[News] Boat carrying Cynthia McKinney to Gaza attacked

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 From the Free Gaza Movement:
(This is the sixth boat that the Free Gaza 
movement has sent to Gaza ... in a symbolic 
effort to end the seige of Gaza.  These are small 
boats, and they do not cross into Israeli waters 
at all.  This Israeli attack on the boat, which 
occured in international waters, cannot be 
described as 'self defence' by any stretch of 
delusional imagination.  CNN has report on 
this--it helps that one CNN reporter is on 
board-- : 
<http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/12/29/penhaul.gaza.bpr.boat.cnn>http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/12/29/penhaul.gaza.bpr.boat.cnn 
)

===============================================
URGENT! Israeli Navy Attacking Civilian Mercy Ship! TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY!

The Dignity, a Free Gaza boat on a mission of 
mercy to besieged Gaza, is being attacked by the 
Israeli Navy in international waters. The Dignity 
has been surrounded by at least half-a-dozen 
Israeli warships. They are firing live ammunition 
around the Dignity, and one of the warships has 
rammed the civilian craft causing an unknown 
amount of damage. Contrary to international 
maritime law, the Israelis are actively 
preventing the Dignity from approaching Gaza or 
finding safe haven in either Egypt or Lebanon. 
Instead, the Israeli navy is demanding that the 
Dignity return to Cyprus - despite the fact that 
the ship does not carry enough fuel to do so. 
Fortunately, no one aboard the ship has yet been seriously injured.

There are 15 civilian passengers representing 11 
different countries (see below for a complete 
list). At approximately 5am (UST), well out in 
international waters, Israeli warships began 
surrounding the Dignity, threatening the ship. At 
6:45am (UST) we were able to establish brief 
contact with the crew and were told that the ship 
had been rammed by the Israeli Navy in 
international waters, and that the Israelis were 
preventing the ship from finding safe harbor. We 
heard heavy gunfire in the background before all 
contact was lost with the Dignity.

It is urgent that you TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION!

CALL the Israeli Government and demand that it 
immediately STOP attacking the Dignity and 
endangering the lives of its passengers!

CALL Mark Regev in the Prime Minister's office at:
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5062 3264
<mailto:mark.regev at it.pmo.gov.il>mark.regev at it.pmo.gov.il

CALL Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:
+972 33697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
<mailto:mediasar at mod.gov.il>mediasar at mod.gov.il


BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Dignity departed from Larnaca Port in Cyprus 
at 7pm (UST) on Monday 29 December, bound for 
war-devastated Gaza with a cargo of over 3 tons 
of desperately needed medical supplies donated by 
the people of Cyprus. At our request, the ship 
was searched by Cypriot Port authorities prior to 
departure, to certify that there was nothing 
"threatening" aboard - only emergency medical supplies.

TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY TO STOP THE ISRAELI NAVY 
FROM ENDANGERING THE DIGNITY AND ITS PASSENGERS!

Civilians aboard the Dignity being threatened by the Israeli military:

(UK) Denis Healey, Captain
Captain of the Dignity, Denis has been involved 
with boats for 45 years, beginning with small 
fishing boats in Portsmouth. He learned to sail 
while at school and has been part of the sea ever 
since. He's a certified yachtmaster and has also 
worked on heavy marine equipment from yachts to 
large dredgers. This is his fourth trip to Gaza.

(Greece) Nikolas Bolos, First Mate
Nikolas is a chemical engineer and human rights 
activist. He has served as a crewmember on 
several Free Gaza voyages, including the first one in August.

(Jordan) Othman Abu Falah
Othman is a senior producer with Al-Jazeera 
Television. He will remain in Gaza to report on the ongoing military onslaught.

(Australia) Renee Bowyer
Renee is a schoolteacher and human rights 
activist. She will remain in Gaza to do human rights monitoring and reporting.

(Ireland) Caoimhe Butterly
Caoimhe is a reknowned human rights activist and 
Gaza Coordinator for the Free Gaza Movement. She 
will be remaining in Gaza to do human rights 
monitoring, assist with relief efforts, and work 
on project development with Free Gaza.

(Cyprus) Ekaterini Christodulou
Ekaterini is a well-known and respected freelance 
journalist in Cyprus. She is traveling to Gaza to report on the conflict.

(Sudan) Sami El-Haj
Sami is a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, and 
head of the human rights section at Al-Jazeera 
Television. He will remain in Gaza to report on the ongoing military onslaught.

(UK) Dr. David Halpin
Dr. Halpin is an experienced orthopaedic surgeon, 
medical professor, and ship's captain. He has 
organized humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza on 
several occasions with the Dove and Dolphin. He 
is traveling to Gaza to volunteer in hospitals and clinics.

(Germany) Dr. Mohamed Issa
Dr. Issa is a pediatric surgeon from Germany. He 
is traveling to Gaza to volunteer in hospitals and clinics.

(UK/Tunisia) Fathi Jaouadi
Fathi is a television producer and human rights 
activist. He will remain in Gaza to do human rights monitoring and reporting.

(USA) Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia is a former U.S. Congresswoman from 
Georgia, and the 2008 Green Party presidential 
candidate. She is traveling to Gaza to assess the ongoing conflict.

(Cyprus) Martha Paisi
Martha is a senior research fellow and 
experienced human rights activist. She is 
traveling to Gaza to do human rights work and to 
assist with humanitarian relief efforts.

(UK) Karl Penhaul
Karl Penhaul is a video correspondent for CNN, 
based out of Bogotá, Colombia. Appointed to this 
position in February 2004, he covers breaking 
news around the world utilizing CNN's new 
laptop-based 'Digital Newsgathering' system. He 
is traveling to Gaza to report on the ongoing conflict.

(Iraq) Thaer Shaker
Thaer is a cameraman with Al-Jazeera television. 
He will remain in Gaza to report on the ongoing military onslaught.

(Cyprus) Dr. Elena Theoharous, MP
Dr. Theoharous is a surgeon and a Member of the 
Cypriot Parliament. She is traveling to Gaza to 
assess the ongoing conflict, assist with 
humanitarian relief efforts, and volunteer in hospitals.




Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

415 863-9977

www.Freedomarchives.org  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20081230/c7d67b61/attachment.htm>