The Sabotager

Here:

Barak: We must apologize for flotilla errors

Series of meetings with US administration officials reinforces defense minister's view that diplomatic crisis with Ankara must be resolved. 'I don't like it, but having reasonable relations with Turkey is not a bad thing,' he explains

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Friday, following meetings with US administration officials, that Israel must reach a compromise with Turkey – even if this meant the Jewish state would have to apologize for the deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla last year.

"I'm not talking about an apology for the blockade or an apology for the flotilla, but about saying that if any errors were made during the operation – we regret them," he explained...

A loch in kop.

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Israel vs. The Flotilla

We won:

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Join in the Singing: "Long Long Way to Gaza City:

Here:

Cheers!

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Flotilla; Flytilla: Flop

This wraps it up well:

The political context has shifted abruptly against the flotilla organizers: The Hamas role in organizing the flotillas has become harder to ignore -indeed, Hamas has ceased even to deny it.  Few European governments wish to act as Hamas’ powder monkey. Even Turkey -which last year looked the other way as violent men assembled aboard the Mavi Marmara en route to Israel - has redirected its policy. Turkey has accepted the UN report that confirms that Israel acted lawfully in stopping the 2010 flotilla attempt. The two countries are now jointly working to craft a statement that, according to one witty observer, “will sound like an apology in Turkish, but not in Hebrew.”

Looking for the Flotilla?

Try here:

(k/tip=AJ)

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The 'Sink or Swim' Flotilla Update/Overview

Here.

Will it be 'sink or swim'?  For the activists?

How many coming? -

Ynet has learned that six ships that were meant to take part in the Gaza-bound flotilla are being detained by the port authority and the coast guard in Greece. Senior officials in Jerusalem have confirmed the report.  While the organizers of the maritime convoy claim that more than 1,500 activists are set to take part in the initiative, it now appears that not more than seven ships, carrying 200-500 passengers, will participate in the flotilla.

And Kol Yisrael's reshet Bet station exposed the facade of "advocacy journalist" Joseph Dana (although he called The Nation -- "mechubad" -- respected), former Media Coordinator of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee in Bil'in, Naalin, etc. and showed that Dana was an ex-Israeli anti-Zionist with a huge chip and little professional reporting qualifications.

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GPO Warns the Media on the Flotilla

I am not sure that the wording of this letter is the correct form, especially the part about being banned for 10 years, as the press is there to observe. And for sure, he could have added that any injuries incurred are solely their responsibility for getting in the way since the IDF is legally obliged to uphold the law.

Jerusalem, 26 June 2011

To: Representatives of the Foreign Press in Israel
Re: Press Participation in the Flotilla

Dear friends,

A flotilla of ships is due to arrive soon in the Middle East in order to try and enter the Gaza Strip.

This flotilla is a dangerous provocation that is being organized by western and Islamic extremist elements to aid Hamas, which the world defines as an extremist Islamic terrorist organization.

Those participating in the flotilla have declared that it is their intention to "break" the naval blockade that has been imposed on the Gaza Strip for security reasons, given Hamas's efforts to smuggle weaponry and terrorists into the Gaza Strip.

The flotilla intends to knowingly violate the blockade that has been declared legally and is in accordance with all treaties and international law. The Government of Israel has instructed the IDF not to allow the flotilla to reach its goal.

As the Director of the Government Press Office, I would like to make it clear to you and to the media that you represent, that participation in the flotilla is an intentional violation of Israeli law and is liable to lead to participants being denied entry into the State of Israel for ten years, to the impoundment of their equipment and to additional sanctions.

I implore you to avoid taking part in this provocative and dangerous event, the purpose of which is to undermine Israel's right to defend itself and to knowingly violate Israeli law.

Please pass along the contents of this letter to your editorial boards around the world.

Sincerely,

Oren Helman, Director
Government Press Office

The media is there to report what goes on just like at Montgomery, Alabama, Gandhi's Salt March in India and other civic actions no matter how we view the situation. Even though we know that the "media" also includes the involvement of advocacy activists who will probably interfere as subjective reporting efforts, asking them not to be a part is a bit pie-in-the-sky, with all their bias. Suggesting that they observe but from another ship, may not be practical but at least it stresses the concern of Israel that the press members not be injured.

Who knows, maye a camera would catch things we desperately need to prove out case.

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Is This Why the Flotilla Activists Are Depressed?

From a US State Department release:

...We underscore that delivering or attempting or conspiring to deliver material support or other resources to or for the benefit of a designated foreign terrorist organization, such as Hamas, could violate U.S. civil and criminal statutes and could lead to fines and incarceration.

That was from a Press Statement of Victoria Nuland, Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson, Washington, DC
June 24, 2011

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Flotilla Activists Depressed

We're informed via Twitter

@ibnezra

Joseph Dana Spending time with the passengers, the insanity of the reactions from governments over the flotilla has become clear and deeply depressing.

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Help The Legal and Moral Lawfare

On Thursday morning, Shurat HaDin and their American co-counsel, Robert J. Tolchin of New York, filed an unprecedented lawsuit to seize ships used by the Islamic and anti-Israeli organizations to breach Israel’s coastal blockade. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of an American terror victim injured by a Palestinian suicide bomber. The suit, Bauer v The Mavi Marmara, was filed in Manhattan federal court. It seeks to confiscate 14 ships outfitted with funds unlawfully raised in the United States by anti-Israel groups, including The Free Gaza Movement (“FGM”). In May 2010, several of these ships, led by the Mavi Marmara, attempted to breach the blockade. The resulting violence caused the deaths of nine militants and injury to numerous Israeli Navy SEALs.


The plaintiff, American biologist, Dr. Alan Bauer, who along with his son Jonathan was seriously injured in a Palestinian suicide bombing on March 21, 2002 in Jerusalem, alleges that FGM and other American-based anti-Israel organizations have raised funds in the United States to outfit the Gaza Flotilla ships. The lawsuit contends that furnishing and outfitting the ships, which are being used for hostilities against a U.S. ally, violates American law. The plaintiff rests his claim upon a rarely-utilized "informant" statute (18 U.S.C. section 962) that allows a plaintiff (called an "informer") to privately seize ships outfitted in the United States for use against a U.S. ally. The law we are basing this cutting edge suit upon is an anti-piracy statute dating back to 1794.

This is the first time a lawsuit in the U.S. has been brought to seize the Gaza Flotilla ships themselves. The aim is to show that funds were illegally raised by the FGM in the U.S. to purchase and outfit the Flotilla boats in violation of the Neutrality Act. They contend that organizing a naval expedition to violently breach Israel's coastal blockade of the terrorist controlled Gaza is a hostile act against an American ally.

It is their intention to seize all the boats and turn them over to a victim of Palestinian terrorism. The extremists organizing these hostile provocations against Israel must not be allowed to illegally raise funds for their operations in the U.S. This unprecedented private action will help block their efforts to breach the coastal blockade and smuggle materials to Hamas in Gaza.

A copy of the Gaza Flotilla Lawsuit complaint.

Shurat HaDin is using the courts to fight back against the extremists.

Support their efforts!

Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center
10 Hata'as St. Ramat Gan, 52512 Israel
Phone: 972-3-7514175
Fax: 972-3-7514174
info@israellawcenter.org
http://www.israellawcenter.org/

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"Sinking" The Flotilla - Legally

Will the flotilla be sunk?

Shurat HaDin (SH), the Israeli Legal Center, is implementing several strategies to stop the international flotilla against Israel. One is a civil lawsuit against 14 ships set to participate in this flotilla.  A second action is Shurat HaDin's legal warning to Inmarsat that under U.S. law they will be open to charges of aiding and abetting terrorism if they provide services to these Gaza-bound ships. A third action by SH is their letter to maritime insurance companies informing them that by insuring sea vessels used by terrorists their company will be liable for any future attacks carried out by those terrorists.

What about those planes set to land...wait!, where are they to land in Gaza?

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New Danger to Those Flotilla Activists

And the new danger is: crazy captain.

Some details

Greek commandos boarded a Gaza-bound aid ship -- whose mission went awry and turned into a hostage situation after a dispute with the ship's captain -- in a harbor off the country's coast Friday, an official with the activist organization sponsoring the vessel said.

The people on board, who had been described as hostages by the charity group that sponsored the voyage, were safe and uninjured...the ship was taken over in Libya by its captain on Thursday after the ship captain "went nuts" and allegedly kidnapped the convoy members on board after an argument, according to the charity.

...Ten convoy members -- seven Britons, two Irish citizens and an Algerian -- were taken hostage, the group said...According to Road to Hope, if all had gone according to plan, the boat would have left Libya loaded with aid for Gaza. And 55 more volunteers would have been on board. The ship was originally destined for Egypt, with the intention of delivering goods via land into Gaza.

But after the captain's argument with an Egyptian broker, the ship left behind the aid group's cargo and a large group of volunteers.

You can't make this stuff up.


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New Battledress Code: "no showers, no skirts and no makeup"

Well, it's been a long time coming. Do we always have to wait so long for our "date"?


Gaza aid flotilla to set sail from Lebanon with all-women crew


And it'll be tough out there on the high seas:

A ship bearing aid for Gaza is preparing to leave Tripoli in Lebanon this weekend in the latest attempt to defy the Israeli blockade - with only women on board.

...Israel says it is concerned a flotilla from Lebanon, with whom it has ongoing hostility, will smuggle weapons to Gaza. Israel`s ambassador to the UN, Gabriela Shalev, has warned that Israel reserves the right to use `necessary measures` in line with international law to stop the ship.

But al-Haj says the mission is purely humanitarian. `Our goal is to arrive in Gaza,` she said. `It is the responsibility of the government to deal with the politics. We are not political.`

She said that once news of the flotilla was out organisers were inundated with requests to join the voyage, with more than 400 from the US alone. At least 10 Americans will be on board.

The boat has been stocked with medical instruments and medicines to take to the Palestinians.

In preparation for the voyage the participants gathered at a hotel in Beirut to discuss their plans. The logistics are many: minimal grooming, strict food rationing, and limited water supply.

`There will be no showers, no skirts and no makeup,` al-Haj told the group...

No mascara? That could poke eyes out.

No lipstick? That could be slippery.

No powder? That could clog lungs.

This is a non-violent effort, girls.


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Are They Practicing for Their Next Flotilla?

You never can know what type of people will show up at Israel's door next:

Three family members at a wedding in Turkey have been accidentally shot dead by the groom firing an AK-47 rifle in celebration. The groom, Tevfik Altin, lost control of his rifle, spraying the guests with bullets and killing his father and two aunts and injuring six others...One family member, who did not give his name, told CNN: "It happened very quickly. We all tried to take cover and there was blood all over. We are all very sad right now."

The injured guests included three children aged 10, 12 and 16, according to CNN Turk.

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On the Legality of the Flotilla Operation

From JCPA Issue Briefs:

Vol. 10, No. 4 18 July 2010

The Legal Basis of Israel's Naval Blockade of Gaza

Ruth Lapidoth
Professor Emeritus of International Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem


• The relations between Israel and Hamas are in the nature of armed conflict. Nowadays no formal declaration of war is needed. Hence the rules of the laws of armed conflict apply. This means that Israel may control shipping headed for Gaza - even when the vessels are still on the high seas.
• The rules of naval warfare have not been fully codified in a treaty and are in the nature of binding customary rules. They can be found in the relevant manuals of Western armies (in particular the U.S. and Britain) and in the San Remo Manual prepared by a group of experts.
• In order to be legal, a blockade has to be declared and announced, effective, non-discriminatory, and has to permit the passage of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population. In addition, the San Remo Manual of 1994 includes two conditions: first, the state which applies the blockade may decide where and when and through which port the assistance should reach the coast. In addition, the state may require that a neutral organization on the coast should verify who is the recipient of the assistance. In Gaza, for instance, does it reach the civilians or Hamas?
• A ship that clearly intends to breach the blockade may be stopped already when it is still on the high seas. Stopping the flotilla heading for Gaza in international waters 100 kilometers from Israel was not illegal; in time of armed conflict, ships intending to breach the blockade may be searched even on the high seas.
• Israel is within its rights and is in full compliance with international law because it has fulfilled all of the above-mentioned conditions for a lawful blockade. E.g., in January 2009 Israel notified the relevant authorities of its intention to establish a blockade of the Gaza coast.

Full article.



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Could This Be For Real?

An ad that appeared in the Israel press:



Translation:

A security organization requires Women possessing formidable physical prowess

and motivation for the removal of women

from Hezbollah's humanitarian aid flotilla to Gaza.
The activity in voluntary.

Please call to leave details: voice mail 076-5400116

Would that it be true.


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Remember Those Flotilla Blades?

Here's the view from New York on how dangerous they are:-

Manhattan prosecutors are taking a stab at ridding city stores of illegal knives.

Investigators bought switchblades and gravity knives - prohibited in the state - at 14 locations, including big-name retailers Home Depot, Paragon and Eastern Mountain Sports.

The stores - and four others - have already agreed to stop selling them, relinquish their inventories, turn over all profits from selling the illegal blades over the past four years and contribute to a public awareness campaign.

"What makes these knives so dangerous is the ease with which they can be concealed and brandished," Manhattan district Attorney Cy Vance said Thursday.

He noted that about a third of homicides in Manhattan in 2009, and so far this year, involved knives.

America's "National Interest"?

Here's what these people think about Helen Thomas:-

Fearless, decent seeker-of-truth Helen Thomas, 89, the preeminent challenger of political power for a half-century as dean of White House correspondents, has resigned her position with Hearts Newspapers. She acted in the wake of controversy that erupted when she told reporters “Jews should get the hell out of Palestine.” While speaking plainly on behalf of the rule of law in Occupied Palestine, her message was submerged when reporters gave it an anti-Semitic twist by quoting words out of context.

Here's their mission:-

CNI seeks to encourage and promote a U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East that is consistent with American values, protects our national interests, and contributes to a just solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, as well as to restore a political environment in America in which voters and their elected officials are free from the undue influence and pressure of foreign countries.

So, it isn't any surprise to know this:-

Dear CNI Volunteer in Place,

We know that you have probably received our email about the "Boat Brigade" from Lebanon to Gaza. Currently the boats are scheduled to leave on Friday, July 2^nd. If you are interested in joining this new attempt to break the siege on Gaza all expenses will be paid. The boat will likely depart from the port of Tarabulus on Friday July 2nd. It would require a week to ten days of your time. We are excited about the possibilities of this "Boat Brigade" which promises to include some interesting people, including CNI chairwoman Harriet Fulbright (widower of Senator William J. Fulbright).

You can scan a copy of the first two pages of your passport and send them with a message to Franklin Lamb at: fplamb@palestinecivilrightscampaign.org ).

It would be a good idea to send a copy to us at: Eugene.h.bird@cnionline.org.

Hope you can make the tour and feel free to call at any time at 1-202-863-2951.


Eugene Bird

President CNIF/CNI

One thing, though, Helen is a widow.

Secondly, who guys all have lifejackets, right?


(Kippah tip: BPO)



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Will Helen Thomas Be on the Next Guerrilla Flotilla?

Activists plan to sail new aid boat

Two pro-Palestinian groups launched a campaign on Saturday to raise funds to buy a ship that they hope can set sail from Lebanon for Gaza next week carrying educational supplies and journalists.

The nongovernmental groups "Free Palestine Movement" and "Reporters Without Limits" said they hoped the boats would set off for the blockaded Gaza Strip at the end of next week. It will carry aid, namely educational supplies for Palestinian children as well 50 Arab and foreign journalists and 25 European activists, including some MPs, organisers told a Beirut news conference. "We launch an appeal to all the free people in this world to provide financial contributions to buy a boat," Thaer Ghandour of the Reporters Without Limits said.

By the way, a leader of this sailing is Samir Shark el-Hadj (sp?), the first wife of a senior Hezbollah official (Ali el-Hadj, the former head of internal Hezbollah security forces who was involved in the Hariri assasination). She was just interviewed on El-Alam, Iranian television (I saw the clip), where she threatened Israel and said that if Israeli soldiers try to stop them they will attack.

More:

An aid ship transporting medical supplies to Gaza is to leave Lebanon...

"We are all independent women who believe in breaking the (Israeli) siege on Gaza," said Samar Hajj, who is coordinating the trip...Hajj, whose husband Ali Hajj was one of four generals detained for nearly four years in connection with the 2005 car bombing that killed former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri and 22 others. Ali Hajj, who was domestic security chief, was released from prison in April 2009 after a UN-backed tribunal said there was insufficient evidence against the generals.

Hajj's wife said so far 50 women -- Muslim, Christian and secular -- had signed up for the trip on board the cargo ship "Mariam." Among them were 30 Lebanese and 20 foreigners, including several European nationals.

She said all the logistics for the trip had been handled by the Free Palestine Movement, a non-governmental organisation.

And from MEMRI:

IRGC deputy commander Hossein Salami has said that the IRGC accompanying the Iranian flotilla to Gaza is not on the agenda.

At the same time, Mohammad Ali Nourani, deputy director of the Iranian Association for Defending the Palestinian Nation, one of the flotilla organizers, said that his organization did not want security protection from the regime, and added, "Either we are taken captive and are martyred, or we succeed in breaking the siege on Gaza, so that either way we are victorious."

Source: Mehr, Iran, June 14, 2010

When the NYTimes Forgets To Quote the...New York Times

I missed this.

Way back on May 31, Seth Lipsky tore apart the New York Times' comparison of the Marama with the Exodus.

Although basing himself on post-Zionist radical Israelis, Mackay did write:

Another parallel between the events of 1947 and those on Monday is a dispute over what might have justified the use of deadly force against civilians.

Lipsky writes:

What the Times blog failed to quote was the attitude of the Times itself, which back in 1947 issued an editorial sharply critical of the decision of the Zionists to bring the Jews on the Exodus to Israel in the first place. The Times wanted the Jews to suffer...the General Assembly had called on “all governments and all peoples” to observe a truce and, as the Times put it...“Despite this proper and reasonable request, there arrived on the coast of Palestine, two months later, a company of 4,500 unauthorized Jewish immigrants, aboard the ill-fated Exodus.”

“Reckless” is the word the Times used to describe the how the truce request was ignored by “those who arrange and finance unauthorized immigration into Palestine.” It called such ignoring the “first act in a tragic story.”...

So, why not berate the IHHers and other humaniterrorists?

Why not condemn their recklesness?


And see this blog post, too.


(Kippah tip: DaledAmos)
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