Source: GRITtv On Monday, Israeli commandoes boarded ships in the “Freedom Flotilla” attempting to bring humanitarian aid to residents of still-blockaded Gaza.  The aggressive response by Israel turned deadly, with at least nine activists killed.  The international community has reacted with shock and outrage; protests have erupted around the world outside Israeli embassies, with protesters even [...]

A chief lesson to learn from President Barack Obama’s recent unwillingness to stand up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud Lobby is that such timidity can get people killed. Casualty figures are still arriving in the wake of Israel’s Sunday night-Monday morning commando attack on an unarmed flotilla trying to bring relief supplies to the 1.5 million Palestinians crowded into Gaza. Already, at least nine civilian passengers are reported killed, and dozens wounded. Earlier this year, Obama did criticize Israel’s continued settlement of Palestinian areas and Netanyahu’s resistance to holding meaningful peace talks, but the President has failed to follow up his words with firm action or resolve. Netanyahu concluded that Israel could do what it wished, including dropping commandos from helicopters onto crowded ships and, after alleging a clash with civilians, ordering the use of lethal force.

Source: Russia Today Norman G. Finkelstein: What happened with the Gaza flotilla was not an accident.  You have to remember that the Israeli cabinet met for fully a week.  All the cabinet ministers discussed and deliberated how they would handle the flotilla.  There were numerous reports in the Israeli press, numerous suggestions, numerous recommendations about what [...]

Los informes que provienen de la Armada Israelí afirman que bloquearán las señales y comunicaciones de la flotilla, aislando a sus tripulantes y pasajeros, para evitar que el mundo sea testigo de lo que podría convertirse en una confrontación o un secuestro naval. No obstante, la estrategia de la Flotilla de la Libertad consiste en resistir cualquier intento por parte de la Armada israelí de secuestrar los barcos o de separar los cargueros de los barcos de pasajeros. “El mensaje de Israel es claro: ‘Les bloquearemos. Y nadie puede prevenirnos de hacerlo’, afirmó la coordinadora de Free Gaza, Huwaida Arraf. “Sin embargo, nosotros resistiremos de forma no-violenta los ensayos de Israel de capturar nuestros barcos. Miles de personas han contribuido a hacer realidad esta flotilla, y el pueblo de Gaza nos está esperando. Luego de este mensaje del 25 de mayo, soldados israelíes atacaron esta madrugada la denominada 'Flota de la Libertad', un grupo de seis barcos, tres de ellos turcos, que transportaba a más de 750 personas con ayuda humanitaria para Gaza, causando al menos dieciséis muertos y decenas de heridos.

Israeli soldiers invaded these ships in international waters, breaking international law, and, in killing civilians, committed a war crime. The counter-claim by Israeli commanders that their soldiers responded to an imminent “lynch” by civilians should be dismissed with the loud contempt it deserves. The Israeli government approved the boarding of these aid ships by an elite unit of commandoes. They were armed with automatic weapons to pacify the civilians onboard, but not with crowd dispersal equipment in case of resistance. Whatever the circumstances of the confrontation, Israel must be held responsible for sending in soldiers and recklessly endangering the lives of all the civilians onboard, including a baby and a Holocaust survivor. Today Israel chose to direct its deadly assault not only at Palestinians under occupation but at the international community itself. Will our leaders finally be moved to act?

Source: Al Jazeera English For support go here, and for more first-account information of the Gaza flotilla’s activities go here More information here and another video with more context on the Gaza flotilla below Israeli forces have attacked aid ships attempting to break the blockade of Gaza. Commandos lowered themselves from helicopters and onto the Mavi Marmara – the [...]