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CONTACT: Free Gaza Movement (Gaza) Ewa Jasiewicz, +972 598 700 497 / freelance@mailworks.org (Cyprus) Lubna Masarwa +357 99 081 767 / lubnna@gmail.com (Lebanon) Caoimhe Butterly +961 70 875 727 / sahara78@hotmail.co.uk |
Israeli Gunboats Came out of the Darkness and Rammed us Three Times
LEBANON - December 30 - Today the Free Gaza ship "Dignity" carefully made its way to safe harbor in Tyre, Lebanon's southern-most port city, after receiving serious structural damage when Israeli warships rammed its bow and the port side. Waiting to greet the passengers and crew were thousands of Lebanese who came out to show their solidarity with this attempt to deliver volunteer doctors and desperately needed medical supplies to war-ravaged Gaza. The Lebanese government has pledged to provide a forensic analysis of what happened in the dark morning, when Israel rammed the civilian ship in international waters, and put the people on board in danger of losing their lives.
The Dignity, on a mission of mercy to besieged Gaza, was attacked by the Israeli Navy at approximately 6am (UST) in international waters, roughly 90 miles off the coast of Gaza. Several Israeli warships surrounded the small, human rights boat, firing live ammunition around it, then intentionally ramming it three times. According to ship's captain Denis Healy, the Israeli attack came, ""without any warning, or any provocation."
Caoimhe Butterly, an organizer with the Free Gaza Movement, stated that, "The gunboats gave us no warning. They came up out of the darkness firing flares and flashing huge flood lights into our faces. We were so shocked that at first we didn't react. We knew we were well within international waters and supposedly safe from attack. They rammed us three times, hitting the side of the boat hard. We began taking on water and, for a few minutes, we all feared for our lives. After they rammed us, they started screaming at us as we were frantically getting the life boats ready and putting on our life jackets. They kept yelling that if we didn't turn back they would shoot us."
Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. congresswoman and Green Party presidential candidate, was traveling to Gaza aboard the Dignity in order to assess the impact of Israel's military onslaught against the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. According to McKinney, "Israeli patrol boats...tracked us for about 30 minutes...and then all of a sudden they rammed us approximately three times, twice in the front and once in the side...the Israelis indicated that [they felt] we were involved in terrorist activities."
The Dignity departed from Larnaca Port in Cyprus at 7pm (UST) on Monday 29 December with a cargo of over 3 tons of desperately needed medical supplies donated to Gaza by the people of Cyprus. Three surgeons were also aboard, traveling to Gaza to volunteer in overwhelmed hospitals and clinics. The ship was searched by Cypriot Port authorities prior to departure, and its passenger list was made public.
Israel's deplorable attack on the unarmed Dignity is a violation of both international maritime law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which states that "the high seas should be reserved for peaceful purposes."
Delivering doctors and urgently needed medical supplies to civilians is a just such a "peaceful purpose." Deliberately ramming a mercy ship and endangering its passengers is an act of terrorism.
CALL the Israeli Government and demand that it immediately STOP attacking the civilian population of Gaza and STOP using violence to prevent human rights and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.
Mark Regev in the Prime Minister's office at: +972 2670 5354 or +972 5 0620 3264 mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il
Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at: +972 3697 5339 or +972 50629 8148 mediasar@mod.gov.il
Major Liebovitz from the Israeli Navy at: + 972 5 781 86248
5 Comments so far
Show AllTHOMASTHEAUSSIEBATTLERWith great respect; all of these comments have threads of truth running through them; but should we not recognise the truth that sits on the foundation beneath it all?
There are two immovable forces opposed to one another, each believes they have the monopoly over "right and justice" for their beliefs,neither will bend to the extent necessary to create a lasting peace.
The only solution, as even Saddam demonstrated,is an imposed one, maintained by force and threat of death, torture, or dishonour.
The hate and discontent continues and is deferred for future generations to resolve.
Israel has endured the rain of hundreds of explosive rockets; a situation they could not be expected to accept; Hamas knew that and they now have the response they wanted, Israel's brutal retaliation. Hamas wants world opinion to turn in their favour; they are quite prepared to sacrifice their own civilians for this end. It is a cowardly act for a soldier to shelter behind unarmed civilians, unless those civilians accept their risk, if so, they are then part of the sheltering army. No tears and sympathy necessary.
Israel has been underestimated,for they will now impose, what for them , will be a final solution. The World will never go to war in support of the palestinians no matter how just their cause, the risks of major conflicts are too great.
The Palestinians deserve their Homeland every bit as much as anyone else; did not a large slice of Palestine end up in Jordan? The point is that much unwinding would be necessary to arrive at a position acceptable to all. It is not going to happen in our life times, if ever.
So we come back to present day solutions. The cycle of violence and temporary cease fires could go on for ever; there is no intention for them to bear fruit.
Finally, those responsible for supply of rockets to Hamas bear great responsibility for what is now going down, they should be found and prosecuted; some are saying it is the CIA because it suits US policy in the middle east to have continuing conflicts and to allow, justify, the imposition of Israel's final solution. THOMASTHEAUSSIEBATTLER
The Zionist State created Hamas. By your reasoning, the Zionist State should be held responsible for the crimes it's committed.
The sooner they kill each other off,
The sooner we will be done hearing from them.
Bring America Back !!!!******* Let us thank Cindy McKinney for her courageous voyage on 'The Dignity', trying to get needed meds to Gaza. The Israeli
attack on the Dignity will now join the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty
infamy, as larceny murder commited upon America by our so-called friends.
Gazans have surely died not getting those needed medicines & doctors !
***With friends like Israel, we sure as hell don't need Enemies !!!!
***The same old familiar suspects are mouthing the old AIPAC zionist
propaganda==Condi Rice, King George Bush, Fox TV, Mainstream Media galore.
**Same lies which gave us WMD's in Iraq, again lies trying to involve
Iran in the mix, laying the course of Obama on false prophets now called
Hamas & Hezzbollah !!
The axis of evil is rearing it's ugly head for all to see, and the Monster
is Zionist Israel==the World knows, and the American people know, but
the mouthpieces we hear are mere puppets of AIPAC, the right wing extremist
zionist lobby, which controls all USA policies in the Mid East !!
The President-elect cannot seem to fathom that someone's daughters in
Gaza are being slaughtered by a runaway Zionist Israel Nation.
****500 dead, 2500 injured & maimed without medical help !!!!!
====Are the Obamas' too busy planning 50 Inaugural Balls to join
the Secretary General of the UN in urging Israel to Stop It ???????
If the Obamas' are too busy to recognize that Gazan sticks & stones are
no match for the US supplied smart laser guided Israeli missiles,
then we have a wicked 4 years ahead !!!
It is becoming abundantly clear who will own the rights to the incoming
Obama Administration, and it is NOT the American people as promised,
I say any President or President-elect worth his salt, would stand up
and put a Stop to this b---sh-t !! All they need to do is announce
that all US Taxpayer funding of Israel will cease. That'll Stop It !
That both Obama and Clinton worship at the money altars of AIPAC is
already an understatement. Just ask President Jimmy Carter !!
The sooner Israel ceases to exist, the sooner peace will prevail.