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May 31, 2010

PRAVDA - Israel Butchering Peace Activists in International Waters

 


Israel Butchering Peace Activists in International Waters


http://english.pravda.ru/print/hotspots/conflicts/113576-israel_butchering_peace_activis-0


31.05.2010 Source: Pravda.Ru
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Israel Butchering Peace Activists in International Waters

Israel Imposes Blackout on the Number Killed on Turkish Ship


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Will Turkey act?

Peace activists aboard the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara, with hundreds of aid workers and activists aboard, report that they have been attacked. At least 20 persons have been killed at last report and over 50 more wounded. Israeli commandos apparently lowered themselves onto the Mavi Marmara with ropes. Passengers range in age from 88 to a year old and include Christians, Muslims and Jews seeking to end the blockade.

Film footage from the vessel showed armed Israeli soldiers boarding the ship and helicopters flying overhead. Israelis shot indiscriminately into groups of sleeping civilians.

Technically speaking, Israel has committed an act of war against Turkey by attacking a ship sailing under the Turkish flag in international waters. Months ago when the mission was in the planning stages, Turkey predicted dire consequences should the Israels attack their ship. The Israeli ambassador was summoned to the Turkish foreign ministry Monday after the incident.

"The ambassador (Gabby Levy) was summoned to the foreign ministry. We will convey our reaction in the strongest terms," the diplomat said.

Shortly afterwards, Israeli military censors ordered a block on all information regarding those injured or killed during the storming of the ship.

No weapons are onboard the humanitarian aid convoy. Gunfire was heard under the cover of darkness. Hundreds of elected officials, former diplomats, aid workers and activists, including a Nobel laureate and many European legislators, are with the flotilla, traveling by sea to Gaza to break Israel's blockade of the tiny strip of land.

Evidently they are witnessing Israel's brutality and murderous intentions first hand.  Israel is showing itself as a terrorist state, founded and established by acts of terrorism and sustained by state terrorism.

One boat in the aid convoy is flagged and registered in the United States. The ship is U.S. territory under maritime law, and the U.S. government is required to intervene if this "U.S. property" is attacked or illegally confiscated by Israeli authorities.

As of this writing, the attack is ongoing, the total dead and wounded will most likely increase.

Israelis supposedly took over the convoy. Waiting for international reaction...silence? excuses? glossing over? strong words with nothing to back it up? U.S. sending more weapons to Israel by federal express mail??

 

EUROPEAN UNION Brussels, 28 May 2010

 

Statement by the spokesperson of

High Representative Catherine Ashton

on the flotilla sailing to Gaza

 

The spokesperson of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President of the Commission Catherine Ashton issued a following statement today:

"We strongly urge that all involved act with a sense of restraint and responsibility and work for a constructive resolution. The EU remains gravely concerned by the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The continued policy of closure is unacceptable and politically counterproductive. We would like to reiterate the EU's call for an immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza."

Lisa KARPOVA

PRAVDA.Ru

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY

PRAVDA.Ru



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Breaking news: israel kills again...

 



Israel attacks Gaza flotilla - live coverage

The Israeli military says more than 10 activists have been killed after it intercepted ships carrying aid to Gaza. Follow the latest here


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2010/may/31/israel-troops-gaza-ships

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May 29, 2010

Fwd: Daily Newsletter - Sabbah Report

 



Daily Newsletter - Sabbah Report

Link to Sabbah Report

Why is Israel afraid of a few boats?

Posted: 28 May 2010 06:00 AM PDT

Post image for Why is Israel afraid of a few boats?

By Yousef Munayyer* | Sabbah Report | www.sabbah.biz

Hundreds of activists are on their way to the blockaded Gaza strip via a "flotilla" of boats carrying humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, which are badly lacking in the impoverished Palestinian territory.

Israel has promised to intercept the good-willed boats and arrest and deport the activists. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has exerted great effort in the past few days to convince onlookers to this confrontation on the high seas that the activists carrying humanitarian goods are terrorist sympathizers, and that everything is just fine and dandy in the Gaza Strip. The ministry has portrayed Israel (the country enforcing the blockade of Gaza's ports) as a benevolent victim, who despite the threat from Gaza's Hamas government is still caring for the civilian population.

There comes a point when an oppressive regime's propaganda crosses a threshold from mere lies to utter lunacy so extreme, in fact, that objective onlookers find it almost comical. This point came yesterday when the Government Press Office disseminated a link to a Gaza restaurant which appears to be luxurious. So what Israel is essentially saying is: "There you have it.  There is a website for a restaurant with cloth napkins in Gaza. How can there be any problems?"

The reality is, of course, that the situation in Gaza is very dire. A slew of reports from human rights organizations attest to the hardships faced by most Palestinians in Gaza. In the densely populated strip where 80 percent of the population are refugees, a similar percentage relies on international aid organizations for daily sustenance. That number was only ten percent a decade ago. That's how bad things have become. Malnutrition in children has reached ten percent and critical medicines are not available, according to the World Health Organization.

But no one is starving to death in Gaza–at least not suddenly. A tunnel industry has evolved and become the main supplier for most goods. That's all part of the plan. Israel seeks to squeeze the strip to the point of near catastrophe, bad enough to make people suffer, but just short of having to take responsibility for it. It's a form of torture kind of like water-boarding under the Bush administration: the objective is to bring the subject to the edge and break his will, but not kill him (lest they be charged with murder). But just because Gaza's civilian population has managed to keep its collective head above water doesn't mean things should be this way.

Like life in most prisons, if you "know a guy," anything is available for a price. Generators, for example, are in high demand because of the shortages of electricity. The shortages are due to the destruction of Gaza's only power plant in 2006 by Israeli jets. Since then, Israel has never permitted the full reconstruction of the power plant, forcing perpetual dependence of Gaza on Israel and Egypt, who take an eye-dropper approach to supplying Gaza with electricity. But even though generators smuggled through Gaza's tunnels provide some light, there is also a dark and often unheard downside that comes with them: explosions and fires. Several reports in the past few years of civilians being killed or maimed from overworked and exploding generators have become common. These are just some of the siege-related causalities we do not hear about.

The 10,000 tons of supplies aboard the Gaza aid ships are a drop in the bucket for what Gaza really needs. Israel's spokesmen have pointed out that they have permitted the entry of supplies in the past and argued that the aid boats are unnecessary. The reality is that aid which Israel does permit into Gaza is purchased by Palestinians, vetted and often rejected or held up for months. Israel has calculated the precise minimum necessary caloric intake for Palestinians in Gaza, and has often rejected things like pasta, lentils and coffee. So it's easy to understand why international humanitarian organizations and the activists aboard the aid boats are not about to trust the welfare of Gaza's civilians to Israel's benevolence.

The aid boats will have a far greater impact, however, than the 10,000 tons of aid they are bringing to Gaza. The aid boats compel us to have this discussion, a discussion that Israel desperately wants to avoid at a time when its international reputation has never been lower.

Hundreds of unarmed civilians carrying humanitarian aid are approaching a blockaded piece of land where 1.5 million civilians suffer from a life of uncertainty and despair, and Israel is going to stop them. While much of the focus on the Israeli-Palestinian issue has been on the settlements, the failed peace process and the long-awaited restart of talks about talks, Gaza has been forgotten. To their credit, the few hundred non-violent activists-turned-sailors have found a way to maximize their power as individuals to force one of the world's most powerful regimes into a corner. Whether the boats make it to Gaza or not, this is a tremendous victory for civil society in international affairs.

Headlines and stories covering this confrontation at sea will shift the focus back to Gaza, even if only for a few hours. For Israel, Gaza is the tortured and famished step-child it locks in the basement when visitors arrive, and the activists on these boats seek to expose what Israel is doing in the strip: imposing a draconian siege to collectively punish civilians for political aims.

* Yousef Munayyer is the Executive Director of the Jerusalem Fund and the Palestine Center.

Why is Israel afraid of a few boats? was published by Sabbah Report. Get Daily Newsletter, follow on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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May 28, 2010

Brazil, Turkey sharpen tone with US over Iran - Yahoo! News

 


Date: May 28, 2010 10:29:51 PM EDT
Subject: Brazil, Turkey sharpen tone with US over Iran - Yahoo! News

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Nuclear Redaction: Why Won't Israel Admit It Has Nukes?

 





The Spanish Inquisition and the Jewish Question
Brian Chalmers - The Journal of Historical Review
http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v16/v16n1p-2_Chalmers.html

It is nearly impossible to dig into any chapter of Jewish history without uncovering lessons for our own age. Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries is a particularly striking example. Even today, our view of this period, and particularly of the Spanish Inquisition, colors our attitudes regarding relations between Jews and non-Jews. The Inquisition is considered one of Jewish history's darkest chapters -- and one of Christian history's most shameful.


Petraeus Orders US Special Forces To Prepare For Strike On Iran
The Times (Britain)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7136614.ece

Teams of American special forces have been authorised to conduct spying missions intended to pave the way for a military strike on Iran in case President Obama orders one, US government sources have confirmed. The military units would penetrate Iranian territory to reconnoitre potential nuclear targets and make contact with friendly dissident groups, according to a secret directive written by General David Petraeus. The document's existence was disclosed for the first time yesterday. It authorises an expansion in the use of US special forces throughout the Middle East, US officials said. However, it is the possibility of American troops operating covertly inside Iran that has the greatest potential to destabilise regional security.


US Orders Expanded Secret Actions in Mideast
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/world/25military.html

The top American commander in the Middle East has ordered a broad expansion of clandestine military activity in an effort to disrupt militant groups or counter threats in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and other countries in the region, according to defense officials and military documents. The secret directive, signed in September by Gen. David H. Petraeus, authorizes the sending of American Special Operations troops to both friendly and hostile nations in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Horn of Africa to gather intelligence and build ties with local forces. Officials said the order also permits reconnaissance that could pave the way for possible military strikes in Iran if tensions over its nuclear ambitions escalate.


Nuclear Redaction: Why Won't Israel Admit It Has Nukes?
Brian Palmer - Slate.com
http://www.slate.com/id/2254971/

Newly uncovered documents suggest that Israel tried to sell nuclear weapons to apartheid-era South Africa. In 1979, U.S. satellites detected what may have been an Israeli nuclear test - possibly conducted with South Africa's cooperation. It's pretty much universally assumed that Israel has nukes, any doubts regarding Israel's nuclear status dissipated in 1986, when Israeli scientist Mordechai Vanunu gave photos and detailed accounts of the country's underground weapons factory to the Sunday Times.


Israel to Maintain Policy of Nuclear `Ambiguity'
AFP
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jwCKqq3nRiJMe8WxKOTLEQ4QZ7IQ

Israel will keep up its longstanding policy of deliberate ambiguity over its nuclear programme, Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Tuesday, adding that US support for the position remains unchanged. "This is a good policy and there is no reason to change it. There is complete agreement with the United States on this question," Barak told army radio. He also said "there is no risk" that inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would get authorisation to inspect Israel's Dimona nuclear reactor. "There is no threat over the traditional agreements between Israel and the United States on this issue," said Barak.


Israel is Ready For War on Iran, Says Netanyahu Deputy
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6492H420100510

Israel is primed for a war on Iran, a deputy to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday, in a rare break with his government's reticence as world powers try to talk Tehran into curbing its nuclear plans. By spearheading assaults on guerrillas in neighboring Lebanon and Palestinian territories, the Israeli air force had gained the techniques necessary for any future strikes on Iranian sites, Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said. .. .. Israel, which is assumed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, bombed Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981 and launched a similar sortie in Syria in 2007.


Obama White House Honors Jewish Heritage
The Associated Press
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/7021883.html

In politics, as elsewhere, it's a sport that's almost as popular as people-watching: Guest-list watching. And this week, it's the Jewish community in Washington and beyond that's buzzing over who'll be on the list when Barack and Michelle Obama host the first-ever White House reception marking Jewish Heritage Month.


President Obama's Chief Of Staff Mixes Business And Pleasure In Israel
Fox News
http://whitehouse.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/05/25/president-obamas-chief-of-staff-mixes-business-and-pleasure-in-israel/

While in Israel to celebrate his son's bar mitzvah, President Obama's Chief of Staff will meet Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what the White House is calling an "informal discussion of a range of issues in the U.S.-Israel bilateral relationship." A White House spokesman also says Rahm Emanuel and his family will visit with Israeli President Shimon Peres on Thursday .. .. Emanuel, whose father was born in Jerusalem, served in the Israel Defense Forces during the first Gulf War as a civilian volunteer.


Socialism in North Dakota: Story of a State-Owed Bank
John Case
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Socialism-in-North-Dakota-by-John-Case-100518-663.html

The Bank of North Dakota is the only state-owned bank in America. Despite that, or because of it, the bank earned a record profit last year even as its private-sector corollaries lost billions .. .. The North Dakota state bank was created 90 years ago, in 1919, as a populist movement swept the northern plains. Basically it was a very angry movement led by farmers against bank and land speculators in Minneapolis, or New York.


In Pictures: Hitler's Autobahn Dream
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8691249.stm

Eleven photographs trace the origins and development of Germany's famous highway system.


In Canada, Jewish Community Leader Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges
CBC News (Canada)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/05/26/surkis-guilty-child-pornography.html

The former director of B'nai Brith Quebec, Bill Surkis, has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges after agreeing to a plea bargain. Surkis and his wife made a brief appearance at the Montreal courthouse Wednesday morning. In return for a guilty plea to charges of possessing and accessing child pornography, the Crown dropped a charge of distributing child pornography, said prosecutor Cynthia Gyenizse. Explicit files were discovered on Surkis' computer when he brought it in for repairs in 2008. The technician contacted police after 86 videos and 153 photos were found, including images of girls aged six to 12 years.




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Richard Blumenthal

 

   May 28, 2010

 

Got a great idea for Rich Blumenthal's political opponent this November...I think it's Linda McMahon. She  should '' photo shop '' Blumenthal's face on some of the iconic photos from US military history e.g. put him in the boat with Washington crossing the Deleware; have him raise the flag on Iwo Jima; have him coming ashore with MacArthur in the Philippines. This is the kind of nasty shit that goes straight to the jugular that he deserves and would have most certainly dished out if the shoe were on the other foot. Perhaps one of the members of J&E could do it.    joe

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