zaterdag 5 juni 2010

De humanitaire façade van de Free Gaza vloot (IMO)

 

De humanitaire facade van de Free Gaza vloot

Ratna Pelle, IMO Blog, 2010

Gisteren gaven de twee Nederlandse deelnemers aan de Gaza vloot actie, Anne de Jong en Amin Abou Rashed, een persconferentie waarbij zij politieke partijen opriepen om zich duidelijk tegen de Israëlische aanval uit te spreken. Ook kreeg minister Verhagen ervan langs, omdat Nederland tegen een onafhankelijk onderzoek heeft gestemd en hij er vertrouwen in heeft dat Israël zelf onderzoek kan doen naar wat er is gebeurd. Vertrouwen in Israëls democratie, dat kunnen we natuurlijk niet hebben. Nee, de VN is veel betrouwbaarder en staat garant voor een onderzoek dat Israël van disproportioneel geweld zal beschuldigen en een einde eist aan de 'illegale' blokkade van Gaza.
De VN noemt immers, tegen haar eigen maatstaven in, de Gazastrook nog steeds bezet gebied, terwijl in de Haagse Conventie staat dat een voorwaarde daarvoor is dat een bezettende macht fysiek aanwezig is in het bezette gebied en er daadwerkelijk het gezag uitoefent. Vandaar dat de bezetter ook verplichtingen heeft en ervoor zorg moet dragen dat de burgerbevolking toegang heeft tot voedsel en andere vitale levensbehoeftes. Wanneer men niet aanwezig is in een gebied kan men daar geen zorg voor dragen. Zo heeft Israël geen enkele vat op hoe de humanitaire hulp die Gaza binnenkomt wordt gedistribueerd en kan niet Israël maar Hamas winkels sluiten of de elektriciteitscentrale stilleggen. De VN heeft een lange geschiedenis van vooringenomenheid, soms zelfs vijandigheid, jegens Israël,waarover je hier meer kunt lezen.

In de berichtgeving in de media domineerde afgelopen week het beeld van een weerloos humanitair konvooi dat door de boze zionisten werd aangevallen. Stelselmatig werden feiten als het geweld dat door de deelnemers op het Turkse schip werd gebruikt, de banden van IHH met Al Qaida, de haat-boodschappen en islamitisch extremistische achtergrond van veel deelnemers, genegeerd of in een zinnetje afgedaan als 'volgens Israëlische bronnen'. En ja, natuurlijk rijst dan de vraag wat Israël bezielde en hoe Israël het in zijn hoofd haalde om zoiets te doen en haar internationale positie daarmee verder liet eroderen. Ik zal daar nog uitgebreider op ingaan, en volsta hier met te zeggen dat het natuurlijk een typisch geval is van het opzetten van een strooien mannetje en dat vervolgens neerhalen: eerst creëer je een vals beeld en daarna vraag je retorisch wat Israël toch bezielt? De werkelijke vraag is hoe Israël met de internationale, deels moslimextremistische, steun voor Hamas moet omgaan. De IHH, de Moslim Broederschap en andere extremistische en aan Hamas verwante organisaties bleken goed vertegenwoordigd op de vloot, en zij bleken goed voorbereid op een gewelddadige confrontatie. Ondertussen ontkennen de gematigdere deelnemers zoals Anne de Jong en de twee Vlaamse vrouwen ieder gebruik van geweld door de deelnemers, en houden de fabel in stand dat het om een vreedzaam humanitair protest gaat. Ook de connectie met extremistische groeperingen wordt steevast ontkend dan wel gebagatelliseerd. De moslimextremisten weten zich dus perfect te verschuilen achter een façade van vreedzame demonstranten a la Anne de Jong, wat naïef misschien maar vol goede bedoelingen.

>> Lees verder op: http://www.zionism-israel.com/blog/archives/00000468.html

Zie ook op IMO:
 
Ami Isseroff:
 
 

Een aanval vermomd als vrede (Michael Oren)


The real intent of breaking the embargo is to allow rockets to be transported to Gaza from Hamas's suppliers in Syria and Iran. Israel has already intercepted several such ships laden with munitions. Since Israel's disengagement from Gaza in 2005, Hamas has fired more than 10,000 rockets and mortars at our civilian population. This week, two Hamas rockets exploded near Ashkelon, one of Israel's largest cities.

Ik geloof niet dat dat het doel was van alle deelnemers, maar dat was wel het doel van op zijn minst een deel van de organisatoren, zoals het islamitische en extremistische Turkse IHH. Het feit dat een van de Nederlandse deelnemers een Hamas kopstuk zou zijn, en dat van verschillende Arabische deelnemers blijkt dat zij banden hebben met radikale en aan Hamas verwante organisaties zoals de Moslim Broederschap, spreekt voor bovenstaande bewering. Een en ander zal hopelijk nog duidelijker worden.
 
 

RP
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June 2, 2010
An Assault, Cloaked in Peace
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/opinion/03oren.html
By MICHAEL B. OREN
Washington

 
PEACE activists are people who demonstrate nonviolently for peaceful co-existence and human rights. The mob that assaulted Israeli special forces on the deck of the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara on Monday was not motivated by peace. On the contrary, the religious extremists embedded among those on board were paid and equipped to attack Israelis — both by their own hands as well as by aiding Hamas — and to destroy any hope of peace.

Millions have already seen the Al Jazeera broadcast showing these "activists" chanting "Khaibar! Khaibar!"— a reference to a Muslim massacre of Jews in the Arabian peninsula in the seventh century. YouTube viewers saw Israeli troops, armed with crowd-dispersing paintball guns and side arms for emergency protection, being beaten and hurled over the railings of the ship by attackers wielding iron bars.

What the videos don't show, however, are several curious aspects Israeli authorities are now investigating. First, about 100 of those detained from the boats were carrying immense sums in their pockets — nearly a million euros in total. Second, Israel discovered spent bullet cartridges on the Mavi Marmara that are of a caliber not used by the Israeli commandos, some of whom suffered gunshot wounds. Also found on the boat were propaganda clips showing passengers "injured" by Israeli forces; these videos, however, were filmed during daylight, hours before the nighttime operation occurred.

The investigations of all this evidence will be transparent, in accordance with Israel's security needs.

There is little doubt as to the real purpose of the Mavi Marmara's voyage — not to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, but to create a provocation that would put international pressure on Israel to drop the Gaza embargo, and thus allow the flow of seaborne military supplies to Hamas. Just as Hamas gunmen hide behind civilians in Gaza, so, too, do their sponsors cower behind shipments of seemingly innocent aid.

This is why the organizers of the flotilla repeatedly rejected Israeli offers to transfer its cargo to Gaza once it was inspected for military contraband. They also rebuffed an Israeli request to earmark some aid packages for Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held hostage by Hamas for four years.

In the recent past, Israeli forces have diverted nine such flotillas, all without incident, and peacefully boarded five of the ships in this week's convoy. Their cargoes, after proper inspection, were delivered to non-Hamas institutions in Gaza. Only the Marmara, a vessel too large to be neutralized by technical means such as fouling the propeller, violently resisted. It is no coincidence that the ship was dispatched by Insani Yardim Vakfi (also called the I.H.H.), a supposed charity that Israeli and other intelligence services have linked to Islamic extremists.

The real intent of breaking the embargo is to allow rockets to be transported to Gaza from Hamas's suppliers in Syria and Iran. Israel has already intercepted several such ships laden with munitions. Since Israel's disengagement from Gaza in 2005, Hamas has fired more than 10,000 rockets and mortars at our civilian population. This week, two Hamas rockets exploded near Ashkelon, one of Israel's largest cities.

Israel has a right and a duty to defend itself from Hamas and its backers. Our struggle is not with the people of Gaza but only with the radical regime that overthrew the legitimate Palestinian Authority and has pledged to seek Israel's destruction. Each day, Israel facilitates the passage into Gaza of more than 100 truckloads of food and medicine — there is no shortage of either. We, too, want a free Gaza — a Gaza liberated from brutal Hamas rule — as well as an Israel freed from terrorist threats.

Israel will scrupulously review the events surrounding the Marmara's interception. But Israel will also persist in denying advanced weaponry to Hamas. At the same time, the Israeli government will vigorously pursue peace with the Palestinian Authority, which shares our need for defense against armed extremists. The real peace activists are those who support our vision of a two-state solution, not those supporting the terrorists bent on destroying it.

Michael B. Oren is Israel's ambassador to the United States.
 
 

vrijdag 4 juni 2010

Persconferentie COGAT woordvoerder met bloggers over hulpgoederen aan Gaza strook

 
Interessante informatie waarin weer een paar fabels sneuvelen.

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Exclusive: Interview with Senior Israeli Office from COGAT

This evening, the IDF Spokesman's New Media Unit arranged for an exclusive blogger-press-conference with a senior official from COGAT, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, which among its responsibilities, includes coordinating the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Gaza strip. 

The senior official briefed us on the humanitarian aid transfer to Gaza in general, as well as the specifics of the aid from the flotilla ships.

On a daily basis 80-100 trucks with humanitarian aid enters Gaza via Israel.  The aid is not only medical supplies,  but also contains supplies that support a wide range of important infrastructure projects, including water, sewage, and electrical power.  We coordinate our efforts with UNRWA, UNESCO, WHO, UNICEF and we even help facilitate the transfer of toys and the enabling of mobile swimming pools for Gazan summer camps.

So far, we have loaded  21 trucks worth of aid from the flotilla and it appear that there will between 70-80 trucks worth of aid.  Its difficult to ascertain the amount of supplies because the aid was not loaded in an orderly manner onto the ships in crates, cartons or containers -- but was haphazardly dumped in. 

As of now, there are 8 trucks at the Israeli - Gaza border crossing of Kerem Shalom; 7 of which contain medical equipment for the disabled and elderly, including 100 electric mobility scooters and hundreds of wheelchairs.

Unfortunately, the disabled, sick and elderly in Gaza are denied this aid, because Hamas has forbidden anyone in Gaza to coordinate the distribution of this equipment. 

Hamas has stated that until every last one of the flotilla activists have returned to their home countries, they will refuse to allow the aid to enter Gaza.

Questions from bloggers:

Q: How does this equipment normally get distributed?
A: The PA in Ramallah represents the private sector in Gaza, and coordinates the distribution via the humanitarian organizations.

Q: How much aid does the flotilla represent, compared to the usual aid flowing into Gaza via Israel?
A: About 1 day's worth.

Q: What sort of aid is on the ships?
A: Clothes and shoes, though its not clear if they are new or used.  Medicine, medical equipment. Its difficult to know because it was all randomly thrown into the belly of the ships.

Q: If its urgent for all this humanitarian aid to get into Gaza, why is Hamas not allowing it in?
A: We (COGAT) has even asked the Red Cross to help with distributing the medical equipment, yet they have refused to get involved.  We have 13 trucks waiting in Israel, not including the 9 at the Keren Shalom crossing, and we're just waiting to send it in.

Q: Had the date of the aid medication expired?
A: So far, we have located two types of medication.  An unlabled cough syrup of some sort, which expired this past April, and children's paracetamol (liquid acetaminophen) which expires this coming July.

Q: Slate magazine wrote a highly critical article against Israel's handling of this flotilla and the Gaza embargo in general.  They wrote specifically that:

However, the execution of the policy [of the embargo] has been unreasonably draconian. Israeli officials take so long to inspect the cargo that medicines often expire by the time they reach Palestinian patients
.

How long does it take COGAT to inspect and transfer medicines; what is the average turnaround time?

A: The average turn around time is 2 weeks.  We need to ensure the medicine meets international health standards.  Often, the medicines arrive, having already expired, or they arrive in packaging in a foreign language that no one here in the region knows, let alone the people in Gaza.   

Slate Magazine should speak with the UN health organizations that were responsible for distributing the medical aid from the "Free Gaza" organization after the Cast Lead operation.  The vast majority of the medicine received was useless.

Europees Joods Congres roept Europese Unie op IHH en andere terroristische frontorganisaties te verbieden

 
Het wil in de Nederlandse media nog niet echt doordringen dat de Gaza vloot was georganiseerd door islamitische extremisten en fundamentalisten, en niet door linkse vredesactivisten. Een van de twee Nederlanders aan boord is waarschijnlijk een kopstuk van Hamas. Veel opvarenden uit de Arabische landen blijken betrokken bij de Moslim Broederschap en andere radikale organisaties. En het Turkse schip was georganiseerd door de IHH, waarover hieronder meer. Dat praat Israels actie van afgelopen maandag niet automatisch goed, maar laten we eens ophouden om Israel als de wrede dader en haar tegenstanders als lelieblanke Sneeuwwitjes voor te stellen. Of gelooft u nog in sprookjes?
 
RP
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The EJC calls on the European Union to ban the IHH and other terrorist front organizations to ensure no repeat of flotilla events
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
www.eurojewcong.org/ejc/news.php?id_article=5341

 
In the wake of the events surrounding the flotilla that was headed towards Gaza earlier in the week, the European Jewish Congress (EJC) calls on the European Union and European nations to immediately proscribe the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (Insani Yardim Vakfi), otherwise known as the IHH and other similar terrorist front organizations.

"Organizations affiliated with and used as front for terrorist groups like Hamas and Al Qaeda have to be outlawed with immediate effect," Dr. Moshe Kantor, President of the EJC said.

According to a report issued in 2006 by the Danish Institute for International Studies, during the 1990s the IHH maintained links with al-Qaida and a number of "global jihad networks." The report also said that the Turkish government launched an investigation into the IHH which began in December 1997 after receiving intelligence that the IHH had bought automatic weapons from Islamist terrorists. Following the revelation, the Turkish government launched a raid on the organization's Istanbul offices, where they found weapons, explosives, and instructions for bomb-making. The report added that an examination of documents found at the IHH office indicated that the group was planning to take part in terrorist activities in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Bosnia.

According to the study, a French intelligence report found that in the mid-1990s IHH leader B'ulent Yildirim recruited soldiers for jihad activities in a number of Muslim countries and that the IHH transferred money, firearms, and explosives to jihadists in said countries.

"It is evident that the IHH has been an organization long associated with terror and global Jihad" Kantor continued. "Such organizations need to be immediately exposed so Europeans will not be deceived into believing that they are a legitimate humanitarian organization."

It became clear that this flotilla did not have a humanitarian goal when its organizers rejected repeated calls to pass their aid through Egypt or Israel, which is done on a daily basis and used regularly by the United Nations and Red Cross.

The EJC calls upon the European Union and the Council of Europe to initiate a study and establish an advisory list of organisations which have ties to terror to warn Europeans from associating with them.

The European Jewish Congress is the democratically-elected umbrella organization of European Jewry.

4 Redenen voor falen media in kwestie Free Gaza vloot

 
Ook Carel Brendel stoort zich aan de eenzijdige media berichtgeving wat betreft Israel, en heeft een interessante nieuwsbron gevonden die zich normaliter vooral met de Moslim Broederschap bezighoudt, maar nu, vanwege haar betrokkenheid bij de Gaza vloot actie, uitgebreid daarover heeft bericht. Daarbij komt ook de berichtgeving zelf aan de orde:
 
De vlootcampagne laat, aldus GMBDR zien, hoe goed de Moslimbroeders zijn georganiseerd en hoeveel invloed ze hebben bij westerse organisaties en regeringen. Een andere reden voor de extra aandacht is het collectieve falen van de media.
 
RP
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Vier redenen voor het falen van de media in de Gaza-kwestie

'Incompetentie, politieke correctheid, het vertrek van ervaren verslaggevers en antipathie tegen Israël'

Door Carel Brendel

Een van de merkwaardigste 'dagbladen' is The Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report (GMBDR). Deze website brengt dagelijks nieuws en achtergronden over het wereldwijde netwerk van de Moslimbroederschap. Deze fundamentalistische beweging is ontstaan in Egypte, maar is inmiddels in 70 landen actief.

De Moslimbroederschap kent, zoals minister Guusje ter Horst het vorig jaar formuleerde in antwoord op Kamervragen, 'een veelheid aan nationale en lokale bewegingen met doelstellingen die naar tijd en plaats verschillen'. De makers van GMBDR vinden dat er desondanks aanleiding genoeg is om informatie over deze veelheid van bewegingen te verzamelen en voor een breder publiek toegankelijk te maken.

De GMBDR is vaag over de eigen achtergronden. "De hoofdredacteur van de GMBDR heeft tientallen jaren ervaring in research en onderzoek voor belangrijke NGO's, regeringsdiensten en internationale media in de VS en Europa. GMBDR wordt gebruikt door Amerikaanse en regeringsanalisten op het gebied van inlichtingen, defensie, wetshandhaving en beleid, door de wereld van deskundigen en academici en door journalisten." De ondertitel 'An intelligence digest' is daarentegen duidelijk genoeg.

Het webdagblad moet niets hebben van de Moslimbroeders, en de organisaties die deel uitmaken van hun netwerk, waaronder Hamas (zie artikel 2 van het handvest van deze islamitische gezelligheidsvereniging), de Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe (FIOE) en de European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR).

Desondanks zijn de berichten van de GMBDR zeer informatief. De samenstellers baseren zich voornamelijk op openbaar toegankelijke en controleerbare bronnen, waaronder websites van de Moslimbroeders zelf, overheidsdocumenten en publicaties in de gevestigde media.

De afgelopen dagen maakte de redactie overuren in verband met de veldslag aan boord van een schip op weg naar Gaza, waarbij maandag 19 doden vielen. De GMBDR belichtte de nauwe banden tussen de activisten en Hamas. Een van de berichten ging over de achtergronden van de Nederlandse 'vredesactivist' Amin Abou Rashed, die volgens de Hamas-watchers eerder betrokken was bij de Al Aqsa Stichting. Van deze stichting werden in 2003 de tegoeden bevroren, omdat de stichting volgens de AIVD geld inzamelde voor terroristische activiteiten van Hamas.

Vandaag geeft de website uitleg over de verhevigde aandacht voor de Gaza-vloot. Deze aandacht is volgens de samenstellers gepast gezien de massieve aanwezigheid van Moslimbroeders en Hamas-aanhangers in de hulporganisaties. De vlootcampagne laat, aldus GMBDR zien, hoe goed de Moslimbroeders zijn georganiseerd en hoeveel invloed ze hebben bij westerse organisaties en regeringen. Een andere reden voor de extra aandacht is het collectieve falen van de media.

"De internationale media hebben vrijwel algemeen de opvarenden en organisatoren omschreven als 'activisten'. Met uitzondering van één Nederlandse krant ontbrak het aan basale aandacht voor de werkelijke identiteit en organisatorische achtergronden van de vlootcampagne en het leiderschap van de Moslimbroederschap en Hamas. De redenen voor dit opvallende falen van de media liggen buiten het werkterrein van de GMBDR. Waarschijnlijk gaat het om een combinatie van incompetentie, 'politieke correctheid', de afwezigheid van meer ervaren verslaggevers die de afgelopen jaren zijn vertrokken bij belangrijke kranten, en een variërende antipathie tegen Israël en zijn regering."

De enige door de Amerikaanse 'islamscanners' genoemde gunstige uitzondering is de Telegraaf. Daarover kreeg ik toevallig een mailtje van iemand, die net als ik is opgegroeid in een links milieu. "Toch weer interessant om vast te stellen dat buiten Telegraaf en Elsevier (dat het Telegraaf-bericht overnam, CB) geen enkele krant aandacht besteedt aan de twijfelachtige antecedenten van Amin Abou Rashid. Ik ben zeer anti-Telegraaf opgevoed en dat ook lang gebleven, maar nu begin ik soms te twijfelen. Een en ander geeft in ieder geval wel weer aan waar de prioriteiten van de Nederlandse pers liggen."

In deze kwestie is de 'populistische' Telegraaf een stuk doortastender dan de 'kwaliteitskrant' NRC Handelsblad, die gistermiddag (in de papieren editie) aandacht besteedde aan het nieuws over Rashed en zijn leidende rol voor Hamas in Nederland. NRC vroeg om een reactie van Ali Sonlu, voorzitter van de Al Aqsa Stichting en (maar dat wisten de interviewers kennelijk niet) ook voorman van Kudüs Vakfi (Jeruzalem Stichting), die als een voortzetting van Al Aqsa wordt gezien. "Wij hebben niets met het konvooi te maken", hield Sonlu vol. Vrijwel tegelijkertijd verscheen er een nieuw bericht van de GMBDR, waarin uitgerekend de nauwe betrokkenheid van Sonlu en Kudüs Vakfi bij de Gaza-operatie uit de doeken werd gedaan.

Aanvulling: In dit document van de Al Aqsa Stichting staat de handtekening van Amin Abou Rashed, die destijds nog door het leven ging als Amin Abou Ibrahim. Volgens een artikel vandaag in de Volkskrant is Rashed betrokken bij alles wat Palestijns is, behalve bij Hamas. De 'kwaliteitskrant' gaat daarbij volledig af op de mening van mede-activist Mohammed Cheppih, afgelopen zaterdag nog discussieleider op een islamcongres van de FION, de Nederlandse afdeling van de Moslimbroederschap. De FION ontkent ondanks alle bewijzen voor het tegendeel alle banden met de Moslimbroeders.

Geplaatst op 3 juni 2010

Homepage: www.hetverraadvanlinks.nl

IDF over legale aspecten interceptie Free Gaza vloot

 
Volgens sommigen druizen zowel de blokkade als de entering van de schepen in tegen het internationale recht. Daarbij wordt aangevoerd dat Gaza geen staat is en er geen officiële staat van oorlog is. Hamas heeft echter haar voornemen Israel te vernietigen vaak en openlijk geuit, en kracht bij gezet met het afvuren van duizenden raketten op Israel, waarna Israel na de machtsovername door Hamas de Gazastrook tot vijandelijk gebied verklaarde. Na de Gaza oorlog is bovendien geen officieel staakt het vuren overeengekomen.
 
Onderstaande verklaring gaat daar niet op in, en beschrijft onder welke voorwaarden een blokkade legaal is indien indaad sprake is van een gewapend conflict. Israel voldoet duidelijk aan die voorwaarden. Ook blijkt duidelijk dat indien een blokkade legaal is, de staat die de blokkade oplegt het recht heeft die te handhaven en schepen die de blokkade willen breken mag tegenhouden en, indien zij tegenwerken, ook mag aanvallen. Dit geldt ook voor civiele schepen en ook in internationale wateren. Uiteraard moet men trachten burgerslachtoffers te voorkomen en moeten burgers fatsoenlijk behandeld worden. Volgens Israel is dit gebeurd, volgens de activisten niet. De doden en (zware) gewonden zijn allemaal gevallen op het Turkse schip en alles wijst erop dat de activisten daarop een aanval hadden voorbereid en wapens aan boord hadden. Wat dat betreft stond Israel dus ook in haar recht. Indien er op de andere schepen onnodig geweld is gebruikt, is dat wellicht in strijd met het internationale recht, hoewel een paar blauwe plekken geen grove schending hiervan inhouden.
 
RP
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Interception of the Gaza flotilla-Legal aspects
IDF Military Advocate General
www.mag.idf.il/592-4071-en/patzar.aspx


I. Introduction

For several years, the State of Israel has been engaged in an ongoing armed conflict with terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza strip. This armed conflict has intensified after Hamas violently took over Gaza, in June 2007, and turned the territory under its de-facto control into a launching pad of mortar and rocket attacks against Israeli towns and villages in southern Israel.

The State or Israel took different measures to defend its citizens from the terrorist attacks originating from the Gaza strip. Initially, all feasible steps were taken in order to avoid using extensive military force, including diplomatic and economic military measures, as well as relatively limited military operations. When these measures proved ineffective, and the barrage of rockets against the Israeli civilian population continued, and even intensified, the State of Israel had no choice but to take an extensive military action - Operation "Cast Lead".

The entire activities of Israel in this armed conflict are governed by the Law of Armed Conflict (also known as: International Humanitarian Law).


II. The Naval blockade on Gaza

According to the Laws of Armed Conflict, a state party to an armed conflict has the right to establish a naval blockade on its enemy's coast for security reasons. A naval blockade means preventing the passage (entry or exit) of all vessles to or from the ports and coastal areas of the enemy, irrespective of the kind of cargo carried by these vessels.

The power to impose a naval blockade is well established under customary international law. It is a common practice, and even the Charter of the United Nations, when enumerating the differnt actions which can be taken by the Security Council in order to maintain or restore international peace and security, explicitly mentions the naval blockade among these measures (Article 42 of the Charter).

Similarly, Article 7.7.1 of the "Commander's Handbook on the Law of Naval Operations", published by the U.S Navy on July 2007 (hereinafter: The US Navy Handbook), explains that:

"Blockade is a belligerent operation to prevent vessels and/or aircraft of all nations, enemy as well as neutral, from entering or exiting specified ports, airfields, or coastal areas belonging to, occupied by, or under the control of enemy nation. While the belligerent right of visit and search is designed to interdict the flow of contraband goods, the belligernt right of blockade is intended to prevent vessels and aircraft, regardless of their cargo, from crossing an established and published and publicized cordon seperationg the enemy from international waters and/or airspace"

International law sets several conditions for a legal naval blockade (these conditions are reflected, for example, in the "San Remo Manual on International Law applicable to Armed Conflict at Sea" from 1994: hereinafter The San Remo Manual):

Public declaration - a blockade shall be publicly declared and notified to all States that might be affected by its establishmentm, in particular those states whose vessels are sailing or suppose to be sailing near the relevant area. The declaration shall specify, among other things, the commencement, duration (as far as it is known when the blockade is established) and geographical boundries of the blockade.

Effectiveness - no fictitious blockade shall be established. A State that declares a naval blockade must enforce it in practice. An ineffective blockade would expire.

Impatiality - a blockade must be applied impartially to vessels of all States (including of those crrying the flag of the State which imposed it).

Access to neutral States - a naval blockade must not bar access to the ports and coasts of neutral States.

Passage of humanitarian assistance - a naval blockade is imposed for security reasons. Thus, the blockading party must provide for passage of humanitarian assistance for the civilian population of the blockaded area. This obligation is subject to the right of the blockading party to prescribe the technical arrangements, including search, under which the passage is permitted, in order to make sure that no means are transferred to the benefit of the enemy, rather than to the civilian population, and that the humanitarian assistance is distributed under the supervision of a neutral party which prevents the abuse of humanitarian assistance by the enemy.


III. The legality of the blockade imposed on the Gaza strip

The naval blockade imposed by the State of Israel on the Gaza strip, which was violated by the vessels participating in the current flotilla, is in conformity with the aforementioned rules of international law:

Public declaraion - on 03.01.2009, during operation "Cast Lead", the State of Israel declared a naval blockade on the Gaza strip, in the distance of 20 miled from the coast. The naval blockade was established for a clear military necessity - to prevent the military strengthening of Hamas by stopping the entry of terrorist elements and the smuggling of weapons into the Gaza strip, an aim supported also by the Security Council Resolution 1860. The establishment of the Naval blockade was published by the ordinary international channels. These publications detailed the geographical boundries of the blockaded area (by coordinates) and emphasized that the naval blockade shall be in force until a further notice. Before the current flotilla had begun, the State of Israel approached the States involved, by diplomatic channels, and the organizers of the flotilla were well aware of the blockade.

Effectiveness - the naval blockade on the Gaza strip has been effectively enforced by the State of Israel since its commencement. Indeed, before it was established, Israel allowed the entry of a vessel carrying humanitarian assistance into Gaza, but since the naval blockade was declared, no vessel was allowed in.

Impartiality - the naval blockade has been enforced on the vessels of all states, with no discrimination.

Access to neutral States - the naval blockade on Gaza has not affected, in any manner, the access of vessels to the ports or coasts of neutral States.

Passage or humanitarian assistance - the State or Israel allowed the passage of humanitarian assistance into the Gaza strip long before the naval blockade had been imposed. This assistance has entered Gaza through the crossing points between Israel and Gaza, subject to security check and in coordination with international organizations working in Gaza. The State of Israel openly declared that it will allow the enty of the humanitarian goods carried by the current flotilla into Gaza, after it is unloaded in Israel, in the port of Ashdod.

In conclusion, the naval blockade imposed by the State of israel on the Gaza strip is in accordance with international law.


IV. Breach or Attempt of Breach of a naval blockade

Passage of a vessel through a blockaded area or entrance into it without special entry or exit authorization from the State imposing the blockade is considered a breach of the blockade. According to the Law of Armed Conflict at Sea, if there are reasonable grounds to believe it has breached a naval blockade, the State imposing the blockade is authorized to capture the vessel, and if it resists capture and refuses to stop, after prior warning, it may be attacked.

For instance, rule 1710.4 of the ICRC Model Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict for Armed Forces, published in 1999, indicates that:

"Merchant vessels believed on reasonable ground to be breaching a blockade may be captured and those which, after prior warning, clearly resist capture may be attacked".

Moreover, the State imposing the blockade may capture a vessel even prior to its entering to the blockaded area, if it is attempting to breach the Naval Blockade, i.e. is on its way to the blockaded area and there are reasonable grounds to believe it intendes to breach the Naval Blockade. Capture of a vessel attempting to breach a Naval Blockade can be done in international waters, before entrance to the blockaded area, but not in the territorial waters of neutral States.

In other words, the legal authority to capture a vessel is independent of whether at the time of capture the vessel had already entered the blockaded area or was in international waters on its way to breach the blockade.

For instance, article 7.7.4 of the U.S Navy "Commander's Handbook on the Law of Naval Operations" notes that:

"Breach of blockade is the passage of a vessel or aircraft through a blockade without special entry or exit authorization from the blockading belligerent. Attempted breach of blockade occures from the time a vessel or aircraft leaves a port or airfield with the intention of avading the blockade....It is immaterial that the vessel or aircraft is at the time of interception bound for neutral territory, if its ultimate destination is the blockaded area".

Regarding the recent incidents, all vessels taking part in the flotilla were explicitly warned by the IDF that they were approaching an area under a Naval Blockade closed to all martime traffic, and were ordered to change their cource of navigation and refraing from further attempting to breach the Naval Blockade. These vessels were also offered to dock in Ashdod port and deliver humanitarian supplies to the Gaza strip through the formal land crossings. Nevetheless, the vessels explicitly declared theirs intent to breach the Naval Blockade on the martime zoned adjacent to the Gaza strip and their course of navigation unequivocally indicated its intent to breach the Naval Blockade.

Therefore, according to International Law, Israel had the authority to capture the vessels, from the moment they left the territorial waters of neutral States. Under the circumstances, i.e. the vessel's refusal to stop or obey warnings to refrain from breaching the blockade, use of force was permissible in order to enable capture.

The IDF did not attack the vessels with cannons, machine guns or rockets and did not attempt to harm them. It took the neccssary steps in order to capture the vessels in an operation that clearly indicates vigilance and proportionality. Capture of most vessels was completed with no casualties. IDF soldiers taking part in the capture made significant efforts to refrain from using force and did so only when facing clear and immediate threat to life.

V. The Treatment of Personnel on Board a Vessel captured in breack of a blockade

Generally speaking, according to International Law, people on board a vessel captured in breach of a Naval Blockade should be repatriated as soon as possible.

On this matter, Article 7.10.2 of the U.S Navy "Commander's Handbook on the Law of Naval Operations" notes that:

"The officers and the crews of captured neutral merchants vessels and civil aircrafts who are nationals of a neutral nation do not become prisoners of war and must be repatriated as soon as circumstances reasonably permit".

In practice, since the vessel itself is caught on the high seas, people on board should be brought to a safe place (i.e. a harbor of the capturing State) and repatriated as soon as possible. In this context, dure regard needs to be given to theirs safety and basic needs (including food and water, medical treatment if needed and reasonably sanitary conditions)/

The State of Israel has fully implementde the above obligations regarding the people on board the ships which have been captured. Foreigh nationals are being treated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in order to provide for their repatriation, and the wounded were evacuated to hospitals in Israel, some of then by helicopter. Nevertheless, activists suspected of attacking IDF soldiers will be investigated and the necessary legal measures will be taken against them.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website:
www.imra.org.il

Video wapens en voorbereiding op geweld op Mavi Marmara

 
Meer bewijs van het feit dat sprake was van een voorbereide aanval op de soldaten die het Turkse schip enterden. Opvallend: de kogelvrije vesten dragen de Turkse vlag, wat erop duidt dat die door Turkije zijn geleverd.
In het journaal en andere media ontkenden activisten dat er wapens aan boord van de schepen waren ("nog geen zakmes"). In de eerste plaats moet een onderscheid gemaakt worden tussen het Turkse schip waarop hevig is gevochten en de kleinere schepen, en ten tweede zou dit bij lange na niet de eerste keer zijn dat anti-Israel activisten liegen. Omgekomen strijders worden steevast onschuldige burgers genoemd, Hamas banden worden ontkend, antisemitisme ontkend, aantallen doden aan eigen kant overdreven, etc. etc.
 
RP
-----------

Weaponry Overview and Footage of Mavi Marmara Passengers Preparing Weaponry
IDF Spokesperson
03 June 2010
www.youtube.com/watch?v=16sANhzjcC0


The opening footage of the video shows knives, rods, wrenches, gas masks, bulletproof vests, and binoculars found on the ship and gathered at the Port of Ashdod. IDF soldiers then reenact how rioters prepared weaponry by using electric saws to remove metal poles from the stairs and other parts of the ship in order to attack the soldiers. The closing seconds of the film come from actual footage found on the Marmara showing the demonstrators preparing the weaponry.

In the early hours of the 31st of May 2010, IDF soldiers boarded the ships of the "Free Gaza" Flotilla, after the ships refused to redirect their course. Aboard the Mavi Marmara the soldiers encountered serious violence when, in a preplanned attack, the activists on board lynched the soldiers with knives, metal rods and stole two of their guns. As a result 7 soldiers were injured and 9 activists were killed.

Onderhandelingen met zevende boot Free Gaza hulpkonvooi via Ierland

 
Zo kan het dus ook, als je niet met moslimextremisten en mensen die het 'martelaarschap' zoeken te maken hebt.
 
The most recent messages from Halliday were said to be particularly encouraging. Halliday said the ship intended to reach Gaza, but the 15 passengers aboard pledged that if the Israel Navy stopped them, they would not use violence and would obey instructions. In addition, senior Israeli Foreign Ministry officials said that talks between the parties have been good, and that the ship might sail directly to Ashdod to off load its humanitarian cargo, which would be sent directly to the Gaza Strip.
 
Hopelijk zal een en ander inderdaad vreedzaam en in goed overleg verlopen.
 
RP
------------
 
New Gaza-bound aid ship may agree to dock and unload in Ashdod
By Barak Ravid
Latest update 01:52 03.06.10
 
 
Humanitarian aid vessel, the Rachel Corrie, delayed due to technical problems; Passengers include a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former UN deputy secretary-general.
 
A diplomatic solution seems imminent to allow the humanitarian aid vessel the Rachel Corrie to dock without incident at the Ashdod Port. According to European diplomats and senior Foreign Ministry officials in Jerusalem, quiet messages have been exchanged over the past few days between Israel and the group operating the ship, to allow it to dock.
 
The ship is expected to arrive by the weekend.
 
The Rachel Corrie's trip to Gaza is sponsored by two non-governmental organizations, from Ireland and Malaysia. On board is Irish Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire and former United Nations deputy secretary-general Denis Halliday. Also on board are Malaysians from a group sponsored by the former prime minister of Malaysia.
 
The ship was to have been part of the flotilla that was stopped at sea early Monday morning, but was delayed due to technical problems. Its cargo includes cement and medical equipment such as a tomograph (CT ), as well as toys and printing paper.
 
The European diplomats and senior Foreign Ministry officials said Israel had been communicating with the organizers of the ship through the Irish government. The Irish Foreign Ministry also conveyed messages from Halliday, one of the organizers, to the Foreign Ministry.
 
The most recent messages from Halliday were said to be particularly encouraging. Halliday said the ship intended to reach Gaza, but the 15 passengers aboard pledged that if the Israel Navy stopped them, they would not use violence and would obey instructions. In addition, senior Israeli Foreign Ministry officials said that talks between the parties have been good, and that the ship might sail directly to Ashdod to off load its humanitarian cargo, which would be sent directly to the Gaza Strip.
 
Kid gloves in Dublin
 
The ship does not belong to the Irish government, and therefore Dublin has been handling the issue with kid gloves. However, in addition to conveying messages between Israel and the ship's organizers, Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin told the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, Zion Evroni, that Ireland would take diplomatic steps if Israel took over the ship.
 
Senior Irish Foreign Ministry officials told the Israeli envoy that government policy was that the ship be allowed to reach Gaza, because Ireland opposes the blockade of the Strip. Evroni told the Irish that Israel does not seek a conflict with the passengers on the Rachel Corrie; however, Israel asked that they sail to Ashdod and off load there for security inspection before the cargo is sent to Gaza.
 
Evroni was harshly criticized yesterday by members of the Irish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee after he canceled a scheduled appearence before the committee. The Irish media reported that Evroni was to have appeared before the committee today, but had suddenly announced that due to unforeseen circumstances he would not be able to attend.
 
Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Michael Woods called Evroni's last-minute cancellation "almost without precedent" and "most disappointing."
 
 

Drie Turkse opvarenden Gaza vloot hoopten op martelaarsdood


Bulletin - June 3, 2010
Palestinian Media Watch

Three of the four Turks killed on ship sought Martyr's death
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=2367
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

The following is from the official Palestinian Authority daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida:

Headline: "Three of the four Turkish victims of the Israeli attack wished to die as "Shahids" (Martyrs)"

"Three of the four Turks killed in the Israeli attack on the "Freedom Flotilla" bound for the Gaza Strip wanted to die as Martyrs, said their relatives and friends. The wife of one of them, Ali Haydar Bengi, told the Vatan daily: "He used to help the poor and the oppressed. For years, he wanted to go to Palestine. And he constantly prayed to Allah to grant him Shahada (Martyrdom).
 
The names of the Turkish nationals killed in Monday's attack have not been officially released, but the Turkish media identified them yesterday as four men who were involved in Islamic movements or Islamic NGO's...
 
Ali worked at telephone repair shop in Diyarbakir, the largest city in south-eastern Turkey. Sabir Ceylan, a friend of Ali, told the Milliyet newspaper: 'Before embarking on this journey [to Gaza], he said he desired to become a Martyr. He had a strong desire to die as a Martyr.'
 
Another Turkish victim was Ali Ekber Yaratilmis, a 55-year old pensioner. He was a father of five who lived in Ankara. Ali volunteered for the Turkish Aid and Human Rights Organization [IHH], which transfers aid to Gaza. A friend, Mehmet Faruk Cevher, told the Sabah daily that [Ali] 'devoted his life to charity work, that's why he went to Gaza. He always wanted to become a Martyr.'
 
The third victim was Ibrahim Bilgen, a 61-year old pensioner and father of six sons. He was a supporter of the Felicity Party, an Islamic movement in the south-eastern city of Siirt, Anatolia news agency reported. His brother-in-law, Nuri Mergen, told the Agency: 'He was an exemplary man and a truly good man. That's why he was truly worthy of Shahada (Martyrdom). Allah granted him the death that he wished for.'"

[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 3, 2010]

 
Palestinian Media Watch reported in the last two days that participants on board were chanting Islamic battle cries and talking about their coming Martyrdom on the days before the confrontation.
 
PMW | King George 59 | Jerusalem | Israel

Turkse Gaza activisten geven toe wapens van soldaten te hebben afgenomen

 
Former French judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere said Thursday that Istanbul-based Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief was connected to a 1999 plot by Al-Qaida to bomb Los Angeles International Airport.
 
The group had "clear, long-standing ties to terrorism" when he investigated it in the late 1990s, Bruguiere, saying it was "basically helping al-Qaida when bin Laden started to want to target U.S. soil."
 
Je zult het niet in de Volkskrant, NRC of op het NOS journaal horen...
 
RP
------------
 
Gaza flotilla organizer admits activists seized weapons from Israeli soldiers
Turkish leader of intercepted ship says activists threw weapons into the sea; former French judge: Turkish judge: Turkish group linked to Qaida attack on LAX.
 
Published 09:36 03.06.10 / Latest update 09:36 03.06.10
By Haaretz Service and The Associated Press

A Turkish organizer of a pro-Palestinian aid flotilla admitted on Thursday to seizing weapons from Israeli soldiers who stormed the boats, but said activists beat the soldiers only in self defense.

Bulent Yildirim, who was deported from Israel along with hundreds of other foreigners who tried breaching an Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, said activists grabbed weapons from the soldiers who dropped onto the vessel, but then threw them into the sea.

Yildirim also said that the activists attacked the Israeli commandos with chairs and sticks in self defense. Nine of the activists were killed in the operation on Monday and several more wounded when Israeli commandos opened fire on the ship. Seven soldiers were also wounded in the incident.

Even if the activists had turned the soldiers' guns on them it would have been in legitimate self defense, said Yildirim, adding that the raid on Monday was conducted in international waters.

The Israeli commandos said that the activists surrounded and attacked them as they entered the ship and also say they acted in self-defense

Yildirim vowed to organize bigger convoys by land and sea if Israel did not end the blockade of Gaza.

The Turkish Islamic charity that Yildirim heads has been linked by various sources to terrorism networks, including Al-Qaida and Hamas.

Former French judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere said Thursday that Istanbul-based Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief.was connected to a 1999 plot by Al-Qaida to bomb Los Angeles International Airport.

The group had "clear, long-standing ties to terrorism" when he investigated it in the late 1990s, Bruguiere, saying it was "basically helping al-Qaida when bin Laden started to want to target U.S. soil."

The group vehemently denies any ties to radical groups and is not among some 45 groups listed as terrorists by the U.S. State Department. "We have nothing to do with any illegal organization," declared one of its leaders.

donderdag 3 juni 2010

Hamas weigert hulpgoederen Free Gaza konvooi via Israel

 
Een opmerkelijk bericht...
 
--------------------------------------------
 

'Hamas weigert hulpgoederen konvooi'

ANP op 02 juni '10, 19:28, bijgewerkt 02 juni '10, 20:25
 
 
JERUZALEM - De radicale Palestijnse beweging Hamas weigert Israëlische vrachtwagens met hulpgoederen van een konvooi Gaza binnen te laten rijden. Israël had de goederen in beslag genomen van de Vrijheidsvloot, die met zes schepen op weg was naar Gaza.

Twintig vrachtwagens zijn gevuld met vracht van de in beslag genomen schepen, die echter de toegang tot de door Hamas bestuurde Gazastrook wordt ontzegd, aldus een Israëlische legerwoordvoerster woensdag. De vracht bestaat vooral uit medicijnen, kleding, dekens en speelgoed. Hamas zou geen humanitaire hulp meer binnenlaten.

Reactie Hamas

Een Hamaswoordvoerder weigerde commentaar op de beschulding, maar bevestigde dat de Palestijnse autoriteiten in Gaza geen hulpgoederen hebben ontvangen. Volgens hem ligt de prioriteit van de beweging bij de vrijlating van de circa zeshonderd activisten. Ook vindt Hamas dat de hulpcoördinatie moet plaatsvinden in samenwerking met Turkije, dat meer dan 10.000 ton aan hulpgoederen schonk.

Onderwijl liet Hamasminister Ahmad al-Kurd (Sociale Zaken) weten, dat als de partij hulpgoederen wordt binnengelaten, dit alleen gebeurt als alle spullen van de activisten worden geleverd. Israël zegt dat de twintig vrachtwagens eerst hun spullen moeten afleveren voordat ze de rest kunnen ophalen.

Deense journalist bericht ter plekke over tekorten in Gaza

 
Een eerlijk verslag van een Deense verslaggever over de situatie in Gaza. Het volgende is typerend. Hij interviewde een vrouw op een markt in een vluchtelingenkamp:
 
"We have nothing", she said. We need everything! Food, drinks ... everything! "

It disturbed her not at least that she stood between the mountains of vegetables, fruit, eggs, poultry and fish, while she spun this doomsday scenario.
 
Het betekent natuurlijk niet dat er geen problemen zijn, maar het is wel vreemd dat men zo makkelijk roept niks te hebben terwijl uit de beelden wederom blijkt dat er geen tekorten zijn aan voedsel, er zijn geen lange rijen te zien voor voedselafgiftes door de VN, er zijn geen kinderen met hongerbuikjes te zien etc.
 
RP
--------------
 

Danish report from Gaza: "Where's the humanitarian crisis?"

Danish reporter Steffen Jensen visits Gaza to see how bad things are, given that the entire world is in an uproar over the humanitarian crisis there (translated):



Judging from the media, the situation in Gaza is desperate, everything is about to collapse, and the community is on the brink or at the level of a third world country.

The Palestinian community's immediate downfall has been prophesied numerous times in the media. People have nothing to eat, we sometimes know. The UN must from time to time to stop food distribution, either because their stocks are running low, or because they can not get diesel for their trucks, and therefore can not carry food in. And so on.

Yesterday I drove into the Gaza Strip. I don't do this as often as before [because it takes much longer to get through the checkpoints now.]

 
This time, I had expected to see real suffering, because with all the fuss in recent days about bringing tons of humanitarian relief in - so much that people actually sacrificed their lives for it - there certainly had to really be a deep, desperate situation in the Gaza Strip. No food. Long queues in front of UN food stocks. Hungry children with food bowls. 

But this was not the picture that greeted me.

When I yesterday morning drove through Gaza City, I was immediately surprised that there are almost as many traffic jams as there always has been. Is there not a shortage of fuel? Apparently not. Gasoline is not even rationed.

Many shops were closed yesterday, Hamas has declared a general strike in protest against Israel's brutal and deadly attack on the Turkish flotilla with pro-Palestinian activists on board. So it was difficult to estimate how many products were on the shelves. Therefore I went over to the Shati refugee camp, also known as Beach Camp. Here is one of Gaza's many vegetable markets that sell much more than just fruits and vegetables.

I will not say whether, in better times has been a larger product range than there was yesterday. But there was certainly no shortage of vegetables, fruits or any other ordinary, basic foods. Tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, watermelons, potatoes - mountains of these items in the many stalls.

I must admit I was a little surprised. Because when I call down here to my Palestinian friends, they tell me about all the problems and deficiencies, so I expected that the crisis was a little more clear.

And the first woman we interviewed in the market confirms this strange, contradictory, negative mindset:

"We have nothing," she said. We need everything! Food, drinks ... everything! "

It disturbed her not at least that she stood between the mountains of vegetables, fruit, eggs, poultry and fish, while she spun this doomsday scenario.

Yousuf al-Assad Yazgy owns a fruit and vegetable outlet here in the market. All his fruit is imported from Israel.

"Not all fruit and all vegetables come from Israel. Ours does. They come from Israel. But in the Gaza Strip there is not very much fruit cultivated. Mostly tomatoes, potatoes and vegetables. So here with me are the vegetables and watermelon were from Gaza. All the fruit comes across the border from Israel," he explains, but also says that there can be long periods when the border is closed, and which therefore fruit does not come in.

On the way out of the Shati camp we stop at a small grocery store. Not any fancy, expensive business. Just a small, humble local store. The proprietor Sun Mohammed Abu Nada says they would not be able to do business if it were not for contraband goods from Egypt.

He takes us on a brief tour of the shelves and shows everything that comes from Egypt. It turns out to be much more than half of the goods. 75-80 per cent. I would estimate. Several other products - including long-life UHT milk - comes from Israel, but is also smuggled through tunnels from Egypt.

The products are more expensive, he says. Many people cannot afford to buy them, or only to buy certain things sometimes. But all the while that even such a small, poor-looking grocery store on the outskirts of a refugee camp still has so many relatively expensive smuggled goods on the shelves shows nevertheless that many of the customers at least be able to afford to buy them. Otherwise, the merchant of course could not even afford to invest in unsold inventory.

This story I have written to postulate that there are problems in the Gaza Strip, because that would be untrue. There are problems. Many problems indeed. But it is not lack of food, which primarily concern people down here. The biggest problem is the lack of jobs and a sustainable domestic economy.

'Palestijns-Nederlandse Free Gaza activist kopstuk van Hamas'

 
Als dit nieuws, dat zowel Elsevier als de Telegraaf meldden, waar is, dan bewijst dat eens te meer dat de Gaza boot activisten geen vreedzame demonstranten zijn en de organisatie voor een groot deel in handen was van moslimextremisten en geestverwanten van Hamas. Een groot deel van de opvarenden was moslim; naast de 350 Turken en tientallen activisten uit Arabische landen, waren ook de deelnemers uit Europa voor een flink deel Arabisch. Dat betekent niet automatisch dat zij allen Hamas aanhangers waren, maar het beeld van jonge idealistische linkse actievoerders klopt toch niet helemaal.
 
De Arabische deelnemers die gisteren in Amman aankwamen scandeerden leuzen voor het martelarenschap en de jihad tegen Israel. Dat is niet de taal die ik ken uit mijn actieperiode. Het is waarschijnlijk ook niet de taal van Anne de Jong en anderen zoals zij, maar opvallend is wel dat er vanuit de activisten geen enkele kritiek is gekomen op de extremisten van de IHH op het Turkse schip, die grof geweld gebruikten tegen de Israelische soldaten en daarmee dit bloedbad uitlokten, noch op de antisemitische en van haat doordrongen strijdliederen die zij zongen.
 
Zie ook het vorige bericht voor meer informatie over de radikaal-islamitische achtergrond van een aantal Arabische deelnemers.
 
RP
-----------
 

'Nederlandse anti-Israël-activist is kopstuk van Hamas'

woensdag 2 juni 2010 07:30

De 43-jarige Nederlander Amin Abou Rashed, die door Israël is gearresteerd nadat het internationale 'hulpkonvooi' voor Gaza de confrontatie zocht met de Israëlische marine, is een kopstuk van de radicaalislamitische terreurbeweging Hamas.

Dat schrijft De Telegraaf woensdag op basis van gegevens van inlichtingendiensten.

Arm
Rashed was, naast Anne de Jong, de enige Nederlander tussen de vijfhonderd gearresteerde
anti-Israëlische activisten (zie kader rechtsonder).

Hij is in het bezit van een Nederlands paspoort, is van Palestijnse komaf en zou opereren vanuit Rotterdam. Eerder verloor hij een arm in zijn
strijd tegen Israël.

Volgens de officiële website van het
Moslimbroederschap, een organisatie die de invoering van de sharia overal ter wereld nastreeft, is Rashed een van de drijvende krachten achter het 'hulpkonvooi' voor Gaza.

Hamas
Een inlichtingenbron zegt tegen de krant: 'Rashed is de leider van de
Hamas in Nederland. Hij komt onder een alias, namelijk Amin Abou Ibrahim, voor in verschillende inlichtingenrapporten.'

Zo noemt de Amerikaanse anti-terreurorganisatie Nefa Rashed verschillende malen in een onderzoek naar de invloed van het Moslimbroederschap in Europa.

Ook heeft hij gewerkt voor de beruchte Nederlandse stichting al-Aksa, die werd verdacht van fondsenwerving voor Hamas. En: 'Hij is ook zeer actief in de
Stichting Palestijns Platform voor Mensenrechten en Solidariteit, de PPMS.'

Holy Land
Hamas wordt gefinancierd door islamitische 'liefdadigheidsinstellingen' over de gehele wereld. Rashed is genoemd in relatie tot de Holy Land Foundation, een beruchte liefdadigheidsorganisatie die in Amerika werd opgerold voor het financieren van Hamas.

Rashed en activist De Jong zitten nog vast in Israël en verkeren in goede gezondheid. Ze worden waarschijnlijk
vandaag vrijgelaten.
-------------------

Hollandse Hamasleider was erbij

door Bart Olmer
 
AMSTERDAM -  De Nederlander Amin Abou Rashed (43), die door Israëlische commando's is gearresteerd aan boord van de 'Vrijheidsvloot' voor de kust van Gaza, is volgens inlichtingendiensten een kopstuk van terreurorganisatie Hamas.

Amin Abou Rashed (rechts) zat vorig jaar in Cairo aan tafel met Gretta Duisenberg en de Nederlandse ambassadeur. Foto: Floris Scheplitz

Gisteravond laat maakte Israël bekend dat alle opgepakte zeshonderd buitenlandse actievoerders binnen twee dagen zullen worden vrijgelaten. Onder hen zijn twee Nederlanders: Rashed en Anne de Jong (29).

De van oorsprong Palestijnse Rashed heeft een Nederlands paspoort en opereert vanuit Rotterdam.

In zijn strijd tegen Israël verloor de Nederlandse activist eerder een arm. De Nederlander wordt aangewezen als een van de organisatoren achter de 'vredesvloot' door de officiële website van de Moslimbroederschap, een beweging die strijdt voor islamdominantie.

"Rashed is de leider van de Hamas in Nederland", zegt een inlichtingenbron. "Hij komt onder een alias, namelijk Amin Abou Ibrahim, voor in meerdere inlichtingenrapporten. Hij werkte voor de beruchte Nederlandse stichting al-Aksa, die werd verdacht van fondsenwerving voor de terreurorganisatie Hamas. Hij is ook zeer actief in de Stichting Palestijns Platform voor Mensenrechten en Solidariteit (PPMS)", aldus de inlichtingenman.

Hamas heeft als financieringsbron wereldwijd islamitische 'liefdadigheidsinstellingen'. De Nederlander Amin Abou Rashed wordt genoemd in relatie tot de Holy Land Foundation, een beruchte liefdadigheidsorganisatie die in Amerika werd opgerold voor het financieren van Hamas.

Leden Moslim Broederschap en andere radicale moslims aan boord van Free Gaza boten

 
Veel van de Arabische deelnemers aan de Gaza vloot actie waren geen vredesactivisten maar radikale moslims en sympathisanten van Hamas. Een aantal is met de moslimbroederschap verbonden, een radikaal islamitische organisatie waar ook Hamas aan verwant is. Dat blijkt uit onderstaande informatie over een aantal deelnemers.
 
RP
-------------
 

Arab Media Reports on Flotilla Participants: Writing Wills, Preparing for Martyrdom, Determined to Reach Gaza or Die

Flotilla Participants

Following is information from the Arab media about some of the flotilla participants. It should be noted that many of these were from the Muslim Brotherhood across the Muslim world:

Egypt

In Friday sermons, Muslim Brotherhood General Guide Muhammad Badi' expressed support for Hamas, frequently reiterating harsh statements in favor of jihad and of the armed struggle in Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan (For more on this subject, see also MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 2986, "MEMRI TV Clips on the Gaza Flotilla: Activists On Board Chant Songs of Martyrdom at Departure,"http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4249.htm.

The Egyptian flotilla delegation included two members of the Muslim Brotherhood bloc in the Egyptian parliament: Muhammad Al-Baltaji and Hazem Farouq.

Al-Baltaji, who is deputy secretary-general of the Muslim Brotherhood parliamentary bloc in Egypt, said at a March 2010 conference, "A nation that excels at dying will be blessed by Allah with a life of dignity and with eternal paradise." He also said that his movement "will never recognize Israel and will never abandon the resistance," and that "resistance is the only road map that can save Jerusalem, restore the Arab honor, and prevent Palestine from becoming a second Andalusia.[1]

Lebanon

The Lebanese flotilla delegation, with six members, was headed by attorney Dr. Hani Suleiman, who also participated in a February 2009 Gaza flotilla. He was pro-bono attorney to Japanese terrorist Kozo Okamoto.[2] In 2006, he signed a communique supporting armed resistance in Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq.[3]

Three other members of the Lebanese delegation are Al-Jazeera TV correspondents.[4] One, 'Abbas Nasser, worked for Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV from 1997 through 2003; he has said that he enjoyed working there because he felt like part of a family, and because the channel "embraced his religious and political orientation." In 2003, he also worked for Iran's Al-'Alam TV.[5]

Another delegation member, Hussein Shaker, is known as "Abu Al-Shuhada" ("Father of the Martyrs"). He has reportedly expressed a desire to meet "his martyrs" (i.e. relatives killed during the 2006 Lebanon war), and has called his participation in the flotilla revenge for their deaths.[6]

Jordan

The Jordanian flotilla delegation included Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan activists such as delegation head Wael Al-Saka, a veteran Muslim Brotherhood member,[7] and Salam Al-Falahat, who was general guide of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan from 2006 to 2008.[8] In an interview last year, Al-Falahat said: "We in the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan see Palestine as part of the Islamic and Arab land that must not be relinquished - on the contrary, defending it is a national and jurisprudential obligation... We see Hamas movement in Palestine as standing at the head of the project of the Arab and Islamic liberation for which the Muslim Brotherhood calls... The Muslim Brotherhood supports Hamas and every Arab resistance movement in the region that works for liberation."[9]

Also in the delegation was Jordanian publicist and journalist Muhammad Abu Ghanima, a former head of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan's information bureau and a member of the movement's political bureau. Abu Ghanima writes frequent articles praising Hamas and condemning the Palestinian Authority. In one, he vehemently attacked Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, calling on the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to topple his regime even at the cost of thousands of martyrs.[10]

Journalist Saud Salam Abu Mahfouz, member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan's political party, the Islamic Action Front, is also director-general of the Jordanian Al-Sabil newspaper, which is identified with the Muslim Brotherhood. His son, Jordanian correspondent for Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV, was arrested in Egypt in 2008.[11]

Syria

The only Syrian citizen of the flotilla's 700 participants was Shadha Barakat. She was sent as a representative of the Civil Association for Resisting Zionism and Aid for Palestine, which supports armed resistance in Palestine and in Iraq. Her husband Ayman said that she had written a play on assassinated Hamas founder and leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, and had told him that when she reaches Gaza she "plans to visit [Yassin's] home and inhale the scent of the place where he lived."[12]

Yemen

Prominent activists in the Yemeni flotilla delegation were three MPs from the Al-Islah party, an Islamist party that is close to the Muslim Brotherhood. One, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hazmi, was photographed on the deck of the Mavi Marmara brandishing his large curved dagger.[13]

Another Yemeni MP in the flotilla, Hazza' Al-Maswari, also from the Al-Islah party, previously expressed vehement anti-American sentiment. In 2004, he objected to a Yemeni program for dialogue with prisoners from Al-Qaeda aimed at tempering their views, declaring recently at Friday prayers: "We cannot tell militants 'don't terrorize Americans' or 'don't attack their interests.' Those who plant hatred will harvest hatred."[14]

Kuwait

Among the prominent flotilla activists from Kuwait were Salafist MP Walid Al-Tabtabai, who is known to support armed resistance in Palestine and in Iraq. He said: "We think that the armed resistance in Iraq is legitimate resistance. Every resistance directed against anyone who occupies it is legitimate..."[16] Al-Tabtabai also expressed explicit support for Hamas and objected to the regime of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud 'Abbas.[17]

Another prominent Kuwaiti activist in the flotilla was Dr. Osama Al-Kandari, a Hadith lecturer at the College of Basic Education. In February 2009, he signed a communique expressing support for Hamas and for jihad in Palestine against the "Jewish enemies."[18]

Bahrain

Sheikh Jalal Al-Sharqi, head of the Association of Islamic Scholars in the GCC Countries, was also on board. Previously, Al-Sharqi signed a clerics' petition calling to acknowledge Hamas's legitimacy, as recognized by shari'a, and not to prevent it from obtaining weapons. The petition justified the stance of the "fighters in Gaza" who cling to jihad "against the Jews" and to martyrdom.[19]

Israeli Arabs

The Monitoring Committee of the Israeli Arabs sent four of its members to the flotilla, including Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel. He made statements in support of Hamas and against the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority. Previously, Salah said at the Conference of the Palestinians in Europe: "We are very joyful over the Freedom Flotilla... that in another few days will break the siege on free Gaza, noble Gaza, heroic Gaza. At the same time, we emphasize to all the world that the Freedom Flotilla heralds another flotilla to come - do you know what that is? It is the flotilla returning the Palestinian refugees to our country, to our plains, to our sea and our land, to our fields and our groves."[20]

Bishop Hilarion Capucci

Another passenger on the Mavi Marmara was Bishop Hilarion Capucci, who in the 1970s was convicted and imprisoned in Israel for smuggling weapons from Lebanon to the PLO, but afterwards was freed at the request of the Vatican. According to Algerian flotilla participants, Hilarion said that he was "waiting for the day when he could return to Palestine and hear the church bells and the muezzins' calls of 'Allah Akbar,' under the skies of a free Palestine."[21]

Anticipating Conflict, Willing to Die

In their statements, flotilla participants raised the possibility that Israel would use force to prevent the ship from reaching the Gaza coast, and declared that this would not stop them. Many noted that they would break the siege even if it cost them their lives.  

Muhammad Al-Baltaji, of the Muslim Brotherhood faction in the Egyptian parliament, said: "The flotilla participants have two aims: to reach Gaza and break the siege, and to denounce Israel if it prevents the flotilla from entering Gaza, even at the cost of martyrdom or imprisonment."[22]

Algerian delegation head Dr. Abd Al Razzaq Maqri, who is the deputy head of the Algerian group Movement of Society for Peace, Algeria's major Islamist party, said, "The Algerians on board will hear only the orders of their leaders, who seek to break the siege. [The options are] martyrdom, imprisonment, or breaking [the siege]."[23]

The website of the group titled its collection of photos from the flotilla "Photos of Algerian Mujahideen."[24]

Algerian delegation coordinator Ahmad Brahimi said about his delegation: "Algeria has been known for its support of the Palestinian cause since the days of Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi. Our fathers gave their blood and lives to defend Palestine... and we are the sons of those fathers." He added that the delegation's only purpose was to reach Gaza, and that Israel could not prevent it from doing so.[25]

Another participant, Attorney Fathi Nassar of Jordan, said: "The Freedom Flotilla members are filled with determination to reach Gaza or die."[26]

Rami Abdou, representative of the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza, said that most of the participants were willing to lay down their lives to reach Gaza. He stressed that they would not allow the occupation forces to tow the ship to Ashdod.[27]

Shadha Barakat's husband Ayman said that his wife was likely to be harmed during the venture, adding that "she will make no truce with Zionism" and that "since she was a child, she has dreamed of attacking an Israeli."[28]

Participants Write Their Wills

At a press conference in Antalya, Turkey, the flotilla organizers asked all the participants to "write their wills."[29] Following the press conference, Kuwaiti Salafist MP Walid Al-Tabtabai reportedly "did not hesitate to write his will, in defiance of the Israeli threats."[30]

The father of Kuwaiti activist Abd Al-Rahman Al-Filkawi told the Kuwaiti Al-Watandaily that his son had told him that the flotilla participants' morale was high, and that they "would sacrifice themselves for the sake of Allah. He added that his son had "told them before embarking that he would be a martyr for the sake of Allah."[31] Likewise, on the various Internet forums, it was reported that the mother of one of the Turkish participants had said that her son had bade her farewell and told her that he was going to lay down his life.[32] 


[1] Ikhwanonline.com, March 15, 2010.
[2] http://www.inbaa.com, August 11, 2008.
[3] http://www.alwahdawi.net, April 5, 206.
[4] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), June 1, 2010; Al-Safir (Lebanon) June 1, 2010.
[5] http://www.nowlebanon.com, May 31, 2010; www.bintjubail.org, June 1, 2010.
[6] http://www.inbaa.com, August 11, 2008.
[7] http://stocksexperts.net/archive/.php?t-11429.html, Al-Sabil (Jordan), May 31, 2010
[8] Al-Sabil (Jordan), May 31, 2010.
[9] Al-Raya (Qatar), September 23, 2009.
[10] http://ziad-1937.maktoobblog.com/  December 3, 2008.
[11] Aljazeera.net, August 12, 2009. Al-Sabil (Jordan), January 9, 2010.
[12] Al-Watan (Syria), June 1, 2010; http://alfikralarabi.net/vb, June 1, 2010.   
[13] http://almethaq.net, May 31, 2010,
[16] http://www.alarabiya.net, May 29, 2004; www.news.gov.kw, April 24, 2004.
[17] http://islamtoday.net, March 7, 2010.
[18]  http://www.islamway.com, February 7, 2009.
[19] islamonline.net, February 16, 2009; www.aqsatv.ps, May 27, 2010.
[20] http://alsedeek.com/alsedeek, May 10, 2010.
[22] www.ikhwanonline.com, May 27, 2010.
[23] www.arab48.com, May 25, 2010.
[25] http://www.insanonline.net, May 22, 2010.
[26] Al-Haqiqa Al-Dawliyya (Jordan), May 27, 2010.
[28] Al-Watan (Syria), June 1, 2010.
[29] http://www.aqsatv.ps/ar, May 27, 2010; alfikralarabi.net/vb, June 1, 2010.  
[30] Al-Rai (Kuwait), May 30, 2010.
[31] Al-Watan (Kuwait), May 31, 2010.
[32] http://www.paldf.net, May 31, 2010.