At the behest of Tel Aviv and Washington, Greek authorities stopped a small flotilla from sailing to Gaza in a challenge to Israel’s four-year blockade of the narrow strip of land and its 1.6 million people. Now, apologists for Israel’s right-wing Likud government are heaping scorn on the passengers, as Ray McGovern notes.
FREEDOM FLOTILLA
Submitted by Sullivan on Thu, 2011-07-21 07:29
An Arab member of the Israeli parliament (Knesset) has been barred from carrying out her duties as a lawmaker for her participation in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last year.
Submitted by Sullivan on Wed, 2011-07-20 22:08
Three Israeli Navy combat ships have surrounded the only vessel of the Freedom Flotilla trying to break the naval blockade of Gaza. Other ships from the humanitarian mission were detained earlier in Greece.
The French yacht Dignity al-Karama with sixteen activists, crew members and journalists onboard was stopped en route to the Gaza Strip. The ship had intended to reach its destination by Tuesday afternoon.
Israel demanded that the ship turn and sail to Israel's Ashdod port or to Egypt, a military spokesman said. According to sources on the boat, the military say marines will raid the ship if it attempts to proceed.
Submitted by Sullivan on Tue, 2011-07-19 22:20
The Fine Gael/Labour government has dumped Fianna Fail’s critical attitude to Israeli excesses and instead turns a blind eye, even as Israeli Special Forces sabotage the MV Saoirse, threatening the lives of Irish citizens in the Gaza relief flotilla. The government response has been about as terrifying as the proverbial dead sheep.
Submitted by Sullivan on Mon, 2011-07-18 07:37
- Sullivan's blog
- Login or register to post comments
- Read more
- 88 reads
'Fly-in' activists take part in demonstration in West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, Channel 10 reports; four foreign nationals taken in for questioning.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sun, 2011-07-10 10:19
The Dignité has 10 activists on board and is part of the 10-boat Freedom Flotilla that has tried to leave Greek waters for Gaza over the past week.
Tags:
Submitted by Sullivan on Sat, 2011-07-09 20:55
Checkpoint israélien à Paris / An Israeli checkpoint in Paris
Submitted by Sullivan on Sat, 2011-07-09 11:32
The behavior of the Greek Government, surely a reflection of its precarious financial and political situation, also violates the law of the sea: foreign flagged vessels can be detained in port only if they are acting in violation of national law or are proven to be unseaworthy and dangerous to international navigation. Otherwise, interference by detention or by seizing while en route within Greek territorial waters is an unlawful interference with the right of innocent passage. Greece would be very vulnerable to defeat and damages if the Freedom Flotilla victims of these encroachment on rights were to have recourse to the Hamburg International Tribunal for Law of the Sea.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sat, 2011-07-09 11:27
A Russia Today crew filmed the arrest of pro-Gaza activists, who were detained for chanting "Free Palestine". Police in Israel detained several activists who arrived at Tel Aviv's international airport on Friday to show their support for activists arriving from abroad to take part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sat, 2011-07-09 11:05
We have cause to believe that there may be further harm done to the Tahrir, and we know that the Greek State has been usable to prevent sabotage of at least one other flotilla boat in Greek waters.
Submitted by Sullivan on Tue, 2011-07-05 22:05
- Sullivan's blog
- Login or register to post comments
- Read more
- 99 reads
Exclusive Press TV footage
Submitted by Sullivan on Tue, 2011-07-05 20:13
The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG) confirmed on Tuesday that the French ship "Dignity," which is part of Freedom Flotilla II, has in fact set sail to the besieged Gaza Strip while the rest of the flotilla ships remain trapped in Athens, banned from sailing.
Submitted by Sullivan on Tue, 2011-07-05 18:23
Canadian ship 'Tahrir' tries to set sail for Gaza after Greek authorities had banned the departure of all ships to Gaza from its ports; all passengers due to be detained once returning to Greek port.
Submitted by Sullivan on Mon, 2011-07-04 21:18
Greece has banned a humanitarian aid flotilla - destined for Gaza - from leaving its ports and arrested one of the captains. The authorities accuse the vessels - with hundreds of activists on board - of departing without permission. Campaigners have suggested the Greek government gave in to pressure from the US and Israel, who they accuse of trying to 'sabotage their mission'.The flotilla is drawing parallels to a similar Gaza-bound convoy that was stormed by Israeli marines last May, resulting in the deaths of nine Turkish activists. But as RT's correspondent reports, from one of the seized ships, lawyers are calling Athens' actions unlawful and that activists hope justice will prevail.
Submitted by Sullivan on Mon, 2011-07-04 11:11
As part of compromise intended to end flotilla affair, Greece offers to transport humanitarian aid to Gaza using Greek governmental ships; flotilla organizers: Move will not end siege.
Submitted by Sullivan on Mon, 2011-07-04 10:58
The organisers of a Gaza aid flotilla banned from leaving a Greek port say they are determined to continue their campaign.
The activists say Israel has pressured the Greek government to prevent their mission.
The Greek foreign ministry denies this. But the incident highlights shifting regional relations.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sun, 2011-07-03 22:16
The US boat, The “Audacity of Hope” set sail yesterday for Gaza. Within minutes it was surrounded by heavily armed Greek commandos, who eventually boarded the ship forcing it to immediately turn back to port. At the same time the Canadian boat the “Tahrir” was being boarded and their paperwork confiscated. Additionally all other boats had armed Greek police and Coast Guard personnel guarding the ships to keep them from leaving port. The Greek Announcement on the Flotilla can be read below. It is now clear that the siege on Gaza extends to Greece and its islands.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sun, 2011-07-03 22:11
- Sullivan's blog
- Login or register to post comments
- Read more
- 145 reads
Pat Fitzgerald, Engineer on board the MV Saoirse and a veteran seafarer for over two decades tells the full story about the damage to Saoirse at Gocek and that it could not have been anything else but sabotage.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sun, 2011-07-03 21:57
Greek government says it is preventing departure of vessels from ports to avoid a 'humanitarian disaster' which would result from violent confrontation with Israeli navy.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sun, 2011-07-03 21:46
"We're Sulfur-Free and Ready to Sail"
Submitted by Sullivan on Sun, 2011-07-03 10:56
- Sullivan's blog
- Login or register to post comments
- Read more
- 108 reads
...meet the Knesset, your new government.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sun, 2011-07-03 10:30
- Sullivan's blog
- Login or register to post comments
- 183 reads
The captain of a US boat carrying activists who tried to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza was jailed Saturday in Athens, organizers of the flotilla said.
John Klusmer is being charged with two felonies, organizers of the boat told reporters at a news conference in the Greek capital. The investigation will begin Tuesday, they said.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sat, 2011-07-02 23:18
Stuart Littlewood views the British government’s unwillingness – as evident from the statements of its ministers in Parliament – to support its citizens' right to go about their lawful business delivering humanitarian aid to besieged Gaza and to protect them from Israeli threats to slaughter them on the high seas.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sat, 2011-07-02 23:05
- Sullivan's blog
- Login or register to post comments
- Read more
- 82 reads
Join us in calling on the Greek government to allow the passage of the Flotilla to the shores of Gaza by calling your local Greek embassies and consulates.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sat, 2011-07-02 22:44
- Sullivan's blog
- Login or register to post comments
- Read more
- 96 reads
Greek authorities have arrested the captain of a boat that was to be part of a Gaza-bound flotilla trying to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory, officials said Saturday.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sat, 2011-07-02 22:40
The Audacity of Hope was stopped at sea by the Greek Coast Guard 20 minutes after leaving the port. Our captain refused to turn back irregardless of the pleas of the Coast guard captain. After about 2 hours, Greek commandos joined the Coast guard vessel and the decision was made to turn back. We are currently at a military dock in Athens, unable to proceed. Johnny Barber, a passenger, on the Audacity of Hope, was able to record this as it happened.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sat, 2011-07-02 22:09
- 1 comment
- 108 reads
There was no information that the Obama regime has quietly given Netanyahu a green light to attack the ship. But I strongly expect they will; by deniable means, of course.
Tags:
Submitted by Tyler Durden on Sat, 2011-07-02 21:34
- Tyler Durden's blog
- Login or register to post comments
- Read more
- 135 reads
Responding to a TSVN question about the official U.S. government attitude towards the U.S. boat to Gaza, Richard Levy explains the State Department position so far. Levy will be on the U.S. boat. He speaks at the press conference on June 20, 2011
Submitted by Tyler Durden on Sat, 2011-07-02 12:36
The Freedom Flotilla seeking to reach the Gaza Strip is in limbo under the weight of Israeli-U.S. pressure, unrest in Greece, and acts of sabotage targeting its ships. A number of vessels remain moored in Greek ports, stranding hundreds of passengers and the humanitarian cargo they hope to bring to Gazans living under an Israeli blockade.
Submitted by Sullivan on Sat, 2011-07-02 12:32
Pursuant to a decision by the Minister of Citizen Protection Mr. C. Papoutsis, the departure of ships with Greek and foreign flags from Greek ports to the maritime area of Gaza has been prohibited today.