving at this stage. There is no future for the current brand of Zionism over the long term.
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/deutschland-uber-alles/
Best of luck John. But remember, the Turks are no angels. They still have a genocide of their own that they won't even admit happened and aren't too hot on human rights either.
Fear not, Iran has BIG plans for Israel.
Quote from: mylestheslasher on May 20, 2010, 09:34:05 PM
Best of luck John. But remember, the Turks are no angels. They still have a genocide of their own that they won't even admit happened and aren't too hot on human rights either.
Would agree totally, the Turks human rights record is appalling.
Dixie, do youse really think that youse can get past the israeli gunships when they appear?
Folks, I will not be on the boats, as i'm co ordinating media and management for Viva Palestina,
who have a team on board.
I know that Turkey have a shady history, but at least they are moving in the right direction.
The IHH charity is an incredible organisation, however, their part in this Flotilla has been
overshadowed by the death of 2 of their workers in the Afghan plane crash on Monday.
One of them was a good friend of mine from the last convoy, and their deaths have shattered
everyone involved.
Israel have stated that they won't allow the flotilla to proceed, however, under International
law, they have no right to stop them in international waters. Israhell have never worried about international
law before, and this will be no exception. However, if enough people are dialled into what is going on,
they they will be exposed once again for what they really are.
Israhell are slowy slipping down in the eyes of the world, and just like South Africa, it will take the
power of the people to make change, not corrupt Govenments. Thanks to the internet, there is a whole
new generation of people who now have access to the real truth, and not the manipulated zionist
controlled media we have been used to for years.
Lets hope they will be allowed to pass peacefully, and without incident. However, I somehow feel it is
going to turn ugly. Israhell are in a loose loose situation whatever they do, so not matter what,
they will be the ones with egg on their faces when it is all over.
Israel isn't allowing many types of carbohydrate in to Gaza. Imagine if
1.5 million Jews were confined to a space 25 miles by 25 for 4 years with only limited types of food
allowed in and the economy ruined. Imagine the furore there would be. This is what Israel is doing in Gaza.
Gaza is not only the worlds largest priison camp, but one big human labratory.
Israhell control the water, electricity, sewage, food, and just about everything else
that is needed for daily life. They turn each one on and off whenever they choose.
The tunnels provide a lifeline, however, due to the cost and time to build them,
the black market prices for everything is very high.
Egypt built an underground steel wall recently, which goes down 30 metres in places.
This wall was fully funded by the US taxpayers, and it was designed to cut off the lifeline.
However, people are building the tunnels deep enough to by pass the steel wall,
and others are using cutting gear to cut holes in it. At present, it takes 2 weeks to burn a
hole though it. So, the wall is a failure, and another waste of US taxpayers money.
What happened to the jews in the Warsaw ghetto was horrible, however, they have learned
from that and today implement a system that is much worse.
The Oppressed have now become the Oppressor.
Short News Clip on the Flotilla.
Check out the boats......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74TvStsUTJY&playnext_from=TL&videos=syBWf14_oNQ
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15985
The U.S. corporate media have provided little coverage on some important happenings in the Middle East during the past 18 months. You might ask what's the big deal -- bad stuff happens there all the time and it doesn't concern me. In this case, recent events have the potential to create an international crisis in the coming days. Before getting to the possible explosive situation, we first need some background information.
One key event is that Gaza has become a flash point in the relations between Turkey and Israel. In a dramatic reversal, Turkey has moved from close relations with Israel to being quite critical of Israeli policies, particularly of those against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. For example, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan labeled Israeli actions in Gaza during its December 2008 attack a "crime against humanity".
Taking a longer-term view, Erdogan also said: "Civilians and children are dying in Gaza. Those who keep their silence over these attacks out of whatever concern or for whatever diplomatic reason, will pay the price before history." His statements offered quite a contrast to the tepid and shameful position taken by U.S. officials.
In addition, Erdogan has identified Israel as the principal threat against peace in the Middle East. He also backed the adoption of the Goldstone Report that called for an independent investigation of Israeli and Hamas war crimes. Although most of the countries around the world agreed with this position, the U.S. and a few other nations opposed an independent investigation of the war crimes charges.
To put it mildly, none of Erdogan's comments have endeared him to Israeli officials.
In addition, the Turkish Prime Minister has said that it is a priority for him and Turkey to lift the unjust siege on Gaza. Israel has maintained this siege since 2007 and, combined with the devastation caused during the Israeli attack, Palestinians are merely surviving, not really living. Israel has not allowed materials into Gaza for rebuilding and it allows just enough food in to prevent the Palestinians from starving.
This past January Turkey strongly supported the Viva Palestina convoy's effort to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. The convoy of over 500 international humanitarian activists was able to deliver more than 150 vehicles carrying medicine and other aid to the besieged Palestinians. Arriving in Gaza was a major accomplishment, but the aid that the convoy brought in was a drop in the bucket compared to the need.
In early May of this year, John Ging, Head of United Nation's Relief and Works Agency in the Gaza Strip, said: "We recommend the world send ships to the shores of Gaza, and we believe that Israel would not stop these vessels because the sea is open, and many human rights organizations have been successful in previous similar steps, and proved that breaking the siege on Gaza is possible."
Currently eight ships from several nations including Turkey are doing just that. These ships, the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, have as their goal to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Israel has said that it will not allow this current flotilla to reach Gaza, and it will use military means if necessary to stop the ships.
Two key points are: 1) the Turkish ship will be flying the Turkish flag; and 2) Turkey is a member of NATO. What might happen if Israel were to attack a Turkish flagged vessel carrying humanitarian aid in international waters? The precedent has been established that an attack on one NATO member state will be viewed as an attack on NATO. How would NATO respond to an Israeli attack on a Turkish flagged vessel? Even if the Turkish ship were not flying its flag, how would the world respond to an attack on unarmed vessels carrying humanitarian aid in international waters?
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla is now on its way and is scheduled to reach Gaza this week. Since the U.S. corporate-dominated mainstream media seem to be ignoring this issue, go to freegaza.org or to international media for updates on this looming crisis. There is still time for Israel to avoid an explosive situation by simply complying with international law and honoring its responsibilities to the Palestinians. Unfortunately it is doubtful that Israel will do so.
- Ron Forthofer is a retired professor of biostatistics. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com.
Gaza has been attacked in the past hour
F16's hit targets and 15 people injured. 4 children serious
Click on the following link for details
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Gaza-TV-News/119275738102852
GAZA CITY: The Israeli government warned that it would block a fleet of nine ships carrying 700 international activists and humanitarian aid from reaching the Gaza Strip later this week.
The Freedom Flotilla, organized by the group Free Gaza, is the largest humanitarian journey to the Gaza Strip since Israel imposed its crippling blockade on the territories in June 2007 after Hamas forcibly took control of the region.
Jamal Al-Khodary, head of the Popular Committee Against Siege, said in a statement on Tuesday that several legal people as well as hundreds of media professionals and journalists are traveling with the fleet.
He added that preparations on the Palestinian side have been completed and a hundred Palestinian boats will receive the fleet in the open sea.
The organizers of this journey say they are trying to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. But Israel has urged them to bring their goods to Gaza via a pre-approved border crossing.
News reports on Monday said that the Egyptian authorities announced that the fleet could reach Gaza via its territories.
Israeli media reported that the ships, which are sailing from diverse ports in Ireland, Greece and Turkey and are expected to arrive on Thursday, would be boarded before they could reach Gaza. Any activists on board would be arrested.
"Ships that make their own way to Gaza do not do anything to help the people there," said Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry.
He added that Free Gaza is "less interested in bringing help, than with advancing their radical agenda, which plays into the hands of Hamas."
According to different news reports, the fleet includes nine ships; one financed by Kuwait and carrying the flags of Kuwait and Turkey, a ship financed by Algeria, one financed by Sweden and Greece, while the remaining six vessels will carry the activists.
One of the ships bears the number 8,000, referring to the approximate number of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The ships also carry more than 10,000 tons of medical supplies, wood, and construction materials, in addition to 100 mobile homes, and 500 power-chairs for the disabled.
A similar but smaller mission to Gaza was blocked by the Israeli navy a year ago. However, five others have made their way to the region in recent years.
Israel restricts Gazans to 600 calories per day. That's Zionism and very similar to another ism that flourished in the 1930s.
Israeli spin
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Behind+the+Headlines/Israeli_humanitarian_lifeline_Gaza_25-May-2010.htm
Folks, at 3pm today, the ships will depart Turkey for Gaza. In 48 hours time, Saturday afternoon, they will be inside Gazan waters.
Israhell has vowed to stop them by force if necessary, and Turkey have threatened to respond
if one of their boats is attacked.
Israhell have prepared a jail to hold everyone before deporting them.
This has the potential to turn very ugly, and a major international crisis is looming.
I am in constant contact with those on board, and will be doing media work from this side.
I will keep you all posted on any news, as it happens.
Maith thú Dixie, go raibh mile
Folks, click on the following link for all the latest news on the flotilla.
All the boats have now set sail, and are in international waters.
Israhell have issued serious threats to everyone involved, and they have stated that
they will stop this flotilla from entering Gaza by any means possible.
They have set up a temporary prison, and it is not looking good.
They are due to reach Gaza tomorrow evening, and trouble is looming on the high seas.
Turkey have stated that they will respond immediatly to any acts of aggression on their
citizens and boats. The only country so far to stand up for their citizens.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gaza-TV-News/119275738102852
End blockade of Gaza, EU tells Israel
The European Union has called on Israel to immediately end the three-year blockade of Gaza and to allow the Freedom Flotilla to enter the enclave.
"The continued policy of closure is unacceptable and politically counterproductive," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement on Friday.
"We would like to reiterate the EU's call for an immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza," she added.
The Freedom Flotilla, a multinational relief mission heading for the Gaza Strip, consists of nine vessels from Turkey, Ireland, Britain, and Greece that are currently off the coast of Cyprus.
The mission was organized by the Free Gaza Movement.
Ashton made the remarks after Israel threatened to divert the flotilla to its southern port of Ashdod and to detain the activists onboard, AFP reported.
Israel has said it will not allow the ships to reach the Gaza Strip and has called the attempt to break the blockade a "cheap political stunt."
On Thursday, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky also urged Israel to "act with a sense of care" in dealing with the pro-Palestinian activists who are attempting to break the blockade of Gaza.
The Freedom Flotilla is carrying about 10,000 tons of supplies to the 1.5 million people of Gaza, who have endured many hardships during the three-year blockade.
Arab News Editorial: Blockade busting
Will 'Freedom Flotilla' challenge Israelis to the extent 'Exodus' did to the British?
At least eight vessels are now expected to form the "Freedom Flotilla" that will try to sail through the Israeli maritime blockade of Palestine. They hope to deliver much-needed supplies, including medicines, water-treatment equipment and building materials to the beleaguered people within the Gaza Ghetto.
The Netanyahu government has vowed that the flotilla will not get through. It appears that the Israeli Navy is preparing to intercept the aid ships before they can reach the Gaza coast, perhaps in international waters. Since the multinational crew of activists aboard the ships have vowed not to stop, even if they are threatened with force, it would seem a confrontation is inevitable.
It must be wondered if any Israelis remember what happened in these same waters in similar circumstances 63 years ago and whether if they do, they realize that they are preparing to do something which they once labeled as "cruel" and "shameful" when it was done to them.
In 1947, a former US passenger ferry, the SS Warfield was bought by the Zionist agents and renamed the "Exodus." In Marseilles it picked up 4,515 Jews, including 655 children and set sail for the Palestine, then run by the British under a UN mandate. The Zionists announced that the majority of the ship's passengers were survivors of Nazi death camps. The intention was to challenge the British ban on unauthorized arrivals in Palestine in what was the highest profile exercise in "Aliya Bet" — Illegal Immigration.
As the Zionists expected and undoubtedly hoped, the British Navy intercepted the "Exodus," ramming the vessel in the process and killing two of the passengers. Taken first to Haifa, the would-be immigrants were detailed before being sent back to France. When they refused to leave the ship. It was taken by the British to Hamburg in the then British-controlled zone of conquered Germany, where they were detained in camps near Lubeck.
The cleverly fostered international furor that the "Exodus" incident produced was a major coup for the Zionists and a public relations disaster for the British. Coming on top of the rising tide of Zionist violence in Palestine, it helped convince a weak London government to throw up its responsibilities under the mandate and abandon the Palestinians to their fate.
The people of Gaza and the West Bank are still suffering the consequences of that craven capitulation.
The question now is will the "Freedom Flotilla" challenge the Israeli occupiers of the West Bank and the besiegers of the Gaza Ghetto to anything like the same extent? The smart move might be to let the ships get through. But that would be to open the door to further aid convoys and the effective destruction of a major part of the Gaza blockade. The Netanyahu government would hate the triumph this would give to the people of Gaza and their supporters around the world. Therefore it seems that a showdown and perhaps bloodshed is unavoidable, to be recorded by the international press teams aboard the "Freedom Flotilla." Will this therefore become the Palestinians' "Exodus" incident?
Click on the following link for a"Live" feed from the Turkish ship on it's way to Gaza.
http://www.livestream.com/insaniyardim?utm_source=lsplayer&utm_medium=ui-content&utm_campaign=insaniyardim&utm_content=insaniyardim
Folks, if anyone is interested, I have been working on the following group on facebook, compiling letters, posting reports and video's, and keeping 3,000 people worldwide informed on the Flotilla, and the siege......
The power of social media networking is incredible, and the results are amazing so far.
Click on the following link for a wee look......
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gaza-TV-News/119275738102852?ref=ts
Things not looking good folks on the Med right now
3 Israeli warships have now approached the Flotilla.
They have stated that they will take them by force
click on the following link for a live feed from the Turkish ship.
http://www.livestream.com/insaniyardim
Or here, for all my reports:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gaza-TV-News/119275738102852?ref=ts
This is starting to look nasty. Today Cyprus (no doubt under Israeli pressure) refused to let an Irish delegation leave their port to join the Flotilla as observers - the less witnesses to what is happening the better. What a nasty bunch of bastards Israel are.
Just watched this on Sky News there....19 dead WTF! Israel attacks an aid convoy in international waters and 19 people get killed, what the f*** were they thinking!
Quote from: give her dixie on May 28, 2010, 04:36:52 PM
Folks, click on the following link for all the latest news on the flotilla.
All the boats have now set sail, and are in international waters.
Israhell have issued serious threats to everyone involved, and they have stated that
they will stop this flotilla from entering Gaza by any means possible.
They have set up a temporary prison, and it is not looking good.
They are due to reach Gaza tomorrow evening, and trouble is looming on the high seas.
Turkey have stated that they will respond immediatly to any acts of aggression on their
citizens and boats. The only country so far to stand up for their citizens.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gaza-TV-News/119275738102852
How does anyone see Turkey responding to this now that this horrible occurance has came to pass?
QuoteHow does anyone see Turkey responding to this now that this horrible occurance has came to pass?
Probably by expelling Israeli diplomats, as if Israel will give a toss!
QuoteIsrael isn't allowing many types of carbohydrate in to Gaza. Imagine if
1.5 million Jews were confined to a space 25 miles by 25 for 4 years with only limited types of food
allowed in and the economy ruined. Imagine the furore there would be. This is what Israel is doing in Gaza.
Why do people keep associating the state of Israel with the the Jewish Religion. The followers of Judaism have been persecuted for their beliefs far beyond our understanding during the last world war.
The state of Israel is an artifical state set up with the help of Britain after the second world war.
This state has carried out atrocites on the people of Palastine (with the support of both the UK and USA) which the Jewish religion would be ashamed.
Isn't it about time that "Israel" Stopped using the Holocaust (a religious persecution) as an excuse for their inhumanity?