IDF used 'extreme brutality' on Jewish Boat takeover

Israel Defence Forces soldiers used excessive force while taking over a Gaza-bound aid ship organized by Jewish and Israeli activists, the boat’s passengers said Tuesday, countering the military’s official version

claiming that the takeover had been uneventful.

Earlier Tuesday the IDF reported that Israeli naval commandos peacefully boarded the Jewish aid boat attempting to break a naval blockade on Gaza, saying, “IDF naval forces recently boarded the yacht ‘Irene’, and it is currently being led to the Ashdod seaport along with its passengers.”

However, testimonies by passengers who were released from police questioning later in the day seemed to counter the IDF’s claims, with Israeli activist and former Israel Air Force pilot Yonatan Shapira saying

that there were “no words to describe what we went through during the takeover.”

Shapira said the activists, who he said displayed no violence, were met with extreme IDF brutality, adding that the soldiers “just jumped us, and hit us. I was hit with a taser gun.”

“Some of the soldiers treated us atrociously,” Shapira said, adding that he felt there was a “huge gap between what the IDF spokesman is saying happened and what really happened.”

The former IAF pilot said he and his fellow activists were “proud of the mission,” saying it was organized “for the sake of a statement – that the siege on Gaza is a crime, that it’s immoral, un-Jewish, and we have a moral

obligation to speak out. Anyone who stays silent as this crime is being committed is an accessory to a crime.”

Eli Usharov, a reporter for Israel’s Channel 10 affirmed Shapira’s version of the events, telling Haaretz that the takeover was executed with unnecessary brutality.

“They used a taser gun against Yonatan. He screamed and was dragged to the military boat,” Usharov said, adding that both Yonatan and his brother Itamar were handcuffed.

The Channel 10 reporter also said that the activists managed to have a serious heart-to-heart conversation with the troops once they were all placed on board the military vessel, and that “overall the atmosphere was

good.”

Reuben Moscowitz, a Holocaust survivor who took part in the mission, expressed his disbelief that “Israeli soldiers would treat nine Jews this way. They just hit people.”

“I as a Holocaust survivor cannot live with the fact that the State of Israel is imprisoning an entire people behind fences,” Moscowitz said, adding that “it’s just immoral.”

“What happened to me in the Holocaust wakes me up every night and I hope we don’t do the same thing to our neighbors,” Moscowitz said, adding that he was comparing “what I went through during the Holocaust to what the besieged Palestinian children are going through.”

Jewish Boat Sets Sail to Gaza

A boat carrying aid for Gaza's population and organized by Jewish groups worldwide has set sail from Cyprus today at 13:32 local time .

The boat, Irene, is sailing under a British flag and is carrying ten passengers and crew, including Jews from the US, the UK, Germany and Israel as well as two British journalists.

At crisis point in peace talks, Jews, Israelis, call to lift the siege on Gaza, and to end the occupation.

The boat's cargo includes symbolic aid in the form of children's toys and musical instruments, textbooks, fishing nets for Gaza's fishing communities and prosthetic limbs for orthopaedic medical care in Gaza's hospitals.

The receiving organization in Gaza is the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, directed by Gaza psychiatrist Dr. Eyad Sarraj.

The boat will attempt to reach the coast of Gaza and unload its aid cargo in a nonviolent, symbolic act of solidarity and protest - and call for the siege to be lifted to enable free passage of goods and people to and from the Gaza Strip.

The boat will fly multicolored peace flags carrying the names of dozens of Jews who have expressed their support for this action, as a symbol of the widespread support for the boat by Jews worldwide.

Speaking from London, a member of the organizing group, Richard Kuper of Jews for Justice for Palestinians, said today that the Jewish Boat to Gaza is a symbolic act of protest against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the siege of Gaza, and a message of solidarity to Palestinians and Israelis who seek peace and justice.

'Israeli government policies are not supported by all Jews,' said Kuper. 'We call on all governments and people around the world to speak and act against the occupation and the siege.'

Regarding the threat of interception by the Israeli navy, Kuper said 'This is a nonviolent action. We aim to reach Gaza, but our activists will not engage in any physical confrontation and will therefore not present the Israelis with any reason or excuse to use physical force or assault them.'

Passenger Reuven Moskovitz, 82, said that his life's mission has been to turn foes into friends. "We are two peoples, but we have one future", he said.

Israel may ignore this - British Government Cannot

Palestine Solidarity Campaign welcomes the findings of the UN Human Rights Council investigation into Israel's attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla - accusing Israel's military of using ‘disproportionate levels of totally unnecessary and incredible violence' during their raid on the aid flotilla that left nine Turkish peace activists dead and over 50 injured.

The UN probe also found "clear evidence to support prosecutions" against Israel for wilful killing. The report concludes that Israel violated international humanitarian and human rights law.

Betty Hunter, General Secretary of PSC, said, "Israel may choose to ignore this report in favour of its own inquiry being undertaken by handpicked supporters of the Israeli state, but the international community is growing weary of Israel's increasing aggression accompanied by expectations of impunity. It is time for governments worldwide to recognise that sanctions against Israel are the only way to achieve a just solution for all Palestinians and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state."

PSC calls on the British government to take heed of the evidence found in the UN report and eye-witness statements of British citizens on board the Mavi Marmara and to bring pressure on Israel to end the illegal siege of Gaza. The suspension of the Israel/EU trade agreement should be the first step in imposing economic sanctions on Israel as a means of pressuring it to end its continuing violations of international law.

TUC Motion on Palestine

Trades unions are increasingly take up the issue of Palestine.  This is the text of a resolution to be discussed by the TUC Conference:

Congress condemns the Israeli blockades of the Palestinian territories, particularly the Gaza strip where there is a severe and ongoing deterioration in the living conditions of those living there.

The actions of the Israeli military, under the orders of their Government, in mounting a deadly assault on activists on the Mavi Marmara and other ships seeking to take humanitarian aid to Gaza, is particularly condemned.

Congress furthermore condemns the Histadrut statement of 31 May which sought to justify the Israeli action and the failure of the Histadrut to condemn settlement construction. Congress endorses the 3 June 2010 statement of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions, criticising the Histadrut and calling for an immediate end to the military blockade on Gaza and for a full independent inquiry into the attack on the Mavi Marmara.

Congress believes that the effective annexation of massive swathes of land by Israel in defiance of international law, using walls and checkpoints and destroying Palestinian homes in the process, is a deliberate strategy to undermine the viability of the West Bank and thereby the potential for an independent Palestinian state.

Congress calls on the UK Government and the EU to take much stronger political steps to ensure Israel abides by UN resolutions.

Congress instructs the General Council to work closely with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign to actively encourage affiliates, employers and pension funds to disinvest from, and boycott the goods of, companies who profit from illegal settlements, the Occupation and the construction of the Wall.

Congress instructs the General Council to bring to Congress a report on the impact of the boycott and investment withdrawal strategy, together with the outcome of the PGFTU/Histadrut discussions recently facilitated by the ITUC and TUC. Congress agrees to join unions around the world for maximum coordination internationally for active solidarity to end the siege of Gaza and for a free Palestine.

Help Fundraise for the convoy to Gaza

 

In just a few weeks, a Viva Palestina aid convoy, supported by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, will leave London and travel through Europe, Turkey, Syria and Egypt to reach Gaza.

We broke Israel's brutal and illegal blockade of Gaza in January and, with your help, we can break it again.
The Palestinians in Gaza need everything from baby milk formula, to feed desperately malnourished babies, to cement, to rebuild homes, schools and hospitals reduced to rubble during Operation Cast Lead. They also need the world's attention to remain focused on them and the inhuman siege that Israel has kept them under for the last four years - sending convoys to break the blockade is an effective way of doing this and showing Gaza's plight to the world.

You can help break the siege on Gaza

Brent Palestine Solidarity Campaign will be making a donation from our recent fundraising garden party held with Brent Stop the War. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign needs to raise £10,000 towards the cost of buying a PSC-sponsored vehicle and filling it with aid, as well as covering the cost of driving it to Gaza. Please help us reach our target.

If you would like to make an individual contribution donate today by sending a cheque, made payable to PSC, to PSC, BOX BM PSA, London, WC1N 3XX or by calling 020 7700 6192 to donate by card.
Please write ‘For Gaza aid convoy' on the back of your cheque, and let PSC know you are donating to the PSC aid vehicle when you call.

Strong restrictions on Palestine during Eid Al-Fitr

 Israel has imposed strong restriction on Palestine, closing all crossings with West Bank during Eid Al-Fitr.

Similar restrictions were imposed on the West Bank during Israeli holidays in the past.

Israeli army said that all crossings would be closed over the "Jewish New Year", according to Maan News Agency. The Muslim holiday Eid Al-Fitr coincides this year with the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah.

Crossings will close between midnight on 7 September and midnight on 11 September, an Israeli military statement was quoted as saying.

Eid greetings to all our Muslim supporters.

Gazan Farmers Forced to Farm in No Man's Land

The Gaza Strip is narrow, elongated, and densely populated. One of the main agricultural areas in the Gaza Strip runs along the eastern border with Israel, adjacent to the perimeter fence. In recent years, B’Tselem has gathered testimonies indicating that the Israeli security forces have defined broad swaths of these areas as no-go zones, where the open-fire regulations permit live fire at anyone who enters, even persons who pose no danger. This clip was filmed by Muhammad Sabah and Khaled ‘Azayzeh, B’Tselem.

East Jerusalem schooling apartheid?

As the Palestine solidarity movement presses for an 'anti-apartheid' style campaign it is worth remembering that discrimination in education played a major part in engaging the public in the struggle.  At the time the enormity of the gap between the money spent on pupils in black and white schools outraged many.

A report, Failed Grade, by the Association of Civil Rights in Israel and Ir Amim  LINK found that almost half of Palestinian children in East Jerusalem have to attend private or unofficial schools because of a lack of facilities. It states that East Jerusalem school's are estimated to be short of about 1,000 classrooms: "The result is that...the families of thousands of Palestinian children will have to pay large sums of money to get the education they should have been getting free."

According to the Guardian in May 2001 the Israel High Court ruled that the education ministry and the miniciplaity of Jerusalem were obliged to pprovide education for every Palestinian child in the city. Despite repeated legal petitions the problem has not been confronted and Knesset representative Jamal Zahalka says that East Jeruslaem provision is worse than anywhere in the Palestinian territories, including Gaza. The result is low academic achievement and a high drop-out rate: 50% for Palestinians in East Jerusalem and 11.8% for Jewish pupils.

As with South Africa in the apartheid era, the figures reveal the inequality. East Jerusalem's education budget in 2008-9 showed an average of 2,372 shekels was spent on each pupil in Jewish elementary schools compared with 577 shekels on each Arab pupil.

Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack boycotting Israel

"After Israel's deadly raid on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in May this year, a number of leading artists, including the Pixies, Elvis Costello and Gorillaz, cancelled concerts in Israel. In August, 150 Irish visual artists also pledged not to exhibit in Israel, but it is musicians who have been the most prominent international supporters of the boycott."

Robert Del Maja tells the News Statesman why he is joining the cultural boycott of Israel HERE

Boycotts Hitting Home

This report from ynetnews.com shows that boycotts are making an impact

The decision by Norway's oil fund to withdraw its investment from Africa-Israel and Danya Cebus citing their involvement in settlement construction is the latest step in an ever expanding list of European private and governmental companies boycotting Israeli firms for political reasons. Most of the cases pertain to claims of products being manufactured outside the Green Line and therefore in "occupied territory." Some of the cases serve as political protest against Israel's policy towards the Palestinians. Yet, one point is uncontested: Recent months have seen a climb in the scope of the boycott of Israeli products imposed for political reasons.

"Since the Palestinians declared a boycott of settlement goods, there has been a 40% drop in production," Avi Ben Zvi, owner of the Plastco glass factory in Ariel said. "Export to Europe has ceased in its entirety and traders from the territories have stopped working with us. The damage is huge," he added.

According to Ariel Mayor Ron Nachman, the region's factories have taken a massive hit. "We need to initiate a wide-scale governmental campaign threatening the boycotting countries they will not participate in the political process," he said.

Last March, a large Swedish pension fund decided to boycott Elbit Systems for its part in the construction of the separation fence. The fund declared it had sold its Elbit holdings after its ethics committee recommended pulling out investment from companies involved in a violation of international treaties.

In September, Norway's governmental pension fund made a similiar move and divested from Elbit.  

Last May, Germany's Deutsche Bank announced it had sold all its Elbit stocks, apparently after being pressured by anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian organizations.

Two years ago, Swedish giant Assa Abloy, owner of the Israeli company Mul-T-Lock Ltd., issued an apology for the fact that its factory in the Barkan Industrial Park was located outside the Green Line. The company promised to move the plant into "Israeli territory" following pressure from a Swedish-Christian human rights group.

Isolated events?

Shraga Brosh, president of the Manufacturers Association, said Tuesday that "from time to time, organizations, mainly Scandinavian, boycott certain Israeli bodies. At the end of the day, these are isolated occurrences which do not affect the whole trade with Israel."

Soda Club was also hit by boycott: The city of Paris was forced to deny the Israeli company's participation in a large-scale fair for the promotion of tap water after receiving threats from pro-Palestinian elements.

On July, it was reported that the French transport firm Veolia, which operated the light rail project in Jerusalem had decided to sell its shares in the project without citing any motives. The decision may well be connected to the fact that several months earlier a French court agreed to discuss a lawsuit against Veolia and its involvement in the rail's construction in east Jerusalem.

Africa-Israel said in response: "Africa and the companies have not been involved in real estate development or residential construction in the West Bank for a long while. Therefore the claims are baseless."

Navit Zomer and Ofer Petersburg contributed to this report

Donate to the next Viva Palesina Aid Convoy

In just a few weeks, a Viva Palestina aid convoy, supported by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, will leave London and travel through Europe, Turkey, Syria and Egypt to reach Gaza.
 

We broke Israel’s brutal and illegal blockade of Gaza in January and, with your help, we can break it again.

The Palestinians in Gaza need everything from baby milk formula, to feed desperately malnourished babies, to cement, to rebuild homes, schools and hospitals reduced to rubble during Operation Cast Lead. They also need the world’s attention to remain focused on them and the inhuman siege that Israel has kept them under for the last four years — sending convoys to break the blockade is an effective way of doing this and showing Gaza’s plight to the world.

You can help break the siege on Gaza

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign needs to raise £10,000 towards the cost of buying a PSC-sponsored vehicle and filling it with aid, as well as covering the cost of driving it to Gaza. All the aid that will be taken has been requested by our contacts in Gaza and will be put to good use.Please help us reach our target. Donate today by sending a cheque, made payable to PSC, to PSC, BOX BM PSA, London, WC1N 3XX or by calling 020 7700 6192 to donate by card.

Please write ‘For Gaza aid convoy’ on the back of your cheque, and let us know you’re donating to the PSC aid vehicle when you call.