Headlines for June 3 - June 9

A Stand For Justice


Remembering the USS Liberty
Congress never formally investigated the attack and to this day, bitterness lingers among the survivors of the only ship in U.S. naval history that was ever deliberately attacked by an ally. No one at any level — Israeli or American — was ever held accountable for what happened to the USS Liberty.


Death toll rises to 6 after Israeli navy shoots Palestinian divers off Gaza
On Monday, the Israeli navy fired on a group of Palestinians in wet suits who the Israeli military alleged were en route to carry out an attack inside Israel.


Four Palestinians slain off Gaza coast
Fatah's armed wing the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades said the men were members who were training in blockaded Gaza's waters when an Israeli naval force spotted them and opened fire.


June 8th, Anniversary of Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty Veterans Today
“I have never believed that the attack on the USS Liberty was a case of mistaken identity,” Admiral Moorer has said. “What is so chilling and cold-blooded, of course, is that they [the Israelis] could kill as many Americans as they did in confidence that Washington would cooperate in quelling any public outcry. I have to conclude that it was Israel’s intent to sink the Liberty and leave as few survivors as possible.”


June 8 1967 - Honor those aboard the USS Liberty
Find out the truth (from the survivors) and most importantly, HONOR THEIR HEROISM, for it was their sheer bravery that prevented Israel from sinking that ship and killing ALL ABOARD.


43rd Anniversary of Israel’s Attack on USS Liberty
It is naive to think that the Obama team would give a damn about getting the truth out about last week’s Israeli attack on the humanitarian relief ship, considering how the U.S. government has vigilantly covered up the IDF killing of 34 American sailors.


Israeli opens fire on two Palestinian stone-throwers in West Bank
Just over two weeks ago, Palestinian sources accused settlers of opening fire and killing a Palestinian teenager who was throwing rocks at Israeli cars near the West Bank city of Ramallah


Autopsy shows Gaza activists were hit 30 times: report
The autopsy results showed that a 60–year–old man, Ibrahim Bilgen, was shot four times in the temple, chest, hip and back, the Guardian said.


A 19–year–old, named as Fulkan Dogan, who also has U.S. citizenship, was shot five times from less than 45 cm (18 inches) away, in the face, the back of the head, twice in the leg and once in the back, it said.


Two other men were shot four times. Five of those killed were shot either in the back of the head or in the back, the Guardian quoted Buyuk as saying.

Self defense, huh?


Turkey Mourns Dead as Controversy Rages; American Teenager Among Slain
the Foreign Press Association complained Thursday that the Israeli military had seized journalists' videos and was selectively using footage to bolster its claims that commandos opened fire only after being attacked.....Kevin Ovenden of Britain said a man who had pointed a camera at the soldiers was shot dead through the forehead.


American, 19, Among Gaza Flotilla Dead
A U.S. citizen who lived in Turkey is among the nine people killed when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish aid ship heading for the Gaza Strip, officials said today. The victim was identified as Furkan Dogan, 19, a Turkish-American. A forensic report said he was shot at close range, with four bullets in his head and one in his chest, according to the Anatolian news agency.


Israel boards Gaza aid ship as blockade criticized
The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, said the embargo, which had blighted the lives of Gaza's 1.5 million people, was illegal. "International humanitarian law prohibits starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and ... it is also prohibited to impose collective punishment on civilians," she said.



The Flotilla Raid Was Not “Bungled.” The IDF Detailed Its Violent Strategy In Advance.
The elite Israeli commando unit known as Unit 13 was tasked with carrying out the mission and its role was known by the Israeli public well before the raid took place. Details of the plan show that the use of deadly force was authorized and calculated. The massacre of activists should not have been unexpected.


US wants Israeli inquiry after protester loses eye
The United States has asked Israel to investigate the incident in which an American woman lost an eye after Israeli forces shot her with a tear gas canister during a pro–Palestinian protest in Jerusalem, a U.S. embassy spokesman said Monday.



Beatings, Abuse, Doctored Evidence Emerge
Israeli authorities denied other media access to the imprisoned journalists and activists during the entire period they were incarcerated. Reporters were also prevented from speaking to the FG activists when they were deported from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International airport.


UN chief moving ahead with probe of Israeli raid
A Foreign Ministry official says Ban wants former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer to head the panel, which would include Israeli, Turkish and U.S. representatives. All nine people killed in last week's raid were Turks.



Report: Israel to ease Gaza blockade in exchange for watered-down probe
Israel is prepared to accept a British plan to ease its blockade of Gaza in exchange for international acceptance of a watered-down investigation into last week's deadly raid on a Turkish ship that was headed for the Hamas-ruled territory, the Telegraph reported Wednesday.


Israel rejects UN proposal for joint Gaza flotilla probe with U.S. and Turkey
Israel rejected on Sunday a proposal by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for an international investigation into its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship and said it had the right to launch its own inquiry.


Israel Navy reserves officers: Allow external Gaza flotilla probe
"We disagree with the widespread claims that this was the result of an intelligence rift," said the officers. "In addition, we do not accept claims that this was a 'public relations failure' and we think that the plan was doomed to failure from the beginning."


Israel set to accept 'quid pro quo' Gaza deal: report
On the blockade, the Daily Telegraph said Israel has been asked to ease access into Gaza at crossings and allow the UN to convey material needed to rebuild 60,000 homes destroyed or damaged in the 2008–09 Gaza war.



Turkey honors slain activists, including US teen
President Abdullah Gul said Israel committed "one of the biggest mistakes ever in its history."



Israel rejects international inquiry into lethal raid
Israel rejected Sunday a proposal by U.N. Secretary–General Ban ki–Moon for an international investigation into its deadly raid on a Gaza–bound aid ship and said it had the right to launch its own inquiry.



British survivor of Gaza flotilla raid: 'Israelis ignored SOS calls'



Ecuador recalls envoy; Chavez: Israel a murderer
Chavez slammed the American response to the events, which he said was too gentle. "The Obama administration condemns terror, as long as it's not committed by the US or Israel," he said


Egypt: Gaza blockade a failure, border stays open
Under the restrictions at the Rafah crossing point, Egypt is letting in some humanitarian aid but will not transfer large cargo shipments or construction material because the terminal is designed primarily as a crossing for travelers, said the Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.



Obama: Let Israel probe Gaza flotilla raid with U.S. observer
A senior U.S. official delivered an American proposal to the two senior Israeli advisers, which would both assuage the international community and also would not be too hard a blow for Israel's wish to undertake its own investigation without massive foreign involvement. Ridiculous. We need to stop abetting Israel as it plunders and pillages whenever and wherever it wants.


Livni: Keep world from investigating IDF soldiers
"The whole world is busy seeing who'll set up the most committees. Today the government has a mission: To leave the world outside the gates, and the IDF outside the international investigation. I don't want to see the world investigating IDF soldiers."



Activists expelled as Israel resists Gaza inquiry pressure
"The humanitarian situation in Gaza is both unacceptable and unsustainable," International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said in London.



Israel rejects international investigation of raid
Israel has refused to cooperate with previous international probes, most recently the U.N. investigation into Israel's 2009 war in the Gaza Strip that concluded that both the Israelis and Hamas militants, who control Gaza, committed war crimes.



Obama calls situation in Gaza "unsustainable"
President Barack Obama urged Israel on Wednesday to help ease restrictions on humanitarian aid and civilian goods for Gaza after a deadly flotilla raid, saying the situation in the blockaded coastal strip was unsustainable.



Putin condemns Israeli raid on Gaza-bound ship
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Tuesday "we condemn this act," and expressed concern that it was conducted in international waters. He was speaking at a news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.



Texas senator defends Israel over killing of US activist
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) believes the pro-Palestinian activists who were killed in a clash with the Israeli military had provoked the confrontation. Cornyn= traitor.


Israel and Obama Hail UN Sanctions as Defiant Iran Vows to Keep Enriching Uranium



Turkey calls on Israel to accept probe into raid
"If there is hatred, it is Israel's hatred. If there is terror, it is Israel's state terrorism," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a news conference with Syrian President Bashar Assad.


Doubts Grow Over Israel's Value as U.S. Ally
"It is time Israel realised that it has obligations to the United States, as well as the United States to Israel, and that it (has to) become far more careful about the extent to which it test(s) the limits of U.S. patience and exploits the support of Americans Jews," he went on, noting the Israeli government "should be sensitive to the fact that its actions directly affect U.S. strategic interests in the Arab and Muslim worlds..."....."When someone as balanced and centrist as Tony Cordesman begins to worry about the extent to which Israel is making itself into a strategic burden for the United States, Israel should pause for some self-reflection," Freeman told IPS.......on the eve of Obama's inauguration, the influential National Journal ran a symposium on the question: "Is Israel a Strategic Liability for the United States?" in which a surprising number of respected national security analysts answered in the affirmative.




Israel asked U.S. to increase weapons supply, Haaretz learns
Israel recently approached the United States with new requests for security-related purchases, Haaretz has learned. The requests included Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM ) bombs for the Israel Air Force, as well as a significant expansion of the emergency stores held by the U.S. army in Israel.


Lift the Siege of Gaza by Patrick J. Buchanan
that 2 a.m. boarding of an unarmed ship with an unarmed crew, carrying no munitions or weapons, 65 miles at sea, was an act of piracy. What the Israeli commandos got is what any armed hijacker should expect who tries to steal a car from a driver who keeps a tire iron under the front seat. God love ya, Patrick J. - ye speak the truth.


Obama: Israeli raid on aid flotilla was 'tragic'
President Barack Obama said Thursday that the deadly Israeli raid on an aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip was "tragic", but he stopped short of condemning the actions of Israeli forces.



Iran Revolutionary Guards ready to escort Gaza ships



'Israel may have ordered Kurdish terror attack'
Turkish authorities are accusing Israel of "ordering" a terror attack carried out by Kurdish rebels on the same day the Israeli Navy raided a Turkish-owned Gaza-bound ship last week in revenge for Ankara's involvement in the incident, Turkish newspaper Zaman reported Sunday.


1967 USS Liberty survivor was onboard flotilla ship
Meadors expects an investigation will show that Israel violated international law and should be held accountable for its actions. He holds the same hope for the USS Liberty case, which has yet to be settled.

“We filed a war crimes report with the Department of Defense in 2005. They claim they already investigated the allegation we made, but they can’t show us where they have,” said Meadors.

Meadors said that Israel was the aggressor in the flotilla attack and that the only story being portrayed is Israel’s version, because the Israeli forces confiscated all video and recording equipment from the flotilla passengers.



More Spin from Israel by Philip Giraldi
The flotilla, consisting of nationals from as many as twenty countries, was unarmed and carrying relief supplies that had been carefully inspected by the Turkish authorities. It was in international waters when it was attacked. More than 600 passengers and crew, apart from those who were killed, were subsequently arrested by Israel for refusing to identify themselves. If all that is correct, then Tel Aviv is guilty of piracy, kidnapping, and murder while the armed attack on a Turkish flagged vessel might be construed as inviting a military response from NATO. One of the vessels bore an American flag and there were at least eight US citizens on board, including a former ambassador and a USS Liberty survivor, suggesting that a strong reaction from Washington would not be inappropriate........US congressmen are already lining up to support the Israeli action and the State Department is silent about the American student who had her eye shot out by Israeli border policemen while demonstrating peacefully against the attack on the flotilla


Millions forced to wait for food stamps benefits
Americans literally go hungry as we continue to shovel billions of our taxpayer dollars to Israel - which then uses it to starve and imprison a million plus people, and take their land.


The Strategic Ally Myth by Philip Giraldi
Zuckerman’s latest contribution to international harmony is a lengthy piece in the US News & World Report entitled “Israel Is a Key Ally and Deserves US Support.” It is a propaganda piece that promotes one of the most persistent fictions put out by the mainstream media, that the relationship with Israel somehow benefits the United States.


In Vino Veritas by Philip Giraldi
Ed Peck was one of the eleven Americans who were on board the Gaza flotilla that was attacked by Israeli commandos earlier this week. Peck is eighty-one years old, a former paratrooper (US), ambassador, and worked in the Reagan White House. He is also Jewish. He was deported from Israel after being arrested for something or other as a participant in the attempt to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.


Politicians from Both Parties Rally Behind Israel Following Raid
America is another Israeli occupied territory.


Palestinian girl holding national flag stands
A Palestinian girl holding a national flag stands near the border line with Israel, background, during a weekly protest march against Israel, in Beit Hanoun



Turkish Premier: "Israel Tries To Justify Itself By Exploiting Anti-Semitism"



If World Governments Will Not Confront Israel, What Path Should Civil Society Take?
after a 12-hour session Monday, the Security Council issued a tame "presidential statement" condemning what has been described by critics as "high seas piracy and banditry".
The United States, which has traditionally thrown a protective arm around Israel - whether the Jewish state is right or wrong - was primarily responsible for "watering down" the statement and refusing to adopt a formal resolution against Israel.
The fact that the US has aided and abetted Israel's crimes for years is one of the primary reasons that the US is hated both over there and elsewhere. Support for Israel was the primary motive given by the mastermind of 911, Khaled S. Mohammed. Supporting Israel's policies is wrong irrespective of any terrorism against us.


Maine video producer recounts Gaza flotilla ordeal
Hamann said the flotilla was in international waters when it was intercepted by Israeli troops. When they boarded his vessel, Challenger I, they destroyed all video footage and camera memory cards, he said. Read that excerpt again, and the last two paragraphs of the article.


Johann Hari: When hands across the sea are tied
Everyone now knows the Israeli navy committed a machine-gun massacre on a ship in international waters that was carrying humanitarian aid for the blockaded people of Gaza, who Israeli officials joke they have "put on a diet". .... how many people know that the Israeli government is slowly obstructing and silencing the organisations within Israel that are trying to get the country on to a saner and safer path?


Josh Ruebner Justice for All? A Tale of Two Victims Leon Klinghoffer and Furkan Dogan
To determine whether the Pledge of Allegiance's promise of "justice for all" holds true in all circumstances, compare Reagan's aggressive response to the killing of a U.S. citizen on the Mediterranean Sea to the tepid response of the Obama Administration in the same scenario.........The AECA stipulates that weapons provided by the United States can only be used by foreign countries for "internal security" or "legitimate self-defense." Since Israel engaged in act of aggression in international waters, it is self-evident that Israel violated this law.


Pixies call off Israel concert after Gaza raid
The U.S. rock band Pixies has canceled a concert in Tel Aviv this week in the wake of Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza–bound aid flotilla.



The Truth Behind the Israeli Propaganda By Robert Fisk
Propaganda works, you see. We haven't seen a frame of film from the protesters because the Israelis have stolen the lot.


Vatican says world ignores Christians in Mideast
The Vatican said Sunday that the international community is ignoring the plight of Christians in the Middle East, and that the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the war in Iraq and political instability in Lebanon have forced thousands to flee the region.



Turkey halts all state energy and water projects with Israel
Britain's University and College Union passed a motion yesterday that would allow for the reintroduction of a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. The motion, initiated by pro-Palestinian activists, includes not only a recommendation for a boycott but also sanctions and disinvestment from Israel.




Thousands in Europe vent anger at Israel after deadly raid
Angry protestors chanting anti–Israeli slogans and waving Palestinian and Turkish flags took to the streets of Istanbul, London, Dublin and Paris as well as a string of other French cities, following Monday's deadly assault.




This Says It All by Justin Raimondo
In a brazen act of international piracy, the Israelis boarded a ship in international waters and killed an American citizen – so what is the American government going to do about it? The answer is: nothing, zero, nada, zilch.



Turkish group behind flotilla is Gaza's new hero
Its bearded 50–year–old leader has assumed hero status in the impoverished Palestinian territory, where he says his group plans to spend $25 million on housing, medical care and education.



In Defense of Helen Thomas - On Apologizing to Apologists
On Friday she was asked by a guy who stuck a video camera in her face, for any comments on Israel and she said, "Tell them to get the get the hell out of Palestine. Remember, these people [the Palestinians] are occupied and it's their land. It's not Germany, it's not Poland." She was asked where they should go and she answered, "They should go home, to Poland, Germany and America". The video has been making its way around the Internet.


Biden: Israel right to stop Gaza flotilla from breaking blockade
In contrast to the barrage of condemnations all over the globe, many in the U.S. Congress expressed support for Israel.


U.S Congressman Put American Aid Activists in Jail
On a press call hosted by a pro-Israel organization, Rep. Brad Sherman, Democrat of California, told reporters that he intends seek the prosecution of any U.S. citizens who were aboard or involved with the Freedom Flotilla Unreal.


Former UN Assistant Secretary Urges Irish-Americans to Defend the Rachel Corrie
The issue of the Gaza blockade has tremendous resonance in Ireland, partly because of Ireland's high degree of engagement in international humanitarian causes - John Ging, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, who had called on the international community to break the siege by sending ships loaded with aid, is also Irish - but also, of course, because the Irish people have some experience with the consequences for civilians of a colonial blockade.


Surprise!!!! American Jewish Leaders Leap to Defend Israel
So if intruders charge into your house at night, asking you to stay calm while they steal your possessions, you may not fight back, because that could "force" the intruders to defend themselves. The PR arm of the intruders insists they had the right to invade your house, and that you were responsible for all of the mayhem that followed when you resisted. In what court in the world would that argument hold water?

So demonstrates the Orwellian nature of the news we are fed by our pro-Israeli media. Up is down, left is right, black is white.


Max Blumenthal’s Excellent Analysis of the Israeli Attack
The day after the massacre, spontaneous celebrations broke out in Ashdod, Tel Aviv, and throughout the country, bringing together right-wing elements with everyday Israelis. Over a thousand Israelis gathered tonight outside the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv to rally against the Turkish government and express their support for the raid.


White House criticizes Thomas for Israel remarks



Why Is Israel’s Blockade of Gaza Legal? (Updated)
I was just on MSNBC talking about Israel, the Gaza blockade and the flotilla attack with Eliot Spitzer, who was guest-hosting for Dylan Ratigan. It was a rather contentious discussion, though quite illustrative of how Israel is (and is not) typically discussed on American television, so I'm posting the whole 8-minute segment below


Lying About the Gaza Flotilla Disaster
As for the Israeli argument that its soldiers were attacked, that is ridiculous. Israeli commandos were ordered to board a civilian ship in international waters and the government that sent them claims that the resisting passengers attacked them without provocation. This is like a carjacker complaining to the police that the driver bashed him with a crowbar that was under the seat.


STICKS AND STONES ON THE HIGH SEAS
A U.N. fact-finding mission recently concluded that Israel’s blockade of Gaza should be prosecuted as a war crime at the International Criminal Court if it continues through September


Update: Helen Thomas quits after Israel comments
Rabbi David Nesenoff, who interviewed Thomas and published the clip on his RabbiLive.com site, told Yahoo! News that she should lose her job with Hearst Newspapers. "Of course they've got to get rid of her," he said.



WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
Sorry, 'Georgie', I doubt the flotilla passengers were 'pro-Hamas' as claimed here. But otherwise, good article which mentions USS Liberty, Pollard and the Lavon Affair.


21 Miles Off The Coast of Palestine
it is ironic that, although the two events are in many ways completely different, the Israelis are now preventing Palestinians and supporters of Hamas from doing what the Israeli defence organisation - the Haganah - tried to do over 60 years ago. From 1945 the Haganah, along with the Irgun, had been carrying out a terror campaign against British soldiers in Palestine. Then in 1947 they organised the Exodus operation as an attempt to break the British blockade.


Helen Thomas high school speech canceled over flap
A high school graduation speech by veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas has been canceled because of controversial remarks she made about Israel, the school's principal said in an e–mail Sunday.



Helen Thomas Pays for Crossing a Line Others Trample
Getting fired for bigoted words? Somehow that fate has not befallen the cabal of right-wing bloviators who have literally built their careers pushing the propaganda war against Latinos, other people of color, gay people, liberals and anyone else they disagree with.


Reactions to Raid on Flotilla A Rorschach Test for Jews
As the sun rose on the day following the so-called Freedom Flotilla’s attempt to breach the Israeli blockade of Gaza, the American Jewish Committee had already sent out an e-mail blast touting its narrative of the bloody denouement that took place. An hour later came talking points from the Jewish Federations of North America.

A succinct storyline had been established even before all the details of the raid that left nine of the activists dead had become clear.
And the American mainstream meida lapped it up, lock stock and barrel.


Israel on Ballot As Winograd Faces Harman In Hot Primary
“In Marcy Winograd’s foreign policy, Israel would cease to exist. In Marcy Winograd’s vision, Jews would be at the mercy of those who do not respect democracy or human rights,” he wrote. “Jane’s victory will represent a clear repudiation of these views.” Thus is the Orwellian nature of 'Israeli democracy' displayed: one man one vote, rather than the apartheid-like system in place now, is considered anti-democratic.


Most Members of Congress Remain Committed to Israel’s Blockade of Gaza
Statements by Democratic and Republican lawmakers, who heard the news from Gaza during their Memorial Day recess, showed almost wall-to-wall support for the Israeli position and urged the continuation of the blockade. A testament to the power of the Israeli lobby over Congress.


With AIPAC’s Help, Students Invite Oren to Their Colleges
Many of the student government presidents who signed the statement attended AIPAC’s Washington, D.C., policy conference in March, according to the statement organizers. AIPAC press materials claim that the conference drew more than 213 student government presidents.....At the conference, AIPAC’s leadership development director, Jonathan Kessler, described AIPAC’s campus-organizing strategy in a speech, video of which was posted online by JTA. “How are we going to beat back the anti-Israel divestment resolution at Berkeley?” Kessler asked, referring to a University of California, Berkeley student government resolution that was eventually vetoed. “We are going to make sure that pro-Israel students take over the student government and reverse the vote… This is how AIPAC operates in our nation’s capital. This is how AIPAC must operate on our nation’s campuses.” The brainwashing continues.


The Hijacking of the Truth: Film Evidence 'Destroyed'
much of the video footage confiscated from Marmara passengers remains undisclosed, and Israel has sought to undermine some eyewitness accounts by alleging some of the passengers were terrorist sympathisers bent on martyrdom


Israel’s bet
The U.S. military, whose job it now is to tamp down on Islamic extremism, may find it impossible to do so if it is seen as enabling Israel to attack other Muslims. Americans troops may wish to have it explained to them why the “special relationship” is so important given how detrimental it is to their jobs. It may very well be the only institution in government that could demand a change in U.S. foreign policy for the sake of the war effort and get away with it.


Poll: 49% of Americans Blame Pro-Palestinian Activists for Flotilla Deaths
Nearly half - 49 percent - of likely U.S. voters believe that pro-Palestinian activists were to blame for the deaths that occurred when the Israel Defense Forces raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last week, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Israeli propaganda really does work.


Gaza flotilla: Turkey accused of behaving like Iran by Israel
The Turkish ruling party AKP was savagely attacked by an unrepentant Israeli government last night, which said it was behaving like Iran and was "wholly to blame" for the deterioration in relations between the two countries.


Four reasons the US could get Israel to talk about a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction



Pro-Israel PAC Contributions to 2010 Congressional Candidates
Notice the highest dollar amounts go to those who are routine and flagrant Israel-defenders, but who also hold key positions on important congressional committees.


Erdogan, Putin: Israel won’t get our gas



Israel: U.S. Asset or Burden? Asset, Say ADL, AIPAC, 334 Congressmen. Burden, Says Mossad
Pro-Israel advocates have maintained for decades that it is an asset, and a darned valuable one. This view has been emphatically restated in the past few days by, among others, the Anti-Defamation League (here), AIPAC and 334 members of the House of Representatives in (a letter) to President Obama THe Israeli Lobby has our Congress over a barrel. Believe it.


Local Veteran Talks About Israeli Attack on Flotilla
A local veteran says the Israeli attack on a flotilla in the Meditteranean brings back painful memories of an incident that occured some 43 years ago this month.
John Hrankowski was serving aboard the U.S.S. Liberty when it was attacked by Israeli jets and torpedo boats in the Six-Day War in June of 1967.


Extra letters from readers
The Times Union recently reported on the memorial services for the USS Stark and its crew attacked in international waters by an Iraq aircraft during the Iran-Iraq war. We deservedly remember their sacrifices and the bravery of the crew in saving their ship. But there are no memorial services for the crew of the USS Liberty attacked in international waters by the Israeli navy and air force during the 1967 Israeli war against the Arabs.


Russian PM gas pipeline unlikely to go to Israel
"Blue Stream II most likely will not be extended to Israel for purely financial reasons," Putin said on the sidelines of a security summit here. "They simply don't need it."


Henning Mankell on Gaza flotilla attack: 'I think they went out to murder'
"He said: 'You're charged with entering Israel illegally.' I said: 'That's absurd, you brought me here.' Then he said he knew who I was and that he'd read all my books and liked them. I told him: 'Next time you're in Europe call me and we'll talk about all of this.'


Why Is Israel’s Blockade of Gaza Legal? (Updated)



After Israel’s Attack on Aid Ship, Turkey Spun as Villain
Israelis were out in force nationwide, protesting in favor of the killings.


If Helen Thomas had slammed Muslims or Christians, she'd still have her job
Israel-supporters all the time suggest that the Palestinians go live in Jordan, which they believe is the true Palestinian state, and that's not the only thing they say. But nobody utters a word about it, certainly not the president of the United States.


Anxious Gazans trying to leave blockaded territory
Egypt has cooperated with Israel in enforcing the blockade, in part because it has been fighting homegrown Islamic radicals since the 1990s and feared Hamas' militancy could spill into Egyptian territory. However, Egypt's role in maintaining the blockade has hurt its standing in the Muslim and Arab world.



As Irish Aid Ship Heads to Gaza, Local Economy Plods On
"The proportion of the population dependent on aid has risen to 80%, the number of the poorest of the poor has risen from 100,000 to 300,000 in the past year alone, and unemployment has reached 44%," says Chris Gunness, spokesman for UNRWA, the U.N. body that has been assisting Palestinian refugees since 1949. "How can anyone say there isn't a humanitarian crisis?" Despite the above quote, this article by TIME clearly has the taint of pro-Israeli bias.


Canadian says he was 'brutalized' in Israeli custody
He also repeated claims that the Israeli soldiers had fired upon the flotilla from helicopters before the raid began, which contradicts Israel's account that the commandos acted in self defence.


Tony Blair: Israel has a right to defend itself
Tony Blair is sick.


Israeli raid puts Obama between rock and hard place: experts
The Obama team was caught Wednesday between a rock and a hard place as it tried to navigate between key allies Israel and Turkey following an Israeli raid on a Gaza–bound Turkish ship, analysts said.



Ann Wright: Pirates and PR
The Israeli PR machine has done everything possible to portray themselves as the victims of an attack by activists armed with "clubs" and "knives;" however, secret video chips have circulated images of activists using their Gaza-bound humanitarian aid to administer medical assistance to Israeli commandos wounded by their own aggressive assault.


General Patton Museum plans veteran tribute
Fellow desert veteran Navy Capt. William McGonagle, who earned his medal in 1967 as commanding officer of the USS Liberty, is also recognized in the exhibit.
McGonagle is a graduate of Coachella Valley High School.



Israel slams 'cultural terrorism' as Pixies cancel gig
In recent months, Israel has been hit by a string of cancellations by high profile musicians, including Britain's Elvis Costello, rock guitarist Carlos Santana and rap forefather Gil Scott–Heron, after they came under pressure over Israel's policies towards the Palestinians.



Israel's use of 'captured' video draws criticism
"The Foreign Press Association strongly condemns the use of photos and video material shot by foreign journalists, now being put out by the (military) spokesman's office as 'captured material'," the FPA said in a statement. It said the military was selectively using footage to back its claims that commandos opened fire only after being attacked.



Turkish paper releases 'censored' photos of beaten Israeli commandos
Turkey's highest circulating paper, Hurriyet, reports that photos were deleted by Israel, but restored by Turkish activists.


Israel's Flotilla Massacre: Made in the USA
A U.S. pattern of using UN Security Council vetoes to protect Israel from accountability for its crimes has ensured that Israel can do whatever it likes with those U.S.-provided weapons, regardless of which U.S. domestic or international laws may be broken. So U.S. complicity in the recent massacre at sea is beyond question.


In Defense of Helen Thomas - On Apologizing to Apologists
On Friday she was asked by a guy who stuck a video camera in her face, for any comments on Israel and she said, "Tell them to get the get the hell out of Palestine. Remember, these people [the Palestinians] are occupied and it's their land. It's not Germany, it's not Poland." She was asked where they should go and she answered, "They should go home, to Poland, Germany and America". The video has been making its way around the Internet.


IDF Admits It Doctored Flotilla Audio Clip. Washington Post’s Kessler Must Retract
The IDF admitted today in a press release that it doctored audio footage from its exchanges with the Gaza flotilla in order to paint the flotilla passengers as anti-Semites.


Our Enemies, the Israelis



Sen. Brown: Israel No Liability To U.S.
The Republican Brown was the keynote speaker Sunday night at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee leadership dinner in Boston Another traitor speaks.


Israel's allies dismayed by the latest crisis
Israel's fits of arrogant, self-absorbed behavior go back to the attack on the United States Navy ship, the USS Liberty. That was eventually buried by diplomatic inquiry as a case of mistaken identity. A brazen scathing attack by the editors of the Seattle Times. Kudos.


Lawmakers Demand Hearing on Holocaust Insurance
A bipartisan group of 12 congressmen, including nine Jewish members, has called for a hearing into a bill that would allow litigants to make Holocaust-era insurance claims in U.S. courts.....Among the signatories are Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican from Florida, the ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, who introduced the current bill in February


Are American politicians afraid to take on Israel
As a veteran and American, I recall the similar murderous Israeli attack on the USS Liberty in 1967, in which the American federal government subsequently became complicit. I would ask of the president, senators and congressmen: Are you afraid of Israel? Do you have a superseding allegiance to Israel over your allegiance to America? Is subservience to the small foreign country, Israel, a condition precedent to holding American national political office? The American-Israeli relationship is now and has been a costly disaster for America and Americans. Great article by a true American patriot.


Rift between Israel and the United States Flotilla incident didn't help
Implicit in this criticism is the assumption that US foreign policy is supposed to mirror Israeli doctrine by following the Israeli prime minister’s lead in the Middle East. From Israel’s viewpoint, this is not an unreasonable expectation. The Bush-Cheney administration gave the government of Ariel Sharon carte blanche in the Middle East.


Commando raid revealed
On Memorial Day, did we all remember the 34 dead on spyship USS Liberty? Who's to blame if we didn't, since the coverup by government and big media was well-executed

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