This account, of course, contradicts completely the various things the Israelis are saying–that the ship’s passengers “ambushed” them. Some say they used kitchen knives and deck chairs in a “lynching” attempt, others insist they had live ammo. But of course, the passengers can’t give their accounts until they are deported from Israel, by which time the Israelis will–or so they hope–have seized control of the story and made their version the one the rest of the world will believe.Too bad for Israel, then, that this happened in international waters, meaning that the Israelis were out of their rightful jurisdiction, and that there is also raw video out there that puts the definitive lie to the Israeli version, and confirms what the three activists I’ve quoted say–that the Israelis were harassing the flotilla for hours beforehand, that they fired on the boats before boarding them, and that the passengers and crew were in no position to resist, being unarmed (and it being the dead of night). Watch this and see:Various reporters from Press TV (Iran) and al-Jazeera (Qatar) address the camera in English and Arabic here, on board the Mavi Marmara. (If anyone can tell me what was said in Arabic, I’d be glad to know.) The last minute and a half or so (starting at 8:15) are the most telling–in the background you can hear a voice over the loudspeaker saying (in English) that “all the brothers” should “take your seats”, as the ship is not prepared to fend off an attack. There is no sign of resistance from any passengers on any cameras aboard the ship, but there is some footage near the end of two masked, uniformed Israeli soldiers, firing at something or someone out of sight. Some “lynching”!I’ll be blogging more about this shortly. In the meantime, I’ve opened a new category here, called “Gazing on Gaza”. Yes, it’s a play on the title, Eyeless in Gaza; but this time, it’s in reverse. Gaza is now very much under the eyes of the world. We are all watching. And we will not be silent about what we see.Activists returning to Europe after Israeli forces raided their aid flotilla said Tuesday that the commandos had beaten passengers and used electric shocks during the assault.Six Greeks and several others, including a Turkish woman and her 1-year-old baby, were released Tuesday, but Israel has barred access to hundreds of others seized during the raid that killed at least nine people and wounded dozens early Monday.[…]Turkish activist Nilufer Cetin, who had hidden with her baby in her cabin’s bathroom aboard the Mavi Marmara, told reporters she believed there were 11 dead.“The ship turned into a lake of blood,” Cetin told reporters in Istanbul, having returned after Israeli officials warned that jail would be too harsh for her child.“We were aware of the possible danger” in joining the trip, she said. “But there are thousands of babies in Gaza. If we had reached Gaza we would have played with them and taken them food.”She said Israeli vessels “harassed” the flotilla for two hours starting around 10 p.m. Sunday, and returned at around 4 a.m. Monday, fired warning shots and told the ships to turn back.“When the Mavi Marmara continued on its course the harassment turned into an attack. They used smoke bombs followed by gas canisters. They started to descend onto the ship with helicopters,” she said, calling the clashes that then erupted “extremely bad and brutal.”“I was one of the first victims to be released because I had a child,” she told reporters, but “they confiscated everything, our telephones, laptops are all gone.” Her husband — the ship’s engineer — was still being held by Israeli authorities.[…]“Suddenly from everywhere we saw inflatables coming at us, and within seconds fully equipped commandos came up on the boat,” said Greek activist Dimitris Gielalis, who had been aboard the Sfendoni. He was among six Greeks returned home Tuesday.“They came up and used plastic bullets, we had beatings, we had electric shocks, any method we can think of, they used,” he said.He said the boat’s captain was beaten for refusing to leave the wheel, and had sustained non-life-threatening injuries, while a cameraman filming the raid was hit with a rifle butt in the eye,” he said. “Of course we weren’t prepared for a situation of war.”[…]“During their interrogation, many of them were badly beaten in front of us,” said Aris Papadokostopoulos, who was aboard the Free Mediterranean travelling behind the Turkish ship and carrying mainly Greek and Swedish activists.Papadokostopoulos said the flotilla was about 80 miles (130 kilometres) off Gaza when the raid occurred around 4 a.m. Monday.“The Turkish ship was in front of us … on which there was a terrible raid from the air and from the sea and from everywhere, with shooting,” he said.Aboard the other boats, he said, commandos beat activists, but nobody was gravely injured. He said no one put up resistance on the Free Mediterranean, which was carrying a cargo of wheelchairs, building material and medical and pharmaceutical aid.“Some people were hit by clubs and electric shocks,” he said.Crew member Mihalis Grigoropoulos said he was on the bridge of the Free Mediterranean and heard shooting coming from the Turkish ship.Several people who tried to stop the Israeli forces from getting to the bridge were hit by electric shocks and plastic bullets, he said. “We didn’t’ resist at all. Even if we had wanted to, what could we do?”
-
Fear doesn't travel well; just as it can warp judgment, its absence can diminish memory's truth. What terrifies one generation is likely to bring only a puzzled smile to the next. --Arthur Miller, "Why I Wrote 'The Crucible'", The New Yorker, October 21, 1996
All opinions here are the brain-wrackings of Sabina C. Becker, unless otherwise credited. If you cite them, please give credit where due.
-
Suck it, haters. Feminism rocks!
Blogophilia
- ¡Que País!
- 1337hax0r
- 21st Century Socialism
- A Creative Revolution
- A Gringa Diary
- Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy
- Abiding in Bolivia
- Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias
- Alan Beggerow
- Alex Himelfarb
- American Leftist
- Americas Program
- Anonymous Arabist
- Anti-Racist Canada
- Antonia Zerbisias Broadsides
- Arms Control Wonk
- Arthur Kent
- Awakening from hegemony
- Axis of Logic
- Bad Attitudes
- Baghdad Burning
- Bananama Republic
- Barbara Ehrenreich
- Bartcop
- Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion
- Belltower News
- Benjamin Solah
- BillySHEARS
- BitterGrace Notes
- BizarroBlog
- Black Agenda Report
- Blast Furnace
- BlatherWatch
- Blog from Bolivia
- Blogadder
- Bob Row’s Gloria Mundi
- Bolivia Action Solidarity Network
- Bolivia Changes
- Bolivia Matters
- Bolivia Rising
- Bolivia Transition Project
- Bolivia-UN Blog
- BoliviaSol
- BoRev.Net
- Brad DeLong
- Brain Spank
- Buckdog
- CAJA
- Calling All Wingnuts
- Cambios en Cuba
- CANADALAND
- Carlchucho
- Catpaw
- Cats Against Bush
- Cernovich Leaks
- Challenging the Commonplace
- Changing Up Pakistan
- Chris Floyd
- Chronically Clueless
- Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox
- Circles Robinson
- Clarissa Pinkola Estés
- Climate Progress
- Cold North Wind
- Colombia Reports
- Composite (Liz Henry)
- Counterspin Central
- Cowboys for Social Responsibility
- CPC Watch
- Crazy Bitches R Us
- Creative Commons
- Crooks and Liars
- Cuba Journal
- Cuba Reality Check
- Cyberwanderer’s Blog
- Da Timster
- Dahr Jamail
- Daily Howler
- DAMMIT JANET!
- Daniel Ellsberg
- Daniel Goldstein
- Daniel Suelo
- Dave Lindorff
- David Sirota
- Deck Deckert
- Denis DeKat
- Dennis Gruending
- DeSmogBlog
- Dignidad Nacional Perú
- Down South
- Dr. Dawg's Blawg
- Ecuador Rising
- EL CANADU
- El Espacio de Lubrio
- El Gaviero
- Enormous Thriving Plants
- Epic Win FTW
- Ethnos Boriquen
- Eva Golinger
- Evangelical Right
- Ex-Gay Watch
- Excited Delirium
- Factchecker
- FAIL Blog
- FAIR Blog
- Fanal Cubano
- Feminist Christian Socialist
- Fetus Bully
- FFIB NAMOL
- Fillibluster
- Force Planet
- Former Fundy
- Fotoglif
- Freedom Rider
- Friends of Irony
- From Floor 7
- Frontlines of Revolutionary Struggle
- Fuck Conservatives
- Fuck the Tea Party
- G20 Inquiry
- Gaza Freedom March
- Geek Gaucho
- Género con Clase
- Ghost of Wellstone
- GochoGringo
- Gossip Boy
- Greg Mitchell
- Gringo in Venezuela
- Gringo Tambo Blog
- Gringos Against CAFTA
- Guerrilla Comunicacional
- Guevaristas
- Gun Guys
- Haiti Relief and Reconstruction Watch
- Haiti-Cuba-Venezuela Analysis
- Hasta Los Gatos Quieren Zapatos
- Hitchens Watch
- Honduran Campesino
- Honduras Coup 2009
- Honduras Frente al Golpe de Estado
- Honduras Morazánica
- Honduras Oye
- Huffington Post
- Hugo Chávez
- I Will Not Shut The Fuck Up
- In the Name of Democracy
- Inca Kola News
- Information Is Beautiful
- Institute for Southern Studies
- Item Not As Described
- James Petras
- Jane Fonda
- Janet McNeill
- Japan Nuclear Crisis
- JesseCo.
- Jesus' General
- Jewbonics
- Jews Sans Frontieres
- Jim Lobe
- JimBobby Sez
- Joe Bodolai
- John E. Jones
- John Gorenfeld
- John Pilger
- Juan Cole
- Justin Delacour
- Kevin Sites
- King Daevid
- La Vida Locavore
- Law is Cool
- Left Business Observer
- Lenin's Tomb
- Let Freedom Rain
- Libcom.org
- Liberal Talk Radio
- Life on the Left
- Lilian Nattel
- LobeLog
- Loonwatch
- Los Blogueros
- Lost Cosmonaut
- Lugares Comunes
- Lunatic Llama
- M. Bouffant
- Machetera
- Malmo Blue's Equal Radio
- Marc McDonald
- Margaret Cho
- Margarita del Norte
- Mary Cartledgehayes
- Matthias in Marburg
- Media Co-op
- Media Culpa
- Media Matters
- MediaCitizen
- Meeting Point
- Memory Blog
- Memory in Latin America
- Michael Moore
- Mike Malloy
- Mike Malloy Show
- Mike Watkins
- Milfuegos
- Missed the Epistle
- Mona Eltahawy
- Mondoweiss
- Montreal Simon
- Morons With Signs
- Mrs. Bitch
- Ms.Marx
- Murray Dobbin
- Murray Waas
- MuzzleWatch
- My Blahg
- My Fault, I'm Female
- Naked Capitalism
- Naomi Epel
- Nashua Advocate
- NewsHounds
- Nicolás Rivera
- Nieman Watchdog
- Noam Chomsky
- NobodyCouldHavePredicted
- Northern Reflections
- Notes from the Greenwood
- Nuclear Test Watch
- Ohh Shoot
- Oil Wars
- Oliver Willis
- One Good Move
- Or Perhaps…
- Orcinus
- Orwell's Bastard
- Pamelyn Casto
- Parliament Shill
- Peace, Order and Good Government, Eh?
- Peter Bogdanovich
- Philip Racuel
- Political Teen Tidbits
- Probably Bad News
- Progressive Economics Forum
- Progressive Proselytizing
- Propaganda Critic
- ProPublica
- Public Values
- Queer Thoughts
- Quotha
- Rabble.ca
- Racism Review
- Rack Jite
- Raed Jarrar
- Rage Against the Man-chine
- Rantdog
- RCMP Watch
- Reg Hartt
- Religious Right Alert
- Reprehensor
- Resettle THIS!
- Resistencia Morazán
- Rev. Day-Bu
- Reveille Radical
- Robert Greenwald
- Rock Around the Blockade
- Romenesko
- Rude Pundit
- Ruins of Empire
- Sadly, No!
- Save the Rich
- Science Blog
- Scott Rosenberg
- SeaLatin Blog
- Secrecy News
- Seeing Red in the Southwest
- Served And Protected
- Sharon Fraser
- Sherry Wolf
- Shmohawk
- Shockfront
- Sick of This Crap
- Sierra Maestra
- Silobreaker
- Sister Sage's Musings
- Slacktivist
- Small State
- Smudge Report
- Socialist Democracy
- Sociological Images
- Soldier Say No
- Solidarity With Six Nations
- Sources.com
- Stan Goff
- Steve Lendman
- Stinky Journalism
- Straight Goods
- Structurally Maladjusted
- Stuffed and Starved
- Sue Thomason
- Survival International
- T’anta Wawa Talks
- Tales of Zapata Street
- Talk Left
- Talking Points Memo
- Talking Radio
- Ten Percent
- The Abortioneers
- The Agonist
- The Anti-Social Socialist
- The AntiCraft!
- The Arabist
- The Black Commentator
- The CPC Watcher
- The Cracked Crystal Ball II
- The Crotchety Old Fan
- The Cynical Arab
- The Daily Sketch
- The End of Capitalism
- The Harper Index
- The Hasbara Buster
- The Havana Note
- The Homo Agenda
- The Largest Minority
- The Left Hand of Feminism
- The Mex Files
- The Oatmeal
- The Pagan Prattle
- The Poor Man
- The Prison Notebook of Maximón
- The Regina Mom
- The Revolution Is In The Classroom
- The Scarlet Pimpernel
- The Sixth Estate
- The Skinny
- The Unapologetic Mexican
- The Wild Hunt
- The Wingnuterer
- This is why you're fat.
- Thump and Whip
- Tikun Olam
- Tim's El Salvador Blog
- Tom Tomorrow
- Toronto Troll Gallery
- Tortilla Con Sal
- Toward Freedom
- Troubletown
- Truth Mafia
- Truthout Blog
- TVNewsLies
- Ukhampacha Bolivia
- Unapologetic Canadian
- UNREDACTED
- Uzza's Notes
- VeeeATCH!
- Ven Central
- Venezuela Solidarity
- Vile Tweets
- Wage Slave Journal
- Walter Lippmann
- Walter Mignolo
- War of the Waves
- Watching Stephen Harper Like A Hawk
- We Hunted the Mammoth
- we move to canada
- Whap! Whap!
- William Engdahl
- Window Into Palestine
- Women’s Space
- Wonkette
- wood s lot
- World O' Crap
- WTF Is It Now??
- Yohandry’s Weblog
- ΚΕΛΑΗΔΙΣΜΑΤΑ
-
Categories
- A Bit of a Brag…
- A Man, A Plan, A Canal
- A Passage to India
- All About Evo
- All the Tea in China
- Amazing Places
- Angry Pacifist Speaks Her Mind
- Arabian Nights
- Artsy-Fartsy Culture Stuff
- Audible Audacity
- Balkan Yogurt
- Banksters
- Barreling Right Along
- Belgian Waffles
- Bina's Band of Brigands
- Boycott This Toon!
- Brazil is the Bomb!
- Bullies
- BushCo Death Watch
- Buzz Me Now! Here's How!
- Canadian Counterpunch
- Chile Sin Queso
- Clip 'n' Save
- Compare and Contrast
- Confessions of a Bad German
- Cool Beans
- Cops Behaving Badly
- Cops Behaving Better
- Corruptos
- Crapagandarati
- Credit Where Due
- Cuba, Libre (de los Yanquis)
- CubanaBomber Death Watch
- Czech This Out
- Dawgs
- Deepest Darkest Africa
- Der Drumpf
- Do As I Say…
- Don't Cry For Argentina
- Drrrrruuuugs
- Dweebs
- Economics for Dummies
- Ecuadorable As Can Be
- El NarcoPresidente
- El Predicto Speaks…
- Environmentally Ill
- Epidumbics
- EuroPeons
- Facecrooks
- Farts
- Fascism WITH Swastikas
- Fascism Without Swastikas
- Festive Left Friday Blogging
- Fetus Fetishists
- Filthy Stinking Rich
- Fine Young Cannibals
- Found in Translation
- Free Trade, My Ass!
- Freeze Peach!
- Fun With Photoshop
- Gazing on Gaza
- Going Dutch
- Good to Know
- Greek Salad
- Grifters
- Guatemala, Guatebuena
- Guns, Guns, Guns
- Headline Howlers
- Heroes for Today
- Huguito Chavecito
- Human Rights FAIL
- Hungarian Goulash
- I Left My Hat in Haiti
- If You REALLY Care
- Inca Dink-a-Doo
- Irish Stew
- Isn't It Ironic?
- Isn't That Illegal?
- Isn't That Impeachable?
- Isn't That Racist?
- Isn't That Terrorism?
- Israelly Uncool
- Just Pissed Off
- Karma 1, Dogma 0
- Kittehs
- Kooks
- Korean Kimchi
- Law-Law Land
- Let Them Fight!
- Look, I Made a Poem!
- Madvertising
- Men Who Just Don't Get It
- Merry Old England
- Mexican Standoffs
- Mobsters
- Morticia! You Spoke French!
- Music for a Sunday
- Nepotism
- Newspeak is Nospeak
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
- Not Hiding in Honduras
- Not So Compassionate Conservatism
- Nukes
- Obamarama!
- Obits and 'bobs
- Oceania
- Paraguay, Uruguay
- Persian Cats
- Pissing Jesus Off
- Professional Phobes
- Puerto Rico, Gente Pobre
- Quacks
- Quotable Notables
- Rivers in Egypt
- Scandinavian Smorgasbord
- Scary Thoughts
- Schadenfreude
- She Blinded Me With Science
- Short 'n' Stubby
- Shysters
- Sick Frickin' Bastards
- Socialism is Good for Capitalism!
- Spooks
- Stupid Sex Tricks
- Technical Notes
- Teh Ghey
- Teh Heterostoopid
- Teh Injunz
- Teh Russkies
- The 'Stans
- The "Well, DUH!" Files
- The Bern
- The Bold and the Badass
- The Hardcore Stupid
- The Nausea
- The Salvador Option(s)
- The Trans
- The United States of Amnesia
- The War on Terra
- The WTF? Files
- True Scotsmen (and WOMEN!)
- Turkish Treats
- Turning Japanese
- Ukraine, Ikraine, WeAllKraine
- Uncategorized
- Under the Name of Spain
- Uppity Wimmin
- W is for Weak (and Stupid)
- Wankers of the Week
- Weather Whackjobbery
- Weebs
- Who Forgot Poland?
- Writer Lady Sings the Blues
- Yes, I Really Cook!
Meta