On June 30th 2009 Israeli Occupation Forces forcibly boarded the Free Gaza boat, SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, and kidnapped 21 human rights workers and journalists who were on their way to deliver much needed humanitarian and reconstruction supplies to besieged Gaza. Those abducted by Israel include Nobel peace prize laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. Since its founding in 1948 the State of Israel has regularly kidnapped and tortured Palestinians, throwing them into forgotten prisons where they can languish for years. Today, over 11,000 Palestinian political prisoners without benefit of due process, some never even charged - men, women, and children - endure torture and isolation in Israeli jails, outdoor prison camps, and secret black sites. They come from all walks of life: doctors, journalists, parliamentarians, workers, resistance fighters, homemakers, students and others. They are our sisters and brothers. The 21 passengers aboard the Spirit of Humanity have been illegally incarcerated for their solidarity work with Palestine. 11,000 other members of our common human family are already imprisoned simply for being Palestinian. The Siege of Palestine is not simply the physical blockade against Gaza. The Siege includes the hundreds of checkpoints throughout the West Bank that separate families and communities and shatter any prospect for a viable Palestinian state. The Siege includes the millions of Palestinians in Diaspora, many of them dumped in squalid refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and elsewhere. The Siege is ever-present throughout all aspects of Palestinian life. This Siege is only strengthened when we pay more attention to the injustice done to 21 international solidarity workers than we do to the much greater injustices already being committed against millions of Palestinians. Sources: 1. http://www.freegaza.org/ 2. http://www.btselem.org/english/statistics/Detainees_and_Prisoners.asp 3. http://sumoud.tao.ca/?q=node/view/76 4. http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=7209&CategoryId=4 5. http://palestinianprisoners.blogspot.com/2009/04/palestinian-prisoners-families-protest_27.html
now what gives the terrorist regime of isreal the rights to block movements to and from gaza ? why was the humanitarian ship not allowed there ?
This is shocking and very terrible news, why isn't the human rights boat not allowed into Gaza? This is very very bad and this needs to change
Common sense and International law. Because Gaza is run by an internationally recognized terrorist group - Hamas.
which international law says that you can lay a siege on civilian towns for indefinite period of time? which international law says that humanitarian aid should be blocked from deserving populations ? more Israel committed war crimes and carried out reckless attacks and acts of wanton destruction in its Gaza offensive, an independent human rights report says http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8128210.stm
You forgot to mention how much did Israel ask in ransom Israel transfers dozens of trucks with humanitarian aid every day. We would be very happy if somebody would help us feed the palestinians, but it seems like the world want them to starve. If one is really into humanitarian work, such as myself, he don't have to illegally sail in our water, he just has to make a formal application, register his good, and submit it for delivery. It will be delivered with the state's daily shipments. Those clowns with the boats is old news, every couple of weeks we have idiots like that. Not much worthy stuff that they can deliver in these boats, They just use the Palestinian suffering to create personal political benefit. Earn a free headline. You seem to serve their cause.
Whatever you do please don't return former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney to us. We don't want her.
So basicly it is Israel that feed Gaza which is run by an internationally recognized terrorist group - Hamas. Sounds like they don't want someone else feed terrorists 'cept them...
Not quite. It is that they don't want all the smuggling of weapons and other materials the terrorists can use to continue their attacks on Israel. They will continue to get the basic level of humanitarian supplies. If they want a better life then they can recognize Israel and stop their terrorism. It is so simple a child would understand.
Actually you are wrong and even child would understand it. Stoping a ship and searching for weapons everyone can undestand but forcing them to go to Israeli harbour is something that is hard to undestand. We always help how much we can and not only to Gaza: http://www.hck.hr/?path=en http://www.croatiantimes.com/index.php?id=2433 http://www.caritas.hr/english/.
Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney Speaks From Israeli Prison - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkPvzSZRuDo