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The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact: Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167

87 Senators vs. the Facts on Turkish Group IHH?

WASHINGTON


IARA LEE
Available for a limited number of interviews, Lee is recently back
from Turkey. She wrote the piece (and produced accompanying video) "Slandering
the Good Guys: Some Basic Facts About IHH
," which states: "In the
immediate aftermath of the massacre aboard the Mavi Marmara on May 31,
2010, while journalists and activists were detained and isolated from
the world, the Israeli government was quick to unleash their own version
of events. Like the physical assault on the boat, the Israeli media
assault was also reckless, clumsy, malicious, and dangerous. They were
cynical enough to understand that first impressions in the mainstream
American media are what count, and with this in mind they began to
frantically hurl the word 'terrorist' in reference to both the victims
of their attack, as well as one of the main organizers of the Gaza
Freedom Flotilla, the Turkish NGO IHH. It is a curious thing that few
people asked the Israeli government why they would release 'terrorists'
that they had in their custody, and even fewer asked for (or received)
solid evidence to support this claim. Despite the fact that several
courageous journalists both in the U.S. and abroad thoroughly debunked
the Israeli account of what happened (this includes deliberately
doctored footage along with the libelous accusations of links to
terrorism), the damage was done."

Lee added: "87 U.S. senators have urged President Obama to launch an
investigation of whether or not IHH should be added to the U.S. list of
foreign terrorist organizations. ... The vice president of IHH, Huseyin
Oruc ... was not interested in dignifying such claims, he was very
emphatic about the transparency of IHH's work over the years, and hoped
people would look at their large-scale sanitation and medical missions
around the African continent -- including 40,000 cataract surgeries in
Sudan alone, clean water projects in Ethiopia -- and IHH's extensive
work dealing with orphans in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
and Gaza."

Lee is director of Cultures
of Resistance
and an independent filmmaker who was on the Mavi
Marmara when Israeli forces boarded it in international waters.

Background: "Bipartisan
Group Of 87 Senators, Led by Reid And McConnell, Send Letter To
President Obama In Support Of Israel's Right To Self-Defense."

A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.