Update notes from FFC Skype call just now:
Latest reports: The IOF takeover of the boat was violent – conducted by armed and masked soldiers – many passengers & crew were assaulted, roughly handled and hit. Three were tasered, including Mike, as they refused move from the wheelhouse. Mike and one other crewman were tightly handcuffed.
Mike was repeatedly tasered on the body. Another was also tasered on the head. Mike received a scratch to his face and his head was bleeding. A 69 year old female surgeon was received a head injury.
A senior Canadian passenger was injured on the foot and received hospital treatment. Apparently all are recovering ok in detention. Mike is in Givon Prison. Local civil rights lawyers met with all the detainees a few hours ago & report that all are OK and expect to be deported as quickly as possible.
Two are on a protest hunger strike (not Mike). They have been repeatedly lied to – such as: ‘if you cooperate your belongings will be returned’. No belongings have been returned (including passports), and are unlikely to be returned until they have returned home. This is what happened to Marama Davidson too. I don’t know if the NZ Hon Consul has contacted or visited Mike yet – I emailed him earlier. Still no response from our Foreign Minister. Good support from Marama. Need to pressure Peters to make a statement.
I will send further updates as info received. The second Flotilla boat (Freedom) is likely to arrive within next 2 days. Please also follow updates on kiaoragaza.net and facebook
We will have to organise a big ‘welcome home’ for Mike at the airport.
Geez.
Seems like they do not need a small fleet, but an Amarda of protest boats. Rough handling of older foreign nationals and now all this news is going around the world for all to see…
Safe passage back home, Mike… along with all the other folk too. All of these actions highlight the kind of things going on over there. Good work.
What a bunch of idiots. What did they expect from the Israeli Navy? A welcoming party and a chocolate fish? Words fail me.
This apparently occurred in international waters.
And if it did,… I hope words also fail you because that is an act of kidnapping according to international law.
Perhaps people should be reminded of that if in fact that was the case.
I don’t care if I get hate for this. IDF is a conscript military. If the opinions of the IDF where the same as the general Israeli population atleast 40% of IDF service personal would be against the occupation of Palestine. The orders should not reflect on individual IDF personal rather thier inept leadership.
Soldiers conscripted or not can refuse to do harm to others.
Protest against illegal acts is lawful.
Justice is not brought about by cowards.
Haven’t got the numbers in front of me but it’s like 30% Orthodox Jew and Orthodox Jews are exempt from conscription but it is interesting that every Israeli citizen has to serve a set number of years and even after that option polls say 40% disagree with the Israeli occupation so if Orthodox Jews are made to join the military like the Israeli hard right want then Bibi probably won’t last long. It’s kind of funny how this stuff actually works don’t you think.
You might want to double-check those figures Sam. Yes, some orthodox Jews have an exemption from military service, although most go instead to hybrid academies that do part military service, part rabbinical training – an interesting combination. You will find however that over 55% of Israeli citizens class themselves as non-religious. Given that there are around two million Arab ‘Palestinian’ citizens in Israel’s 8 million total, who are almost totally muslim, the figures don’t look anything like you are suggesting. (that 8million doesn’t include those living in ‘Palestine’ – P.A or Hamas-controlled areas). Whilst some orthodox Jews have this exemption, note that all muslims are exempt. Again interesting, given that these Arabs when surveyed by the UN were adamant that they wanted to stay Israeli citizens – with the education, healthcare etc that comes with that. What is quite profound is the passion that the Druze people have, all performing their military service with dedication and commitment.
Mr Tomlinson, “words fail you” because Israel has engaged in illegal piracy on the high seas. Piracy by a state actor in international waters is asking for trouble. Though it wouldn’t be the first time Israel has done this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty_incident
I wonder if the big, tough Israeli navy would be prepared to take on a Russian warship guiding a peace flotilla. I suspect not. The IDF would be too gutless, knowing Putin would blow any marauding Israeli warship to Jehovah’s sky paradise.
The Israeli Navy did just what you would expect Nazi Zionist Israel to do. No surprises there !!!
Historian Pete? what a joke. ‘Nazi Zionist Israel’ shows that you clearly have absolutely no idea!
Peter Tomlinson
Idiots are not hard to recognise. 00
They were illegally and violently detained while in international waters.
Idiots make stupid comments.
Idiots do make stupid comments John W. With little to no reliable information you have jumped to some pretty predictable conclusions.
The UN has ruled the blockade is legal – yes, there are some trivial attempts to besmirch this report, but those attempts came from the UN Human Rights Council; labelled blatantly racist and lacking any credibility by successive UN Secretary-Generals – and were compiled by renowned and outspoken Palestinian supporters (ref. Richard Falk et al). Hardly credible.
Secondly, the blockade is a joint military undertaking between Israel and Egypt – who are also suffering from the bombings, murder, terrorism coming from Gaza. I note there has been no mention of Egypt’s role in this at all, how convenient.
Thirdly, by his own admission, Treen was oppositional, resisting arrest. Had he behaved himself, it is unlikely that there would have been any violence at all.
Given that he knew exactly what he was going to do, and exactly what reaction he was going to try and incite (violence makes better publicity apparently), that (again, by their own admission) they were not actually bringing any real aid or decent medical supplies, that he had even pre-recorded his media releases in anticipation of his arrest……. it seems to me that he got exactly what he wanted, and probably what he deserved.
Thank you for the update. Sad to hear about the flotilla being roughed up, however you’re dealing with an emboldened Israel, coming off the high of having the US embassy moved to Jerusalem.
Undoubtedly Israel is invigorated to further maintain it’s current boarder situation. I don’t like to hear of people (including Mike) being tasered, but he did refused to move from the wheelhouse.
Being tightly handcuffed is probably natural after being tasered. As for cuts and scratches, if they were a result resisting detainment, my sympathies are greatly reduced.
I find the term ‘violent kidnapping’ very disingenuous. The truth is, the flotilla mainly serves to ‘virtual signal’ to those opposed to Israel no matter what.
The flotilla is far from winning hearts and minds – it’s a distraction propagated by half-baked-intellectuals. Unfortunately they learnt nothing from last years attempt. I don’t expect them to be released anytime soon with their current attitudes .. but I could be wrong. I except they’ll be released before Rosh Hashanah .. even with their attitudes.
It was a peaceful protest and apparently in international waters. And according to international law that detainment then becomes kidnapping if that was actually the case.
And perhaps if they were ‘resisting detainment’ , – it was because the protesters were aware of that , and they had every right to. Especially after being coerced by repeated tasering. Which then becomes unwarranted assault.
I’m not anti Israel but many of their out of control aggression’s go well beyond what is necessary.
If you jump off a building you should be prepared to hit the ground. People have died attempting similar flotillas.
It’s no secret the flotilla’s aim was to embarrass the Israeli government. The flotilla’s organizers are out-of-touch with the geopolitical environment they’re operating under.
They may find out the MSM is not a great parachute.
Nice analogy about jumping off of buildings but that doesn’t change the fact the protesters were within their rights to be there in international waters and not expect an act of piracy , kidnapping , detainment or serious assault on their members.
There is no way any of that can be justified.
At all.
Why?
Because that is the international agreement on international waters and the neutrality they have been given. Even if a govt is embarrassed by that fact.
@Zach, I have no doubt that the flotilla organisers knew exactly what they were sailing into given that other New Zealanders have done the exact same thing in recent times.
That fact that they put concern for the wellbeing of the Palestinian people ahead of their own wellbeing speaks volumes about their very real virtues. If they only wanted to signal their virtue to the rest of us there are a hundred other ways they could have done that with no risk.
Zack your analogy is full of holes.
They have neither the moral nor legal right to order anyone from the wheelhouse (or from anywhere else). They have illegally boarded a ship in international waters in an aggressive manner. No one has to cooperate or accept it and is legally entitled to resist. If your sympathies are reduced because the people on the ship didn’t cooperate with the fucking pirates and terrorists it doesn’t say much about your respect of law and order or whatever code of ethics you might have.
Thank you.
And this denial of law and order needs to be put to bed pronto.
Illegal acts have occurred here and the facts you mentioned must always be repeated anytime any apologist starts to rant on about ‘consequences’ from the ‘authority’s ‘ for what amounts to a very , very legal protest.
Deal with the facts spiderman. The illegal act here was stupid people trying to break a blockade that has been determined by the United Nations as perfectly legal. Read the report on the Turkish flotilla incident from a year or two back. The protestors were – by their own admission – carrying bugger all in aid or medical supplies (compared to the thousands of truckloads a year that Israel sends into Gaza), the whole trip was simply a publicity stunt. If you want to break the rules and back the terrorists, you expect to pay the price huh? or is a sovereign country no longer allowed to defend itself from murdering terrorists who bomb kindergartens? (see https://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/263217/hamas-rockets-hit-an-israeli-kindergarten-in-worst-day-of-attacks-in-four-year)
Well Bman
.
One very narrow and bigoted side of the story explains very little.
The UN had not regarded a blockage in international waters as being legal.
It is illegal.
A litte wander through recent history may help your viewpoint.
Unbelievable. The UN has already stated – in the official UN report, i.e. not the Palestinian supporters who supplied contrary opinions to the openly biased UN HRC – that the blockade is completely legal. Look it up. Read it for yourself. The BSA in New Zealand even upheld the position that the blockade is not illegal. I’m afraid that I have far more than wandered through recent history, and it did change my viewpoint – to realise how the propaganda coming from the Middle East is absolutely, ridiculously biased against Israel. So, you’ve stated something about being narrow and bigoted, made a statement that is totally incorrect, and suggested that I need to look at recent history. oh, and apprently someone made you judge and jury of international law to simply say ‘it is illegal’. I hate to break it to you, but the facts state otherwise. So…… you’ve said nothing true, and contributed nothing of any use, simply calling (me) names. Can you not see that this is exactly the problem? people making bold, absolute – albeit blatantly wrong – statements, then accusing anyone who might think differently of being bigoted.
My comment was directed at what was said and not the person.
I stand by it.
Your assertion that the blockade is “legal” is founded on what. The Palmer report which was highly politicised whitewash and contained the crucial caveat that.
“its conclusions can not be considered definitive in either fact or law.”
https://www.haaretz.com/1.5174177
Israel’s blockade of Gaza does indeed violate international law, stating that it amounts to collective punishment in “flagrant contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law.”
“Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and the International Committee of the Red Cross also consider the blockade and siege to be acts of collective punishment that contravene international law.”
According to a March 2011 UN report
“International law does allow Israel to restrict the access of people and goods to and from Gaza for legitimate security concerns; however, when doing so, it must balance these concerns with the rights and needs of Gaza’s population. In any case, Israel must absolutely refrain from imposing restrictions that are detrimental to these rights and needs and are not strictly required by legitimate security needs. Policies and practices in contravention to this norm may amount to collective punishment, which is prohibited under any circumstances. ‘While the recent relaxation measures constituted a step in the right direction, to comply with the above mentioned legal obligations, Israel must fully lift the blockade.”
In June 2012, a group of 50 international aid agencies, including the World Health Organization and Oxfam, called on Israel to lift its siege and blockade of Gaza, stating:
For over five years in Gaza, more than 1.6 million people have been under blockade in violation of international law. More than half of these people are children. We the undersigned say with one voice: “end the blockade now.
Israeli officials have admitted that the siege is not motivated primarily by security concerns, but is part of a strategy of “economic warfare” against the people of Gaza. In 2006, senior advisor to then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Dov Weisglass, said the goal of the Gaza siege was to put the 1.5 million people of Gaza “on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.”
Quoting blatantly pro-Palestinian organisations (Amnesty etc) whilst calling UN sanctioned reports ‘whitewash’ unfortunately only shows your prejudice. There has never been any real problems getting truckloads of aid into Gaza (aside from temporary pauses during Gazan rocket attacks etc) – not from Israel’s perspective anyway. Nearly 7000 truckloads entered Gaza in June this year for example. That in spite of the fact that Hamas blew up the one bridge. Israel – and Egypt – have clamped down on materials that could be used to make rockets, tunnels etc, to protect their own citizens. It is quite interesting – and also nobody bothers to reports such things – that when Israel donates more material aid to Gaza than the rest of the world combined, the Gazans will not allow it into Gaza if it is in Israeli trucks. The trucks have to all be emptied and reloaded into UN trucks before they can cross. I’ve been there and watched this happening.You do realise that most of Gaza’s electricity is supplied by Israel, for which they have never been paid, and when Israel tried to turn off the power for 15minutes every time Gazans sent a rocket over, the UN called that (turning off the power) a war crime? Ironically the Israeli power station that supplies this is covered in anti-missile netting – it is the most common target of Gazan rockets. You do realise that when Gaza was handed over to the PA in 2005 and the Jewish residents forcibly removed, the UN ensured that the farms, gardens, glasshouses and homes etc were all left in working order ready for the new Gazans? At the time, the area of Gaza produced a huge amount of Israel’s food. Want to take a guess at how much food production is going on in Gaza these days?
When Gaza was handed over, Arab Gazans routinely traveled into Israel for work, and there were no such restrictions.
After an intifada, countless murders, bombings, rocket attacks etc, Israel and Egypt have basically closed the borders and restricted some materials from entering Gaza to protect their own people. Real simple: stop firing rockets and killing Israeli and Egyptian citizens, and the rules can again be relaxed.
Israel is far from perfect, but until they can at least be treated fairly, the same as any other country, most of the rest of the world has no credibility, no right to be passing judgement.
Letter sent to Winston Peters. But I doubt he’ll do anything. I hope I’m wrong.
Winston and NZ First, AND the Coalition Agreement, on Israel:
https://shalom.kiwi/2017/10/un-security-council-resolution-2334-criticised-in-coalition-agreement/
http://politik.co.nz/en/content/foreignaffairs/1219/Peters-tilts-towards-Israel-Israel-New-Zealand-Security-Council-Winston-Peters-Coalition-Agreement.htm
You are living in lala land if you think Winston will do much as Foreign Minister.
Principled Resolution [Torah Sensibilities Considered]:
Outlook:
Torah consistently holds up the ideals of peace and unity as necessary goals, it recognizes Nations may fall out and ties of fellowship may be broken. New Zealand’s geo-political voice has antagonized Israel.
In an effort, however, to avoid the worst consequences of such antagonism, the Torah exhorts Nations (and people) not to deliberately intensify any bad feelings that already exist. Firstly; hospitality should officially be requested for NZ citizens detained by Israel.
If Israel gives in to the temptation to ignore New Zealand’s [‘lost animal/sheep’] due to strained relations, and New Zealanders become aware of this, enmity will, of course, increase.
Extended Detention [Giving Face to Israel]
Outlook:
Approached as a Jewish state, Israel should release detainees as early as Friday 3rd of August – no later than Thursday 9th August.
Given the multi-nationality component of flotilla participants, prompt deportation of allies’ citizens is desirable. Iran, Syria, Golan Heights and maintaining excellent relations with America are areas of Israels’ focus.
Plans are already underway to improve the Gaza situation, the flotilla is little more than an annoyance. Detained NZ citizens should show respect.
Correction:
Israel’s geo-political voice has antagonized New Zealand.
Firstly; hospitality is not required for NZ citizens detained by Israel. They just want to deliver medical aid to the victims of the Zionist Empire. They shouldn’t have been detained in the first place if Israel respected international law.
Outlook:
Israel’s “shoulds” is irrelevant. Israel pays no heed to international law and consistently works outside of it. It has done so since its creation in 1948.
Prompt deportation of allies’ citizens is unlikely since Israel is pre-occupied with its hegemony with Iran, Syria, and the Golan Heights. Because of its cabal with a fascist USA, Israel has taken encouragement in its own fascism which is now reaching a level that threatens global peace.
This also means little hope of relief for the people of Gaza. Any plans Israel might be developing for the occupied territories is unlikely to be of comfort to the invaded people.
Israel should show respect to detained NZ citizens.
תודה ולהתראות
Amen
In what way are “Plans underway to improve the Gaza situation”?
By whom?
And is the phrase “Final Solution” in any way relevant, Zack?
Yes I agree Frank.
And your last line really gives me the habdabs.
“Final Solution” or its Serbian equivalent “Ethnic Cleansing” is where we absolutely do NOT want to go.
Anywhere…
SAM, I’m not a pedant – & the correct word is NOT personal. It is PERSONNEL. Grammar & spelling at the blog comment section makes many commenters seem to be ignorant of the English language.
Ref.:http://grammarist.com/usage/personal-vs-personnel/
“thier” is properly spelled “their”. Do you (& others at this blog) ever do spell checks?
Yes Isabel, the standard of English grammar and spelling of some posts is so wide of the mark as to be incomprehensible.
HOWEVER!
The spell check used on this blog uses American English and not proper English. Every time I write “labour” I receive a red ‘faulty spelling’ line (as indeed I have just now!). Do NOT rely on this ghastly example of the great American hegemony – after all they still use the primeval ‘imperial’ system for measuring our world…
[…] 6. There has not been violence on boats when this stunt has previously been attempted as long as the activists followed instructions and did not resist arrest. Mr Treen has admitted to resisting arrest. […]
Comments are closed.