Mediterranean Piracy on the Fourth
US hostages held in foreign country on Fourth of July, including a former Congresswoman, after having been captured in a naked act of piracy in international waters after the Americans attempted to respond to a crisis provoked by crimes against humanity, as detailed by Amnesty International.
Once upon a time, Americans would have had the guts to mind such a thing.
See also Paul Craig Roberts.
Gazans and other Palestinians under Israeli occupation do not enjoy "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," and have not been able to "institute" a "government" of their own to secure those rights. The occupation authority that rules them does not derive its "powers" from the "consent of the governed" The occupation government has become destructive to these ends. I think we know what the American Founding Fathers would say the Palestinians need.
End/ (Not Continued)
posted by Juan Cole @ 7/04/2009 01:56:00 AM
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12 Comments:
You mean "consent of the governed," not "government"
Juan Cole
Come on Juan, your "US hostages held in foreign country on 4th of July" headline isn't at all about hostages, but Cynthia McKinney and The Free Gaza Movement's latest reckless attempt to get into Gaza. McKinney isn't being held hostage. She is being deported, which is taking longer than normal because she is not at all cooperating with Israeli authorities. J.Peled from Israeli Embassy in Washington stated, "It'll take a couple more days before she (Cynthia McKinney) is put on a plane and flown out of Israel".
Until then,
James Sexton
Good, brave remarks Dr. Cole. Thanks.
Let's hope that in the course of this FOURTH OF JULY the President of the USA has the guts to emulate the brave Founding Fathers by demanding the immediate freedom of USA citizens held by the Israel.
NPR has yet to even run a story on the matter. I don't think it's cowardice as much as it is a media blackout. This morning I almost vomited when I heard a brief news blurb on NPR about 2 aid workers kidnapped by the Sudan government. I searched their website to see if they had mentioned the Spirit of Humanity or Free Gaza; not one mention.
We have travelled very far from that begining. I remember one argument with a troll where they claimed those arguments only applied to americans! We are all much less for the evils we allow our government to enable. From the arabs to the environment to the 'economy', we can now see the byproducts of that ruthless pursuit of the american dream.
Bravo, Juan! Well noted, and timely.
On the morning of July 2, 2009 upon discovering the FREE GAZA website had crashed [due to heavy traffic] I phoned Greta Berlin, a founder and coordinator for the movement regarding the status of the 21 activists who were kidnapped on June 30th at gun point by Israeli Naval forces from the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, while it was sailing in international waters 23 miles off the coast of Gaza.
Greta said, "Two have been released and the Bahrainian's will be deported soon and hold a press conference when they land. The irony of it all is that Israel is probably going to charge them all with entering Israel illegally!"
I then phoned the US State Department Press office and left a message that as media I wanted to know what they are doing about the three Americans who had been kidnapped at gunpoint by Israeli Naval Forces while in international waters aboard a boat carrying token humanitarian aid but filled with the kind of hope that is angry at the way things are and courageous enough to do something to change the untenable situation in Gaza Palestine.
Within ten minutes I received a call back from spokesperson, Darby Holladay, but I couldn't take it at the time, for I had finally reached a human at the office of Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
On June 29th I left Regev my first voice message made while I was posting on my website that at the very moment the Israeli Navy had surrounded the FREE GAZA Movement boat and while in international waters it was being threatened and ordered to turn back or be fired upon.
Huwaida Arraf, one of the delegation leaders, was also on a phone at the time with the Israeli gunboats, and could be heard saying, "You Cannot Open Fire on Unarmed Civilians" several times.
Former U.S. Congresswoman, Cynthia McKinney, from on board the SPIRIT was flaming "…angry. We demand that the Israeli government call off their attack dogs. We are unarmed civilians aboard an unarmed boat delivering medical and reconstruction aid to other human beings in Gaza. Why in God's name would Israel want to attack us and threaten our safety and welfare? I call on President Obama and the international community to intervene now to prevent this situation from escalating with potentially drastic results to the civilians on board."
Since the boat's navigation equipment was jammed, it turned westward to remain in international waters and the Captain and crew were forced to navigate by compass to stay clear of Israeli waters...
US State Department's Press office rep told me that due to privacy issues he could not state who the three Americans were.
They are:
Cynthia McKinney, a former U.S. congressperson and presidential candidate, Adam Shapiro, a documentary film maker and Kathy Sheetz, a nurse and film maker who was traveling to Gaza to do human rights monitoring.
When Holladay reiterated Israel's claim that the unarmed boat was in Israeli waters I interrupted and informed him that no way will that float for the truth is already all over the Internet about the former ferry boat that was in international waters up until the Israeli Naval Forces commandeered her and drove her most recklessly to Israel.
I told Holladay that the State Department would be wise to keep informed about what's really happening to the Americans @ http://www.freegaza.org/
On July 3, 2009, the five kidnapped passengers from Bahrain left Israel via a private jet furnished by their king and the two Al Jazeera journalists will be freed but without the footage of the Israeli pirate-frogmen who boarded their boat and roughed up some of the passengers.
From his prison cell in Israel, Captain Denis said:
"It appears as though the Israeli government is drilling for natural gas in the buffer zone. That gas belongs to the people of Gaza. It seems to be one of their reasons for stopping us, perhaps they're worried that we may go back and tell the world what we have seen."
"McKinney...is being deported..."
Deported. Okaaaaay, let me see if I have this clear. Cinthia McKinney was with other civilians on a boat in international waters. The Israelis surrounded the boat, threatened to fire on it, and forced it to an Israeli port where they "arrested" McKinney and the others and took them into Israel, and now they are deporting her for......what? Entering Israel illegally?
i thought America's proud boast was that it never abandoned "one of its own"
well it is quite obvious while Israel holds the palestinians under military occupation, it holds the Land of the Free (not) under political occupation.
Yvonne Ridley
As a bit of context, my family has supported Israel for 3 generations. The most conservative and fundamentalist of my brothers has come to the conclusion that any criticism of Israel is now being unfairly labeled and politically attacked as anti-semitism.
Mr. Regev,
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il
Office of the Prime Minister of Israel,
Please note the letter below, which I will also be forwarding to US-California Senators Feinstein and Boxer. This is the first time I've written to the US government in opposition to the actions of the government of Israel. It won't be the last. Please note that the substance of my letter is to demand my government come into compliance with US law re embargo of military technology sales to a NPT non-signatory state, Israel. It is my legal opinion that missiles, F-16, F-15, their weapon systems, and a host of high-tech exports are legally prohibited for sale to an NPT non-compliant state.
Also note the link to an article below, describing July 2, 2009 actions by the IDF. Seizing and detaining US citizens in international waters, stealing and interning certified humanitarian aid they intended for victims of Israel is an illegal act, comparable to piracy.
I can't help but compare this latest seizure, and the embargo of basic food and shelter in Gaza, to British arrest and detention of Jewish refugees and aid after WW2. The Jewish refugees and settlers under the UN mandate felt justified in armed resistance. Why should America look on all armed Palestinian resistance Israeli to blockade, occupation, and lethal military operations as terrorism?
Respectfully, Israeli actions have made me angry. The arrogant actions of the nuclear armed state of Israel have galvanized me to activism. I will continue to pressure my government to take effective action, to cease our support for the Israeli security states' occupation of the W. Bank, Gaza and Arab E. Jerusalem.
-------
Dear US Congressman Issa,
It's time for American gov't to excercise our duties under our own Nuclear Non-Proliferation laws and treaties. Nuclear armed Israel has engaged in nuclear arms proliferation activity many times over the last 50 years. The US is constrained by our NPT laws against providing military technology to them.
This week,Israel publicly deployed Dolphin submarines with nuclear cruise missile capability to international Indian Ocean waters, adjacent to Iran. Nuclear-armed Israel is threatening Iran, and endangering our ships and servicemen in the Gulf and Iraq. Please take action to bring us into compliance with regard to selling technology to a country that is not NPT signatory, and has shown itself to be a proliferation risk.
CC Mark Regev
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il
http://www.sfbayview.com/2009/free-gaza-free-the-gaza-21-including-cynthia-mckinney-from-israeli-jail/
Free Gaza! Free the Gaza 21, including Cynthia McKinney, from Israeli jail!
Thank you Walking Wounded for what ALL of we the people need to do-call Israel on her abuses, light a fire under Congress and make Obama Do it:
End the siege,
End the Occupation of Gaza- Palestine
Free Vanunu!
Dear Yvonne,
RE: "America's proud boast was that it never abandoned "one of its own"
No doubt you know all about the day in infamy when the USA Govt. Failed to Support the Troops aboard the USS LIBERTY and the media went limp and accepted Israel's claim of 'mistaken identity' of the spy ship that navigated in INTERNATIONAL waters not far from Gaza on June 6, 1967.
Out of a crew of 294, thirty four USA service men were killed, 171 wounded and all scarred for life and all they want is justice-an open congressional investigation and a moment of silence every June 6th.
In 1967, Republican rep from Iowa, H.R. Gross stood up on the floor of the House and asked: [before he was 'shot' down]
"Is this Government now, directly or indirectly, subsidizing Israel in the payment of full compensation for the lives that were destroyed, the suffering of the wounded, and the damage from this wanton attack?
"It can well be asked whether these Americans were the victims of bombs, machine gun bullets and torpedoes manufactured in the United States and dished out as military assistance under foreign aid.
"Not one dollar of U.S. credit or aid of any kind [should] go to Israel until there is a firm settlement with regard to the attack and full reparations have been made [and Israel] provides full and complete reparations for the killing and wounding of more than 100 United States citizens in the wanton, unprovoked attack.
"I wonder how you would feel if you were the father of one of the boys who was killed in that connection-or perhaps you do not have any feelings with respect to these young men who were killed, wounded and maimed, or their families." [Page 271-273, "The Untold Story of Israel’s Deadly 1967 Assault on a U.S. Spy Ship" by journalist and son of a LIBERTY survivor, James Scott
Re attacks by radical zionists against elected US officials, see below. Note that the 2001 Issa murder plot/conviction was domestic, and never alleged to be a direct result of Israeli policy. The same can't be said of the several espionage convictions, where our citizens were recruited by Israel to spy against the USA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Defense_League
snip>
"On December 12, 2001, JDL leader Irv Rubin and a member named Earl Krugel were charged with planning a terror attack against the office of Arab-American Congressman Darrell Issa.[12] Authorities claimed that the two also planned attacks on the King Fahd Mosque in Culver City, California."
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