This week,
five members
of Veterans For Peace are joining 40 other American citizens in a
peaceful
attempt to break Israel's
illegal naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. The U.S.
ship Audacity of Hopewill be part
of a
flotilla expected to consist of 10 boats carrying human rights advocates
from
around the world and humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.
VFP members, retired Colonel Ann Wright; former
CIA analyst, Ray McGovern; retired Marine Corps Major, Ken Mayers; Nic
Abramson
and Hedy Epstein, an Honorary VFP member and 87 year-old Holocaust
survivor. Other U.S.
passengers include Alice
Walker, and two time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Kathy
Kelly. About 25% of the passengers are Jewish.
The U.S. ship will bring over 3,000 letters of
support to a population suffering its fifth continuous decade of de
facto
occupation, now in the form of a military blockade controlling Gaza's
sea and
sky, punctuated by frequent deadly military incursions, that has starved
Gaza's
economy and people.
Although the Audacity
of
Hope will be sailing unarmed and has no intention of entering
Israel or
Israeli waters, the U.S. State Department has issued an unusually
specific and
blunt travel advisory, warning Americans against traveling to Gaza.
Without
giving any details, State Department officials also suggested that
Americans
taking part in the flotilla might be violating U.S. law.
HILLARY CLINTON GIVES GREEN
LIGHT FOR ISRAELI ASSAULT ON
FLOTILLA
The next day,
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused
flotilla organizers of trying to "provoke actions," claiming erroneously
that
they were going
to enter
Israeli waters.
Clinton said that
"the Israelis have the right to defend themselves," implying they can
violently attack
the boats with U.S.
government permission. This is inexcusable and a total betrayal of her
duty to
protect law abiding American citizens.
Last year the
international flotilla to Gaza was brutally
attacked by Israeli commandos, murdering nine Turkish activists, one of
whom
was also an U.S.
citizen. Flotilla passengers were also
attacked with water cannons, taser guns, stink bombs, sound bombs, stun
guns,
tear gas, and pepper spray, before being taken to Israel, jailed and
deported.
Israel Defense Forces are reportedly training for a fierce assault
intended to
"secure" each boat in the Freedom Flotilla 2. U.S.
organizer Kathy Kelly believes that passengers on the U.S. boat may
be spared the most violent responses. But
with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton giving Israel
the green light for an assault, Kelly said, "We are preparing ourselves
not to
panic and to practice disciplined nonviolence whatever scenario Israel
decides
to enact."
The slogan of the flotilla is "Stay Human," advice which Kelly says,
"exposure
to violence, real or imagined, always tempts us to forget."
The Audacity of Hope was inspected by Greek officials on Monday,
June 27 after a complaint was lodged by an Israeli group that the vessel
was
not seaworthy. Organizers of the Gaza flotilla accused
Israel
of pressuring Greece
to halt the ships' departure.
Colonel Ann Wright told a news conference that Israel is mounting a
"tremendous diplomatic offensive" to prevent the flotilla from
setting sail. Organizers urged the Greek
government not to "become complicit in Israel's illegal actions by
succumbing to this pressure."
ISRAEL AND U.S.
RATCHET UP PRESSURE
According to Kate Wickman at
Raw Story, Israeli officials have threatened to
punish activists who plan to set sail from Greece
to Gaza, with
the aim of breaking the Israeli embargo on the Palestinian territory.
Journalists, the Israeli officials say, will also be punished if they
choose to
cover the activists' mission, the Christian Science
Monitor
reported.
Journalists who cover the flotilla's attempt to reach the Gaza strip
will be denied entry to the
country for 10 year, The National reported.
The government press office released a statement that called the
pro-Palestinian activists' actions "a dangerous provocation" and an
"international violation of Israeli law."
Israel's Foreign Press Association,
however, issued a statement calling the government threats "a chilling
message to the international media and raises serious questions about
Israel's
commitment to freedom of the press".
Flotilla organizers now
say that two of their ships have been intentionally damaged by unknown
saboteurs.
Ratcheting up the pressure, Israeli defense officials have claimed that
flotilla members are armed with chemical weapons (bags of sulphur) to
use
against Israeli soldiers. But other
Israeli military sources have disputed this claim, dismissing it as
"spin."
"This is truly a shameful and desperate tactic on the part of the
Israeli
government. They know full well that the passengers have no intention of
being
anything but peaceful," said passenger Paki Wieland.
In the latest outrage, Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., says the United States
should "make available all necessary special operations and naval
support
to the Israeli Navy to effectively disable flotilla vessels before they
can
pose a threat to Israeli coastal security or put Israeli lives at risk."
Clearly, the 40
brave
representatives of the U.S.
people on the Audacity of Hope are up
against huge opposition from powerful, dark forces. They
very much need and deserve the support
of all who believe in peace and justice.
VETERANS FOR PEACE IS PROUD TO SUPPORT
THE AUDACITY OF HOPE. We call upon the U.S.
government to take the necessary steps to guarantee the safety of all
the
activists on the Free Gaza
Flotilla. We call upon all VFP
chapters and members to act now to ensure the safety of our fellow
activists
and members, and to help them to successfully complete their mission to
bring
comfort to the people of Gaza
and to end the illegal Israeli blockade.
See the list of suggested actions, below.
THE ISRAELI BLOCKADE OF GAZA
IS ILLEGAL UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW
Four years ago Israel imposed a draconian blockade on Gaza,
effecting a
paralysis of commerce and severe shortages of basic foods. The
result has been deprivation and death to
innocent people. This blockade was imposed, in the words of Israel's
leaders, to "put Gaza on a diet" as a punitive action for
Palestinian's electing Hamas to power.
Foreign Policy Magazinecompiled a large
volume of information from reports issued by the
United
Nations and various NGOs working in Gaza.
Just a few highlights:
- Electricity: In 2006, Israel carried out
an attack on Gaza's only power
plant and never permitted the rebuilding to its pre-attack
capacity....
The majority of houses have power cuts at least eight hours per
day. Some have no
electricity
for long as 12 hours a day. The lack of electricity has
led to
reliance on generators, many of which have exploded from overwork,
killing
and maiming civilians. - Water: Israel has not permitted supplies
into
the Gaza Strip to rebuild the sewage system.Amnesty International
reports that
90-95 percent of the drinking water in Gaza is contaminated and
unfit for
consumption. - Health:According to UN OCHA,
infrastructure for 15 of 27 of Gaza's
hospitals, 43 of 110 of its primary care facilities, and 29 of its
148
ambulances were damaged or destroyed during the war. Without
rebuilding
materials like cement and glass due to Israeli restrictions, the
vast
majority of the destroyed health infrastructure has not been
rebuilt. - Food: A 2010 World Health
Organization report stated that
"chronic malnutrition
in the Gaza Strip has risen over the past few years and has now
reached
10.2%. ... According to UN OCHA:"Over
60 percent of
households are now food insecure ... - Industry: A World Health
Organization
report from this year states: "In the Gaza Strip,
private
enterprise is practically at a standstill as a consequence of the
blockade. Almost all (98%) industrial operations have been shut
down.
A blockade that restricts
the local population's access to vital goods violates the Fourth Geneva
Convention,
which specifies that an occupying force has a legally binding duty to
protect
an occupied population. Moreover, collective punishment is specifically
barred
under Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Veterans
for Peace
condemns this inhumane blockade of Gaza and
demands that the U.S.
government end its support for Israel's
illegal assault on Palestinian human rights and self-determination.
U.S. WEAPONS WERE USED IN
ISRAELI
COMMANDO ASSAULT ON FIRST FREE GAZA
FLOTILLA
U.S.
weapons provided with U.S.
taxpayer money were used in the Israeli commando attack, which violates
our
Arms Export Control Act prohibiting use of American weapons against
civilians.
These included boats, helicopters and probable murder weapons used, made
by ten
U.S. companies:
- The
Sa'ar
5-class corvette warship built by Northrup Grumman, armed
with Honeywell
torpedoes and surface-to- surface
missiles made by McDonnell Douglas
Sikorsky
UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters that dropped the commandoes- Morena
Rigid-Hull
Inflatable Boats made by U.S.M.I. Louisiana with Caterpillar
3126 turbocharged diesel engines - US
M4 Carbine
Rifles, a magazine-fed, selective fire, shoulder-fired weapon made by Colt - Hellfire
SSM
laser-guided missiles made by Boeing - Raytheon
radar systems - MK13
Stun
Grenades made by American Rheinmetall
AS
AMERICAN CITIZENS AND U.S.
MILITARY VETERANS, WE REPUDIATE U.S.
COMPLICITY IN THESE CRIMES.
WE
DEMAND AN END TO U.S.
MILITARY AID TO ISRAEL.
WE
DEMAND AN END TO ISRAEL'S
ILLEGAL BLOCKADE OF GAZA.
WE
DEMAND JUSTICE FOR THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE.
WE
DEMAND SAFE PASSAGE FOR THE FREE GAZA FLOTILLA
THINGS YOU CAN DO:
Until the boats are released from Greek
ports, call or email the Greek embassy, asking that they be
released, and that Greece
not succumb to pressure to prevent aid from reaching a desperate people
on
unarmed ships.
Telephone 202-939-1306
Call the State Department to demand the US end the
pressure on Greece, and
particularly that it end its tacit approval for an Israeli attack on
this
unarmed flotilla.
Demonstrate Your Support publicly. VFP members
in
Seattle are
organizing banner drops on highway overpasses.
Think and act creatively to get your message across effectively.
Monitor the flotilla on the internet and by
Twitter. A Rapid Response network is in place to set off the emergency
response
in case of attack on any boat in the flotilla. Some suggested sites:
possible live streaming
http://www.freedomflotilla.eu/ possible live streaming
https://www.facebook.com/USBOATTOGAZA
http://twitter.com/#!/usboattogaza
https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_225406337489354
Should
an attack occur:
1. Make phone calls to those above to
express
your outrage.
2. Contact local media to express your
outrage.
3. Publicly
protest
Pictures from Gaza Flotilla
press conference in Athens