[News] Israel Simulates Attack On Freedom Flotilla - Irish boat sabotaged
Anti-Imperialist News
news at freedomarchives.org
Fri Jul 1 10:54:57 EDT 2011
3 articles follow
Israel Simulates Attack On Freedom Flotilla
author
Thursday June 30, 2011 10:27
author
by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies
<http://www.imemc.org/report_posts?subject=Report%20post:%20Story%2061580%20with%20title:%20Israel%20Simulates%20Attack%20On%20Freedom%20Flotilla&message=Report%20post:%20Story%2061580%20with%20title:%20Israel%20Simulates%20Attack%20On%20Freedom%20Flotilla%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.imemc.org%2Findex.php%3Fobj_id%3D53%26story_id%3D61580%26%0A%0AEnter+your+reason+here+-+please+do+not+remove+the+above+link+as+it+will+allow+an+editor+to+easily+remove+the+offending+content>
Report post
http://www.imemc.org/article/61580
Israeli sources reported that the army, a number
of Israeli security officials and politicians,
conducted on Tuesday a drill simulating the
interception of the Freedom Flotilla 2, that will
be heading to Gaza to deliver medical and humanitarian supplies.
The drill started in a special operations room
designed for this purpose, while personnel of the
several ministries, the offices of Israeli Prime
Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defense
Minister, Ehud Barak, attended and supervised the simulation.
Israel also prepared videos and documents
justifying an attack on the flotilla, and will be
ready to be publish the reports on Internet
feeds, to media agencies and through SMS messages.
Yuli Edelstein, Israeli Minister of “Information
and Diaspora”, supervised the simulation along
with other security and military officials,
including officials of Israel's Foreign Ministry.
Israel will be actively publishing information on
Internet feeds, especially on social networks
like Twitter and Facebook, in order to counter
pro-Palestine feeds described by Tel Aviv as “the enemies of Israel”.
The preparations come after Israel stepped up its
threats to intercept the Freedom Flotilla, and
even use force, again, to prevent the ships from reaching Gaza.
Several Israeli leaders have started describing
human rights activists of planning to attack
Israel soldiers should they board the ships.
The Israeli army also claimed that the activists
are planning to spray the soldiers with Sulfur,
but other government officials denied the report,
while the army refused to provide any evidence of the claim.
According to a report published by Israel's
Haaretz paper, army sources stated that several
activists said during coordination sessions with
organizers of the Flotilla that “they intend to
resort to violence, and shed the blood of Israeli
soldiers attacking their ships”.
The report added that activists of the Turkish
Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), in addition
to Muslim and Arab activists will be part of the
flotilla, and that they are preparing to use violence against the soldiers.
On Monday, the Israeli Ministerial Council
authorized the use of force if needed to enforce
the naval siege on Gaza, and to act on preventing
any of the ships from reaching the besieged coastal region.
The Israeli Defense Ministry recently suggested
forming a court that would sanction the
confiscation of all naval equipment and ships
that try to break the siege on Gaza.
Last Thursday, United States Secretary of State,
Hillary Clinton, stated that solidarity ships
heading to Gaza come in defiance of the Israeli
Blockade on the coastal region, and are
considered “unnecessary effort that is likely to draw a reaction from Israel”.
On May 31, 2010, Israel attacked the Turkish Mavi
Marmara, part of the Freedom Flotilla, killing
nine Turkish activists, including a Turkish
activist who carried U.S. citizenship.
An investigation by the Turkish government of
last year's Israeli attack released its results
two weeks ago, showing that the nine men killed
were hit by 30 bullets fired at close range, with
five of the men killed by shots to the head.
The 19-year old American citizen who was killed,
Furqan Dogan, was killed by five bullets fired at
a distance of 45 cm to his face, the back of his head, his leg and his back.
Freedom Flotilla organizers issued several press
releases affirming the non-violent nature of
their trip to Gaza, and that its only goal is to
break the illegal Israeli siege and to deliver
urgently needed medical and humanitarian supplies.
************************************************
Flotilla activists say Irish boat sabotaged in
same way Norwegian boat was damaged
author
Thursday June 30, 2011 11:39
author
by IMEMC Staff
<http://www.imemc.org/report_posts?subject=Report%20post:%20Story%2061581%20with%20title:%20Flotilla%20activists%20say%20Irish%20boat%20sabotaged%20in%20same%20way%20Norwegian%20boat%20was%20damaged&message=Report%20post:%20Story%2061581%20with%20title:%20Flotilla%20activists%20say%20Irish%20boat%20sabotaged%20in%20same%20way%20Norwegian%20boat%20was%20damaged%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.imemc.org%2Findex.php%3Fobj_id%3D53%26story_id%3D61581%26%0A%0AEnter+your+reason+here+-+please+do+not+remove+the+above+link+as+it+will+allow+an+editor+to+easily+remove+the+offending+content>
Report post
http://www.imemc.org/article/61581
According to activists on the Freedom Flotilla of
aid ships to Gaza, a second boat has been
severely damaged by unknown saboteurs who dove
under the boat to damage the propeller shaft. The
boat's captain said that the way the boat was
sabotaged was extremely dangerous, as it would
have caused the propeller to cut through the
boat's hull and make the engine room to fill with
water, thus sinking the boat while en route to Gaza.
Earlier this week, another of the Flotilla's
boats – a joint Norwegian-Swedish-Greek effort
named 'Juliano' after assassinated Israeli peace
activist Juliano Mer-Khamis – was sabotaged in
the same way while preparing for departure from a Greek port.
The sabotage of the two boats follows a complaint
filed by the Israel Law Center against the US
Boat to Gaza claiming that the boat 'lacked
seaworthiness' and needed additional inspection
before departing, despite the fact that the boat
had already been inspected and approved for travel.
The 'Freedom Flotilla' aims to bring humanitarian
aid to the people of Gaza, who remain under an
Israeli-imposed siege that began in 2007.
Malnutrition rates are extremely high in Gaza due
to the siege, and over 300 patients have died due
to the lack of medical care, and the refusal of
Israeli authorities to allow them to travel outside of Gaza for medical care.
According to the coordinator of the Irish ship,
Fintan Lane, “This was the type of sabotage that
endangered human life”. Some activists on the
Freedom Flotilla say they suspect Israeli agents
of involvement in the sabotage, although no one
has yet been charged in the attacks.
*****************************************************
Gilad Atzmon: Gaza Flotilla vs. Diaspora Jewry
Friday, July 1, 2011 at 4:24AM
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/gilad-atzmon-gaza-flotilla-vs-diaspora-jewry.html#entry11973606
The Israelis are preparing themselves for another massacre on the high seas.
This should not take us by surprise: after all,
people who are
<http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/truth-history-and-integrity-by-gilad-atzmon.html>detached
from a true notion of history, and driven by a
continuous fantasy of destruction, would be the
last to draw a lesson from their past.
Earlier today I learned that The Israeli Public
Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Ministry held a
simulation practice, ahead of the Gaza flotilla:
in the course of the exercise, Minister Yuly
Edelstein formed a ‘special situation room’ that
is designated to disseminate ‘public diplomacy’
on the internet ,via messages, photos, video
clips and additional materials, with emphasis on
Diaspora communities, Jewish organizations, and
friends of Israel around the world.
Just in case you weren't sure what the expected
role of Diaspora Jews is, I guess that by now
Minister Edelstein has provided the answer.
However, the most interesting part of the story
is the
<http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=52931>detailed
description of the flotilla simulation itself:
the imaginary scenarios depicted by Minister
Edelstein and the IDF provide a glimpse into Israeli collective psychosis.
“The exercise was based on a scenario in which
approximately 500 activists on approximately ten
ships reached Israel's territorial waters at
10:00,”
<http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=52931>says
the Israeli document. ”Despite having been warned
by the IDF, the ships continued on their way. At
10:30, the Israel Navy began approaching the
ships. Stun grenades were thrown at the IDF
soldiers, as well as one live grenade that caused
a number of casualties to our forces.”
But what are we to make of such an absurd
supposition in Edelstein's exercise, that the
flotilla volunteers ( many of whom are women and
elderly ) will be armed and dangerous, and intent
of attacking the IDF? We have seen repeated
statements from the Flotilla organizers
reassuring the Israelis that the Flotilla is a
peaceful humanitarian mission that has no
combative intentions, and
the
<http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/56-news/1315-audacity-invites-media-to-inspect-boat>media
have been invited to visit the boats to verify
the innocent nature of the Gaza bound cargo.
What is it then? Why are these
Israelis preparing for a war? The answer is
clear and simple: as I have explored in the past,
Jewish identity politics is shaped by a totally
unique psychological disorder. I call it
<http://peacepalestine.blogspot.com/2006/09/gilad-atzmon-pre-traumatic-stress.html>Pre
Traumatic Stress Syndrome (as opposed to Post
Traumatic Stress Syndrome). Jewish reality is
shaped by an imaginary fictional future threat.
To repeat the 19Th century Yiddish joke. “A
Jewish telegram: get worried, details to
follow.” Yet, the lack of capacity to
differentiate between reality and imagination
leads to the inevitable emergence of the most
tragic possible scenarios. Time after time, the
Israeli collective easily buys into any given
tragic fictional and imaginary treat, and would approve any 'counter' measures.
The end result is known to us all: an
endless chain of colossal Israeli war crimes,
that are committed in the name of the Jewish people.
The Israeli simulation scenario continues, with
an inevitable body count: “At 11:00, the order
was given for IDF units to physically seize
control of the ships on which there was
resistance. Our forces were attacked with live –
and other – weapons and were obliged to
neutralize the assailants. The results, by 11:45,
were ten IDF soldiers wounded (one critically,
four severely and the rest lightly). Among the
flotilla participants, there were two dead and 14
wounded, including two severely.”
Brilliant isn’t it? The peace activists (most of
whom, remember, are women and elderly) ‘opened
fire,’ seeking a battle with the best and most
lethal Israeli commando unit. How realistic is that ?
Then, as the imagined scenario unfolds, a fierce
battle develops, in which just fourteen activists
are wounded, and only one dies. At this point,
for those who fail to remember what really
happened last time around, here is video footage
of
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi6c10ntFZk>Israeli
commandos executing peace activists on the Mavi Marmara.
But Minister Edelstein is far from being worried:
after all, the Israelis have friends around the
world. “As the events were taking place,” the
scenario continues, “the media – with emphasis
on the Internet, Facebook and Twitter – were
flooded with mendacious reports (by private
users, Hamas and others among Israel's enemies).
The situation room, in coordination with the IDF
Spokesperson and the National Information
Directorate, began to disseminate credible
messages to Jewish communities and friends of
Israel around the world. Those in the situation
room responsible for new media began to update
messages on the social networks, Facebook and Twitter. _____”
For those of us who still fail to recognize the
shifts and changes that have taken place
within Zionism, Edelstein makes it clear: whilst
Zionism was initially a plan to re-settle the
Jews in Zion, nowadays, to be a Zionist means to
stay in the Diaspora, and to 'tweet for
Israel'. The role of American, French and
British Jews, according to Edelstein, is to
coordinate with Israel, and to join the Hasbara
war: "Given the provocation by the flotilla,”
says Diaspora Minister Edelstein, “we established
a special situation room that will ensure
coordination between Government officials,
Diaspora Jewish communities and friends of Israel
around the world.. I am certain that alongside us
will stand significant force multipliers in the
form of thousands of activists from Jewish communities around the world."
I do not have any doubt that many Jews around the
world want nothing to do with Minister Edelstein
and his Hasbara initiative. They are clearly
going to ignore his call. I also feel sure that
many Jews feel sickened and ashamed to wake up,
all too often, into yet another atrocious Israeli war crime.
Yet, if the Israelis themselves clearly regard
Diaspora Jews as their ‘foreign brigades’, surely
we should also be allowed to look into the issue,
and examine the lethal continuum between the
Jewish State and its vile supporters around the world.
Article originally appeared on Gilad Atzmon (http://www.gilad.co.uk/).
See website for complete article licensing information.
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