May, 31 2010, 01:08pm EDT
Veterans For Peace's Response to Armed Attack on Aid Flotilla
VFP member Ret. Colonel Ann Wright is one of the members of the Flotilla
WASHINGTON
The world is reacting in righteous outrage at this moment to Israel's
high seas attack on an international aid flotilla, reportedly killing
up to 20 people escorting tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza in an effort
to break Israel's three-year blockade. "Made in the U.S.A." is stamped
on the weapons commandos used to kill and wound the international peace
activists.
We are saddened and we are
angry. At least one of our own members, retired Army Col., Ann Wright,
is among the 700 people aboard the boats attacked in the middle of the
night. But we cannot say we are very surprised. Palestinians die
quietly and unnoticed every day in Gaza, the world's largest open air
prison, as a result of Israel's blockade and violent repression.
Veterans For Peace Board Member, Cherie Eichholz, traveled to Gaza in
May and had this to say about the situation in Gaza, "Surrounded by a
massive wall and a naval blockade, Gazans are imprisoned, suffering
without the most basic of necessities, including enough food and safe
drinking water. The situation on the ground is grave."
Another Board Member, Elliott Adams, also traveled to Gaza in May said,
"On our Memorial Day we veterans are presented with the ugly specter
of US citizens having their lives threatened and being held captive in
an act of piracy. Making it more painful, this is being done with US
weapons. While the people of Gaza cry out for basic humanitarian
needs, a neighboring nation is willing to kill to deny them basic life
support."
Many
of our 7,000 members in over 100 chapters are already organizing or
will soon join the protests being organized across the U.S. We urge
our members to use every nonviolent tactic available in the streets and
in local Congressional offices to protest this attack. At the same
time we demand Congress cut off U.S. military aid to Israel which has totaled over 32 billion dollars since 1997.
For interviews about what life is like in Gaza, please contact Cherie Eichholz at 206-227-6095 or Elliott Adams at 518-441-2697.
Veterans For Peace is a global organization of Military Veterans and allies whose collective efforts are to build a culture of peace by using our experiences and lifting our voices. We inform the public of the true causes of war and the enormous costs of wars, with an obligation to heal the wounds of wars. Our network is comprised of over 140 chapters worldwide whose work includes: educating the public, advocating for a dismantling of the war economy, providing services that assist veterans and victims of war, and most significantly, working to end all wars.
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