Opinion Editorials, June 2010

Mass Outrage World Wide Against Israeli Terrorist Attack on the Freedom Flotilla

By Mazin Qumsiyeh

Mass outrage in Turkey as they buried the victims of the Israeli massacre dominated the news in the Islamic world (see amazing video of the funeral at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa8XvaR6-ZA ) . 

A US citizen was among those murdered: Furkan Dogan, 19 year old, was shot multiple times at close range (http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june042010/amp-flotilla.php ).  The 380 Turkish survivors were welcomed home as heroes.  The same for their comrades, the Greek members of the freedom flotilla (In the last seconds, you can see American citizen Dr. Paul Larudee showing the signs of his beating from Israeli authorities http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC-BcEvD_1w).
 
In other news, a statement issued by  hundreds of civil society organizations in the Arab World condemning the crime committed against the relief convoy and demanding the dismantling of the blockade on Gaza and the turnover of the Israeli`s war criminals to International Justice.  The Rachel Corrie ship is on its way to Gaza and expected to arrive Saturday morning local time so stay tuned and keep up the pressure on the apartheid system (see for updates http://freedomforward.org <http://freedomforward.org/>  ). Also we heard of a European Jewish ship planning to depart in July (details will be released just before the trip to avoid the Israeli sabotage).  Money for three other ships for the second flotilla of ships (called Freedom Flotilla 2) has been raised.  In other good news, the Klaxons and the Gorillaz Sound System have both canceled their performances in Israel this week, apparently due to Israel's deadly raid on the Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla and the ensuing worldwide political fallout over the incident.
 
Video: The Palestinian idyllic village of Wad Rahhal, like all villages trapped between the wall and the Green line is in dire situation.  The 2500 people of the village are 'unwanted' but their land is coveted by Israel (the apartheid Jewish state).  The illegal colonial settlement of Efrat swallowed much of the native land and now the wall that is planned will swallow much more (again the Zionist mantra of maximum geography with minimum demography).  Weekly demonstrations are now held.  This is an example of the demonstrations. This one, like hundreds this week, was also to support the Gaza freedom flotilla and thank Turkey for its principled stance (hence Turkish flags were flown).  ended peacefully.  Last week, tear gas was thrown.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy8tqDl5mA8
 
Pictures of demonstrations in Bir Al-Saba' (Beersheba)  Umm AlFahem and elsewhere within the green line and in other places about the act of piracy and war crimes committed against the flotilla of aid http://www.flickr.com/photos/activestills/show/
 
Political Correction: Lying About The Gaza Flotilla Disaster by MJ Rosenberg
 
http://politicalcorrection.org/fpmatters/201006020003
Israel foreign ministry fake pictures of weapons on the freedom flotilla (no wonder they refuse an independent investigation) http://www.politicaltheatrics.net/2010/06/the-gaza-flotilla-how-israel%E2%80
%99s-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-fakes-photos-of-seized-weapons/
 
What does Israel allow into the Gaza strip and what does it deny http://www.economist.com/node/16264970

 Also along the same vein:  Israel bans books, music and clothes from entering Gaza , Amira Hass, Haaretz http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/amira-hass-israel-bans-books-music-and-clothes-from-entering-gaza-1.276147

Evergreen State college students voted overwhelmingly in support of divestments (this is the college where Rachel Corrie studied before she was murdered by Israeli apartheid) http://usacbi.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/the-evergreen-state-college-passes-di
vestment-campaign/ 
 
The day the world became Gaza  By Ali Abunimah It is a cumulative process - each successive outrage has diminished the reserve of goodwill and forbearance Israel enjoyed. Even if most governments are not quite ready to go from words to effective actions, growing public outrage will eventually push them to impose official sanctions..
http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2010/06/2010638557492628.html
 
The Flotilla in the Israeli Press  by Ran HaCohen, June 02, 2010 Not many atrocities can be less controversial than Israel's attack on the Turkish-based flotilla heading to Gaza yesterday. Like Somali pirates, Israel attacked the boats in international waters. Like the darkest regimes, Israeli forces opened fire on unarmed civilians who had not posed a threat to anybody, except to the siege that Israel (with Egyptian co-operation and U.S. backing) imposes on Gaza. Condemnation of what the Turkish prime minister rightly termed "an act of state terrorism" has been global, except for the shameful mumbling of the American government (but what can you expect from the complicit?).
http://original.antiwar.com/hacohen/2010/06/01/the-flotilla-in-the-israeli-p
ress/
 
Seeking justice for Palestinians isn't anti-Semitism http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/opinion/24855828-47/israel-je
wish-anti-semitism-israeli.csp
 
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD

A Bedouin in Cyberspace, a villager at home
http://www.qumsiyeh.org <http://www.qumsiyeh.org/>     
Professor, Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities Chairman of the Board, Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People, http://www.pcr.ps <http://www.pcr.ps/>

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah & ccun.org.

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