Gaza mercy ship seized by Israel

July 2, 2009
Gaza mercy ship seized by Israel

by David Masters


Israeli forces have kidnapped 21 human rights workers who were attempting to take medicines and aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

The workers, from 11 different countries, were travelling into Gaza with the aid supplies aboard the Free Gaza Movement boat, the Spirit of Humanity, when the boat was attacked and boarded by the Israeli navy.

Among the 21 workers forcibly taken were Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire and former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.

“This is an outrageous violation of international law against us,” said McKinney, a former US presidential candidate.

“Our boat was not in Israeli waters and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip.”

The ‘mercy ship’ has made a number of recent voyages to Gaza, including a recent trip taking European politicians to the region.

A report published this week by the International Committee of the Red Cross said Palestinians in Gaza are “trapped in despair”, with thousands still homeless in the aftermath of the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip in December and January.

Hospitals in Gaza are struggling to adequately treat patients, the report said, because Israel is disrupting the supply of medicines and medical equipment, despite demands from the Obama administration to let supplies in.

“President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies and that’s exactly what we tried to do,” McKinney said.

“We’re asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey.”

Mairead Maguire, winner of a Noble Peace Prize for her work in Northern Ireland, added: “The aid we were carrying is a symbol of hope for the people of Gaza, hope that the sea route would open for them, and they would be able to transport their own materials to begin to reconstruct the schools, hospitals and thousands of homes destroyed during the onslaught.

“Our mission is a gesture to the people of Gaza that we stand by them and that they are not alone.”

A total of eight UK nationals and residents were aboard the boat.

The British Foreign Office said it is aware of reports that the boat has been seized, and is working to establish the facts.

“We would be concerned if the stories of the Israeli Navy boarding the boat in international waters were true,” a Foreign Office spokeswoman said.

“We have made it clear to Israel that we are very concerned for the safety of British nationals.”

http://www.interfaith.org/2009/07/02/gaza-mercy-ship-seized-by-israel/

Israel Plans to Deport Gaza-Bound Boat Passengers

Israel plans to deport former U.S. lawmaker and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney and 20 other human rights activists who were aboard a relief boat seized by an Israeli naval ship Tuesday after it refused to stay away from an Israeli blockade of Gaza.

Authorities took the activists to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv where they await deportation, according to a news report in Israel.

McKinney, a longtime advocate for Palestinians, said her Greek-flagged boat, the Spirit of Humanity, was carrying medical supplies, cement, olive trees and children's toys to Gaza when it was intercepted by the Israeli navy.

The Free Gaza Movement organized the trip for the activists who hail from different countries, including Ireland, Britain and Bahrain.

"They simply kidnapped the passengers," FGM founding member Greta Berlin told Ynet news, an online publication based in Israel. "I call on the Israeli occupation forces to release our people immediately. It's funny. What are they going to do? Deport us? The last place we wanted to reach was Israel."

The Israeli military issued a statement Tuesday saying that the boat had attempted to break a blockade of Gaza and was forced to sail to an Israeli port after ignoring a radio message to stay out of Gaza waters.

The statement said navy personnel boarded the freighter Arion without any shots being fired, an those on board were to be handed over to immigration authorities. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said Israel was planning to free the crew and passengers.

"Nobody wants to the keep them here," he said. 'They will be released as soon as they are checked."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) urged President Obama to demand the release of the activists.

"Our government must take action to protect the right of American citizens to provide humanitarian relief to those suffering under an inhumane blockade," said Nihad Awad, the group's executive director. "We must not be complicit in the immoral and unjust siege placed on the people of Gaza."

It was the second time this year that Israel seized a relief boat carrying McKinney. In December, McKinney was among 16 people aboard a medical supply boat that collided with an Israeli naval ship as it tried to enter coastal waters around Gaza.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/01/reports-israel-plans-deport-cynthia-mckinney-seizing-gaza-bound-boat/

Can you imagine what would have happened if any other nation in the world had kidnapped a former US Congresswoman in such a way? Would their have been this silence from our President and his administration?

No law was broken, Sam.

Stephanie wrote:Can you imagine what would have happened if any other nation in the world had kidnapped a former US Congresswoman in such a way? Would their have been this silence from our President and his administration?

Israel has every right to preserve and protect itself just as any other soverign nation does. We have no business taking sides in the matter no matter who was aboard that ship. McKinney made the choice to be where she was and she now reaps the consequences of her choices.

The catch is that neither side, neither the Palastians or Isreal wants peace. There is nothing we are going to do to change their mindset. They have to do it themselves. Everytime we sit our nose in their affairs we make it worse.

Israel has every right to preserve and protect itself just as any other soverign nation does. We have no business taking sides in the matter no matter who was aboard that ship. McKinney made the choice to be where she was and she now reaps the consequences of her choices.

What threat did this mercy ship to Gaza and its unarmed passengers present to Israel?

ziggy wrote:

Israel has every right to preserve and protect itself just as any other soverign nation does. We have no business taking sides in the matter no matter who was aboard that ship. McKinney made the choice to be where she was and she now reaps the consequences of her choices.

What threat did this mercy ship to Gaza and its unarmed passengers present to Israel?

I have no idea. Mostlikely nor did they until they board the ship.

Once they boarded the ship and learned it was only carrying humanitarian aid, what right did the Israeli government have to hijack the ship and kidnap and detain the passengers? What threat did any of them, including former Representative McKinney pose then?

Stephanie wrote:Once they boarded the ship and learned it was only carrying humanitarian aid, what right did the Israeli government have to hijack the ship and kidnap and detain the passengers? What threat did any of them, including former Representative McKinney pose then?

I don't know if they posed any, other than aiding an enemy who has swore to remove Israel from the map. Be that as it may, it isn't our concern. Yes, we give aid to Israel and if you look at the Federal Budget we also give aid to the Palastinians. That is something we shouldn't do and I wise we didn't. This would be over and we wouldn't be having this discussion if we and the rest of world kept our noses out of the affair and let them settle it themselves.

By the way Stephanie, I'm neither pro Israel or pro Palastine. Both sides have done their share of atroscities, so neither is the innocent side. Speaking a "what if", if I had been the leader of Israel, I would have had the ship sunk, without regard to who was aboard. A message would have been sent tot he world that if they are going to aid the Palastinians they are going to face grave danger and it woudl have sent a message to the Palasitians that we mean business.

I'm a student of both the Roman art of war, General William Sherman, and Sun-Tzu. If you are going to fight, fight to accomplish two things, win quickly and decisively, and destory their will to desire to ever wage war again. That isn't accomplished by allowing busybodies to provide aid and comfort to your enemy.

Cato wrote:

Stephanie wrote:Once they boarded the ship and learned it was only carrying humanitarian aid, what right did the Israeli government have to hijack the ship and kidnap and detain the passengers? What threat did any of them, including former Representative McKinney pose then?

I don't know if they posed any, other than aiding an enemy who has swore to remove Israel from the map. Be that as it may, it isn't our concern. Yes, we give aid to Israel and if you look at the Federal Budget we also give aid to the Palastinians. That is something we shouldn't do and I wise we didn't. This would be over and we wouldn't be having this discussion if we and the rest of world kept our noses out of the affair and let them settle it themselves.

By the way Stephanie, I'm neither pro Israel or pro Palastine. Both sides have done their share of atroscities, so neither is the innocent side. Speaking a "what if", if I had been the leader of Israel, I would have had the ship sunk, without regard to who was aboard. A message would have been sent tot he world that if they are going to aid the Palastinians they are going to face grave danger and it woudl have sent a message to the Palasitians that we mean business.

I'm a student of both the Roman art of war, General William Sherman, and Sun-Tzu. If you are going to fight, fight to accomplish two things, win quickly and decisively, and destory their will to desire to ever wage war again. That isn't accomplished by allowing busybodies to provide aid and comfort to your enemy.

By what legal and moral authority would you have sunk an unarmed ship regardless of who was aboard?

Since when do medical supplies and crayons for children constitute aid and comfort to the enemy?

What other nation would we continue to provide aid to who continually interfer with Americans violating no law, American or international? That boat was not in Israeli waters, Cato. Those people weren't carrying weapons, they were carrying humanitarian supplies to children who have endured the trauma of war and the Israeli government knew that when they stopped that ship.

If we are going to use the cover of International Law to protect our nation and our people, Israel must be held accountable for these actions, and other crimes commited by the Israeli government against US citizens seeking to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.

The rules of blockade are somewhat complicated.

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/running+a+blockade

And just what was Cynthia McKinney doing on that boat?

She was carrying a suitcase full of crayons.