Israel Attack Humanitarian Ship, 10 men killed

[johnneycool]

The shit has well and truely hit the fan with the release of these documents. The Palestinian Authority have been known for years to be corrupt, and this is the final nail in their coffin. No doubt they will have to stand down over these leaks.

The main point for everyone in the release of these documents is the fact that Israel is not interested in peace. Their only goal is to get as much land as they can, preferably all of it, and to get rid of the Palestinian people currently living on it.

The docements reveal that the PA served up on a silver plate major concessions, and they were all refused by Israel. The peace talks are finished and the idea of 2 states is also gone. I can see a groundsweel of support for Hamas is just around the corner, and Israel will reget that they didn't do a deal with the corrupt PA when they had a chance.

It is all going to be very interesting over the comming days and weeks. Abbas and co could have to flee just like the Tunisian President.......... The middle east is rapidly changing, and with a day of protests planned for Tuesday in Egypt, don't be surprised to see Mubarak running for cover........

I was just about to say that, if anything Hamas are going to be even stronger than before.

[give her dixie]

Some links for more articles released today:

The United States proposed giving Palestinian refugees land in South America as a radical solution to a problem that has haunted Middle East peace talks for decades.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/24/condoleezza-rice-palestinian-refugees-south-america?intcmp=239

The Obama administration has privately made clear that it will not allow any change of Palestinian leadership in the West Bank, the leaked papers reveal, let alone any repetition of the Hamas election victory that briefly gave the Islamists control of the Palestinian Authority five years ago.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/24/us-threat-palestinians-leadership-funds?intcmp=239

Barack Obama lifts then crushes Palestinian peace hopesSecret papers reveal Palestinian frustration at lack of decisions but Middle East envoy warns against blaming US president

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/24/barack-obama-palestinian-peace-hopes?intcmp=239

Palestinians agreed only 10,000 refugees could return to Israel. Secret papers reveal Palestininian negotiators privately accepted Israeli offer of 1,000 refugees a year over 10 years

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/24/palestinians-10000-refugees-return-israel?intcmp=239

Papers reveal how Palestinian leaders gave up fight over refugees
• Negotiators agreed just 10,000 to return
• PLO agreed Israel could be a 'Jewish state'
• US suggested Palestinians live in Latin America

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/24/papers-palestinian-leaders-refugees-fight?intcmp=239

The sooner the corrupt Palestinian Authority is run out of the West Bank, the better. The Palestinians should hold free and democratic elections, and elect someone that isn't prepared to sell them or their rights out to Israel/US.

Following the revolution in Tunisia, masses of people are rising up across the middle east and are preparing to kick out the US backed and controlled brutal dictators, who have been in power for way too long.

Tomorrow a day of protest is planned in Egypt, and in Algeria and Jordan mass demonstrations have been on going on a daily basis for days now.

The political landscape is rapidly changing, and for the better. People deserve to elect their own leaders, and not have dictators put in place by the US. Sure after all, didn't the US and the UK invade Iraq to install "democracy"? They must be severly embassased after spending billions of dollars and then see the Tunisians overthrow a dictator and face democratic elections without a cent from uncle sam!

We are living in interesting times.........

[Tyrones own]

Wipe the egg off your face ye fecking clown...damage control and back pedaling at it's finest 
Embarrassing or what 

[Banana Man]

Wipe the egg off your face ye fecking clown...damage control and back pedaling at it's finest 
Embarrassing or what 

who's that to?

[mylestheslasher]

Wipe the egg off your face ye fecking clown...damage control and back pedaling at it's finest 
Embarrassing or what 

who's that to?

Do yourself a favour and ignore Americas own.

[give her dixie]

How do the Palestinians stand a chance when there are freaks like "GOD TV" around.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg8Y5y73M18&feature=player_embedded#!

[seafoid]

http://www.turkel-committee.gov.il/content-107.html

Read this joke of an Israeli whitewash report. Signed off by Mr Drumcree.

[Tyrones own]

Wipe the egg off your face ye fecking clown...damage control and back pedaling at it's finest 
Embarrassing or what 

who's that to?

Who else....the resident Pied Piper himself.

[give her dixie]

http://www.turkel-committee.gov.il/content-107.html

Read this joke of an Israeli whitewash report. Signed off by Mr Drumcree.

A whitewash that Widgery would be proud of........

However, The United Nations Human Rights Council already found last year prima facie evidence of grave human rights abuses and war crimes aboard the Mavi Marmara.  The UN report stated:

"The conduct of the Israeli military and other personnel towards the flotilla passengers was not only disproportionate to the occasion but demonstrated levels of totally unnecessary and incredible violence. It betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality. Such conduct cannot be justified or condoned on security or any other grounds. It constituted grave violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law."

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/15session/A.HRC.15.21_en.pdf

[give her dixie]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4018950,00.html

The Irish government decided Tuesday to upgrade the Palestinian diplomatic mission in the country to an embassy.

Ireland is the first European Union member to announce such a move, which was initiated by the Irish foreign minister. However, the upgrade does not constitute Irish recognition of a Palestinian state.

According to the decision, the head of the Palestinian mission will become an ambassador in Dublin and will present his credentials to the Irish president.

Israel fears other European countries may follow suit, as is the case in Latin America, where a number of countries, including Brazil, Chile and Argentina, have recognized a "free and sovereign" Palestinian state over the past few months. Peru recognized "Palestine" on Monday.

"Israel regrets Ireland's move, but is not surprised by it due to (Ireland's) biased policy regarding the conflict over the years," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Foreign Ministry's Communications Director of Yossi Levy said Dublin's decision "does not advance the peace process because it bolsters the Palestinians' illusion that they can advance their goals without returning to the negotiation table."

In February Peru is scheduled to host the Summit of South American-Arab Countries (ASPA). Israel is concerned that during the summit Brazil may initiate a resolution under which more Latin American countries will recognize a Palestinian state. 

[seafoid]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4018950,00.html

The Irish government decided Tuesday to upgrade the Palestinian diplomatic mission in the country to an embassy.

Ireland is the first European Union member to announce such a move, which was initiated by the Irish foreign minister. However, the upgrade does not constitute Irish recognition of a Palestinian state.

According to the decision, the head of the Palestinian mission will become an ambassador in Dublin and will present his credentials to the Irish president.

Israel fears other European countries may follow suit, as is the case in Latin America, where a number of countries, including Brazil, Chile and Argentina, have recognized a "free and sovereign" Palestinian state over the past few months. Peru recognized "Palestine" on Monday.

"Israel regrets Ireland's move, but is not surprised by it due to (Ireland's) biased policy regarding the conflict over the years," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Foreign Ministry's Communications Director of Yossi Levy said Dublin's decision "does not advance the peace process because it bolsters the Palestinians' illusion that they can advance their goals without returning to the negotiation table."

In February Peru is scheduled to host the Summit of South American-Arab Countries (ASPA). Israel is concerned that during the summit Brazil may initiate a resolution under which more Latin American countries will recognize a Palestinian state.

Fair play to Micheal Martin.

[give her dixie]

Turkey unveils its final report on Israeli attack on Gaza-bound aid convoy

Turkey on Friday made public its report on the May 31 Israeli attack on a humanitarian aid convoy that killed eight Turks and an American of Turkish origin and injured many others.

Turkey repeatedly asked Israel to officially apologize and pay compensation for all the loss and damages caused by its illegal attack.

The report, prepared by Turkish National Commission of Inquiry, has been submitted to the Panel of Inquiry set up by the UN Secretary-General in August 2010, in accordance with the Presidential Statement issued by the UN Security Council in June 2010 which called for a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards.

The executive summary of the report recalled that Israeli military forces on the early hours of May 31, 2010 attacked in international waters an international and multi-faith convoy of six ships organized by a coalition of NGOs from 37 countries transporting certified humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

"The attack took place 72 nautical miles from the nearest coast, and 64 nautical miles from the zone declared unlawfully, as will be seen, blockaded by Israel. As a result of the attack, eight Turkish citizens and one US citizen of Turkish descent were killed. Over 70 passengers from a host of nationalities were wounded. One of these remains in a coma to this day," the summary said.

The executive summary of the report continues: The vessels that set sail from Turkey had been duly inspected for security, immigration and customs. The passengers on board, their personal belongings and the large volume of humanitarian aid had also been thoroughly checked. It was firmly established that there were no firearms or any sort of weapon on board the vessels. Those Turkish ports from where the ships in the convoy set sail are duly certified under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) of the International Maritime Organization.

The Israeli forces mounted a full-fledged and well-planned attack with frigates, helicopters, zodiacs, submarines, and elite combat troops heavily armed with machine guns, laser-guided rifles, pistols and modified paintball rifles. The Israeli soldiers shot from the helicopter onto the Mavi Marmara using live ammunition and killing two passengers before any Israeli soldier descended on the deck. During the attack, excessive, indiscriminate and disproportionate force was used by the Israeli soldiers against the civilians on board. The Israeli military action was of excessive disproportion to such magnitude that the United Nations Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission used the terms 'totally unnecessary and incredible violence.. unacceptable level of brutality.' The passengers only exercised a lawful right of self-defense, without any firearms, against the armed attack of the Israeli forces.

Once the Israeli forces took over the vessel, instead of exercising caution and restraint, they continued to brutalize and terrorize the passengers, abusing them physically, verbally and psychologically. The passengers were beaten, kicked, elbowed, punched, deprived of food and water, handcuffed, left exposed to sun, sprayed with sea-water for hours, and denied toilet access.

During and after the ten hours of sailing to the port of Ashdod in Israel, most of the passengers were kept handcuffed. Some of them were stripped and searched; women were subjected to sexually humiliating treatment; one of them, a journalist, was forced to strip multiple times and a metal detector was placed between her legs.

All passengers were forced to sign incriminatory statements in Hebrew which most did not even understand; they were not allowed access to legal assistance, or to consular officials, nor provided with proper and timely medical care. They were denied adequate food and were confined to restricted spaces with extreme temperatures.

The Israeli officials confiscated all property belonging to the passengers. Aside from the unlawful seizure of personal property, evidences of critical importance to shed light on the attack was destroyed, tampered with or despoiled.

The severe abuse against the passengers continued throughout their stay in Israel, including their transport to prison/hospital and therefrom to the Ben Gurion Airport which was the scene to the second most brutal episode in this tragedy. The passengers who arrived at the airport, exhausted by the ordeal they were subjected to, were taunted, paraded as terrorists and enemies, verbally abused, spat on, bullied, pushed around and manhandled just to spark the slightest reaction which would be countered with massive retribution, resulting in mass beatings where officers brutalizing the passengers were shielded from view by their colleagues.

The bodies of the deceased were completely washed and repatriated to Turkey without any accompanying medical and autopsy reports. The Mavi Marmara itself, when returned after being held for 66 days in Ashdod, had been scrubbed down thoroughly, blood stains completely washed off, bullet holes painted over; ship records, Captain?s log, computer hardware, ship documents seized, CCTV cameras smashed, all photographic footage seized and presumably destroyed or withheld.

The unlawfulness of the attack put aside, the killing of nine civilian passengers on the Mavi Marmara was first and foremost a violation of the right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and also in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Israel has been a party since 1991. International law was also violated as a result of mistreatment of injured and other passengers on board of the Mavi Marmara and in Ashdod by the Israeli forces and officials.

Furthermore, the fact that the Israeli forces committed torture, engaged in degrading and inhuman treatment; forcibly deprived passengers of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to privacy, physical security and due process; and abused them physically and psychologically constitutes clear violations of the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment under Article 7 of the ICCPR and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) to which Israel has been a party since 1991. These acts also constitute a breach of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The Israeli attack on the humanitarian aid convoy in international waters constitutes a violation of freedom of navigation and safety of navigation on the high seas. Freedom of navigation on the high seas is a long-standing rule of customary international law. The 1958 High Seas Convention and the 1982 United Nations Law of the Sea Convention codify what widely recognized to be the customary international rules of the freedom of the high seas. One of the components of freedom of the high seas is the exclusive jurisdiction of the flag State.

The Law of the Sea restricts the right of warships to seize a foreign ship, and its property and arrest the persons on board only in the case of pirate ships or aircraft.

Israel's failure to recognize its armed conflict with Hamas as one of international character precludes it from establishing any lawful naval blockade off the Gaza Strip. Since Israel's naval 'blockade' on the Gaza Strip is unlawful, any act it performs as a function of this 'blockade' is also unlawful par excellence.

Israel's naval 'blockade' against the Gaza Strip, as it existed on 31 May 2010, was also in violation of the principles of international law governing blockade, as laid down in the San Remo Manual.

Even assuming, in arguendum, the validity of the basis of Israel's 'blockade', its implementation would render it unlawful. It was excessive, unreasonable, and disproportionate to any military advantage to be achieved in relation to its impact on the civilian population. This has been documented by numerous UN agencies and the international community at large.

Numerous official statements acknowledged that Israel's blockade was 'illegal' and had to be lifted, describing the blockade as 'collective punishment on civilians.'

The blockade failed to meet the other requirements of a lawful naval blockade under international law, such as specifying the duration and extent of the blockade.

Israel retains effective control over the Gaza Strip and is generally recognized by the international community and the UN as the occupying power there. As a result, Israel cannot lawfully impose a blockade on the Gaza Strip. From this perspective also, the Israeli blockade is illegal and any interdiction based on such blockade is, by definition, unlawful.

Finally, it is a central principle of international law that when a state violates its international obligations, it has a duty to make reparations for the wrongs committed and provide for compensation.

This case is a critical litmus test for the international community in upholding the rule of law. No State should be allowed to act above the law. Impunity must give way to accountability. Israel must acknowledge its responsibility and accordingly convey a public apology to the Republic of Turkey and provide compensation for all damages and losses resulting from its unlawful attack.

The condemnation of Israel's attack is also crucial for the future of the right of navigation on the high seas. Otherwise, a dangerous precedential derogation from that paramount right will be established?with far-reaching ramifications that may not be accurately estimated today.

[stew]

So dixie, how many did you say were killed in this attack???

Trim balls findings were predictable and appalling, what was also appalling was your fudging of the numbers of dead.

I hope the hoors pay compensation and they should get hammered in the courts but i doubt they will.

[Trout]

Five israelis, including three children, stabbed to death by Palestinian

The Israeli military are searching for the killer of five people murdered in a Jewish West Bank settlement early on Saturday, a military spokeswoman said.
Israeli media is reporting that the dead are all members of the same family – parents and three children. The victims – including an 11-year-old, a 3-year-old and an infant – were all stabbed in their sleep.
The military says it is sweeping the area in search of the perpetrator and has set up checkpoints throughout the West Bank. It has instructed all residents to stay in their homes during the extensive sweeps.
The military blocked the entrance to the northern West Bank settlement of Itamar, as soldiers poured
inside and a pair of ambulances departed.
The overnight attack is the first attack against settlers in months and the first of its kind and scope in years. It marks a rare outburst of violence during a relatively calm period.
It also comes as Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts are at a standstill and seems likely to complicate efforts to restart them.
Itamar is home to some of the West Bank's most fervent settlers. The attack took place in the middle of the night, on the Jewish Sabbath.
The attack was reminiscent of a similar one in Itamar in June 2002, during the height of the violent Palestinian uprising, when a gunman burst into the home of a family and opened fire.
Another two children were seriously injured.

[Denn Forever]

Source?