BREAKING NEWS: Israel has committed murder in an act of piracy on the
high seas. As many as19 civilians were killed in international waters when
Israeli Storm Troopers descended from helicopters in the dark of night.
Several of the ships were flying under the flag of Turkey and an attack by a
foreign power would constitute an act of war. Israeli aggression has once
again destroyed peace demonstrating that claims of being a peaceful nation
among nations is just hype and propaganda.
Twitter has identified its bias by blocking trending for this horrifying
event. Other media can be similarly identified as biased by their spin or
manipulation of this piracy on the high seas.
If you’re hoping to see news about the extraordinary
events taking place in the Med sea around Cyprus on either the BBC or Sky
this weekend. Forget it. For now. Despite the fact that almost three dozen
Brits are amongst the 700 brave souls heading to Gaza on a fleet of ships
laden with essential aid. Or the incredible military and political
manoeverings surrounding Israel's response to the peaceful attempt, major
news channels in the West remain silent. This despite the fact their news
editors have the direct numbers of spokespeople on board and access to the
live news feed.
After calls to newsrooms across the UK it is clear to me
that the first ever sea bound fleet of international aid to Palestine is not
of itself a big enough story for our media - until if fails. On Israel’s
terms. The BBC has been taking some 200 calls in an hour from viewers
wanting news of the mission - to no avail. So what’s going on?
The news agenda has been decided in advance that’s what.
Dictated by the well oiled Israeli propaganda machine being nothing if not
helpful to all tiers for foreign press right now. I speak to Greta Berlin,
in Cyprus, an organiser of the Freegaza Movement about the BBC’s attitude
that ‘nothing is happening.’ She tells me ‘I just got off the phone with the
BBC in Jerusalem. They want to send a camera crew to Ashdod. It was all I
could do to tell them they will be in the wrong place!!’
Ashdod. Yes you guessed it; the port in ‘Israel’ where its military have
previously towed Freegaza boats and where now makeshift detention centres
are supposedly waiting for the activists of the Freedom Fleet.
Right now, the flotilla teams from Turkey, Ireland, Sweden and beyond are
battling all kinds of last minute difficulties. As Israel has been busy with
its own ‘goodwill’ campaign. At an impromptu press conference given by the
army department in charge of supposedly delivering goods into Gaza, the
message was simple; ‘the flotilla is unnecessary as there is no humanitarian
crisis in Gaza.’ Journalists have been taken on a tour of the Karem Abu
Salem crossing, virtually the only crossing into Gaza that goods still pass
through. Fact sheets handed to journalists outlining the' thousands of
tonnes of food’ that enters the strip each year. The problem being with
these impressively large looking numbers is that nowhere was there, a handy
graph of what is ‘allowed’ in to feed the 1.8million Palestinians of Gaza
and what is actually needed by the malnourished populace.
According to the army 156,000 tones of food has been
delivered in the last six months. That’s roughly 4kg per Gazan per week. A
tiny amount compared to what you and I get through, but far, far worse is
the quality of the crap that Israel pours into the region. The kind of fizzy
drinks, low vitamin junk food that if eaten on its own, without the
requisite fruit and veg for a healthy diet- still leads the consumer to be
malnourished.
But let’s get back to the fleet of ships and Israel’s devil and the deep
blue sea, moment.
Some of you may believe that rather like the infamous London football
supporters of Millwall, Israel’s regime is happy to inhabit the world stage
with the political equivalent of the chant ‘nobody likes us we don’t care
doo dah doo dah!’ In fact nothing could be farther from the truth. For like
all bullies the Zionist regime is agonised by dislike. It simply cannot
stand not to be loved. Altogether ‘Ahhh.’
It asks us time and again, as it attacks unarmed villagers
in the West Bank and school children in Gaza, to believe that as a state,
Israel denounces violence and acts in a controlled military manner, purely
(indeed solely) for self defence. Understand this core system of lies and
you will understand the current complex machinations the Israeli government
is undertaking to avoid an armed stand off with the Freedom Fleet tomorrow
or Monday. A stand off it is however, fully in preparation to win. The
Israeli navy, the fifth most powerful and heavily armed on the planet, is
itching to blow the Turkish led fleet out of the water. Its comrades on land
would just love to duff up and arrest all those onboard. What they don’t
want is the bad press this would get them in this post Goldstone world. So.
What to do?
Israel has said it is determined to intercept and search
the vessels, then tow them to an Israeli port. Israel has prepared a
makeshift detention center in its southern port of Ashdod, and officials
have said the activists sailing on the ships face deportation or arrest. "We
will not let this flotilla get through. It harms Israeli security," Israel
TV's Channel 10 quoted Ayalon as saying.
The ground work then has been laid for a violent boarding of the vessels in
international waters. Ground work to allow its idiot supporters to say, it
didn’t want such a thing and tried to avoid it. Thus, Israel's deputy
foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, reiterated Saturday that the ships would be
intercepted, denouncing the sea convoy as a ‘provocation and violation of
maritime laws’.
Still, the aid convoy poses a serious dilemma that was
debated at the highest levels of the Israeli government this week.
Scenes of Israeli naval commandos taking over vessels with
aid shipments and detaining high-profile activists would further harm
Israel's image. This must be balanced with the determination in Tel Aviv to
avoid setting a precedent and eroding the blockade by letting the vessels
dock in Gaza.
Back to this weekends events. Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign
Ministry Director General Yossi Gal held a round of pressurised calls with
foreign ministers from countries whose citizens are participating in the
flotilla, and also with foreign diplomats on Thursday.
On entering waters near Cyprus the fleet were
disappointed, though unsurprised to find themselves turned away by the port
authorities. Yet they need to both refuel and pick up important VIP
passengers for the final leg to Gaza. The complex system of alliances and
counter-alliances of the Middle East has been used by Israel’s diplomatic
team to good effect. It is unclear if it will be terminal to the mission as
yet.The Cypriot government did not allow smaller boats to carry the group to
the flotilla. Organizers must now find a way to have two dozen would-be
passengers, including 19 European legislators and an elderly Holocaust
survivor, to join the ships anchored in international waters off the island.
Greta Berlin said; ‘our two passenger boats have had mechanical problems
under suspicious circumstances, both are now out of order- at the same time
and pretty much in the same place. They are unable to go’. Mossad dark ops
yet again in operation.
Last week and Israeli government source quoted in the
regional press said "Israel will try to pick off the boats before they even
join the flotilla." Success!
Their second success is that according to my latest news
from Cyprus, Hedy Epstein, the wonderful, brave lady in her eighties whose
parents died in the Holocaust will now not make the journey.
Success two for Israel.
Authorities in Cyprus have been amazingly upfront in
admitting their reasons for making the journey of the humanitarian mission
so hard. Saying the decision was made to protect the island's "vital
interests" — including economic ties with Israel.
Success three to Israel!
Organizers have since appealed to the Turkish government
to get the group out via a Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus port. Turkish
Cypriot officials have said they want to help the group as much as they can.
The rest of the Freegaza Movement passengers are right now being transferred
from Famaghusta at GMT 1700 on the 29th June.
A diplomatic tangle and mechanical problems have forced the flotilla to
shrink from eight ships to five.
To add to this Ameen Abu Rashid, a member of the campaign, one of the
founders of the fleet of freedom’s coalition, said that the Israeli
authorities, are trying to disrupt the means of wireless communication which
is used between ships. Just as the ships attempt to rendezvous avoiding the
pre-defined lanes of the ships.
The final tier of Israel’s attempts to disrupt the fleets mission of mercy
and avoid yet another bloody PR own goal, are to use its mad right wing
elements. Yes the loonies the Zionist regime tells Obama it despises, yet
funds and considers its outriders for God.
Six StandWithUsInternaitonal boats departed yesterday from the port of
Ashdod on Friday, May 28 at 1pm. Each including journalists from major
international outlets. The boats had a massive banner draped on the side
"FREE GAZA FROM HAMAS." Those on board were wearing blood-stained t-shirts
that say "FREE GAZA FROM HAMAS." SWU handed out copies of it's (version of)
the Hamas charter booklet. They did on-board interviews in English, Spanish
and Hebrew. They carried signs to "Release Gilad Shalit." This has become a
duel at sea of facts versus propaganda,” said the far right Jewish flotilla
organizer Roman Baron.
Speaking from the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, Viva Palestina's Kevin Ovenden
outlined some of the concerns and realities currently been faced by over 750
people on board the 9 ships sailing towards Gaza.
“People are very aware that the Israeli authorities and
indeed others are playing all sorts of mind games, with threats
alternating with so called offers, which would include surrendering the
aid into Israeli hands, something which the participants of the flotilla
find entirely unacceptable”
The last of the ships departed from Turkey at midnight on
Thursday night, and they are all currently in International waters in the
Mediterranean Sea. Their journey is faced with incredible danger, given the
threats that have been issued by the Israeli Government. They have stated
that they will stop this Flotilla at all costs, even by force if necessary.
Their safety is in grave danger, and the time has come for the international
community to stand up for their safety and well being.
The Flotilla needs our help to succeed. And it must!
___
*Lauren Booth
Broadcaster and Journalist
Mail on Sunday
Press TV, UK
See also
