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Up to 10 dead as Netanyahu backs Gaza convoy massacre

Al-Jazeera now says 10 killed in Israel's war crime against humanitarian activists. BBC is now reporting 9 dead and that Netanyahu 'regrets' the loss of life, but as Al-Jazeera clearer, he gave his full backing to the military and the massacre it's perpetrated. Earlier figures for deaths were 16 to 19. From Al-Jazeera Israeli commandos have attacked a flotilla of aid-carrying ships off the coast of the Gaza Strip, killing up to 10 people on board. Dozens of others were injured when troops raided the convoy of six ships, dubbed the Freedom Flotilla, early on Monday. Israel said activists on board attacked its commandos as they boarded the ships, while the flotilla's organisers said the Israeli forces opened fire first, as soon as they stormed the convoy. Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, gave his "full backing" to the military forces after the raid. The raid by Israel troops "was to prevent the infiltration of thousands of rockets, missi

West fails to condemn Israeli massacre of Gaza convoy activists

The EU and UK Foreign Secretary Hague have failed to condemn the massacre, calling instead for further 'investigation'. No mention of the fact that this was a military assault in international waters by one of the mightiest military machines on the planet. A state armed to the teeth with a license to kill by the US (and shamefully the EU and UK too) that has killed at least 19 civilians delivering aid to a people blockaded and bombed by a government and state with a colonial imperative. And by the scenes at the quayside at Ashdod of Palestinian women who live inside Israel (Arab Israelis) being racially abuse by a nascent lynch mob, this colonial mindset is increasingly nourished by a growing and deep anti-Arab racism among Israeli Jews. But among increasing numbers of Jewish people in the west, the crimes of Israel are unbearable. Which is why many of the leaders of the Gaza convoy are American Jews. This was indeed Israel's Soweto, as a speaker said today at the London pr

Protest against Israeli ambassador at Hay book festival

From Socialist Worker (UK), with report on London protest. Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor is due to address the Hay Festival on Tuesday 1 June at 8pm. His theme is the state of Anglo-Israeli relations. Protesters will gather outside from 7pm to show their outrage at Israel's barbaric attack on the Gaza Flotilla, which killed at least 15 peace activists.

London march arrives at Israel's embassy

Shutdown this nest of war criminals

Israel opened fire on all Gaza flotilla boats

From various news reports:16 dead, 6 Turks, 10 Internationals, 50/80 wounded,3 wounded from European campaign boat.Opening fire on all boats.

Police lose control of gaza flotilla protest demo

Cops look like fish out of water. To hell with Israeli terrorism. SANCTIONS NOW From various news reports:16 dead, 6 Turks, 10 Internationals, 50/80 wounded,3 wounded from European campaign boat.Opening fire on all boats

Marching to Israeli embassy London

British Muslim Initiative asks where's the outrage from western leaders?

Speaker from British Muslim Initiative asks what our government is doing about the 27 Britons that were part of the flotilla

Jews for justice for Palestine speaks out against flotilla massacre

Salma Yaqoub - take off the kid gloves with Israel

Tariq Ali calls for sanctions against Israeli terror state

Jeremy Corbyn calls for expulsion of Israeli ambassador over flotilla massacre

We are definitely marching to Israeli embassy - still no news on dead and injured - what the hell are the western embassies doing to find out what's happened to their citizens? No declaration of war against Israel yet. Imagine if Iran had done this in the Gulf.

Kate Hudson from CND speaks out against Gaza flotilla massacre

Live coverage - Gaza aid flotilla massacre

22:12 GMT freegazaorg Countries calling Israel for explanation about attacking us Greece, Sweden, France, Austria, Spain, TurkeyCondemnation from China and Russia http://mobile.twitter.com/freegazaorg#freegazaorg Call the State Department 202 647 4000 and ask them what they are going to do about this attack and the American flagged boat 19:51 GMT UK Foreign Secretary Hague has failed to condemn the massacre, calling instead for further 'investigation'. No mention of the fact that this was a military assault in international waters by one of the mightiest military machines on the planet. A state armed to the teeth with a license to kill by the US (and shamefully the EU and UK too) that has killed at least 19 civilians delivering aid to a people blockaded and bombed by a government and state with a colonial imperative. And by the scenes at the quayside at Ashdod of Palestinian women who live inside Israel (Arab Israelis) being racially abuse by a nascent lynch mob, this coloni

Palestinians in Israel call general strike protesting flotilla massacre

Video above from Sky News - repeats a lot of Israeli lies but makes it clear this massacre, that has led to up at least 19 dead and 60 injured, is a PR disaster for Israel and its already frosty relationship with erstwhile ally Turkey is now dead. Palestinians living insider the borders of the settler state have called a general strik e. Sadly Sheikh Raed Salah is thought to have been killed in the massacre - perhaps deliberately targeted. Acting Higher Arab Monitoring Committee head calls incident 'massacre'. Deputy of Islamic Movement official Sheikh Raed Salah, rumored to have been injured in takeover, says 'this was an assassination attempt' VIsraeli Arabs are protesting against the takeover of the Gaza flotilla, which claimed to lives of at least 10 activists. The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee on Monday called for a general strip on Tuesday. The committee's acting chairman, Ramez Jaraisi, called for an international proe into what he called "the State

Breaking News: Up to 20 dead in Israel Gaza flotilla massacre, say reports

At least 20 unarmed humanitarians killed, according to reports from Gaza TV News . The link goes to the Facebook page of the Irish based protesters that bravely travelled into the eye of the storm. They are calling for Israeli ambassador to be expelled from Ireland. Report at Aljazzera.com says all the ships were attacked simultaneoulsy by marine commandos. Many had their faces covered and some wore gas masks: Israeli marine commandos had opened fire as they stormed one of the ships the (Mavi Marmara). Israeli television justified the commandos̢۪ massacre claiming that the soldiers were attacked with knives and axes, but did not elaborate. The Israeli censor blocks all reports on the activists murdered on the flotilla. According to a reporter on one of the ships, the Israeli occupation army raided all vessels from the sea and air at the same time and informed all of the passengers that they were under arrest. The Israeli vessels, the report said, attacked the flotilla in internatio

IHH Gaza flotilla video shows Israel killing peaceful unarmed civilians

In istanbul the Israeli embassy has been stormed by protesters. Footage from IHH shows Israeli soldiers firing the moment their feet hit the deck. According to reports they shot civilians in their sleep. Could be as many as 16 dead. Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH, providing the logistical backbone of the flotilla, have a video showing the Israelis firing as soon as they got on the boats - contrart to the lies coming out of Israel this morning. Live video stream is here . More news here from Free Gaza Movement : (Cyprus, June 1, 2010, 6:30 am) Under darkness of night, Israeli commandoes dropped from a helicopter onto the Turkish passenger ship, Mavi Marmara, and began to shoot the moment their feet hit the deck. They fired directly into the crowd of civilians asleep. According to the live video from the ship, two have been killed, and 31 injured. Al Jazeera has just confirmed the numbers. Streaming video shows the Israeli soldiers shooting at civilians, and our last SPOT beacon said, “HELP, w

Emergency protest after 10 murdered by Israel on Gaza Flotilla - 2pm Downing Street

Awoken to the news that at least 10 people have been murdered by the Israel today when their forces stormed the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. More at the BBC Emergency protest today at Downing Street. Western governments have allowed this to happen by sitting on their hands as the Israelis issued their threats over the past days and weeks. Join the protests today around the world..

Israeli Navy forces Gaza flotilla to halt at its illegal exclusion zone

Challenger 2 was contacted by the Israeli Navy about an hour ago. An appeal has just been issued as the full might of the Israeli military attempts to stop the aid mission. Israel is now brazenly enacting piracy on the high seas - where are the protests from western governments? Twitter feed at http://mobile.twitter.com/freegazaorg about 1 minute ago Call to the world from the people on the boats. This flotilla is bringing supplies the people of Gaza and are being met by military force

Appeal to UK foreign secretary Hague over Israel's threat to flotilla

UK citizens - or should that be subjects - send emergency protest emails to the Foreign Office now. Details below: Subject: Israeli threats to humanitarian "Freedom Flotilla". To: haguew@parliament.uk Cc: private.office@fco.gov.uk, AINAGCorrespondence@fco.gov.uk Date: Sunday, 30 May, 2010, 10:06 Dear Mr. Hague I draw your attention to the situation of the 750 volunteers presently assembling on the “Freedom Flotilla”, bound for Gaza with humanitarian supplies. Whatever differences of opinion we may have regarding the Israel/Palestine conflict, the safety of the volunteers some of whom are British citizens, is paramount. In this regard I am concerned about threats being made by the Israeli military. Apparently an “Operation Sky wind” is being planned by the Israelis which will include the seizing of the “Freedom Flotilla” and the arrest of the people on it. As Israel has carried out similar acts of piracy in the past, this can’t be regarded as an empty threat. I trust you will

Freedom Flotilla is on it's way to break Gaza siege

Live from the Gaza flotilla - Kevin Ovenden reports for Viva Palestina

KEVIN OVENDEN REPORTING LIVE FROM THE GAZA FLOTILLA!!!   At 17.30 this evening the European Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza arrived at the staging point south of Cyprus, joining the Greek cargo ship and the three Turkish vessels in international waters. We are now waiting the arrival of five European parliamentarians from Cyprus, who have had to travel from the Greek south to the Turkish north in order to board a vessel to join us. It is an embarrassing episode for the Greek Cypriot government of President Christofias. Cyprus had previously been accommodating of efforts to break the siege on Gaza, but not this time. The level of support for the international flotilla is growing by the day. There are now expressions of either support for allowing the ships in or calling for Israel to be restrained in its actions from Norway, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Italy, Russia and from the EU foreign affairs chief Cathy Ashton. At the same time, Israel has remained bellicose and truculent

Cypriot government moves against Gaza flotilla - protest now!

Freedom Flotilla has now been reduced to five from eight due to mechanical difficulties. Cypriot government is also refusing to allow prominent supporters to join the convoy. Although the flotilla is in international waters smaller vessels are required to ferry people to the ships. Organisers are now seeking help from the Turkish Cypriot government in the north of the island. Cyprus says it does not want to harm it's vital interests with Israel. More at the Guardian .

Appeal to protect Gaza aid flotilla from Israel's threats - protest letter template to send to elected representatives now

Freedom Flotilla latest news www.witnessgaza.com -- Greta Berlin, Co-Founder +357 99 18 72 75 witnessgaza.com www.freegaza.org http://www.flickr.com/photos/freegaza Template letter to MP: To whom it may concern: I, (insert your name) am writing this letter to you to express my concern for the safety of the 750 passengers from 50 various countries on board the 9 ships who are sailing towards Gaza today. Israel have issued several threats indicating that they will stop this flotilla by force, and arrest everyone onboard. This is an extremely worrying development, and these threats to civilians has to be taken very seriously. I am appealing to you to do all in your power to ensure the safety of these brave individuals, and for the 15,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid onboard. The situation in Gaza is the greatest humanitarian disaster in our time, and it is not only my duty, but the duty of every person worldwide to play their part in making sure the illegal siege on Gaza is lifted. 1.5 mill

Protest letter to your elected representative to protect Gaza aid flotilla

http://gazafreedommarch.org/cms/en/flotilla.aspx www.witnessgaza.com -- Greta Berlin, Co-Founder +357 99 18 72 75 witnessgaza.com www.freegaza.org http://www.flickr.com/photos/freegaza Template letter to MP: To whom it may concern: I, (insert your name) am writing this letter to you to express my concern for the safety of the 750 passengers from 50 various countries on board the 9 ships who are sailing towards Gaza today. Israel have issued several threats indicating that they will stop this flotilla by force, and arrest everyone onboard. This is an extremely worrying development, and these threats to civilians has to be taken very seriously. I am appealing to you to do all in your power to ensure the safety of these brave individuals, and for the 15,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid onboard. The situation in Gaza is the greatest humanitarian disaster in our time, and it is not only my duty, but the duty of every person worldwide to play their part in making sure the illegal siege on Gaza

Hamas - Israel prepares for more acts of piracy to stop Freedom Flotilla

GAZA CITY — Hamas on Thursday said Israel's threat to intercept a flotilla of activist aid boats bound for the Islamist group's Gaza enclave amounted to "Zionist piracy." "The occupation's threat to prevent the Freedom Flotilla from arriving in the besieged Gaza Strip is Zionist piracy and a violation of international law," senior Hamas leader Ismail Radwan said in a statement. "This boasting indicates the terrorist Zionist mentality," he added, referring to Israel's vows to intercept the ships, deport the activists and transport the aid supplies to Gaza through its own land crossings. more

Israel's army calls peaceful and non-violent Gaza aid flotilla 'a provocation'

Israel readies to confront the Gaza Freedom Flotilla ... and the eyes of the world are on them. The IDF says there is a 'stable humanitarian situation' in Gaza and that the flotilla is a 'provocation' . The flotilla is carrying 5,000 tonnes of reconstruction material. All on board the ships are pledged to non-violence - if only the Israelis were. The organisers and volunteers of this and previous anti-siege missions are doing a great service to the cause of Palestinian liberation and by bringing to the conscience of western governments in particular, and more widely, the people of the world, the suffering daily wrought by the blockade. A flotilla of eight boats carrying thousands of tonnes of construction materials, medical equipment and other aid is preparing to sail to Gaza in the next few days, setting the scene for a confrontation with Israel which has vowed to prevent the ships breaking the blockade on the Palestinian territory. Three cargo ships and five passenger

Freedom Flotilla asembles in Cyprus ready to break Gaza siege

What will Israel do when the flotilla of at least nine ships sets off from Cyprus next Thursday to break the siege? At a meeting with Ambassadors from several European nations they vowed to stop the flotilla reaching Gaza. Will they they impound all the aid ships and the activists and dignitaries onboard? Whatever they do, another PR disaster looms for Israel. The IDF is gearing up to stop a flotilla of aid ships that is directed at breaking the blockade on the Gaza Strip next week. Two ships, one named for international activist Rachel Corrie who was killed in Gaza in 2003, sailed from Ireland to Cyprus where they will join another seven boats scheduled to set sail for Gaza next Thursday. The ships will carry hundreds of international peace activists as well as some 10,000 tons of construction material, medical equipment and school supplies. While the Free Gaza movement claims that the flotilla is needed to provide Palestinians in Gaza with basic supplies, the IDF pointed out on Tuesd

Israel halts mail, bombs northern Gaza while Hamas and Fatah reconciliation moves closer

Without any explanation Israel has stopped the flow of mail between Gaza and the West Bank. Only the US-owned courier service DHL now has a permit to operate. Israel launched air strikes today apparently in response to a rocket launched by Ansar al Sunna yesterday. No injuries have been reported. In a sign of thawing relations between Fatah and Hamas , prisoners held by both sides were released on Thursday. Israel also released a Hamas MP: Meanwhile, Israel released on Thursday a Hamas lawmaker based in Jerusalem after he spent 43 months in detention, his lawyer said. Mohammed Abu Tair was arrested in 2006 in response to a Hamas- led raid in which an Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured and taken hostage in Gaza. more The move follows the Nakba rally (May 15) in Gaza last Saturday at which both sides participated.

Chomsky banned from West Bank by 'democratic' Israel - aid convoy threatened

The perverse Israeli PR machine scored another own goal in its quest to make the state it serves the most popular one in the world with the banning of Chomsky from the West Bank . Of course they have now given Chomsky and the Palestinian cause the publicity and support they seek to deny - what foolish arrogance. It would appear that the 'Jewish state' is now waging war against Jewish people that speak out against Zionism. Goldstone has been feeling their wrath for some time - he has penned a defence of himself here - "my loyalty is to justice", he explains. A week ago 'democratic' Israel shot dead a peaceful protester, Ahmed Salim , at the Gaza buffer zone unilaterally created by Israel to deprive Palestinians of even more land. Meanwhile Israel is doing its best to prevent the aid flotilla from reaching Gaza. It has now deported Izzet Shahin , from the Turkish NGO Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), who was in Palestine (

Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of wanton destruction of homes

(Jerusalem) - Israel should investigate the unlawful destruction of civilian property during the 2009 Gaza hostilities and lift the blockade that hinders residents from rebuilding their homes, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. The 116-page report, "‘I Lost Everything': Israel's Unlawful Destruction of Property in the Gaza Conflict" documents 12 separate cases during Operation Cast Lead in which Israeli forces extensively destroyed civilian property, including homes, factories, farms, and greenhouses, in areas under their control, without any lawful military purpose. Human Rights Watch's investigations, which relied upon physical evidence, satellite imagery, and multiple witness accounts at each site, found no indication of nearby fighting when the destruction occurred. Israel has claimed that its forces destroyed civilian property only when Palestinian armed groups were fighting from it, or were using it to store weapons, hide tunnels, or adv

Gil Scott-Heron pulls out of Israel concert in move to support of boycott campaign

More than 50 organizations and artists from eight countries have written to legendary political singer and poet Gil Scott-Heron to thank him for his decision to drop Israel from his current tour. The letter, facilitated by Adalah-NY, highlighted the parallels between the South African apartheid that Scott-Heron crusaded against decades ago and the Israeli system that currently subjugates Palestinians. Press release was issued by Adalah-NY: The New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel on 5 May 2010 - read more at Electronic Intifada

Turkish prime minister backs flotilla to break Gaza siege

In a blow to Israel the Turkish prime minister Erdogan has come out in support of the flotilla being organised to break the siege of Gaza. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told organizers of a sail to Gaza Tuesday that he would support them in their efforts to "break the oppressive siege on the Gaza Strip". The independent Palestinian news agency PNN reported that during the Istanbul meeting with members of the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG) Erdogan said the breaking of the siege was "at the top of Turkey's list of priorities". He said he would also support efforts to rebuild "what the Israeli war machine destroyed 15 months ago". Israel's recent acceptance into the ranks of the OECD also came up. "We must force Israel to lift the siege on Gaza and respect human rights as a condition for its acceptance into any international organization," Erdogan said. more Facebook Viva Palestina flotilla group

Turkish citizen arrested on West Bank two weeks ago because of Palestinian aid work

Izzet Shahin has been arrested for involvement with the Viva Palestina flotilla, which is sending a convoy of ships to break the siege of Gaza. IHH is organising a lot of the logistics for the flotilla. The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet arrested a Turkish national suspected of being a member of an outlawed Islamic group, a released gag order revealed on Monday. Izzet Shahin, a volunteer for the Turkish NGO Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), was arrested in the West Bank by Israeli security forces two weeks ago and had been transferred to a Shin Bet investigation. IHH, who had been organizing a Gaza aid boat planned to depart at the end of the month, was outlawed in Israel a few years ago. more

Demand end to the Israeli demolition campaign against Palestinian homes

While we all consider the laughable circus that is the proximity talks do something more useful such as signing this important petition calling on the Obama administration in the US to demand an end to the demolition of Palestinian homes. Since 1967 Israel has demolished over 24,000 Palestinian homes. This is a primary obstacle to a just and lasting peace. Please join me by signing this petition: http://enddemolitionsnow.org/petition .

UN 'weighing all options' but denies plans to break Gaza siege

Outstanding humanitarian John Gint has apparently called for the UN to break the Gaza siege by delivering aid across sea, as the Free Gaza movement has done and the Viva Palestina flotilla plans to soon. The UN has been quick to distance the organisation from Gint's reported remarks to a Norwegian newspaper. UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations said Tuesday it has no plans to break the Israeli sea blockade of the Gaza Strip but would weigh all legal options to deliver badly needed supplies to the besieged Palestinian population. Farhan Haq, a UN spokesman, made the remarks to AFP in reaction to reported comments by John Ging, a top Gaza-based UN official, suggesting that the international community should look for ways to send aid ships to break the siege. "The United Nations has no plans to use sea routes in Gaza, but will consider all legal options available to bring in assistance and commercial supplies," he noted. Haq said the UN was working with the Israeli government

Call for Elvis Costello to withdraw from Israeli concert date

Dear Elvis Costello, We were shocked to see from your website that you are planning on performing in Israel this June. The Palestinian people have lived under military occupation for decades. The siege by the Israeli army and the economic blockade have devastated their daily lives so that ‘normal' life is impossible. You will remember how artists who played at Sun City during South Africa's apartheid era were used by the apartheid regime to justify its policies. But the principled refusal from many artists to perform whilst apartheid existed in South Africa helped bring an end to that injustice. Now, decades later, a similar system of apartheid exists in Palestine. Israel operates an entrenched system of racial Apartheid against its own non-Jewish inhabitants and has been illegally occupying Palestinian land in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights since 1967. It has sought to further annex these lands and has systematically transferred its own civil

Settlers burn village mosque as Israel-Palestinian 'proximity talks' loom

Talk about proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinians via a third-party may begin as early as next week - US envoy George Mitchell is now in the region. But what guarantees has the US given to the Palestinian side on the question of the continued building of settlements? It is extremely unlikely that Israel has given any meaningful guarantees. When is Abbas going to stop crawling on his knees at the beck and call of the US? A better indication of Israeli intentions on the so-called peace process is unfortunately to be seen in the West Bank village of Luban Al Sharqiya where a mosque was attacked and burned, probably by settlers who have attacked the village on a number of occasions. In addition, the bad faith of the Israelis is on display through the foreign ministry who say that the recent - overdue - call by the PA to boycott all Israeli goods produced on the occupied West Bank, threatens the talks . Israel is increasingly concerned by the international impact of the boycot

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