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<h2><font size=4><b>'Hope' Floats: Hey Hollywood, time to put your money

where your morality is</b></font></h2><font size=2>By

<a href="http://palestinethinktank.com/author/nima-shirazi/">Nima

Shirazi</a> • Jul 27th, 2010 <br>

</font><font size=1>

<a href="http://palestinethinktank.com/2010/07/27/nima-shirazi-hope-floats-hey-hollywood-time-to-put-your-money-where-your-morality-is/" eudora="autourl">

http://palestinethinktank.com/2010/07/27/nima-shirazi-hope-floats-hey-hollywood-time-to-put-your-money-where-your-morality-is/<br>

<br>

</a></font><font size=3>A coalition of nearly twenty U.S.-based human

rights and peace groups has joined the global justice community and

numerous foreign governments in vowing to send more humanitarian aid

ships to break the

<a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/06/201061452646659588.html">

illegal</a> Israeli blockade of Gaza this coming Fall. The coalition,

united under the mantle <a href="http://ustogaza.org/"><i>US To

Gaza</a></i>, includes activist organizations such as CodePink, Jews Say

No, Veterans For Peace, Voices for Creative Non-Violence, and Jewish

Voice For Peace.<br><br>

In the wake of the

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/iara-lee/the-video-israel-doesnt-w_b_621788.html">

deadly Israeli raid</a> on an international

<a href="http://www.sott.net/articles/show/209749-Israel-Deliberately-Murdered-Civilians-Aboard-Freedom-Flotilla-Says-Eyewitness-and-Victim">

flotilla</a> carrying over 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid and hundreds

of civilian passengers, during which

<a href="http://lawrenceofcyberia.blogs.com/news/2010/06/putting-names-to-faces.html">

nine activists</a> were

<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/04/gaza-flotilla-activists-autopsy-results">

murdered</a> (if not outright

<a href="http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=178617">

executed</a>) by Israeli commandos in international waters, the global

call to end the US-backed Israeli siege has grown even more

forceful.<br><br>

Later this year, boats from Europe, Canada, South Africa, India, and the

Middle East are expected to set sail for Gaza once again. <i>US To

Gaza</i>, which states on its

<a href="http://ustogaza.blogspot.com/">website</a> that "America

pays for the blockade with our tax dollars; Americans must join together

to end this collective punishment of 1.5 million Palestinians," aims

to add a vital American element to this new Freedom Flotilla.<br><br>

The U.S. boat, which will be named <i>The Audacity of Hope</i> (irony

intended), is expected to carry an American peace delegation of forty to

sixty passengers and will join its international flotilla partners en

route. But purchasing a suitable ship, securing a sailing crew, obtaining

the needed licenses and registration, gathering tons of humanitarian aid,

and sailing for Gaza is a costly endeavor. It is estimated that at least

$370,000 needs to be raised from private donors in the next month for the

U.S. ship to become, not merely hopeful audacity, but a necessary

reality.<br><br>

All in all, $370,000 isn't that much money. For instance, South Carolina

Republican Congressman Joe Wilson

<a href="http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/10/you-lie-outburst-a-fundraising-boon-for-rep-joe-wilson.html">

raised</a> hundreds of thousands of

<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/11/wilson.fundraising/index.html">

dollars</a> from

<a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2009/10/joe-wilsons-you-lie-outburst-h.html">

individual donors</a> giving less than $200 just because he called Barack

Obama a liar. If a jackass like Wilson can raise that kind of money for

shouting a

<a href="http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/sep/09/joe-wilson/joe-wilson-south-carolina-said-obama-lied-he-didnt/">

disingenuous falsehood</a>, raising funds for a just cause like breaking

the illegal Gaza blockade shouldn't be that hard.<br><br>

Sure, the fund-raising goal can be hit with 3,700 people each pledging

$100 or a mere 370 donations of $1,000 each. But why is the bar for

funding justice and fighting illegal

<a href="http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE15/021/2008/en">

collective punishment</a> so low? Where are the big donors who could

single-handedly buy a boat and subsidize the entire delegation? Why does

it seem like such a stretch for American supporters of human rights and

international law to send an armada of siege-breaking ships to

Gaza?<br><br>

Perhaps, in order to open borders and ship a little bit of hope to

suffering Palestinians in the Middle East, <i>US to Gaza</i> organizers

should be looking for a lot of financial support from open wallets on the

West Coast.<br><br>

Hollywood has no shortage of outspoken Israel supporters, ethnic

cleansing enthusiasts, and racist, right-wing nutjobs. The Zionism,

publicly professed or not, of famous musicians and movie stars takes many

forms and runs the gamut of willful ignorance to actively

insane.<br><br>

There are those who ignore or condemn the

<a href="http://bdsmovement.net/">Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions

Movement</a> and promote Israeli

<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/udi-aloni-seinfeld-you-were-wrong-to-condemn-our-toronto-protest-1.7469">

<i>hasbara</a></i> like

<a href="http://www.wideasleepinamerica.com/2008/02/all-you-need-is-apartheid.html">

Paul McCartney</a>,

<a href="http://www.popeater.com/2010/06/18/elton-john-israel-tel-aviv-concert/">

Elton John</a>,

<a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6822777.ece">

Madonna</a>,

<a href="http://usacbi.wordpress.com/2010/07/11/rod-stewart-concert-not-cancelled-but-boycott-momentum-growing/">

Rod Stewart, Bob</a>

<a href="http://ellissharp.blogspot.com/2005/09/bob-dylans-racist-song_25.html">

Dylan</a>,

<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/24/entertainment/main5336146.shtml">

Leonard Cohen</a>,

<a href="http://palestinenote.com/cs/blogs/news/archive/2010/07/01/hits-and-misses-which-musicians-are-boycotting-israel.aspx">

Metallica, Rihanna</a>,

<a href="http://www.thejc.com/news/israel-news/35649/missy-elliot-ignores-israel-boycott-campaign">

Missy Elliot</a>,

<a href="http://news.softpedia.com/news/Adam-Sandler-Wants-to-Fight-Against-Terrorism-33306.shtml">

Adam Sandler</a>,

<a href="http://fpfd.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/is-alex-trebek-putting-u-s-interests-in-jeopardy/">

Alex Trebek</a>,

<a href="http://current.com/entertainment/movies/90948471_we-dont-need-another-blacklist.htm">

Seth Rogen, Robert Duvall, Halle Berry, Lenny Kravitz, Ed Zwick, Chazz

Palminteri, Paul Reiser</a>,

<a href="http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2009/10/c4132.html">

David Cronenberg, Norman Jewison, Saul Rubinek</a>,

<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/news/seinfeld-sacha-baron-cohen-and-natalie-portman-slam-toronto-film-festival-protest-1.7828">

Jerry Seinfeld, Lisa Kudrow, Sacha Baron Cohen</a>,

<a href="http://www.jewishjournal.com/hollywoodjew/item/toronto_protest_escalates_as_stars_sign_federation_ad_against_tel_aviv_boyc/">

Minnie Driver, and Natalie Portman</a> (who was also a proud

<a href="http://www.natalieportman.com/articles/nparticles_en.php?viewarticle=1&article_number=363">

research assistant</a> of Alan Dershowitz and is thanked in his appalling

book <i>The Case for Israel</i>); there are those who

<a href="http://ayulittleone.blogsome.com/images/terrorad081706.jpg">

oppose resistance</a> to Israeli aggression and expansion and laud

Israeli assaults that take the lives of thousands of Palestinian and

Lebanese civilians like actors Michael Douglas, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce

Willis, Danny De Vito, Don Johnson, James Woods, Kelly Preston, Patricia

Heaton, Doug Liman, Gary Sinise, Kristen Chenowith, Michael Chiklis,

Vivica A. Fox, Nicole Kidman, Pat Sajak, and William Hurt, along with

filmmakers like Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Michael Mann, William Friedkin,

Ivan Reitman, Richard Donner, and Sam Raimi.<br><br>

There are those, like producer Lawrence Bender, who see Israel as an

eternal victim, besieged by oppressive Palestinians, and

<a href="http://www.jewishjournal.com/community_briefs/article/israel_to_seek_celebrity_support_20030829/">

claim</a> that "Nobody realizes how badly the Israelis are

suffering. Obviously the Palestinians are suffering – but people need to

understand that Israel needs help" and there are those, like actor

Joshua Malina, who are

<a href="http://www.jewishjournal.com/community_briefs/article/israel_to_seek_celebrity_support_20030829/">

baffled</a> by the

<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-israel-feels-under-siege-like-a-victim-an-underdog-1886332.html">

suggestion</a> that "somehow Israel is the bully and the

Palestinians are the underdog."<br><br>

There are Zionist zealots like

<a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/fisk0513.html">John Malkovich</a>

and

<a href="http://www.wideasleepinamerica.com/2010/05/ridiculest-bill-mahers-cultural.html">

Bill Maher</a> and there's also

<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/22/dear-mr-president-jon-voight/">

Jon</a>

<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/actor-jon-voight-god-gave-this-land-to-the-jewish-people-1.285266">

Voigt</a>.<br><br>

There are celebrities who advocate for peace, love, and understanding,

like

<a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1295/is_n5_v57/ai_13705084/pg_5/">

Richard</a>

<a href="http://www.jewishjournal.com/community_briefs/article/israel_to_seek_celebrity_support_20030829/">

Dreyfuss</a>, yet somehow believe a "Jewish" state isn't

inherently discriminatory. There's Jason Alexander, who, despite his

<a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7768/is_20100527/ai_n54115675/">

work</a> with the two-state promoting

<a href="http://www.onevoicemovement.org/">OneVoice</a>

/<a href="http://imaginepeace.com/archives/7337">Imagine Peace</a>

project, was an

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4iCCxYdUlI&feature=player_embedded">

honored guest</a> at last year's <i>Friends of the Israeli Defense

Forces</i> [sic] Fundraising Gala and shill for Jewish

<a href="http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/03/jewish-life-tv-promoting-radical-settler-ideology-endorsed-by-jason-alexander-and-sponsored-by-jdate/">

television programming</a> that endorses violent, fanatical Zionist

settler ideologies. There are fashion designers like Elie Tahari, who

<a href="http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=170694">donated</a>

a whopping $100,000 at this year's IDF love-fest in March.<br><br>

With friends like these, it's no wonder that the IDF, a foreign military

that oppresses and occupies an indigenous population,

<a href="http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=170694">raised over

$20 million</a> in one night at the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan. But

donors here in the United States don't only fund the Occupation, they

also fund

<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/dec/08/us-settlers-hebron-fund-israeli">

illegal Jewish settlements</a> – to the tune of

<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/world/middleeast/06settle.html?_r=2&hp">

tax-free</a> hundreds of millions over the past decade – that have now

<a href="http://adalahny.org/index.php/press-releases/38-press-release-other/329-release-hebron-mets-cancel">

aggressively stolen</a> and

<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/exposed-the-truth-about-israels-land-grab-in-the-west-bank-2020110.html">

colonized over 42% of the West Bank</a>.<br><br>

So where are their anti-occupation, pro-international law counterparts,

especially the ones with equally deep pockets? The truth is they're

everywhere.<br><br>

 From

<a href="http://middleeast.about.com/b/2009/07/28/overcoming-speechlessness-alice-walker-in-gaza.htm">

Alice</a>

<a href="http://www.alicewalkersblog.com/2009/07/overcoming-speechlessness-poet.html">

Walker</a> to

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvMoGAy7q9c">Vanessa

Redgrave</a>,

<a href="http://mondoweiss.net/2009/09/toronto-film-fest-protest-grows-to-over-1000-supporters-including-harry-belafonte-julie-christie-and-viggo-mortensen.html">

Harry Belafonte</a> to

<a href="http://torontodeclaration.blogspot.com/">Viggo Mortensen, Julie

Christie, Wallace Shawn</a>,

<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/feb/28/usa.israel">Alan

Rickman</a>,

<a href="http://middleeast.about.com/b/2009/02/26/please-listen-before-it-is-too-late.htm">

Jonathan Demme, Stephen King, Ralph Fiennes, Bill Irwin, Tilda Swinton,

Wim Wenders, Uma Thurman, Debra Winger</a>,

<a href="http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090413">Tony Kushner</a>,

<a href="http://mondoweiss.net/2009/09/roger-ebert-amends-his-review-of-the-toronto-protest.html">

Roger Ebert</a>,

<a href="http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=2122&CategoryId=14">

Richard Gere</a>,

<a href="http://dissentradio.com/radio/08_05_22_cusack.mp3">John

Cusack</a>,

<a href="http://97.74.65.51/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=22619">Sally Kirkland,

Terry Gilliam</a>,

<a href="http://palfest.org/authorsblog.html">Michael</a>

<a href="http://palfest.org/Author/michael_palin.html">Palin</a>,

<a href="http://www.thejewishpress.com/pageroute.do/37560">Danny Glover,

Oliver Stone, Ed Asner</a>,

<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/dec/15/israel.guardianletters">

Sophie Fiennes</a>,

<a href="http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0614-02.htm">Casey

Kasem, and Jeremy Pikser,</a> celebrity support for Palestinian freedom

and an end to the Israeli occupation and blockade is widespread in

Tinseltown.<br><br>

Actresses Salma Hayek, Halle Berry, Drew Barrymore, Brooke Shields, Andie

MacDowell, Lucy Liu, Whitney Houston and Sharon Stone all had their

pictures

<a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10045.shtml">removed</a>

from the website of blood diamond dealer Lev Leviev after being alerted

to Leviev's criminal funding of illegal West Bank settlements.<br><br>

Musicians like

<a href="http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0614-02.htm">Mos Def,

Laurie Anderson, Boots Riley, Steve Earle</a>,

<a href="http://mondoweiss.net/2009/09/toronto-film-fest-protest-grows-to-over-1000-supporters-including-harry-belafonte-julie-christie-and-viggo-mortensen.html">

David Byrne</a>,

<a href="http://middleeast.about.com/b/2009/02/26/please-listen-before-it-is-too-late.htm">

Neil Young</a>, and

<a href="http://www.artistsagainstapartheid.org/?p=960">Santana</a>, all

publicly oppose Israel's systematic oppression and land theft and support

the <a href="http://www.pacbi.org/">Palestinian Campaign for the Academic

& Cultural Boycott of Israel</a>.

<a href="http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2009/01/02/annie_lennox_speaks_out_against_israeli_">

Annie Lennox</a> and

<a href="http://www.nme.com/news/brian-eno/41904">Brian</a>

<a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/eno01022009.html">Eno</a> spoke out

against the 2008-9 Israel slaughter of over 1,400 Palestinians in Gaza

and, more recently, Rage Against The Machine's

<a href="http://samuelnichols.blogspot.com/2010/06/rage-against-machine-denounces-israeli.html">

Alex de la Rocha</a> condemned Israel's Gaza blockade

<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jun/07/rage-against-the-machine-review">

on stage</a> during a concert in London. This past Saturday, July 10, for

the first time in five years, Pink Floyd's

<a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/17386/179757">David

Gilmour</a> and

<a href="http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/06/roger-waters-to-israel-tear-down-the-wall/">

Roger</a>

<a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4649.shtml">Waters</a>

teamed up to

<a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38207130/ns/today-entertainment/">

perform</a> at a <a href="http://www.hopingfoundation.org/">HOPING

Foundation</a> benefit, which

<a href="http://mycatbirdseat.com/2010/07/pink-floyd-unite-for-a-palestine-benefit-concert-in-england/">

raised £350,000</a> (over $538,000) for Palestinian children living in

refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. The

organization was co-founded by fashion designer (and Siggy's

great-granddaughter)

<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/5254030.stm">

Bell Freud</a> in 2003.<br><br>

Megastars Dustin Hoffman and Meg Ryan

<a href="http://www.jpost.com/ArtsAndCulture/Entertainment/Article.aspx?ID=180671">

canceled their attendance</a> at this year's annual Jerusalem Film

Festival the day after Israel's bloody raid on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla

and recent performances by

<a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/06/israel-pixies-cancel-israel-concert-and-other-flotilla-fallout.html">

The Pixies, Elvis Costello, Gorillaz Sound System</a>,

<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/klaxons-and-gorillaz-sound-system-cancel-israel-shows-apparently-due-to-gaza-flotilla-raid-1.294191">

The Klaxons</a>,

<a href="http://www.jewlicious.com/2010/06/cultural-boycott-recent-cancellations-by-international-musicians-spur-debate-in-israeli-public/">

Devendra Banhart</a>,

<a href="http://palestinenote.com/cs/blogs/news/archive/2010/07/01/hits-and-misses-which-musicians-are-boycotting-israel.aspx">

Gil Scott Heron, and Snoop Dogg</a> were also

<a href="http://www.forward.com/articles/128185/">canceled</a> for

similar – if not identical – reasons.<br><br>

All of these well-heeled celebrities should take their courageous

<a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9515.shtml">boycott of

Israeli apartheid</a> and aggression even further by funding more

humanitarian aid ships. With their help, supplementing the support of

small donors, the

<a href="http://gazaflotilla.delegitimize.com/factsheets/the-gaza-siege/">

illegal blockade</a> can indeed be broken.<br><br>

The Israeli policy of

<a href="http://gazaflotilla.delegitimize.com/factsheets/humanitarian-crisis-in-the-gaza-strip-faq/">

brutal</a> blockade is clear. In 2006, after Palestinians democratically

elected Hamas to the shock and chagrin of both Israel and the US (who had

insisted on the elections in the first place), an economic and commercial

siege was put into place by Israel as a

<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/apr/16/israel">

punishment</a> for Palestinian self-determination. As Dov Weisglass,

adviser to then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,

<a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/levy02202006.html">jokingly

declared</a>, "It's like an appointment with a dietitian. The

Palestinians in Gaza will get a lot thinner, but won't

die."<br><br>

Collective punishment, via forced deprivation and near-starvation, is

unequivocally illegal. International law is quite clear in this regard.

Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which has governed Israel's

occupation of the West Bank and Gaza since 1967 (and has been repeatedly

affirmed by both the UN Security Council and General Assembly), states

plainly:<br><br>

"No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has

not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures

of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited."<br><br>

Furthermore, though the Israeli intention may not have been to kill

Palestinians in Gaza via food and medicine shortages, they have more than

made up for it with their subsequent use of bombs, missiles, tank shells,

bullets, depleted uranium, flechettes, white phosphorous, and DIME

weaponry.<br><br>

Still, Israeli officials such as former-Prime Minster, now Defense

Minister, Ehud Barak and Director-General of the Foreign Ministry, Yossi

Gal,

<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-gaza-aid-convoy-can-unload-cargo-in-ashdod-for-inspection-1.292560">

continue to claim</a> that "there is no shortage in humanitarian aid

to Gaza, as food, fuel and supplies are regularly transferred into Gaza

by international organizations."<br><br>

No mention is made of the fact that all building material, such as

cement, plaster and dry wall, is banned from entering Gaza, in

<a href="http://gazaflotilla.delegitimize.com/factsheets/humanitarian-crisis-in-the-gaza-strip-faq/">

addition</a> to the absurd

<a href="http://www.economist.com/node/16264970">prohibition</a> of

so-called "dual use" medicines, rope, wood, razors, light

bulbs, textiles and fabrics, sewing and hypodermic needles, sewing

machines, candles, matches, mattresses, bedsheets, pillowcases, blankets,

cutlery, books, newspapers, coffee, tea, cigarettes, clothing, shoes,

pencils and paper, fresh meat, seeds, nuts, cilantro, sage, cardamom,

nutmeg, ginger, cumin, vinegar, biscuits, candy, potato chips, jam,

chocolate, french fries, canned or dried fruit, notebooks, empty

flowerpots, fishing rods or line, livestock, musical instruments, and

children's toys.<br><br>

Obviously, Israeli officials take no note of the findings of the Food and

Agriculture Organization of the UN which has reported that

<a href="http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/47d4e277b48d9d3685256ddc00612265/9a265f2a909e9a1d8525772e004fc34b?OpenDocument">

61% of Gazans are "food insecure,"</a> of which

"<a href="http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/47d4e277b48d9d3685256ddc00612265/9a265f2a909e9a1d8525772e004fc34b?OpenDocument">

65% are children under 18 years</a>;" the level of anemia in infants

is as high as 65.5%, about 70% of Gazans live on less than $1 a day, 75%

rely on food aid, and 60% have no daily access to water.<br><br>

As Rebecca Sargent of the Peace and Collaborative Development Network

<a href="http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/profiles/blogs/freedom-flotilla-and-israeli?xg_source=activity">

notes</a>, "Much of the population remains unemployed and thus have

no money to buy supplies for themselves. The

<a href="http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sc9567.doc.htm">UN

resolution 1860</a> calls for the unfettered access of aid and commercial

goods to Gaza, although it would appear this call has been mostly ignored

by the Israeli government's blockade."<br><br>

Also, as of the end of 2009, a

<a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33334&Cr=gaza&Cr1">

U.N. report</a> found that "insufficient food and medicine is

reaching Gazans, producing a further deterioration of the mental and

physical health of the entire civilian population since Israel launched

Operation Cast Lead against the territory," and also "blamed

the blockade for continued breakdowns of the electricity and sanitation

systems due to the Israeli refusal to let spare parts needed for repair

get through the crossings." Since

<a href="http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=89302">June

2007</a>, "the number of Palestine refugees unable to access food

and lacking the means to purchase even the most basic items, such as

soap, school stationery and safe drinking water, has tripled" and

over 80 UN and aid agencies

<a href="http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/gaza_agriculture_25_05_2010_press_release_english.pdf">

agree</a> that "the formal economy in Gaza has

collapsed."<br><br>

On May 31, the six-ship Gaza Freedom Flotilla was

<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/33719681/IHH-report-on-the-Freedom-Flotilla">

lethally attacked</a> in international waters (the ships had no intention

of sailing through Israeli territory) about 80 miles (130 kilometers) off

the Gaza coast in an early morning raid by elite Israeli commandos. The

attack was conducted after Israel cut off all communications from the

ships and

<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37442104/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/">

surrounded</a> the flotilla with over 20 naval vessels and warships,

along with multiple helicopters. In addition to the 45 highly-trained and

heavily-armed

<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/01/gaza-flotilla-eyewitness-accounts-gunfire">

commandos</a> who rappelled onto the largest ship, the Turkish-flagged

Mavi Marmara, murdering at least 9 civilians and wounding about 60 more,

about 650 other Israeli troops, including surveillance and support troops

alongside those who actually boarded the ships, took part in the illegal

assault on the flotilla.<br><br>

The Mavi Marmara carried 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid on board

including 6,000 tons of cement, more than 2,000 tons of iron, 100

prefabricated houses, 500 wheelchairs, crutches, medical equipment, wood

and glass for building, electric generators, water purifiers, a mobile

dental care facility, and food and had even been

<a href="http://http//blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/06/01/evidence-belies-israeli-claim">

confirmed</a> not to be transporting any weaponry by authorities before

its departure.<br><br>

Another aid ship, the

<a href="http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/a-look-at-the-mv-rachel-corrie.html">

MV Rachel Corrie</a>, carrying 550 tons of cement, 20 tons of paper for

printing school books, 25 tons of school supplies, 12 tons of sports

equipment and 150 tons of medical supplies, was also

<a href="http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2010/05/the_legal_posit.html">

illegally</a>

<a href="http://firedoglake.com/2010/06/05/mv-rachel-corrie-seized-passengers-kidnapped-by-israel/">

seized</a> by the Israeli Navy a few days later.<br><br>

On June 24, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an

"easing" of the four-year-long Gaza siege,

<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-to-human-rights-activists-sail-to-tehran-not-gaza-1.297914">

declaring</a>, "Today, after we lifted the civilian blockade of Gaza

there is no reason or justification for further flotillas."<br><br>

Israeli newspaper, <i>Ha'aretz</i>

<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/government-approves-plan-to-dramatically-ease-gaza-blockade-1.297327">

reports</a> that "The highlight of the new policy is to be the

creation and distribution of a detailed 'black list' of goods that will

not be permitted into the Gaza Strip," continuing that, now,

"Only weapons or 'dual-use' materials that could be used to

manufacture weapons will be on the list. Any item not on the list will be

permitted into Gaza."<br><br>

As a result of this new policy, items such as

<a href="http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/7035660.html">

car parts, agricultural and fishing tools, cosmetics, perfumes</a>,

<a href="http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=177943">soda, juice,

jam, spices, shaving cream, potato chips, cookies and candy</a> are now

being imported into Gaza.<br><br>

Nevertheless, the siege has

<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0621/breaking30.html">

not ended</a>. Even though coriander, chocolate, and Coca-Cola are now

allowed through Israel's military checkpoints, goods such as cement,

steel, iron, fertilizers, gas tanks, drilling equipment and water

disinfectant are still

<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioi_0jtO9RjMwPNRoXNCndRPRq3gD9GP6FNO0">

prohibited</a>. In fact, <i>The Los Angeles Times</i>

<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/06/world/la-fg-israel-gaza-20100706">

reveals</a> that "the new list of banned and restricted items, which

fills several hundred pages, still includes goods and supplies vital to

Gaza's economic recovery."<br><br>

Consequently, Karin Laub of <i>Associated Press</i>

<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioi_0jtO9RjMwPNRoXNCndRPRq3gD9GP6FNO0">

reports</a> that "because Israel will continue to ban most travel

and exports and restrict the import of desperately needed construction

materials, the new rules are unlikely to restore the territory's

devastated economy or allow rebuilding of all that was destroyed in last

year's war [sic]."<br><br>

In short, Israel's ongoing

<a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11357.shtml">crime

against humanity</a> in Gaza continues. As long as Israel maintains its

military control of Gaza's economy, land and sea borders, airspace,

restricts (or outright denies) the freedom of movement of its 1.5 million

imprisoned inhabitants, and continues murdering Palestinians with Apache

helicopters, F-15 and F-16 bombers, unmanned drones and

<a href="http://counterpunch.org/cook07132010.html">remote-controlled

machine guns</a>, Gaza will not be free.<br><br>

If the

<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-weighs-responses-to-barrage-of-international-criticism-1.301562">

negative international attention</a> Israel received after the Mavi

Marmara massacre led to the so-called

"<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37442104/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/">

easing</a>" of the Gaza siege, there's no telling what a constant

barrage of boats might do. Therefore, until this collective punishment of

innocent civilians ceases completely and Israel is

<a href="http://www.salon.com/news/israel/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2010/07/09/israel_gets_away">

held accountable</a> for its crimes, more boats must continue to sail to

Gaza. Among those boats should be a massive American contingent, funded

by bold and steadfast believers in self-determination, human rights, and

international law. We have paid for the Israeli oppression of Palestine

for so long with our tax dollars, it's now time to fight for Palestinian

freedom with our tax-exempt donations.<br><br>

And so, to all you stars of summer blockbusters and sold-out stadiums,

start giving generously so that a fleet of blockade-busting boats can

start their engines.<br><br>

<br><br>

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