Saturday, June 19, 2010

Headlines for May 27 - June 2

A Stand For Justice


Israeli Military Kills 5 Palestinians in Gaza Clashes
Israeli aircraft “targeted a terrorist squad preparing to fire rockets into Israel,” the army said in an e-mailed statement.


Ten dead as Israel storms aid ships



Video: Israel Kills 20 : Attacks Gaza Aid Fleet
These may have been the earliest video reports released in the aftermath of Israel's attack on the Gaza-bound flotilla.


Turkish PM calls Israeli ship raid a 'massacre'
Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Israel immediately after the raid, scrapped three joint military exercises and called the U.N. Security Council to an emergency meeting that demanded an impartial investigation.



Amnesty: U.S., Europe shielding Israel over Gaza war crimes
Amnesty International complained in its annual report released Thursday that the U.S. and members of the European Union had obstructed international justice by using their positions on the UN Security Council to shield Israel from accountability for war crimes allegedly committed during last year's Gaza war.


Gaza aid convoy killings: “Those responsible must be held criminally accountable” - UN expert
The UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Richard Falk, urged Monday the international community to bring to justice those responsible for the killing of some 16 unarmed peace activist, when Israeli armed commandos stormed a convoy of ships carrying aid to Gaza.


Govt warns Israel to 'exercise restraint' on Irish aid ship
Israel is being warned to act with "absolute restraint" when the MV Rachel Corrie approaches Gaza.



U.S. Blocks Security Council Criticism of Israeli Raid
The Obama administration refused to endorse a statement that singled out Israel, and proposed a broader condemnation of the violence that would include the assault of the Israeli commandos as they landed on the deck of the ship.


Israelis Opened Fire Before Boarding Gaza Flotilla, say Released Activists



Erdogan: Aid ship raid is Israeli state terrorism
Irish Prime Minister Taoiseach Brian Cowen called for an international inquiry into the Israeli raid, and expressed concern for the 10 of Irish nationals who took part in the sail.


INTERVIEW: Gaza Strip facing humanitarian tragedy, warns UN expert



Gaza aid flotilla 'leaves Cyprus'
Israeli government press officers have been briefing journalists that the aid flotilla is not necessary. Israel says it allows 15,000 tons of aid into Gaza every week. But the United Nations, which calls the blockade a "Medieval siege", says this is only a fraction of what is needed and less than a quarter of what was coming into Gaza before the blockade was enforced.



Hamas: Flotilla shows whole world opposes Gaza siege
The Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh said Saturday that if Israel behaved like pirates and attacked the international Freedom Flotilla carrying 10,000 tons of aid meant for Gaza, then the Palestinians will have won.


Israelis opened fire before boarding Gaza flotilla, say released activists



Obama extends fence-mending invitation to Netanyahu
Barack Obama has invited the Israeli Prime Minister to the White House next week, for an apparent "fence-mending" visit. The President's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel delivered the invitation in person to Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem yesterday, while on a family visit.


Martin: Irish citizens 'kidnapped' in international waters
The Minister for Foreign Affairs has accused Israel of kidnapping Irish citizens in international waters.


UN calls for impartial probe of Israeli raid
After an emergency meeting and marathon negotiations that lasted nearly 12 hours, the 15 council members finally agreed on a presidential statement. It was weaker than what was initially demanded by the Palestinians, Arabs and Turkey because of objections by the United States, Israel's closest ally.

The US is still abetting Israel's crimes at the UN.


Turkey wants US condemnation of Israeli raid



Obama urges Netanyahu to get facts on Gaza ship raid
U.S. President Barack Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he deeply regretted the loss of life in an Israeli raid on a Gaza–bound aid flotilla on Monday and urged him to quickly collect all the facts about the incident.



Israel, Egypt ease Gaza blockade after deadly raid
In a jab at Israel, Clinton said the situation in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas and under an Israeli blockade, is "unsustainable and unacceptable."



Israel deports Corpus Christi man in flotilla
Meadors is a survivor of Israel's 1967 attack on the USS Liberty.


Israel boat raid sparks condemnations, protests
A group founded by Nelson Mandela that includes Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu and former President Jimmy Carter said "the treatment of the people of Gaza is one of the world's greatest human rights violations and that the blockade is not only illegal, it is counterproductive."



EU seeks inquiry into Israeli military action
The European Union called for an immediate inquiry into deaths aboard aid ships seized by Israel's navy Monday and urged Israel to allow the free flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.



Arabs demand independent probe of Israeli raid
The U.N. Security Council is holding an emergency meeting on Israel's deadly commando raid on ships taking humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip, with the Palestinians and Arab nations calling for condemnation and an independent investigation.



Flotilla Set for Final Leg of Gaza Blockade-Busting Bid
"We will now have to go to the north and lose the Cypriot and Greek politicians, but we have members of parliament from Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Norway and Bulgaria. We are going to put them on a boat in Famagusta,"


UN rights body votes to dispatch independent probe into ‘attack’ on Gaza aid convoy
Strongly condemning Israel’s actions against the humanitarian flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip, the United Nations Human Rights Council voted today to dispatch an independent, international probe into violations of international law resulting from Monday’s incident.


Hebron URGENT ACTION: The Tent of Nations... Needs to hear from all the Nations
"The Tent of Nations," a 100-acre family farm near Bethlehem, Palestine, received nine demolition orders from Israeli civil authorities to destroy buildings, animal shelters, the water system, and even the toilets. The family has had three days to appeal the order ending tomorrow Sunday, May 30. The bulldozers could arrive as early as midnight tonight.


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


Israel stations nuclear missile subs off Iran
Three German-built Israeli submarines equipped with nuclear cruise missiles are to be deployed in the Gulf near the Iranian coastline.


Obama's Timidity and Deaths at Sea
So, you see, the Israeli military resorted to violence only in self-defense. Right........“Muslims do not ‘hate our freedom,’ but rather, they hate our policies. The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favor of Israel and against Palestinian rights.” A very good article by former CIA Ray McGovern.


Workers trained in settlements build new Palestinian suburb
Khalil is not proud of the work he did in settlements in annexed east Jerusalem, but said he was forced to do so in order to support a family of six.


Israel and Harman in Tandem: From High Seas to Airwaves
Harman, a powerful member of the center-right Blue Dog Coalition, is one of the Israeli government's most valued allies on Capitol Hill. She's a standout -- even in a Congress teeming with fervent apologists for Israel's relentless suppression of Palestinian rights.


Walking fine line, US doesn't condemn Israeli raid
Clinton said life under the blockade in Gaza is "unsustainable and unacceptable."



How Disinformation Works by Philip Giraldi
The Times story additionally relates that Israeli defense minister Ehud Barack allegedly showed President Obama “classified satellite images of a convoy of ballistic missiles leaving Syria on the way to Hezbollah in Lebanon.” The fact is that US intelligence, which has far better capabilities than the Israelis, cannot verify the missile story that the Israelis have been peddling for several months. The Israelis clearly want the US to buy into the scud threat, but CIA analysts have so far found the evidence unconvincing.



U.S. Witness To Israeli Sea Raid Tells What He Saw
"We had talked about what to do and how to be non-violent because the last thing you want to do is provoke armed soldiers. I've seen three newspapers since the plane landed in New Jersey, and several times the Israelis have been quoted as saying that their guys were armed with paint guns. Well, indeed they were, as well as pistols and automatic rifles and stun(?) grenades and pepper spray."



Turkey PM: Critics of Iran should get rid of nukes
Nations criticizing an Iranian nuclear fuel–swap deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey should eliminate their own nuclear weapon stockpiles, Turkey's leader said Friday


US reassured Netanyahu ahead of NPT deal: Israeli official
Consternation over the resolution has welled up in Israel, where the top–selling Yediot Aharonot daily said Netanyahu's government was "furious with the Obama administration for having failed to prevent the resolution from passing... and for choosing to support it." Israel needs to get with the program. They are not above the law.


Most Sycophantic Apology for Israeli Attack
The Israeli military attacks an aid ship in international waters and kills at least 10 people.

Naturally, Israel is the victim.



Tempe protest of Israeli raid scheduled today
Protestors in Tempe Tuesdaywill join a growing number of international demonstrations condemning Israel's Mondayraid of ships carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists and aid workers from as many as 38 countries trying to reach the Gaza Strip with supplies.


State official: Obama provided Israel with historic guarantees
The source noted that the US had effectively promised Israel that no decision made by the NPT conference would harm Israel's vital interests. One rule for Israel, one rule for the rest of the world.


Netanyahu: World 'Hypocritical' for Condemning Gaza Flotilla Raid
He's as bad as Imanutterjob.


Israeli raid on flotilla an intentional message for Gaza and the rest of the world
The message from Israel was simple: We don’t care about your laws, rights, civilians, or what you think of us. We care only about maintaining our occupation regime through the use of force – and there is nothing you can do to stop us.


Britain vows to change policy allowing U.K. to arrest Israeli politicians
Speaking to reporters early Thursday, the Foreign Secretary said that "we cannot have a position where Israeli politicians feel they cannot visit this country and indeed not just Israel, but this could apply to many other nations as well. So this has to be put right. And that is well understood and agreed in the coalition government."


Israel trying to limit diplomatic damage from raid
International envoy Tony Blair told The Associated Press that Israel should ease the blockade and let more supplies in. He said the blockade was "counterproductive," but said it would be hard to lift it because of Israel's objections.



Israeli Murders, NATO and Afghanistan
nobody wants or expects military action against Israel. But there is an uneasy recognition that in theory that ought to be on the table, and that NATO is obliged to do something robust to defend Turkey.



In cold blood - Why Israel's state thuggery must be stopped
If any basket-case state, or crazed despot, or terrorist group perpetrated such an outrage, the world would be united in outrage. Yet despite a UN security council condemnation and Turkey’s (seemingly justified) accusation of state terrorism, the West has sounded strangely muted.


Md. Mideast peace activist recounts flotilla ordeal
"The people didn't want to be boarded," he said. "We tried to resist passively, which the Israeli people were not prepared to accept." A fellow American on the ship, Joe Meadors, a Texas activist, was hit with a paintball fired by the commandos, whose heads were covered with balaclavas, said Peck.


Ex-US envoy Commandos ordered me to 'sit down'
'The Israelis told me, 'You’ve broken Israeli law.' I said, ‘Which one?’ They said, 'You have entered the country illegally.' I said, 'I’m sorry.' But if I’m brought into the country under armed escort that is not entering the country illegally. Forcibly. We’ll they don’t agree with that. I was deported so I suppose that goes on my record.“


What’s Behind White House Strategy To Woo U.S. Jews
Military cooperation, an issue usually discussed privately between the governments of Israel and the United States, has been a key theme of the administration’s outreach effort. In public speeches and in private meetings, Obama administration officials have provided Jewish audiences with a detailed list of U.S. measures taken to strengthen Israel.


Crime writer Mankell held in Israel after aid boat attack: Sweden
Mankell, whose books about world–weary detective Kurt Wallander have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and have been adapted to film and television, said he was taking part in the flotilla to show his solidarity towards the Palestinian people.



Reporting Israeli Assault Through Israel's Eyes
Many of the analysis pieces in major papers focused on the fallout for Israel and the United States, rather than the civilians killed or the humanitarian crisis they were trying to address. .....According to Craig Murray (5/31/10), former British ambassador and specialist on maritime law, the legal position "is very plain": "To attack a foreign flagged vessel in international waters is illegal. It is not piracy, as the Israeli vessels carried a military commission. It is rather an act of illegal warfare." Our media is controlled by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, in case you hadn't noticed.


Obama administration concerned about Gaza incident



Church Report Deemed ‘Anti-Israel’ Endangers Jewish-Presbyterian Ties
The country’s main Presbyterian denomination is set to consider officially endorsing a church report on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that Jewish groups are condemning in the strongest terms The Presbyterians evidently know the truth and are actually trying to do something about it, bless their hearts.


Pro-Israel Dems Defend Raid
New York Democratic Reps. Anthony Weiner, Jerrold Nadler, Gary Ackerman, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.) have all vigorously supported Israel’s boarding an aid ship bound for the blockaded Gaza — an act that resulted in ten deaths and a U.N. condemnation.


No weapons on stormed Turkish ship: Report



Activists describe Israeli raid on Gaza aid convoy
The activists, speaking on their return home, said as well as firing live and plastic rounds, commandos had administered electric shocks and beaten passengers during the assault.


Parents of Rachel Corrie Respond to Gaza Flotilla Attack and sailing of MV Rachel Corrie



Western Leaders are too Cowardly to Help Save Lives By Robert Fisk
it is a fact, is it not, that had Europeans (and yes, the Turks are Europeans, are they not?) been gunned down by any other Middle Eastern army (which the Israeli army is, is it not?) there would have been waves of outrage.


Mossad Chief: Israel Gradually Becoming Burden on U.S.
Former CIA head of the Bin Laden unit, Michael Scheuer, will tell you the same thing, in the least.


Welcome to Obama’s Jewish America
Still, the White House's message was timely: Obama would not be second-guessed by his pro-Israel critics on his friendship to the Jewish community and to Israel. The reception included a traditional reference to the "unbreakable" Israel-U.S. alliance dating back to within minutes of Israel's establishment.



All At Sea
under article 3 of the Rome Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation of 1988, it is an international crime for any person to seize or exercise control over a ship by force, and also a crime to injure or kill any person in the process.


Video: Israel's Gaza PR Offensive
Thusly is the Orwellian nature of all things Israel revealed: Up is Down, Left is Right, Black is White: the Israeli commandos donning balaclavas were acting in 'self defense' by rappeling down onto a civilian ship in international waters and one where the passengers fought back. Mmm k.


Israel Studies: Scholarly Pursuit or Public Diplomacy?
The growth and development over the past decade of what has become known as Israel studies owes much to politically motivated donors who have endowed chairs, imported dozens of visiting Israeli scholars, and set up Israel studies institutes across the country, from Harvard University to the University of California at Berkeley. For these donors — among them, prominent Jewish philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Lynn Schusterman — the academics are pro-Israel soldiers on the heated battlefields of American campuses.....There are now eight institutes or centers for Israel studies in North America, with 11 endowed chairs and dozens of visiting professorships. Every chair, and every institute, bears the name of a rich benefactor; the Schusterman family alone funds 20 visiting Israeli scholars every year.........donors were convinced that the best way for them to combat anti-Israel sentiment would be through endowing chairs and setting up institutes. Hasbara (Israeli propaganda) has now been further entrenched into America. The pro-Israelis are taking over on campuses to make sure that the truth about Israel does not get out.


The U.S.S. Liberty and the culture of impunity
Soon after the Liberty attack, [National Security Agency director Lieutenant General Marshall] Carter appeared before a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee to discuss the Liberty. [Deputy Secretary of Defense] Cyrus Vance joined him... "Cy Vance just told me to keep my mouth shut," [Gerard] Burke [Carter's chief of staff] recalled his boss telling him.... "There was absolutely no question in anybody's mind that the Israelis had done it deliberately," Burke said. "I was angrier because of the cover-up... The only mystery to me was why was the thing being covered up."...


Israel rejects new drive to ban nukes from Mideast
Israel declared late Saturday that it would not take part in a 2012 conference on establishing a nuclear–free Middle East – an Arab–led initiative backed by top ally U.S. and the 188 other signatories to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.



The Audacity of the Free Gaza Flotilla
Ironically, on one passenger ship will be Joe Meaders, a U.S. citizen who is a survivor of the Israeli air and naval attack on a United States Navy ship, the USS Liberty, in 1967 killed 34 U.S. sailors and wounded 173. The Israeli government has never acknowledged, much less apologized for, the deaths of these sailors, nor the destruction of the USS Liberty.


Hamas leader says group has no problem with US
"We don't have a problem whatsoever with the United States or with American interests," Khaled Meshaal told PBS television in an interview. ......"If America wants democracy and human rights, it has to give the same rights to the people in the region," he argued.


Israel recoils as US backs nuclear move
Washington's unprecedented backing for a UN resolution for a nuclear–free Middle East that singles out Israel has both angered and deeply worried the Jewish state although officials are cagey about openly criticising their biggest ally.


Gaza Flotilla: This is What Smart Strategy Looks Like



Israel's Most Illicit Affair
South African money helped Israel became a major arms manufacturer and exporter and funded its high-tech economy, while Pretoria gained access to cutting-edge weapons and military technology at a time when most of the world sought to isolate and condemn the apartheid regime. For the ensuing two decades Israel continued to publicly denounce apartheid while at the same time secretly propping up the white-minority government and helping sustain racial supremacy.


Analysis: High-seas raid deepens Israeli isolation
"The attack on a humanitarian mission ... will only further alienate the international community and isolate Israel while granting added legitimacy to Hamas' claim to represent the plight of the Palestinian people," said Scott Atran, an analyst at the University of Michigan.



Gaza convoy raid may boost militancy, experts say
Revulsion at the bloodshed on a Turkish vessel sailing to the Palestinian enclave could translate into increased fund–raising for transnational militant groups such as al Qaeda or like–minded allies, or foster tolerance or even sympathy for such groups among Muslims who are not otherwise ideological. In some cases, it could push passive al Qaeda sympathizers into active participation against Israel or its Western allies, and undermine the international cooperation needed for tracking down illicit funding of militant groups, they said.




Time to Call Out Israel's Bad Behavior



Still Think Israel Doesn’t Control the United States?
Few Americans know the real reason for the Arab oil embargo of the early seventies: any nation that supported Israel during the Yom Kippur war was a target. That is the reason for this legislation.


Protest at DC's Israeli Embassy
Protesters have returned to the White House to call on the President to denounce the blockade of the Gaza Strip.


Peter Beinart: In His Own Words



Mosque’s Plan To Expand Near Ground Zero Sparks Debate
Jewish leaders involved in interfaith dialogue praised Rauf as an important partner. “He’s one of the most constructive forces of Islam in the U.S. today, and indeed internationally,” said Rabbi David Rosen, the American Jewish Committee’s Israel-based director of interreligious affairs, of Rauf. “I think he is a very fair man, and the kind of Muslim voice we need to empower and encourage.”


Ties with Israel may outlast Turkish anger at raid
other officials were delivering messages of restraint and Turkey said it was not canceling plans to accept $183 million (euro150.56 million) worth of Israeli drone planes this summer.


The Mediterranean Massacre by Justin Raimondo



Expert Advice from The Washington Times by Philip Giraldi
Scarborough quoted a retired US Air Force Colonel named John Warden (possibly General Jack D. Ripper in alias) who suggested that the United States should deal with Iran by shutting down the country’s electrical generation capability for the foreseeable future because “Iran cannot sustain a nuclear research program if they don’t have electricity and oil and a bunch of other things like that.” John Pike, a “longtime analyst of the Pentagon and intelligence agencies” also quoted in the article, suggests that Israel target the workers at the Iranian nuclear sites.


Bibi’s vassal is frustrated!
Apparently the Palestinians were not informed that though they were permitted a vote in 2006, they were only allowed to vote for the Palestinian Authority, which they viewed as corrupt as wrapped up in a peace process that was clearly going nowhere. So a majority voted for Hamas, and since then
Hamas ruled Gaza has been gradually starved to death, attacked by the Israeli military, and starved some more—all in an effort to make the Palestinians regret their choice at the polls.



Israeli Apartheid Group Banned From Toronto Gay Pride Parade






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