Irish aid ship bound for Gaza won't stop 'unless forced to'

[The abyss]

Source: cnn.com

CNN) -- An Irish-owned aid ship headed for Gaza won't stop until it's forced to, a former U.N. official aboard the ship told CNN Thursday.

"We have not stopped and have no intention of stopping," said former Assistant U.N. Secretary-General Denis Halliday from aboard the vessel. "We will only stop when Israelis force us to do so."……..



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/06/03/gaza.raid/?hpt=Sbin

---

Also video at link.

[aquart]

1. Uh huh. Define "force."

Takes so much courage to dare a nation worried about bad publicity. I'm impressed.

Are THEY planning to assault a boarding party? I don't believe it. The Irish don't do suicide missions. They know Heaven isn't any fun.

[kas125]

3. Assault a boarding party? You misspelled resist

marauding pirates.

[harmonicon]

4. how would one "assault" a boarding party?

Wouldn't that be like a rape victim "assaulting" a rapist?

And to put this into perspective that I'm sure you're well aware of, an American was repeatedly shot in the head - murdered - by such a "boarding party" in international waters by the Israeli government.

[readmoreoften]

6. It's a PARTY! Gosh, they're just BOARDING! Kinda like the Somali Pirates. Another "boarding party".

:party:

:sarcasm:

[parkia00]

5. I am impressed !

I think it takes great courage to stand up to a militaristic government leadership that has shown over and over again that the only way it knows how to deal with problems is to whack it hard with their very impressive array of specialist weapons that make killing very efficient. Then figure out what they just did and if it paints them in a bad light, blame everyone else for the problem and start their moronic damage control by throwing lies and half truths at people even though they know that others know that they are lying; yet they will still lie right in your face because they don't know what else to do.

Hubris prevents the leaders of Israel to never admit they ever make a mistake. Because of that they do not know how to apologize. Because they do not know how to apologize, to them Israel never makes mistakes. Thus if you have never made a mistake, you have nothing to apologize for. If something goes wrong, others are to blame. No one can more effectively give Israel a bad name that Israel itself.

However I do question the courage and sanity of any government that feels coriander, A4 size paper, potato chips and little yellow chirping chicks are a threat to national security. Maybe you can explain to me and others like me who fail to see the logic?

[Prometheus Bound]

7. If Israel is worried about bad publicity as you say, they have a strange way of dealing with it.

Perhaps someone should have a word with the IDF.

[sabrina 1]

9. If the Israeli commandos assault and kill any of them

I am sure a few of them would pick up whatever was around and use it to try to protect themselves, just as those on the Turkish ship did.

Fortunately for the Commandos, the unarmed humanitarian activists were only able to find chairs and other domestic utensils to try to defend themselves with. None of the heavily armed attackers, pirates as many are now calling them, died and at least nine of the victims of the attacks are dead. I think that says it all about what happened on that ship.

Foreign news sources claim that there were more deaths which have not been reported yet. Three Europeans are still not accounted for eg and seven others are reported to be still in Israeli hospitals. There were people from 42 countries on the humanitarian mission.

Your comment about 'the Irish' is interesting. Do you usually ascribe particular characteristics to different ethnic groups? When the Irish were an oppressed nation they revolted against the oppressors many times. Some called their actions 'suicidal' back then considering they were trying to free themselves from one of the most powerful nations in the world at the time.

Oppressed people don't have much to lose so it's not surprising they are willing to die by whatever means to gain freedom, if not for themselves, then for future generations. I found your comment about the 'the Irish' to be very offensive frankly.

[mikehiggins]

10. The Irish really don't do suicide missions, honest.

Those involved didn't consider it "suicidal" to go up against the Brits, even though everyone knew the odds were bad. Bad but not impossible.

The IRA was pretty much the very first successful native insurgency, IMHO, using the flip side of the "passive resistance" that succeeded in India/Pakistan against the same oppressive enemy. Now THAT was a suicidal enterprise from the very first considering the Brits history on the sub-continent.

I really don't see anything insulting in the comment and my family claims to have had several rebels in its ranks. Unfortunately, like the claim that all Irish are descended from "kings", there is little in the way of verification for claims like that.

[sabrina 1]

31. Yes, I know that. And while someone may not

want to die, when they engage in fighting against oppressive regimes or large Empires, they certainly do realize that it's a definite possibility. However that was not my objection to the commenter's snide remark. My fault though as I wasn't clear.

I objected to him using the Irish in this instance to flippantly raise the tragic issue of desperate people who have resorted to killing themselves and others. If people have hope in the future, if they are not watching their loved ones starved, humiliated and abused, deprived of a decent way of living, killed, tortured and imprisoned etc every day, it is unlikely they will be willing to engage in such violent acts.

But rightwingers and supporters of invasions and wars dismiss these tragic acts without acknowledging the causes which are usually policies that THEY support.

So it wasn't being sensitive about the Irish. It was the taking of the opportunity to use them, to once again dismiss and attempt to diminish the causes of all the violence in that region of the world.

[LynnTheDem]

12. "assault a boarding party"

Wow.

Just fucking wow.

[The abyss]

2. More info here

http://kennysideshow.blogspot.com/2010/06/rachel-corrie-to-be-quietly-allowed-to.html

[Judi Lynn]

8. Great information, Abyss. Really appreciate it. Hoping for safe passage for this moral mission.

http://www.rnw.nl.nyud.net:8090/data/files/imagecache/must_carry/images/lead/rachel-corrie.jpg http://lelatensae.files.wordpress.com.nyud.net:8090/2009/03/rachel20corrie.jpg

[ProgressiveProfessor]

11. Per other posts, they have lost comms

There are also contradictory messages saying it will go to Ashdod instead

[demoleft]

13. Contact lost with Gaza aid boat, 'sabotage' blamed

Source: afp

AFP - Organisers of the Gaza flotilla said they lost contact with the Gaza-bound MV Rachel Corrie on Friday just as they are seeking to delay the latest bid to bust the embargo with an aid-laden ship.

"The situation is we lost all contact with the boat. We assume this was sabotage by the Israelis," said Audrey Bomse of the Free Gaza Movement.
...
"As a result of these threats, we're going to pull Rachel Corrie into a port, add more high-profile people on board, and insist that journalists from around the world also come with us," Bomse said.

...

"We're hoping communications get turned back on so we can inform them of the decision," Bomse told AFP.

Read more: http://www.france24.com/en/20100604-contact-lost-with-gaza-aid-boat-sabotage-blamed

---

hm



as to what is happening, this is what i found so far:

UPDATE, 9:27am: Israel Radio: 'Rachel Corrie' delayed, changes course
The Gaza-bound protest ship Rachel Corrie has changed its destination and will not be making its way to Gaza, according to an Israel Radio report. Technical problems were discovered while anchoring at Cyprus and the ship will be delayed.
source: http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=177474

and from the irish times:

Speaking to The Irish Times from the Rachel Corrie yesterday, former UN official Denis Halliday denied reports that the ship had turned back or that it might opt to accept an escort into the Israeli port of Ashdod.
He said the 15 passengers and crew on board the Cambodian-registered ship were “more determined than ever” to bring their cargo to Gaza.
source: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0604/breaking4.html

[Tripmann]

14. Geez

Hope they're ok. Theres some really decent human beings on board that ship.

[demoleft]

15. "Israel Radio: 'Rachel Corrie' delayed, changes course"

"The Gaza-bound protest ship Rachel Corrie has changed its destination and will not be making its way to Gaza, according to an Israel Radio report. Technical problems were discovered while anchoring at Cyprus and the ship will be delayed."

from the jpost, http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=177474

this is what i could find.

[maddezmom]

16. update: New aid ship heads to Gaza, Israel vows to stop it

New aid ship heads to Gaza, Israel vows to stop it
By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS and DAVID RISING (AP) – 22 minutes ago

ISTANBUL — An aid ship trying to break the blockade of Gaza could reach Israel's 20-mile (32-kilometer) exclusion zone by Friday afternoon, an activist said, but Israel's prime minister has vowed the ship will not reach land.

The dueling comments suggest a potential new clash over Israel's three-year-old blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip — and come only four days after an Israeli commando raid on a larger aid flotilla left nine activists dead.

Greta Berlin, a spokesman for the Free Gaza group, says the 1,200-ton Rachel Corrie is heading directly to Gaza and will not stop in any port on the way. It is trying to deliver hundreds of tons of aid, including wheelchairs, medical supplies and concrete.

more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ju3AAe6-3hF9Nlvh3Df8Ux_CPJzAD9G4CTI00

[demoleft]

17. freegaza press release: Rachel Corrie on Her Way

Written by Free Gaza Team | 04 June 2010

The Rachel Corrie is 150 miles away from Gaza in international waters and on her way. They will arrive on Saturday morning. The 1200 ton cargo ship is the last ship from the Freedom Flotilla and is loaded with construction materials, 20 tons of paper and many other supplies that Israel refuses to allow into the imprisoned people of Gaza.

Some of the High-Profile people on board:

Mairead Maguire from Belfast, Ireland, a Nobel Peace Laureate (l976) and Co-founder of Peace People, Northern Ireland. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work for peace and a nonviolent solution to the Ethnic/political conflict in Northern Ireland. Mairead went on the maiden Voyage of Dignity in October 2008, the second successful voyage for the Free Gaza Movement. She was also on Board ‘Spirit’ when Israel hijacked the Boat in International Waters, taking all 2l humanitarian passengers to Israel, where they were arrested, detained for a week in an Israeli prison and then deported.

Denis Halliday, from Ireland, a UN Assistant Secretary-General from 1994-98. Appointed by SG Boutros Ghali, he served as ASG UN Human Resources Management in New York and in mid 1997 to end 1998 as Head, Humanitarian Programme in Iraq to support the Iraqi people struggling under the genocidal impact of UN Sanctions. Since resigning from the UN in 1998, Halliday has delivered numerous parliamentary briefings, provided extensive media inputs and has given public/university lectures on Iraq, human rights, and the UN, in particular its reform.

Matthias Chang Wen Chieh is a Malaysian of Chinese descent. He is a Barrister of 32 years standing and once served as the Political Secretary to the Fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. He is the author of three bestsellers, “Future Fast Forward”, “Brainwashed for War, Programmed to Kill”, and “The Shadow Money-Lenders and the Global Financial Tsunami”, published in the US and in Malaysia.

Mohd Nizar bin Zakaria,Perak, Malaysia, MP Mohd Nizar bin Zakaria is a Member of the Malaysian Parliament.

In addition, there is a three-member camera crew on board from Malaysia TV3 and journalis Shamsul Akmar bin Musa Kamal.

The passengers on board the ship have stated, “Communication is difficult and sometimes impossible and there are many rumors out there started by Israeli authorities, but there is no way we are going to Ashdod. We are, for sure, on our way to Gaza.”

http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/press-releases/1204-rachel-corrie-on-her-way

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[demoleft]

19. welcome to DU. n/t

[RollWithIt]

20. At what point is it just "Blame the Jews?"

I mean seriously, they lost all contact with the boat, but they're able to pull it into the port. It must be the Jews!

[fascisthunter]

21. nobody but you brought religion into this....

you act as if there are no reasons to assume the Israeli government is behind this even after what just happened.

[Tripmann]

22. Theres strong evidence from the attack on the flotilla

that the boats had their coimmunications jammed by the IDF.

To equate accusations of this happening again with anti-semitism is ridiculous.

Also, the jewsish community is bigger than the israeli govt, we all know this. Your crap won't fly around here.

[davidinalameda]

23. what does strong evidence mean

does anyone have any proof that the Israelis are interfering with the ship?

or is it all conjecture?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

27. What strong evidence?

There are so many conflicting claims from all sides that anything like that needs to be supported. That said I would have thought that to be true but messages did get out.

[pattmarty]

25. You know I (and many others) are getting fucking sick and tired...........

................about hearing ALL THE FUCKING TIME about the "poor Jews". GOD DAMNIT, what about the "poor Palestinians"???? I made a statement on another post here about this incident causing another round of anti-semitism around the world. The fucking Israelis are colossally stupid to continue down this road. At some point they are going to have to give the Palestinians their own homeland or the whole world will be against them.

[tom_paine]

26. Pretty tacky to bring up mere days after Israel commits an act of international piracy.

Considering that fact, whatever you want to call the Israeli assault on a peaceful flotilla covered with PR lies that are quite reminiscent of Bushie Lies, I believe heightened suspicion of the perpetrators (the State of Israel, not "The Jews") is quite warranted.

I'm Jewish, but I strongly suspect the State of Israel. Not because they are Jews, though.

Because I have eyes and eventually what my eyes saw overpowered my "rah-rah" loyalty to Israel.

Whether or not Israel is responsible for this particular incident changes nothing about the grotesque hypocrisy of the Gaza Ghetto ("Hey, we're not murdering people using industrialized camps, so don't you say evicting 1.5 million people from their land and packing them into a tiny ghetto is ANYTHING like what the Nazis did.") or Israels increasingly rogue and conscienceless actions.

But Israel is just mirroring the American Empire's fall into new forms of plausibly deniable totalitarianism, of which it is a Client State.

Can't shut my eyes anymore, and the "Blame the Jews" bit is just a smokescreen, not a counterargument.

Wrong is wrong, and we shouldn't try to deflect it with Bush-like PR distractions (like trying to conflate people's legiimate concern with anti-semitism).

[Ignis]

30. So the IDF didn't jam communications of the flotilla a few days ago?

[harmonicon]

33. in fact, the first time the letters "jew" exist in this thread is in your post.

Good job. Way to smear my loved ones by tying them into international piracy. I hope you're fucking proud of yourself.

[pampango]

24. "Friday afternoon the ship was 134 miles off the Gaza coast and was expected to reach

Israel's 20-mile exclusion zone Saturday morning."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/06/04/international/i064756D49.DTL&type=science

The Free Gaza Movement said on its Web site that the ship, the 1,200 ton Rachel Corrie, would reach Gaza by Saturday morning. ..the cargo ship was headed directly to Gaza and would not stop in any port on the way.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet on Thursday night that the boat would not reach the territory. On Friday, Israel's foreign ministry said the policy had not changed.

[demoleft]

28. "Israel: We don't want a confrontation with Gaza-bound ship 'Rachel Corrie'"

"Foreign Ministry issues a statement saying Israel has no desire to board the ship; MV Rachel Corrie to reach Israel exclusion zone within 24 hours, organizers say.

"We have no desire for a confrontation. We have no desire to board the ship. If the ship decides to sail the port of Ashdod, then we will ensure its safe arrival and will not board it," said the Foreign Ministry Director-General Yossi Gal."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-we-don-t-want-a-confrontation-with-gaza-bound-ship-rachel-corrie-1.294173


but the ship seems not to change the route to gaza.
what happens, if it does not sail to ashod, is not reported.

[Taverner]

29. Remember - if you see the Israelis' actions as anything other than heroic

Then you must be an anti-Semite, or a Self-Loathing Jew or something like that...

:sarcasm:

[demoleft]

32. 9:48pm - Irish FM: We demand Israel demonstrate restraint when intercepting Rachel Corrie ship n/t