Israel warns foreign journalists: Joining Gaza flotilla is illegal

Source: Haaretz


The letter, signed by GPO director Oren Helman, states that the flotilla "is a dangerous provocation that is being organized by western and Islamic extremist elements to aid Hamas."

Helman asks editors to inform journalists that the Israel Defense Forces have been ordered to stop the convoy of ships from reaching Gaza, given that "The flotilla intends to knowingly violate the blockade that has been declared legally and is in accordance with all treaties and international law."

Furthermore, the letter says, "participation in the flotilla is an intentional violation of Israeli law and is liable to lead to participants being denied entry into the State of Israel for ten years, to the impoundment of their equipment and to additional sanctions."

Haaretz correspondent Amira Hass will be joining the flotilla, along with several dozen other journalists and several hundred activists from some 20 countries. Also joining the flotilla will be American writer Alice Walker, despite an American advisory that doing so could be a violation of U.S. law.

US defends Israeli flotilla attack

Source: http://northerntruthseeker.blogspot.com/2011/01/israel-controls-america-us-defends.html

The US has described an Israeli probe into a raid on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla aid convoy that killed nine Turkish activists as a "credible and impartial" effort.
The praise came after an Israeli investigation panel declared Tel Aviv's military attack on the Freedom Flotilla as "legal" under international law, Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported. 

The panel also claimed that the Israeli soldiers who took part in the killing of the nine activists acted in self-defense. 

The activists aboard the aid convoy, which was attacked in international waters, were unarmed and only planned to deliver aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. 

"We think that this is an independent report, credible and impartial and transparent investigation that has been undertaken by Israel," US State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said on Monday. 

This is while an independent Turkish committee investigating the incident concluded on Sunday that "the Israeli Army used excessive force against the Mavi Marmara [the lead ship of the six-vessel fleet].” 

Israeli commandos attacked the convoy in international waters on May 31, 2010, killing nine Turkish activists and injuring about 50 others. 

The Israeli assault on the aid convoy provoked an international outcry, prompting Knesset members to set up a commission to investigate the legality of the raid as well as Israel's blockade of Gaza. 

Responding to the Israeli report, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the report had "no value or credibility," with the Turkish Foreign Ministry issuing a statement saying it was "appalled and dismayed" at the Israeli investigative committee's finding. 

Source: MD/PKH/AKM 

UN investigator of Gaza war crimes "happens to be" a Jew

Source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3785324,00.html

Judge Richard Goldstone, who headed the UN commission that investigated Operation Cast Lead said that he is saddened that Jews around the world feel that because he himself is a Jew that he should not investigate Israel. Goldstone said that as a Jew, he feels that he has a larger responsibility than most to investigate war crimes (!).
In an interview with CNN, Goldstone said that no comparison can be made between what is happening in Israel and what happened in Yugoslavia, saying that the Israeli-Palestinian situation does not even come close to what happened there. He said that though many people compare what goes on in the territories to apartheid, there are many differences.

U.N. commission accuses Israel, Hamas of Gaza war crimes

Author: Cliff Churgin

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090915/wl_mcclatchy/3312742

After a six-month investigation, the U.N.'s Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict has concluded there's evidence that Israeli forces and Palestinian militants committed war crimes during Israel's recent military operations in Gaza .
The mission, headed by South African jurist Richard Goldstone (!!!), called on the United Nations Security Council to monitor Israeli and Palestinian investigations into these charges and urged that if these aren't taking place in good faith to refer these cases to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands .
The 554-page report released Tuesday has detailed investigations into 36 incidents, including some that McClatchy reported previously, such as the shooting of civilians with white flags, the firing of white phosphorus shells and charges that Israeli soldiers used Palestinian men as human shields.
According to the report, these violations weren't aberrations but rather appeared to be "the result of deliberate guidance issued to soldiers."
The commission charged Palestinian groups with indiscriminately firing at southern Israel and causing terror among the civilian population. The mission didn't find evidence of Israeli charges that Palestinian militants deliberately hid among civilians. Israel has released a number of videos purporting to show Hamas militants using civilians for cover.
The commission, charged with investigating allegations of war crimes related to Israel's military operations in Gaza , began its work April 3 . The 22-day military operation, which began last Dec. 27 , cost the lives of more than 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.
The four-person mission came under attack almost immediately from Israeli officials, who refused to cooperate. They charged the mission with being one-sided, pointing out that the original mandate authorized an investigation into charges of Israeli war crimes and was altered only by an agreement between Goldstone and the president of the U.N. Human Rights Council .
Special criticism was reserved for commission member Christine Chinkin , a professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science , when it was discovered that she'd signed a letter last January published in The Sunday Times that accused Israel of war crimes.
A constant theme of Israeli soldiers' testimony after the war was that the Israel Defense Forces had made the protection of soldiers' lives its top priority. The report criticizes this approach, saying, "They must avoid taking undue risks with their soldiers' lives but neither can they transfer that risk to civilian men, women and children."
The mission didn't confine itself to investigating the operation. The report also refers to Israel's blockade of Gaza as a "collective punishment" and says "the series of acts that deprive Palestinians in the Gaza Strip of their means of subsistence, employment, housing ... could lead a competent court to find the crime of persecution, a crime against humanity, has been committed."
Mark Regev , a spokesman for the Israeli prime minister's office, reacted harshly to the report: "It was born in sin. Countries with atrocious human rights records sit there and criticize Israel . It's not just Israel that criticized the Human Rights Council . Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-Moon have criticized its obsession with Israel ," referring to the former and current U.N. secretaries general.
Israeli human rights groups have issued a statement calling on the government to "conduct an independent and impartial investigation into the suspicions."
Avi Bell , a professor of Law at Bar Ilan University , took exception to the report, disagreeing with its legal conclusions and pointing out, "They say they are a fact-finding mission. So how are they coming up with all these legal conclusions, especially wrong ones?"
The report is due to be presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Sept. 29 and the council will then decide whether to refer it to the Security Council . If it's referred to the Security Council , that council will decide whether to adopt the recommendations.
According to Bell, if charges are referred to the International Criminal Court, the court will have no jurisdiction, since Israel isn't a party to the court. "In order for the International Criminal Court to have jurisdiction, the accused has to be a citizen of a state that accepts the court's jurisdiction," he said.

Israel Rejects Probe Of Gaza War Conduct

Author: [author]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/16/AR2009091603427.html

Israel on Wednesday rejected a U.N. panel's call to open an independent inquiry into its wartime conduct in the Gaza Strip and launched a diplomatic campaign to thwart any prosecution of its soldiers in an international tribunal.

Officials said President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other senior ministers were telephoning counterparts abroad in an effort to discredit a harshly critical report by the fact-finding panel. The report concluded that both sides committed war crimes during an Israeli offensive last winter that took aim at rocket-firing militants in the Palestinian enclave but also left hundreds of civilians dead.

Peres declared at a news conference that the report, issued Tuesday by South African judge Richard Goldstone, is one-sided and "makes a mockery of history."

"It draws no distinction between the attacker and the attacked," Peres said. "The report essentially grants legitimacy to acts of terrorism, shooting and killing, and ignores the right and duty of any country to self-defense, as outlined in the U.N. charter."

Israel's assertive response reflected official concern that the 22-day assault on Gaza was a diplomatic and strategic defeat for the Jewish state, even though it has sharply reduced rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled territory.

US under Jews: Americans Support Israel and blame Hamas for Gaza

Author: Zalman Nelson

Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/133289

A majority of Americans support Israel and blame Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) for the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to a new poll commissioned by The Israel Project.
Americans blame the PA for the current conflict in Gaza (56 percent to 18 percent) and “Hamas leaders who control Gaza” for the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza (66 percent to 17 percent), the Public Opinion Strategies and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research poll of registered voters revealed.
Nearly half of Americans say they have seen, read or heard “a lot” about the military conflict in Gaza Strip, and sided with Israel’s anti-terror efforts over the PA by a 57 percent to 8 percent margin. The figures are virtually unchanged from pre-Gaza War polling in November 2008 (57 percent to 6 percent).
“Americans accept Israel’s justification for acting in Gaza because they accept Israel’s stated obligation to defend the safety of its citizens and the understanding that no country would allow rockets to fall on its citizens without taking action,” said Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research Dr. Stanley Greenberg.
Polled voters said they believe the Israeli-PA conflict is about ideology and religion (73 percent), and peace can only be achieved by acknowledging each other’s right to exist. Only 19 percent said they thought the conflict is really about land.
Americans also faired well when polled on their knowledge. Close to two-thirds of Americans knew that Israel withdrew all its troops and settlers from Gaza three years ago and that PA and Hamas terrorists have been regularly shooting rockets into Israel for years. A full 46 percent of Americans correctly identify Iran as a main supporter of Hamas’ terror activities.
Middle East peace can be achieved by getting the PA to stop shooting rockets into Israel (91 percent), getting the PA to stop teaching hate (90 percent), stopping Iran from arming, funding and training terrorists (87 percent), and getting Iran to stop its nuclear program (76 percent), said responders. In addition, stopping military incursions into Gaza (53 percent), opening all Gaza borders to the free flow of goods and services (55 percent), or stopping settlement expansion and giving up land to the PA (54 percent) are not necessary for achieving peace.
Despite tremendous domestic issues, nearly two-thirds of Americans believe their country must still work hard to bring peace to the Middle East and stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons (80 percent).
"Even in this time of war, while Americans are being confronted with difficult images and reports from Gaza, they remain supportive of Israel and concerned about the threat of Iran," said Neil Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies.

Top 5 Lies about Israel's Assault on Gaza

Author: Jeremy R. Hammond, editor of Foreign Policy Journal

Source: http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m50330&hd=&size=1&l=e

Lie #1: Israel is only targeting legitimate military sites and is seeking to protect innocent lives. Israel never targets civilians.

The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated pieces of property in the world. The presence of militants within a civilian population does not, under international law, deprive that population of their protected status, and hence any assault upon that population under the guise of targeting militants is, in fact, a war crime.

Moreover, the people Israel claims are legitimate targets are members of Hamas, which Israel says is a terrorist organization. Hamas has been responsible for firing rockets into Israel. These rockets are extremely inaccurate and thus, even if Hamas intended to hit military targets within Israel, are indiscriminate by nature. When rockets from Gaza kill Israeli civilians, it is a war crime.

Hamas has a military wing. However, it is not entirely a military organization, but a political one. Members of Hamas are the democratically elected representatives of the Palestinian people. Dozens of these elected leaders have been kidnapped and held in Israeli prisons without charge. Others have been targeted for assassination, such as Nizar Rayan, a top Hamas official. To kill Rayan, Israel targeted a residential apartment building. The strike not only killed Rayan but two of his wives and four of his children, along with six others. There is no justification for such an attack under international law. This was a war crime.

Other of Israel’s bombardment with protected status under international law have included a mosque, a prison, police stations, and a university, in addition to residential buildings.

Moreover, Israel has long held Gaza under siege, allowing only the most minimal amounts of humanitarian supplies to enter. Israel is bombing and killing Palestinian civilians. Countless more have been wounded, and cannot receive medical attention. Hospitals running on generators have little or no fuel. Doctors have no proper equipment or medical supplies to treat the injured. These people, too, are the victims of Israeli policies targeted not at Hamas or legitimate military targets, but directly designed to punish the civilian population.

Lie #2: Hamas violated the cease-fire. The Israeli bombardment is a response to Palestinian rocket fire and is designed to end such rocket attacks.

Israel never observed the cease-fire to begin with. From the beginning, it announced a "special security zone" within the Gaza Strip and announced that Palestinians who enter this zone will be fired upon. In other words, Israel announced its intention that Israeli soldiers would shoot at farmers and other individuals attempting to reach their own land in direct violation of not only the cease-fire but international law.

Despite shooting incidents, including ones resulting in Palestinians getting injured, Hamas still held to the cease-fire from the time it went into effect on June 19 until Israel effectively ended the truce on November 4 by launching an airstrike into Gaza that killed five and injured several others.

Israel’s violation of the cease-fire predictably resulted in retaliation from militants in Gaza who fired rockets into Israel in response. The increased barrage of rocket fire at the end of December is being used as justification for the continued Israeli bombardment, but is a direct response to the Israeli attacks.

Israel's actions, including its violation of the cease-fire, predictably resulted in an escalation of rocket attacks against its own population.

Lie #3: Hamas is using human shields, a war crime.

There has been no evidence that Hamas has used human shields. The fact is, as previously noted, Gaza is a small piece of property that is densely populated. Israel engages in indiscriminate warfare such as the assassination of Nizar Rayan, in which members of his family were also murdered. It is victims like his dead children that Israel defines as "human shields" in its propaganda. There is no legitimacy for this interpretation under international law. In circumstances such as these, Hamas is not using human shields, Israel is committing war crimes in violation of the Geneva Conventions and other applicable international law.

Lie #4: Arab nations have not condemned Israel’s actions because they understand Israel’s justification for its assault.

The populations of those Arab countries are outraged at Israel’s actions and at their own governments for not condemning Israel’s assault and acting to end the violence. Simply stated, the Arab governments do not represent their respective Arab populations. The populations of the Arab nations have staged mass protests in opposition to not only Israel's actions but also the inaction of their own governments and what they view as either complacency or complicity in Israel's crimes.

Moreover, the refusal of Arab nations to take action to come to the aid of the Palestinians is not because they agree with Israel’s actions, but because they are submissive to the will of the US, which fully supports Israel. Egypt, for instance, which refused to open the border to allow Palestinians wounded in the attacks to get medical treatment in Egyptian hospitals, is heavily dependent upon US aid, and is being widely criticized within the population of the Arab countries for what is viewed as an absolute betrayal of the Gaza Palestinians.

Even Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been regarded as a traitor to his own people for blaming Hamas for the suffering of the people of Gaza. Palestinians are also well aware of Abbas' past perceived betrayals in conniving with Israel and the US to sideline the democratically elected Hamas government, culminating in a counter-coup by Hamas in which it expelled Fatah (the military wing of Abbas' Palestine Authority) from the Gaza Strip. While his apparent goal was to weaken Hamas and strengthen his own position, the Palestinians and other Arabs in the Middle East are so outraged at Abbas that it is unlikely he will be able to govern effectively.

Lie #5: Israel is not responsible for civilian deaths because it warned the Palestinians of Gaza to flee areas that might be targeted.

Israel claims it sent radio and telephone text messages to residents of Gaza warning them to flee from the coming bombardment. But the people of Gaza have nowhere to flee to. They are trapped within the Gaza Strip. It is by Israeli design that they cannot escape across the border. It is by Israeli design that they have no food, water, or fuel by which to survive. It is by Israeli design that hospitals in Gaza have no electricity and few medical supplies with which to treat the injured and save lives. And Israel has bombed vast areas of Gaza, targeting civilian infrastructure and other sites with protected status under international law. No place is safe within the Gaza Strip.

Ahmadinejad’s Remarks at U.N. Conference on Racism

Although today many proponents of racism condemn racial discrimination in their words and in their slogans, a number of powerful countries have been authorized to decide for other nations based on their own interests and at their own discretions. And they can easily ridicule and violate all laws and humanitarian values, as they have done so.

Following World War II, they resorted to military aggression to make an entire nation homeless on the pretext of Jewish sufferings. And they sent migrants from Europe, the United States, and other parts of the world in order to establish a totally racist government in the occupied Palestine… And in fact in compensation for the dire consequences of racism in Europe… Okay, please. Thank you. And in fact in compensation for the dire consequences of racism in Europe, they helped bring to power the most cruel and repressive, racist regime in Palestine.

The Security Council helped stabilize this occupation regime and supported it in the past 60 years, giving them a free hand to continue their crimes. It is all the more regrettable that a number of Western governments and the United States have committed themselves to defend those racist perpetrators of genocide whilst the awakened conscience and free minded people of the world condemn aggression, brutalities and bombardments of civilians in Gaza. They have always been supportive or silent against their crimes. And before that, they have always been silent with regard to their crimes.

Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, what are the root causes of U.S. attacks against Iraq or invasion of Afghanistan? What are the root causes of U.S. attacks against Iraq invasion of Afghanistan? Was the motive behind the invasion of Iraq anything other than the arrogance of the then U.S. administration and the mounting pressures on the part of the owner of wealth and power to expand their sphere of influence, seeking the interests of giant arms manufacturing companies, affecting a noble culture with thousands of years of historical background, eliminating potential and practical threats of Muslim countries against the useful Zionist regime, or to control and plunder energy resources of the Iraqi people? Why, indeed almost a million people were killed and injured and a few more millions were displaced and became homeless. Why, indeed the Iraqi people have suffered enormous losses amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars. And why was hundreds of billions of dollars imposed on the American people and its allies as a result of these military actions? Wasn’t the military action against Iraq planned by the Zionists and their allies in the then U.S. administration in complicity with the arms manufacturing companies and the owner of the wealth?

The invasion of Afghanistan; restore peace, security, and economic well being in this country. The United States and its allies not only have failed to contain in Afghanistan, but also the illicit cultivation of narcotics multiplied in the course of their presence. The basic question is: What was the responsibility of the job of the then U.S. administration and its allies? Did it represent the world? Have they been mandated by them? Have they been authorized on behalf of the people of the world to interfere in all parts of the globe? And of course mostly in our region aren’t these measures a clear example of egocentrism, racism, discrimination, or infringement upon the dignity and independence of nations?

Source:

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22462.htm

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COMMENT

Our masters must be very upset seing their own concoction ("racism"), which has been used to extort guilt in "western democracies" since its invention by a Jew (Magnus Hirschfeld), is now being used against Israel, which normally stands above criticism but qualifies entirely to the definition of racism (nation state, ethnic cleansing, colonialism, intolerance).

Despite the eloquence wasted in this worthless "conference", whose entire purpose was ultimately to strengthen Jewish power, Mahmoud's message goes to deaf ears, as neither Jews, nor their servants, are interested in logical consistency or meaningful dialogue (a word voided of meaning in the west, implying variation on a single state-sponsored Semitic "truth"). What the latter cannot destroy by means of force, or by using the "free media" to smear (in absence of giving the wounded part the space to defend itself), they answer by employing the ostrich tactic of claiming "moral high ground" which gives them right to insulate themselves from criticism and thus be extempted to squeeze a dishonest answer, while their utter evilness and deshonesty stands exposed.