Iran to name street after Rachel Corrie

American activist Rachel Corrie

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/193197.html

The City Council of Tehran has announced that a street in the Iranian capital will be named after the American activist, Rachel Corrie.

During a session on Tuesday, the council ratified a proposal to name a street after the activist, who is viewed by many as an epitome of resistance against Israel, Fars news agency reported.

According to the proposal, the 27th street of Tehran's municipal District Six will be named after Rachel Corrie.

Corrie, a 23-year-old American activist from Olympia, Washington, and a member of the International Solidarity Movement, was crushed to death in the Gaza Strip by an Israeli bulldozer on March 16, 2003, when she intervened to prevent a Palestinian home from demolition.

The Israeli Army claimed her death was due to the bulldozer driver's restricted angle of view. Eyewitnesses, however, say there was nothing to obscure the driver's view.

'Spirit of Rachel Corrie' bound for Gaza

Malaysian humanitarian aid ship MV Finch left Egyptian waters on Monday after spending seven days at the waiting area off El-Arish Port.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/181385.html

A Malaysian aid ship, The Spirit of Rachel Corrie (officially known as MV Finch) is making a second attempt to break the deadly Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip after being stranded in Egyptian waters for a week.

The MV Finch, which carries humanitarian aid, was attacked by Israeli naval forces last Monday when the vessel was about 400 meters (yards) from Gaza and was forced into Egyptian waters.

Activists on board the ship say since being forced into Egyptian waters, Egyptian authorities have prevented the ship from docking at El Arish port.

"We have pulled our anchor and are now en route to Gaza. We had given the Egyptian authorities an ultimatum to let us dock by 2:00pm (1200 GMT) or we would set sail for Gaza but they did not respond," Matthias Chang, who is heading the mission for the Perdana Global Peace Foundation, told AFP by phone from the MV Finch

"We are now on the way to Gaza, and will face whatever the consequences," Chang said. "We are almost out of food and water and have been stuck on this ship since last Monday, we have no choice".

The activists also accused Cairo of collaborating with Tel Aviv to prevent aid ships from reaching Gaza.

"The Egyptian Navy is forcing us out of their territorial waters and has asked us to go to international waters. One Egyptian patrol boat is coming very fast from behind with a gun pointing at us. Everyone is calm and steady. We are okay," activist said.

The MV Finch, which left Greece on May 11, is carrying plastic pipes to help restore the sewage system in the tiny Palestinian territory.

Perdana Global Peace Foundation, headed by former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad, was also involved in the 2010 Freedom Flotilla trying to breach an Israeli naval blockade on Gaza, which ended in disaster after Israeli commandos attacked the aid flotilla, killing at least nine Turkish activists on board the Mavi Marmara, one of the ships in the flotilla.

Gaza has been under an all-out land, aerial and naval Israeli blockade since 2007, when Hamas, the democratically elected ruler of Gaza, took control of the coastal sliver.

Rabbi slammed for promoting 'genocide'

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (C) surrounded by members of his staff during a rally of his Shas party


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/140519.html


The chief Palestinian negotiator has urged worldwide condemnation of Israel's genocidal figures after a top Israeli clergyman wished all Palestinians dead.

Referring to the Palestinians, the founder and spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-orthodox Shas party, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef said on Saturday, "All these evil people should perish from this world," Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported.

He especially desired the demise of acting Palestinian Authority (PA) Chief Mahmoud Abbas, referring to him by name.

The remarks raised eyebrows partially as it came from a party partnering with Premier Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud in the ruling coalition. They also preceded upcoming direct peace talks between Israel and the PA.

The Palestinian official, Saeb Erekat, called on the international community "to condemn incitement to genocide by public figures in Israel," AFP reported.

Yosef "is literally calling for a genocide against Palestinians, and there seems to be no response from the Israeli government," he said in a statement.

"He is particularly calling for the assassination of…Abbas who within a few days will be sitting face to face with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Is this how the Israeli government prepares its public for a peace agreement?" Erekat pointed out.

He said Tel Aviv had "to do more about peace and stop spreading hatred."

The Shas spiritual leader made similar comments in April 2001, calling for the annihilation of Arabs.

Irish artists boycott Israel

A Palestinian child cries during the funeral of a 22-year-old
man who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138678§ionid=351020202


More than 150 Irish artists have launched a cultural boycott of Israel, refusing to either perform in the occupied territory or be funded by Tel Aviv-linked institutions.

The artists pledged to continue the boycott "until such time as Israel complies with international law and universal principles of human rights," The Irish Times reported on Friday.

The artists are demanding "an end of the occupation of Palestine; dismantling or at least stopping the settlements; and Israel negotiating in good faith with the Palestinians," said composer Raymond Deane.

Israel was fabricated on the back of full-fledged military operations against Palestine and other Arab territories in 1948.

The regime significantly dimmed the prospects of peace in 1967 by capturing and later annexing the adjoining East al-Quds (Jerusalem).

Despite international criticism of the occupation, Tel Aviv has been propping up Jewish settler units in the occupied West Bank, disregarding a Palestinian demand for reviving the peace process.

Singer and songwriter Damien Dempsey said Israel was being run by the military and expressed hope that the boycott would encourage young Israeli people to "speak out" against the regime, the paper added.

US rabbi to hold anti-Israel rallies

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138614§ionid=351020202


A rabbi has sharply criticized the Israeli regime for its crimes against Palestinians, saying Tel Aviv is not the representative of Jewish people.

In an interview with IRNA in New York, David Feldman, an anti-Zionist campaigner, also announced plans to organize protest rallies in several countries against Israeli violence on Palestinians.

The rabbi noted on Saturday that the protesters intend to raise public awareness that Israel is an anti-Semitic regime and it should lift its siege on the impoverished Gaza Strip.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the coastal enclave since 2007. The 1.5 million population of Gaza have endured severe conditions, constantly suffering from lack of basic living supplies.

Feldman emphasized that rabbis have always been opposed to Zionism and Israel, adding that the demonstrators will be carrying posters at their rallies to express anger toward the regime.

He said that his organization had held several demonstrations in Canada and the United States so far.

The rabbi also said that the people around the world are not aware of Israeli crimes against the innocent people of Palestine and it is our responsibility to expose the crimes committed by Israel.

Irish body plans second Gaza flotilla

The Irish Ship to Gaza Committee plans to sail in
a second Freedom Flotilla to Gaza


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=137604&sectionid=351020202


The Irish Ship to Gaza Committee has announced plans to buy a ship to sail in a second Freedom Flotilla to Gaza.

The committee, which comprises a number of Irish anti-war and pro-Palestinian organizations, intends to dispatch a convoy to the impoverished Palestinian territory in October, the Belfast Telegraph reported.

A first Freedom Flotilla to Gaza was intercepted and boarded by Israeli army troops three months ago while sailing in the international waters off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli troops indiscriminately killed nine peace activists on board a Turkish aid ship and wounded several others in an attack that drew international condemnation.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Corrigan Maguire was among those on board one of the vessels attempting to deliver medicines and other supplies to Palestinian people in Gaza.

At a meeting in Istanbul three weeks ago, organizers agreed to create a second Freedom Flotilla, this time with 12 to 15 ships.

Another aid ship to set sail for Gaza

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=129223§ionid=351020202



Pro-Palestinian activists have launched a campaign to send another aid ship to the Gaza Strip in continuing efforts meant to break the siege of Gaza.

The organizers of the initiative, "Free Palestine Movement" and "Reporters Without Limits," say the vessel will be carrying educational supplies for children of the besieged Palestinian strip.

The two non-governmental groups say the ship is slated for departure from a Lebanese port next week in hope of putting an end to the Israeli blockade.

In addition to aid, the ship will carry 50 Arab and foreign journalists and 25 European activists, including some MPs, AFP reported on Saturday.

The effort comes after Israel seized another Gaza-bound aid ship, named the Rachel Corrie on Saturday, only five days after Tel Aviv's military attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

Swedish union to blockade Israeli ships

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=129191§ionid=351020606


Swedish dockworkers plan to launch a blockade of Israeli ships and goods to protest the May 31 attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla.

According to Peter Annerback, the spokesperson for the Swedish Port Workers Union, the workers of the union will block Israeli ships and not handle any of their goods from June 15 to 24.

He went on to say that the decision to blockade Israeli ships and goods was taken to condemn the "criminal attack" on the convoy of ships, which was peaceful and non-violent.

All of the 1500 members of the Swedish Port Workers Union have mutually decided to support the Ship to Gaza, which was a part of the Freedom Flotilla.

The Israeli military attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea early on May 31, killing nine Turkish citizens on board the six ships and injuring about 50 other people.

The fate of three other Freedom Flotilla activists is still unknown.

Israel also arrested nearly 700 activists from 42 countries on board the Freedom Flotilla, which was attempting to break the siege of Gaza in order to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to the long-suffering people of the territory.

Brits protest outside Israeli Embassy

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=129162§ionid=351020606



Several thousand people are protesting in Britain against the Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy that killed nine people and injured another 50.

The protesters marched from Downing Street to the Israeli Embassy in London on Saturday, urging the British government to step up pressure on Israel following the deadly commando attack.

The demonstrators were waving flags and placards calling for an end to the Israeli siege of the impoverished coastal strip still recovering form last year's three-week Israeli blitz.

Demonstrators also expressed their outrage over Israeli defiance of the international community in boarding one of the last ships on the flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on Saturday.

Israeli navy forces seized the MV Rachel Corrie on Saturday, preventing it from breaking the three-year Israeli-imposed blockade of the beleaguered Palestinian territory.

Among the protesters was Sarah Colborne, 43, of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, who was aboard the Freedom Flotilla's Turkish flagship, Mavi Marmara, when it was stormed.

Colborne, who spent almost two days in Israeli custody following the attack, rejected Israeli claims that the activists had terrorist ties, stressing that the boats were purely on a relief mission.

Israel thumbs nose at world anger

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=129235§ionid=351020202



Israel has triggered a new tide of global outrage after it started circulating a video that pokes fun at the Freedom Flotilla activists, recently attacked by armed Israeli commandos.

While world countries and international organizations are up in arms over a deadly Israeli attack on a ship carrying aid for Gazans, Tel Aviv continues to refuse to show any remorse for its violent actions.

In a move that further added insult to injury, the Israeli Press Office (GPO) distributed a link to a highly offensive musical video, dubbed "We Con the World", which was put together by a former member of the Israeli military, Caroline Glick.

Set to the tune of the 1985 hit, "We are the World", the video shows over a dozen Arab lookalikes sporting traditional clothes and singing satirical verses, such as "There's no people dying, so the best that we can do is create the biggest bluff of all."

The move raised a storm of protest across the globe, which was instantly shrugged off by Glick, who described the video as "an important Israeli contribution to the discussion of recent events."

Glick, who now serves as a columnist for an Israeli daily, said she hoped the video would be distributed "far and wide."

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev, unabashed by the tidal wave of world condemnation, also brushed aside criticism over the video link, saying he actually thought it was "funny."

"I called my kids in to watch it because I thought it was funny," he said, adding that he first noticed the video on the New York Times website.

"It is what Israelis feel … The GPO distributes non-government items, things that we think that show our side of the story," Regev said.

The new move by Israel comes as twenty-eight children lost their fathers as a result of the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy.

Nine people died on May 31 when Israeli soldiers opened fire on the Turkish vessel M.V. Mavi Marmara as it attempted to transport humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.

28 children orphaned by Flotilla attack

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=129187§ionid=351020202



Twenty-eight children lost their fathers as a result of the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla.

Nine people were shot dead on May 31 by Israeli soldiers who attacked the Turkish vessel M.V. Mavi Marmara as it attempted to transport humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.

Eight of them were fathers whose children are now yatims due to the Israeli assault on the Freedom Flotilla.

The Arabic word yatim is usually translated as orphan. However, in the Islamic religion, the word yatim actually means a child whose father is dead or whose father and mother are dead. This is the reason why Islamic media outlets are calling the children orphans.

Following are brief biographies of the nine people, as reported by Lawrenceofcyberia.blogs.com:

1. Ibrahim Bilgen

Ibrahim Bilgen, 61, was an electrical engineer from Siirt. He was a member of the Chamber of Electrical Engineers of Turkey. He ran as a Saadet (Felicity) Party candidate in the Turkish general election of 2007 and the Siirt mayoral election of 2009. He was married with 6 children.

2. Ali Haydar Bengi

Ali Haydar Bengi, 39, ran a telephone repair shop in Diyarbakir. He was a graduate of Al-Azhar University, Cairo (Department of Arabic Literature). He was married to Saniye Bengi and had four children — Mehunur (15), Semanur (10), and twins Mohammed and Senanur (5).

3. Cevdet Kiliçlar

Cevdet Kiliçlar, 38, was from Kayseri. He was a graduate of Marmara University's Faculty of Communications and formerly a newspaper journalist for the National Gazette and the Anatolia Times. For the past year, he was a reporter and webmaster for the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH). He was married to Derya Kiliçlar, and had one daughter, Gülhan, and one son, Erdem.

4. Cetin Topçuoglu

Cetin Topçuoglu, 54, was from Adana. He was a former amateur soccer player and taekwondo champion who coached Turkey's national taekwondo team. He was married and had one son, Aytek. His wife, Cigdem Topçuoglu, was also aboard the Mavi Marmara, but survived.

5. Necdet Yildirim

Necdet Yildirim, 32, was an IHH aid worker from Malatya. He was married to Refika Yildirim and had one daughter, Melek, aged three.

6. Fahri Yaldiz

Fahri Yaldiz, 43, was a firefighter who worked for the Municipality of Adiyaman. He was married and had four sons.

7. Cengiz Songür

Cengiz Songür, 47, was from Izmir. He was married to Nurcan Songür and had six daughters and one son.

8. Cengiz Akyüz

Cengiz Akyüz, 41, was from Iskenderun. He was married to Nimet Akyüz and had three children — Furkan (14), Beyza (12), and Erva Kardelen (nine).

9. Furkan Dogan

Furkan Dogan, 19, was in his senior year at Kayseri High School, where he was awaiting the results of his university entrance exams. He had hoped to become a doctor and loved chess. He was the son of Dr. Ahmet Dogan, an associate professor at Erciyes University. He was a Turkish-American dual national with two siblings.

The Israeli military attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea early on May 31, killing nine Turkish citizens on board the six ships and injuring about 50 other people.

The fate of three other Freedom Flotilla activists is still unknown.

Israel also arrested nearly 700 activists from 42 countries on board the Freedom Flotilla, which was attempting to break the siege of Gaza in order to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to the long-suffering people of the territory.

Erdogan plans breaking Gaza siege

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=129221§ionid=351020204



As Turkey mourns the death of activists by Israeli forces, Turkey's Prime Minister considers travelling to the Gaza Strip to break the siege on the sliver personally.

The Lebanese newspaper Al-Mustaqbal reported on Saturday that Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan told close associates about his plan to visit the strip to "break the Israeli blockade."

He reportedly informed the US that he considers asking the Turkish navy to accompany aid ships sailing to the Gaza Strip in the future, a plan Washington advised to delay.

Turkey has also formed a commission to investigate Israel's Monday attack on the Freedom Flotilla which left nine Turkish nationals killed.

Namik Tan, Turkish Ambassador to the US, wrote on the Washington Post earlier that "this was the first such attack against civilian Turkish citizens by a foreign military force in our republic's 87-year history."

Ankara demanded an apology by Tel Aviv, a measure Israel said it would not take.

The Gaza Freedom Flotilla, which was stormed by Israeli troops on May 31, attempted to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian supplies to the besieged people of Gaza.

The brutal assault carried out by Israeli commandos left more than 40 others injured.

Iran to provide solution for Gaza crisis

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=129248§ionid=351020101



Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says he will present a set of 'constructive' proposals to resolve the crisis engulfing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

"After careful deliberation, Iran has come up with a set of tangible and practical proposals to stop Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip and resolve the crisis in the sliver," IRNA quoted him as saying on Sunday.

Mottaki made the comments upon arrival in the Saudi city of Jeddah to attend an emergency session of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) on a recent Israeli attack against a Gaza-bound aid ship.

He explained that the tidal wave of condemnation from world countries and international organizations show that Israel had seriously crossed the line when it decided to open fire on humanitarian activists aboard the Freedom Flotilla.

"This inhuman move [by Israel] has been condemned and denounced on the global scene and by leading organizations," he said, expressing hope that the OIC session will be successful in its efforts against Tel Aviv.

"Fortunately, the attack failed to stop the international campaign against [Israel's ongoing blockade of Gaza]….we now see that another ship has set sail for Gaza while more and more countries are voicing support [for the Palestinian cause]," he noted.

Nine people were gunned down by Israeli commandos in the Monday attack on the Turkish vessel M.V. Mavi Marmara, one of whom was a Turkish teenager.

Against a backdrop of Israel's refusal to accept responsibility, OIC Foreign Ministers will convene in Jeddah to explore ways to put a stop to Israeli crimes.

With 57 member states from four continents, the OIC is said to be one of the biggest international organizations and a key player in world affairs.

Israel deports aid ship activists

Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/06/20106632654441269.html



Israel has begun deporting passengers and crew it seized on board an aid ship aiming to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Eleven activists and eight crew were detained on Saturday after the Malaysia-funded Irish ship, the Rachel Corrie, ignored warnings to divert to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Six Malaysians crossed the Allenby bridge into Jordon on Sunday after being released by Israel. A Cuban activist, who was injured in last week's assault on the Mavi Mamara, was also released.

One of the freed activists from the Rachel Corrie said that they had been seized outside the maritime exclusion zone enforced by Israel on Gaza.

"Unfortunately we were stopped and they came on baord about 10 miles from the 25 miles line. We didnt resist and gave full co-operation," the activist said.

Meanwhile, Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Ashdod, said the vessel Rachel Corrie is being held at the port while its cargo is inspected.

"The aid will be taken off and inspected," she said. "It is not clear how much of it will be taken to Gaza."

The seizure of the Rachel Corrie came five days after Israeli troops killed nine activists while raiding a flotilla of aid ships carrying humanitarian supplies for the beseiged Palestinian territory.

Israeli statement

Israeli naval vessels trailed Rachel Corrie for several hours before boarding it, jamming its radar and cutting off all radio communication.

Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said naval forces involved in Saturday's operation had followed exactly the same procedures as they had done earlier in the week, but the difference lay in the attitude of the activists on board the vessel.

"We saw today the difference between a ship of peace activists, with whom we don't agree but respect their right to a different opinion from ours, and between a ship of hate organised by violent Turkish terror extremists ... waiting for our soldiers on the deck with axes and knives," Netanyahu's office cited him as saying.

Raising awareness

Mukhriz Mahathir, head of the Perdana Global Peace Organisation, a Malaysian non-governmental organisation that sponsored the Rachel Corrie, said people would be willing to contribute to further aid ships.

"These actions have finally succeeded in raising lots of awareness," he said.

"But for the moment, we are upset that these aid goods have not reached their destination."

The Rachel Corrie is named after an American womanwho was killed by an Israeli military bulldozer in the Gaza Strip in 2003, while protesting against a house demolition.

Pro-Palestinian activists on board the ship had earlier said they were determined to press ahead towards the Gaza coast, despite the Israeli warnings.

"We are not afraid and we are all advocating non-violence… and we will just sit here and go if they insist on commandeering our boat and forcing us into Ashdod," Mairead Maguire, an activist and Nobel Peace laureate aboard Rachel Corrie, said before radio contact with the ship was lost.

The Israeli military had cautioned that troops would consider storming the ship, if it continued its journey towards Gaza.

Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston, reporting from Gaza, said the Rachel Corrie had hundreds of tonnes of aid, including medical supplies, wheelchairs, cement, building materials and even note pads for children.

UNRWA appeal

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Saturday, Chris Gunness, a spokesman for UNWRA, the United Nations Palestine refugee agency, underscored the need for Gaza's land and sea blockades to be lifted.

"The World Health Organisation needs $20m worth of aid to enter Gaza, there is 44 per cent unemployment and education is in crisis," he said.

"We are turning thousands of five and six year olds away from our schools [and] 39,000 children in Gaza are not receiving United Nations education because we cannot get our building materials in.

"We also want to see exports coming out of Gaza. It is already 80 per cent aid dependent. What we don't want is to make it more aid dependent."

The developments surrounding the Rachel Corrie came as the UN human-rights chief said that Israel could face prosecution for Monday's flotilla raid, and that she was following requests for a referral to the International Criminal Court [ICC] in The Hague.

"I am following very closely the very many calls that come particularly from civil society and from all the people who are suffering in Palestine for that kind of action to be taken," Navi Pillay said on Saturday in Kampala, Uganda, where she was attending the ICC's ongoing review conference.

She said she believed Israel's blockade of Gaza violates international law.

"International humanitarian law prohibits starvation of civilians as a method of warfare ... It is also prohibited to impose collective punishment on the civilian population, so it is [for those reasons] that I have consistently reported to member states that the blockade is illegal and must be lifted," Pillay said.

"Even if it is demonstrated that the blockade is legal under international law, Israel's current military operations against the flotilla must be analysed from the perspective of its obligation to allow humanitarian aid to be brought into the Gaza Strip."

'Israelis threw 4 injured into the sea'

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=129190



Activist Idris Simsek, who was on board one of the six ships of the Freedom Flotilla during the Israeli attack, claims that four wounded activists were thrown into the sea.

The Israeli troops also put immense psychological pressure on the activists of the Freedom Flotilla, the Turkish daily Today's Zaman quoted Simsek as saying in an article published on Saturday.

Simsek said they expected some harassment from the Israeli forces but did not expect an armed attack.

He went on to say that he witnessed that the person who waived the white flag to surrender was shot by the Israeli troops.

Erol Demir, another activist who was on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, said there is film footage of the chaos and the carnage on the ship and stated that the footage will show the real face of the Israeli military to the entire world.

“They even shot those who surrendered. Many of our friends saw this. They told me that there were handcuffed people who were shot,” he added.

Hakan Albayrak, a journalist from the Turkish daily Yeni Safak who was also on the ship, said, “It was an outright massacre what Israel did out there. They attacked us in international waters… We had no weapons. I think we lost more people.”

The Israeli military attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea early on May 31, killing nine Turkish citizens on board the six ships and injuring about 50 other people.

The fate of three other Freedom Flotilla activists is still unknown.

Israel also arrested nearly 700 activists from 42 countries on board the ships of the Freedom Flotilla, which was attempting to break the siege of Gaza in order to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to the long-suffering people of the territory.

'Rachel Corrie victim of piracy, terror'

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=129143§ionid=351020202



Hamas has lambasted Israel for seizing the Rachel Corrie, the aid vessel which had set sail to challenge Tel Aviv's siege of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian resistance movement's spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri said on Friday that "the storming of the Rachel Corrie ship is an act of Israeli pirating and terror. It is a challenge to the international community and a provocation to humanitarian feelings," Reuters reported.

The surge, earlier in the day, saw the Israeli military taking over the Irish vessel in the national waters before towing it away to the port of Ashdod, south of Israel. There were 11 activists onboard the ship.

"Such an Israeli crime to prevent supporters of the Palestinian people will never succeed to end the arrival of those ships. The only way to stop those ships from coming is to end the blockade."

The Gazans have endured almost three years of an all-out Israeli siege which has deprived them of food, fuel and other necessities.

Ghassan Khatib, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority also said Israel is acting violently against peaceful activists.

The seizure came only five days after Israel attacked the multinational relief mission of Freedom Flotilla.

The assault in international waters 150 km (90 miles) off the coast of Gaza killed at least 9 people and left scores more injured.

Israeli troops board Gaza aid ship Rachel Corrie

Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/06/201064235620154213.html


Israeli soldiers have boarded a Malaysian-funded Irish aid ship heading towards Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, and forced it to head towards the Israeli port of Ashdod instead.

The Israeli military in a statement said troops boarded MV Rachel Corrie on Saturday after activists aboard the ship ignored warnings to divert to Ashdod.

"There was no violence or injuries amongst the soldiers or crew...and no shots were fired," the statement added, saying the ship was now being led to Ashdod.

Activists on board the ship were attempting to break the siege of Gaza imposed by Israel, five days after Israeli troops violently intercepted a flotilla of aid ships carrying humanitarian aid for the territory, killing nine activists.

Israeli naval vessels had been trailing the ship for several hours before storming it. Rachel Corrie's radar had also been jammed, cutting off all radio communiation.

Pro-Palestinian activists had earlier said they were determined to press ahead towards the Gaza coast, despite the Israeli warnings.

"We are not afraid and we are all advocating non-violence… and we will just sit here and go if they insist on commandeering our boat and forcing us into Ashdod," Mairead Maguire, an activist aboard Rachel Corrie, said before radio contact with the ship was lost.


Israeli warning

The Israeli military had warned that troops would consider storming the ship, if it continued its journey towards Gaza.

In a statement, the Israel navy warned the ship that it was "approaching an area of hostilities which is under a naval blockade. The Gaza area, coastal region and Gaza Harbour are closed to all maritime traffic."

Avital Leibovich, an Israeli military spokeswoman, told Al Jazeera that the military had a government directive to make sure the ship does not reach Gaza.

Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston, reporting from Gaza, said the ship had hundreds of tonnes of aid, including medical supplies, wheelchairs, cement, building materials and even note-pads for children.

Determined activists

Dennis Halliday, the former UN assistant secretary-general who is also on board the ship, said on Friday that they expected Israeli military to intercept them.

"The cargo was checked three times - by trade unions in Ireland, by a member of the Irish senate, as well as Irish customs at the port," Halliday said.

"The cargo is sealed and we can't even access it ourselves," he said, explaining why they refused to take the ship to Ashdod.

The Malaysian-funded ship is carrying 11 activists, including Mairead Corrigan, a Nobel Peace laureate and eight crew members.

The ship is named after an American womanwho was killed by an Israeli military bulldozer in the Gaza Strip in 2003, while trying to protest a house demolition.

The Rachel Corrie is funded by Perdana Global Peace Organisation, a Malaysian non-governmental organisation headed by Mahathir Mohamad, the country's former prime minister.

Siege 'unsustainable'

Meanwhile in Washington the US said Israel's blockade on Gaza was unsustainable.

"We are working urgently with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and other international partners to develop new procedures for delivering more goods and assistance to Gaza," Mike Hammer, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said.

"The current arrangements are unsustainable and must be changed. For now, we call on all parties to join us in encouraging responsible decisions by all sides to avoid any unnecessary confrontations," Hammer said in a statement.

"It remains a US priority to provide assistance to the people of Gaza," Hammer said.

"In the interest of the safety of all involved, and the safe transmission of assistance to the people of Gaza, we strongly encourage those on board the Rachel Corrie and other vessels to sail to Ashdod to deliver their materials to Gaza," Hammer said, referring to the Israeli port.

Freedom Flotilla sets sail for Gaza

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=126842§ionid=351020202


The Freedom Flotilla of three cargo ships and five passenger ships plans to attempt to break the siege of Gaza, and the first ship has already set sail.

Tel Aviv has imposed a land, air, and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip since mid-June 2007, when the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas gained control of the territory.

The restrictions have deprived Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinians of fuel, food, and other necessities.

The Freedom Flotilla convoy carries 5,000 tons of construction materials, medical equipment, and school supplies, as well as around 600 people from 40 countries.

"This is a provocation and a breach of Israeli law," AFP quoted Israeli Foreign Ministry official Naor Gilon as saying on Monday.

Addressing a meeting of foreign ambassadors, he said, "Israel has no intention of allowing the flotilla to enter Gaza."

The international human rights organization the Free Gaza Movement is coordinating numerous pro-Palestinian groups in the Freedom Flotilla project.

The Rachel Corrie, a Freedom Flotilla ship named after a US peace activist who was killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza in 2003, has already set sail.

US family seeks Israeli damages

Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/03/201031042646747585.html

The family of a US student activist killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza has launched a case against the Israeli government.

Rachel Corrie, whose family is seeking $324,000 in damages from the defence ministry, was one of several foreign activists killed in confrontations with Israel in occupied territory in the past decade.

She was nonviolently protesting against Palestinian home demolitions when the army bulldozer crushed her to death.

The proceedings on Wednesday in the Haifa district court in northern Israel, are likely to stoke controversy over Israel's treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters.

The Israeli army says Corrie, 23, a member of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement, was fatally hit by a concrete slab on March 16, 2003, as a bulldozer cleared a hideout for Palestinian fighters in the Gaza area.

The Israeli government failed to conduct a thorough investigation into Corrie's killing and her family, advised by the US state department, then filed a private lawsuit five years ago.


Witness accounts

Corrie's family, citing witness accounts, has charged the Israeli driver must have spotted her before moving the blade in her direction.

But Lieutenant-Colonel Avital Leibovich, an Israeli army spokeswoman, told the Reuters news agency in an interview that "the crew inside the bulldozer did not see her nor hear her".

She said tear gas and stun grenades had been fired to warn protesters to flee.

Cindy Corrie, the victim's mother, said in a statement: "As we approach the seven-year anniversary of Rachel's killing, my family and I are still searching for justice."


According to the family, the aim of the trial is not to get compensation but to find out the circumstances behind Rachel's death and hold the Israeli military responsible.


Two former activists in Gaza are to testify in the case.

Israelis have shown little sympathy for Corrie, whose death occurred at the height of a Palestinian uprising in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank in which thousands of Palestinians and hundreds of Israelis were killed.

The case is expected to fuel anger in a nation facing accusations by a UN report that its army and Palestinian fighters committed war crimes during the 2008-9 Israel-Gaza conflict.


Steven Plaut, an Israeli from Haifa, charged in a column for the Jewish Press newspaper that Corrie's parents were a "two-person anti-Israel propaganda SWAT team" who supported Israel's enemies.