le 7 janvier 2009
[Larnaca, Chipre] Aujourd’hui, le « Free Gaza Movement » avertit Israël qu’un autre bateau de secours va partir pour Gaza. Nous annoncerons la date exacte du départ et l’itinéraire d’ici quelques jours. Nous naviguerons dans les eaux Chypriotes, puis nous passerons dans les eaux internationales, et de là, directement dans les eaux territoriales de Gaza, sans nous approcher, à aucun moment des eaux israéliennes.
Les attaques israéliennes en cours dans la Bande de Gaza ont tué plus de 640 Palestiniens, dont beaucoup sont des femmes et des enfants, et en ont blessé des milliers. Ces actes, accomplis par Israël, sont de graves et massives violations de la loi internationale humanitaire telle qu’elle est définie par les Conventions de Genève, tant du point de vue des obligations d’une puissance occupante que des lois de la guerre.
Les Nations Unies n’ont pas réussi à protéger la population civile palestinienne des violations massives de la loi humanitaire internationale. C’est pourquoi, nous, citoyens indignés, de Belgique, Colombie, France, Canada, Grande-Bretagne, Grèce, Irlande, Jordanie, Koweit, Ecosse, Espagne et Etats-Unis, sentons qu’il est de notre devoir moral d’essayer de le faire.
Lors d’une tentative précédente pour envoyer un bateau de secours avec médecins et matériel médical à Gaza, le Free Gaza Movement a été violemment attaqué par les militaires israéliens. A l’aube du mardi 30 décembre, la marine de guerre israélienne a éperonné notre bateau, le DIGNITY, dans les eaux internationales. Ni le DIGNITY ni ses passagers ni l’équipage ne constituaient un quelconque danger pour Israël, et le gouvernement israélien avait été averti de la mission du bateau, la veille. Pourtant, nous avons été percutés violemment, par trois fois, sur l’un des côtés, sans aucun avertissement de la marine de guerre israélienne, dans une tentative évidente de rendre le bateau inutilisable, mettant en danger la vie des 16 passagers à son bord. La violence des militaires israéliens ne va pas nous dissuader et nous risquerons encore et souvent la traversée jusqu’à Gaza. Nous sommes médecins, journalistes, parlementaires et observateurs du respect des droits humains, qui tentons de rejoindre la population de Gaza, pour apporter l’aide médicale plus que nécessaire et pour témoigner des atrocités commises là-bas à l’encontre des Palestiniens.
Nous sommes prêts à mettre notre vie en danger pour arrêter le massacre illégal des Palestiniens par Israël (nous avons reçu des menaces de mort pour nous empêcher de continuer) et attirer l’attention du monde sur les crimes de guerre qui sont perpétrés à Gaza contre 1.5 millions de Palestiniens.
We Are Coming Back, And We Are Putting Israel On Notice
January 7, 2009
[Larnaca, Cyprus] Today the Free Gaza Movement put Israel on notice that we are sending another emergency boat to Gaza. We will announce our exact departure date, time and route in the next few days. We will travel from Cypriot waters, into international waters, then directly into Gaza territorial waters, never nearing Israeli waters.
The ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have killed over 640 Palestinians, including many children and women, and injured thousands. These acts by Israel are severe and massive violations of international humanitarian law as defined by the Geneva Conventions, both in regards to the obligations of an Occupying Power and in the requirements of the laws of war.
The United Nations has failed to protect the Palestinian civilian population from Israel’s massive violations of international humanitarian law. Therefore, we concerned citizens from Belgium, Columbia, France, Canada, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Jordan, Kuwait, Scotland, Spain, and the United States, feel that it is our moral duty to try to do just that.
The Israeli military violently attacked an earlier attempt by the Free Gaza Movement to send an emergency boat filled with doctors and medical supplies to Gaza. In the early hours of Tuesday, December 30, the Israeli Navy rammed our boat, the DIGNITY, in international waters. Neither the DIGNITY, nor its passengers and crew constituted any kind of threat to Israel, and the Israeli government had been alerted to the boat’s mission, the previous day. Yet we were violently rammed three times on the side without any warning from the Israeli Navy, in an obvious attempt to disable the vessel, jeopardizing the lives of the 16 passengers on board.
We are not deterred by the violence of the Israeli military and intend to sail to Gaza again and again. We are physicians, journalists, members of parliament, and human rights observers who intend to reach the people of Gaza to deliver much needed medical aid and witness the atrocities being committed against the Palestinians there.
We are willing to put our bodies on the line to stop Israel’s unlawful massacres of the Palestinian people (we have received death threats warning us not to repeat our attempt) and bring the attention of the world to the war crimeshappening in Gaza against 1.5 million Palestinians.
Contact:
Huwaida Arraf (Cyprus): +357-96-723-999 huwaida.arraf@gmail.com
Angela Godfrey-Goldstein (Jerusalem): +972-547-366 393 angela@icahd.org
Ramzi Kysia (U.S): +1-703-994-5422 rrkysia@yahoo.com
Étiquettes : Gaza - Palestine
Finnegan's Awake 
janvier 11, 2009 à 14:39
FREE GAZA TO ISRAEL: WE ARE COMING IN ON TUESDAY
Cyprus, Sunday 11 January 2009
The Free Gaza Movement ship, « SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, » will leave Larnaca Port at 12:00 noon, Monday, 12 January, on an emergency mission to besieged Gaza. The ship will carry desperately needed doctors, journalists, human rights workers, and members of several European parliaments as well as medical supplies.
This voyage marks Free Gaza’s second attempt to break through the blockade since Israel began attacking the Gaza Strip on 27 December. Between August and December 2008, the Free Gaza Movement successfully challenged the Israeli blockade five times, landing the first international ships in the port of Gaza since 1967.
The Israeli military violently attacked an earlier attempt by the Free Gaza Movement to send an emergency boat filled with doctors and medical supplies to Gaza. In the early hours of Tuesday, 30 December, the Israeli navy deliberately, repeatedly, and without warning rammed the unarmed ship, the DIGNITY, causing significant structural damage and endangering the lives of its passengers and crew. The ship found safe harbor in Lebanon, and is currently awaiting repairs.
Fouad Ahidar, a member of the Belgian Parliament sailing to Gaza aboard the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, responded to concerns that Israel may attack the unarmed mercy ship by saying, « I have five children that are very worried about me, but I told them, you can sit on your couch and watch these atrocities on the television, or you can choose to take action to make them stop. »
Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have injured thousands of civilians and killed over 800 people, including scores of women and children. This ongoing Israeli massacre severely and massively violates international humanitarian law defined by the Geneva Conventions, especially the obligations of an Occupying Power and the requirements of the laws of war.
The United Nations has failed to protect the Palestinian civilian population from Israel’s massive violations of international humanitarian law. Israel has closed off Gaza from the international community and demanded that all foreigners leave. But Huwaida Arraf, an organizer with the Free Gaza Movements, stated that, « We cannot just sit by and wait for Israel to decide to stop the killing and open the borders for relief workers to pick up the pieces. We are coming in. There is an urgent need for this mission as Palestinian civilians in Gaza are being terrorized and slaughtered by Israel, and access to
humanitarian relief denied to them. When states and the international bodies responsible for taking action to stop such atrocities chose to be impotent, then we–the citizens of the world–must act. Our common humanity demands nothing less. »
Israel has been notified that we are coming. A copy of the notification to the Israeli Authorities is attached.
The media is invited to the Larnaca Port at 10:00am to for final preparations and a press conference before departure.
###
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Take Action! CALL the Israeli Government and let them know that the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY is coming to Gaza. DEMAND that Israel immediately STOP slaughtering civilians in Gaza and STOP using violence to prevent human rights and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.
CALL
Mark Regev in the Prime Minister’s office:
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5 0620 3264
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il
Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence:
+972 3697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
mediasar@mod.gov.il
Major Liebovitz from the Israeli Navy:
+ 972 5 781 86248
Official Notification of Intent to Enter
January 11, 2009
To: The Israeli Ministry of Defense, Fax: 972-3-697-6717
To: The Israeli Navy
To: The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fax 972-2-5303367
From: The Free Gaza Movement
This letter serves as a formal notification to you as the Occupying Power and belligerent force in the Gaza Strip that on Monday, January 12 we are navigating the motor vessel, Spirit of Humanity, from the Port of Larnaca to the port of Gaza City. Our vessel will be flying the Greek flag, and, as such, falls under the jurisdiction Greece.
We will be sailing from Cypriot waters into international waters, then directly into the territorial waters of the Gaza Strip without entering or nearing Israeli territorial waters. We expect to arrive at the Gaza Port on Tuesday, January 13, 2009.
We will be carrying urgently needed medical supplies in sealed boxes, cleared by customs at the Larnaca International Airport and the Port of Larnaca. There will be a total of 30 passengers and crew on board, among them members of various European Parliaments and several physicians. Our boat and cargo will also have received security clearance from the Port Authorities in Cyprus before we depart.
As it will be confirmed that neither we, the cargo, any of the boat’s contents, nor the boat itself constitute any threat to the security of Israel or its armed forces, we do not expect any interference with our voyage by Israel’s authorities.
On Tuesday, December 30, an Israeli Navy vessel violently, and without warning, attacked our motor vessel Dignity, disabling the vessel and endangering the lives of the 16 civilians on board. This notice serves as clear notification to you of our approach. Any attack on the motor vessel, Spirit of Humanity, will be premeditated and any harm inflicted on the 30 civilians on board will be considered the result of a deliberate attack on unarmed civilians.
The Steering Committee of the Free Gaza Movement
Contact: Huwaida Arraf, Free Gaza Movement, 357 96 723 999
http://WWW.FREEGAZA.ORG
janvier 14, 2009 à 15:26
http://freegaza.org/en/home/678-spirit-of-humanity-sets-sail-for-gaza
SPIRIT OF HUMANITY SETS SAIL FOR GAZA
January 14, 2009
Larnaca: At 10:30 this morning, under bright blue Mediterranean
skies, the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY sailed from the port of Larnaca.
Undeterred by Israeli threats of interception at sea, 21 passengers
and crew waved to friends and press on shore, committed to our mission
of delivering doctors, journalists, human rights observers and a
shipment of medical supplies to assist the civilian population of Gaza
during this emergency.
« Israel has an obligation to protect the civilian population that it
occupies » stated Free Gaza delegation leader Huwaida Arraf. « Since
Israel continues to violate this obligation, we will continue to do
whatever we can to deliver badly needed medical supplies, food, and to
transport medical personnel, journalists and human rights workers to
help and to witness the devastation Israel has wrought. »
The physicians on board include a reconstructive plastic surgeron and
an orthopedic surgeron and another physician. All three doctors will
bring crucial assistance to the exhausted and overwhelmed hospital
staff in Gaza where emergency resouces don’t begin to meet the need.
Updates and detailed information about the trip and the Free Gaza Movement:
http://freegaza.org/