'SS Liberty' Sails to Challenge Israel

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Forty-one years after the American surveillance ship USS Liberty was napalmed, torpedoed and strafed by Israeli naval and air forces during the Six-Day War, another "Liberty" will be setting out from a Cyprus port in August to try to break through the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The "SS Liberty" is one of two ships -- along with "SS Free Gaza" -- that will be carrying an international group opposed to Israel's blockade of Gaza. Israel imposed the blockade just over a year ago.

Karin Pally, a spokeswoman in Los Angeles for the group Free Gaza Movement, said the ship was named in honor of 34 Sailors and Marines killed in the attack and to help bring the Gaza issue home to Americans.

Jim Ennes, an officer aboard the original Liberty and author of the book Assault on the Liberty said he was invited to take part in the protest sailing to Gaza but was not able to make it.

Until contacted by Military.com for comment, Ennes was unaware that organizers had named one of the ships after the Liberty, but he said he is "absolutely" pleased with the move and wishes he could be there."

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[subsuelo]

1. They'll probably napalm this one too

Then say "oh we didn't know, sorry about that"

[ProgressiveMuslim]

2. LOL!!!

[Scurrilous]

3. Navy, gov't gear up for NGO's voyage to break Gaza blockade

<snip>

"While the government is keeping silent about an imminent activists' voyage to "break the siege of Gaza," the navy will undoubtedly react if the vessel closes in on the Gaza shore, which is under a navy blockade, experts said Sunday.

As The Jerusalem Post reported last month, a group of American, European and Israeli activists, organized by the Free Gaza Movement NGO, are planning to challenge Israel's blockade by sailing one or more boats from Cyprus to Gaza. The NGO plans to "introduce its international team" for the voyage at a press conference in Nicosia on Monday.

The government has acknowledged that it knows of the planned voyage, but has not disclosed how it intends to respond. "We are prepared for every scenario," said Yossi Levi, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry. Avital Leibovitz of the IDF Spokesman's Office said the military doesn't discuss the Gaza blockade.

Ya'acov Bar-Siman-Tov, director of the Swiss Center for Conflict Research Management and Resolution at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said there would likely be some kind of action if the ship continued after a warning, although there would be "no need to fire at them."

There was no precedent to indicate what would happen if the vessel or vessels did not respond to an order to halt, he said.

Bar-Siman-Tov added that in the past Israel had shot in the air at ships trying to pass, but no boats had yet tried to breach the Gaza blockade. A much less likely possibility was that Israel would allow the vessels to pass through to Gaza in a goodwill gesture, he said."

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[Sezu]

4. One leader of this group is Greta Berlin

"Having read about the incident at UCLA I must admit that I was appalled by Ms. Berlin's behavior, but not at all surprised. I should know, she is after all my ex-stepmother...
After reading your article, I went on to research some of the links that your site provided and found it rather difficult to comprehend some of the titles that are now associated with Ms. Berlin's name. The title of "Peace Activist" is the one I find particularly hypocritical.

On numerous occasions I heard Greta launch the insults "the god damned Israelis, and those F****** Jews" at the dinner table in front of my father (a Jew) and the few Israeli friends and relatives who ventured to visit. Additionally, any rational debate attempted by anyone with an opposing view to Greta's, was immediately terminated with the responses: "Shut up" or "You don't know what the hell you're talking about." The rebuttal usually presented in screaming form.

These comments in juxtaposition to her role as "Peace Activist" I find hard to rectify. It prompts me to ask what should be an obvious question; "At what point did terms of hate and bigotry become synonymous with Peace?"

I was always under the strange impression that the road to peace laid in the arms of those who were tolerant, compassionate, and vehement in their will to understand and to promote understanding. God help us all if this is the role model that we hold up as an embodiment of those ideals!

Sincerely,
Ava E. Berlin"

http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/comments/113530

[shira]

6. peace activists

I hear that peace group, the ISM, believes all citizens of Israel are legitimate targets. Nice peace organization.

[azurnoir]

7. Well we would like to "hear" too

so provide a link please

[azurnoir]

8. Guess Ava doesn't like her stepmom Greta much huh? n/t

[Sezu]

10. Guess her stepmom doesn't like JEWS much, huh? n/t

[azurnoir]

11. If Daniel Pipes.org is to be believed

I mean the site wouldn't be biased or anything

[Sezu]

12. Well that is the problem with all sources I guess.

Do I believe there are those in that ISM group who hate Israel and Jews? Well....is the Pope Catholic?

[LeftishBrit]

13. Biased as all hell and in danger of falling off the right-hand side of the world

But then so are those groups who regard the 'Liberty' episode of 40 years ago as relevant to *current* Israel-America relations.

[Scurrilous]

5. Diary: Challenging Gaza blockade

Activists from the California-based Free Gaza Movement are planning to sail from Cyprus to Gaza in defiance of an Israeli blockade of the territory. Rachid Sekkai of the BBC Arabic Service will be on board and sends his first diary entry.

<snip>

"About 45 people are here in the port of Larnaca in Cyprus, preparing to sail south to Gaza.

The group includes Americans, Palestinians and Israelis among the 15 nationalities represented.

President of the Free Gaza Movement, Greta Berlin explains the mission.

"This is a non-violent resistance project to challenge Israel's siege of Gaza. Israel claims that Gaza is no longer occupied, yet Israeli forces control Gaza by land, sea and air."

<snip>

"Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair who is now an international envoy to the Middle East , tells me she is travelling as both supporter and reporter.

"I dearly want to go to Gaza again to support the Palestinians and to show the world the reality of what's going on there".

Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein is making the journey - at the age of 83 - for humanitarian reasons.

"We intend to open the port, fish with the fishermen, and work in the schools."

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[azurnoir]

9. Hopefully they open the Gaza coast

to more than just fishing

British Gas is supposed to be the crown jewel of the Palestinian economy, and provide part of the solution to Israel's pressing energy needs. The British energy giant, now called the "BG Group," and its local partners - the Palestinian Authority under Mahmoud Abbas and the private, Palestinian-owned Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) - are currently involved in advanced negotiations to sell to Israel massive amounts of natural gas - reserves of nearly 1.4 trillion cubic feet - that BG first discovered in 2000 off the Gaza coast. The market value of the gas has been estimated at $4 billion. Therefore, sale of the gas to Israel would mean a billion-dollar windfall for the PA and, potentially, for the Palestinian people.

<snip>

Clearly, Israel needs additional natural gas sources, while the Palestinian people sorely need new sources of revenue. However, with Gaza currently a radical Islamic stronghold, and the West Bank in danger of becoming the next one, Israel's funneling a billion dollars into local or international bank accounts on behalf of the Palestinian Authority would be tantamount to Israel's bankrolling terror against itself. Therefore, an urgent review is required of the far-reaching security implications of an Israeli decision to purchase Gaza gas.


http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DBID=1&TMID=111&LNGID=1&FID=283&PID=0&IID=1896

[grassfed]

14. working link

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7541782.stm

[Scurrilous]

15. Thanks.

:thumbsup: