Subscribe to Common Dreams News Updates
Most Popular This Week
Popular content
Today's Top News
US Flotilla Ship: We Intend to Break Gaza Blockade
NEW YORK – Passengers on a US-flagged boat, The Audacity of Hope, spoke at a press conference Monday to discuss their plans and reasons for joining the “International Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human,” a flotilla intended to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.
Passengers on a US-flagged boat, The Audacity of Hope, spoke at a press conference Monday to discuss their plans and reasons for joining the “International Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human,” a flotilla intended to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. It is estimated that people from more than 20 countries will participate in the eight to ten boat flotilla, which will sail the last week of June, in part from Greece. One quarter of the participants on the US boat, which will have 36 passengers, are American Jews.
According to a letter the Audacity of Hope group sent to US President Barack Obama, in addition to 36 passengers, 4 crew members, and 10 members of the press, the US-flagged boat “will carry thousands of letters of support and friendship from people throughout the US to the women, children and men of Gaza. There will be no weapons of any sort on board."
"We will carry no goods of any kind for delivery in Gaza," the group's letter read. "Our mission is from American civil society to the civil society of Gaza. We do not serve the agenda of any political leadership, government or group. We are engaged solely in non-violent action in support of the Palestinian people and their human rights.”
“Citizen activists are coming to the Mediterranean from all over the world to confront the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza and US government protection of Israeli criminal acts,” Audacity of Hope passenger Ann Wright said. “As a former US diplomat and retired military colonel, I strongly believe it is the responsibility of citizens to act when our governments fail to protect the human rights and dignity of any people—in this case, the Palestinians.”
Leslie Cagan, the US boat coordinator leading Monday’s press conference, said the Israeli government acted with extreme violence against Freedom Flotilla I in 2010, killing nine passengers and injuring more than 50, and has threatened the use of attack dogs and snipers against this Freedom Flotilla II.
Cagan said, “Following the example of years of non-violent Palestinian protests, everyone participating in this project is deeply committed to non-violence. We hope and plan to arrive in Gaza City safely by the beginning of July. Any other outcome is the responsibility of the US and Israeli government's decision to maintain the illegal and unjustifiable imprisonment of 1.5 million people in the Gaza strip.”
“We are trying to act in alignment with our conscience,” Audacity of Hope passenger Kathy Kelly said at the press conference.
Cagan added that the flotilla organizers have urged United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to put into place a UN inspection of the ships but have received no official response as yet.
In late May, the Secretary General expressed his opposition to flotilla operations intended to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, believing that assistance and goods bound for Gaza should go through legitimate crossings.
Ban has called on governments to use their influence to discourage flotillas, stating that they carry the potential to exacerbate rather than ameliorate the conflict. The United States government, participants in the US-flagged ship said, have warned the US citizens not to participate in the flotilla.
25 Comments so far
Show AllGods speed to you!!
Hats off to those participating in this journey... May we all stay human.
I said it before; I'll say it again:
It's bitterly amusing, though not surprising, that the time-serving nebbish Ban Ki-moon deplores and discourages bottom-up activism like the flotilla as "unhelpful".
It's also ironic that a career bureaucratic diplomat and technocrat like Ban, whose guiding principle and Prime Directive is "don't rock the boat", stoops to "rock" the flotilla from a safe distance.
Or perhaps it's a matter of taking the pusillanimous dictum "don't rock the boat" to extremes: "On second thought, don't even LAUNCH the boat!"
He may as well discourage such protests as redundant-- after all, the UN has already cornered the "unhelpfulness" market when it comes to the plight of the Palestinians.
Why tempt the forces of violent reaction and bring trouble and strife upon yourselves in actions that may ultimately prove futile, when you could simply trust to the tender mercies of the UN to spin its wheels in a safe, respectable form of futility?
Good luck and Godspeed to the flotilla passengers and crew. And remember to travel light, lest the IDF buccaneers loot, pillage, and steal your luggage and personal possessions again.
I hope that this time no one gets shot. I suppose that's quite the audacious hope tho, eh?
So, what's the betting that this time the IDN just launches torpedoes at the ships and sinks them all from a distance? After all, if you sink them you can claim they carried anything. Just like if you dump a body at sea you can say anything you like about the person who used to be in that body.
I don't really think they'd torpedo it either. I don't think many surface ships carry anti-ship torps anymore anyhow.
Gandhi said that nonviolence only works if there is a recognized common bond of humanity between oppressed and oppressor. Unfortunately, Israel and Israelis have shown over and over again that they lack humanity, that they are outside the bounds of humanity. No one forced them out; their own actions--cruel, inhuman, viscious and barbaric--put them outside of humanity. Unless the peace movement organizes pressure against congress to stop supporting Israeli war crimes, nothing will change. Congress holds the key because Israelis are unreachable.
Religious Methodists like Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, have long supported Israel's occupation and ethnic cleansing and she sees to it that Israel gets all the white phosphorous it needs to melt as many Palestinians to death as possible whether they be Muslim or Christian. ABI ("all but Israel") liberals in our media choose to suspend both their reasoning and their morality when it comes to discussing occupation and ethnic cleansing.
In all fairness, the only gods Killary worships are herself and Mammon.
I agree corvo. Methodist is just a cover, a reason to be photographed all dressed up on Sunday or sanctimoniously attending "prayer breakfasts". Prayer breakfasts are the ultimate in hypocrisy for someone who goes around the world selling weapons and making sure poor countries like Haiti stay on their knees for the benefit of corporations.
This flotilla will only allow the zionist pig, o, to start another war in another country in the guise of another nato operation, probably Greece because the would be the country the flotilla launches from. Izraeli zionist pigs are certainly looking forward to another session of military adventure against unarmed civilians. Old netanyyahoo must be jerking off right now in anticipation of another massacre.
Are you stating that Obama would attack Greece for Israel?
Under guise or ruse of nato as I said.
Greece is a member state of NATO.
Attacking your allies would be an unthinkably bad idea.
Here's a very public warning from Saudi Arabia which might give some hope,
“There will be disastrous consequences for U.S.-Saudi relations if the United States vetoes U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state.”
http://consortiumnews.com/2011/06/20/saudi-oil-muscle-for-palestine/
Last time the Izraelis killed several turkish flotilla members.
Turkey is pissed and the last I heard they were sending their navy
to convoy flotilla II. Seemingly, the US navy is a useless expense.
Games of chicken are more fun than baseball or golf.
According to Ray McGovern --
"I also have been cautioned by a source with access to very senior staffers at the National Security Council that not only does the White House plan to do absolutely nothing to protect our boat from Israeli attack or illegal boarding, but that White House officials “would be happy if something happened to us.”
They are, I am reliably told, “perfectly willing to have the cold corpses of activists shown on American TV.”
I mention this informal warning for the benefit of anyone who may have harbored hope that the U.S. government would do something to protect us American citizens from the kind of violence used by the Israelis against last year’s flotilla. Better to be up front and realistic about what to expect."
I suspect these statements directed at McGovern are more intended to discourage high-profile people from joining the flotilla, but who knows. As for Israel, one of its strategies is to cultivate a "mad dog" image (Finkelstein has written extensively on the subject) so I wouldn't put anything past them.
In 1967 the Israelis "mistakenly" attacked the USS Liberty, killing 34 and wounding 170--and "our" government, acting the coward, simply accepted this outrage. Why expect anything different if--and when--this flotilla is attacked?
Here's the kicker: the "Audacity of Hope" is a US-flagged vessel. Is the Israeli military prepared to do the quick-rappel thing out of helicopters onto the deck of a US ship? Carrying automatic weapons? Shooting?
This is "Just say No" taken to the nth degree. Compliments to the organizers!
Why not? When was the last time the USA formally protested the killing of a US citizen by Israel?
The courageous people on the Audacity of Hope flotilla risk themselves on our behalf and behalf of justice. It is fitting that a good portion of the flotilla members are Jewish, as am I. Netanyahu and Likud does a diservice to world Jews in trying to act in our name.
Blessings on each of YOU.
Your feet be shod with Peace
Your hands extend Love
Your mouth proclaim Joyous Words of Encouragement
and all who receive you, find comfort in Your Presence!!!
The Flotilla members are trying to make a difference. It is an organization we can help.
Gotta love the naming of the ship, "The Audacity of Hope" which is also the title of Obama's book of the same name. By that alone whenever the ship's name gets mentioned in the media then it'll become associated with whatever befalls it if the Israeli's have their way again. That should contaminate brand Obama. (though I'd rather it happen in less dangerous ways)
I wonder if they have two lifeboats called "Hope" and "Change"?
Good luck & best wishes to all involved.
Godspeed. The participants of this flotilla are so brave and courageous under extremely risky circumstances. Is there no other way to effectively protest this Israeli apartheid, such as changing the hearts and minds of our policymakers in Congress through constant pressure?