BREAKING NEWS: Urgent: Ships BOARDED by Israeli Navy
04. Nov, 2011
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UPDATED (16:40 – 4 November 2011). PRESS RELEASE: Freedom Waves to Gaza – ‘FREEDOM WAVES TO GAZA BOARDED BY ISRAELI MILITARY’.
Canadian and Irish ships sailing with Freedom Waves to Gaza have been illegally boarded by the Israeli military in international waters a short while ago.
In this video image released by the Israeli Defense Ministry on November 4, 2011, Israeli soldiers on several small military boats appear to board a civilian boat believed to be one of two protest boats trying to violate Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military stated that “Upon arrival of the vessels at the Ashdod port, the activists will be transferred to the custody of the Israel Police and immigration authorities in the Ministry of Interior”.
Freedom Waves to Gaza organizers have been unable to communicate with the ships since soon after the vessels were approached by Israeli warships earlier this afternoon.
The Canadian boat ‘Tahrir’ (Liberation) confirmed that the Israeli navy had contacted them asking for their destination at around 13:00 (Gaza time) to which Ehab Lotayef, an activist on board the ship, replied ‘The conscience of humanity’. When the Israelis again demanded to know the destination of the ship Lotayef replied; ‘The betterment of mankind’. ’
Huwaida Arraf, spokesperson from Freedom Waves to Gaza, said “It’s clear that 27 civilians on two small boats, carrying only medicine, constituted no security threat to the Israeli state, and that the determination to keep them out is only a furtherance of Israel’s policy of collective punishment, a crime against humanity. Despite this Israeli aggression, we will keep coming, wave after wave, by air, sea, and land, to challenge Israel’s illegal policies towards Gaza and all of Palestine. Our movement will not stop or be stopped until Palestine is free.”
The Israeli military reported that the navy has been ordered by IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz to board the ships after “attempts to contact them failed.” The Israeli military has offered to unload the boats’ supplies at Ashdod, Israel.
Anatolia News Agency, Turkey, has reported that the boats were offered the choice to go to Egypt or return.
At 13:00 both ships were around 51 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza in international waters.
Israeli commandos boarded a previous Gaza Freedom Flotilla on 31 May 2010, killing nine Turkish activists and wounding many more.
The Freedom Waves to Gaza initiative is a non-violent, civil society movement to challenge the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza Earlier this morning, activists aboard both ships were preparing for possible attack by the Israeli navy by training in nonviolent resistance tactics. The two ships, carrying a total of 27 passengers and $30,000 worth of medicine and supplies, set off from Turkey on November 2.
For more details contact:
Freedom Waves Media Office (Tel): +970 (0)592 346 895
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Jalal Abukhater is 17-year old Palestinian resident of Jerusalem. He is a high school senior, will be graduating school in Summer 2012.
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What happened to the Turks? Didn’t they vow to escort Gaza relief vessels to protect them from just such a scenario?
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Fred Reply:
November 4th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
They just caved today when Obama threatened them
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Watch out for Russia.
They may do it and then point their finger at say…..IRAN!!
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I would LOVE it if Russia would finally handled Israel.
Russia are you listening? The world has had enough. Please DO something.
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Benito Reply:
November 4th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
Russia, like Amerika, is owned by these “jewish” imposters.
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JackieG Reply:
November 4th, 2011 at 8:31 pm
Russia is no longer under Jewish rule
The Bolsheviks were finally given the boot after 70 years.
Putin is not Jewish
When Putin landed in Tel Aviv he went straight to the Palestinians bypassing the Jews.
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go back it isreal jackieg
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Keep sending more flotilla,s. Sooner or later the west will wake up and say,’enough of this shit’ I do not know how Hitlery douchbag Clinker can say Israel has the right to defend it self. Against what? Flying aspirins? What did O,Bamaberg threaten the turks with? I did not hear anything about that.
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The israelis should show some moral authority, and allow the poor gazans to receive food supplies, medical supplies, or whatever other equipment they are in desperate need of.
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If any other country did this in international waters as the Failed State has done, there would be an uproar.
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Most politicians including Obozo have no backbone and blow only hot air.
Bloody cowards and Zionist stooges what more can we expect from them?
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The Nazi Israel is the only country of the world who is allowed to do whatever they like whether is it ethical or unethical ,it does not matter to the world conscience.
Go back to your country ,Nazis.It is not your home land,it is only Palestine where everybody (MUSLIMS,Christians and Jews) used to live in peace one day.
May Allah bless Palestine and all human beings on earth,
EID MUBARAK to all on this earth.
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