AlJazeeraEnglish — 14 June 2010

In the early hours of Monday, May 31, the Israeli navy intercepted a flotilla of boats carrying thousands of tonnes of aid to Gaza. Nine passengers on the Mavi Marmara – the flotilla’s largest boat – were killed. This much we know. In the aftermath of the event, accounts from both sides have diverged wildly. Israel claims that it acted in self-defence against a group of “violent extremists” linked to al-Qaeda and Hamas, intent on breaching the military blockade of Gaza. The activists say they were frightened for their lives after being shot at from helicopters in the dark of night, their raised white flag ignored. They say Israel’s attack on their ship in international waters was unexpected and disproportionate. Examining claim and counter claim, A Journey of Life and Death includes an exclusive interview with the captain of the Mavi Marmara, those on board the ships and previously unseen footage.

By Gordon Duff

15 June 2010
Countercurrents.org

This week we learned that Israel had staged scenes from the Freedom Flotilla attack using actors and common Hollywood special effects, called “ double negative .” The actors were shown standing among peaceful humanitarian workers, waving weapons around. This became a problem when the stage Israel used wasn’t quite the same. We ended up with a film showing our Israeli “terrorists” walking through solid steel time and time again. Israel ‘s film industry has been suffering of late. Even the phony bin Laden videos have given over to audio. The new bin Laden they use was doing Marlboro commercials in Egypt before they took him on.

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14-06-2010  News release 10/103

The dialysis unit at Al-Shifa hospital. Every time the power is cut patient care is disrupted. ©ICRC/C. Goin/il-e-01976

The serious incidents that took place on 31 May between Israeli forces and activists on a flotilla heading for Gaza once again put the spotlight on the acute hardship faced by the population in the Gaza Strip.

As the ICRC has stressed repeatedly, the dire situation in Gaza cannot be resolved by providing humanitarian aid. The closure imposed on the Gaza Strip is about to enter its fourth year, choking off any real possibility of economic development. Gazans continue to suffer from unemployment, poverty and warfare, while the quality of Gaza’s health care system has reached an all-time low.

The whole of Gaza’s civilian population is being punished for acts for which they bear no responsibility. The closure therefore constitutes a collective punishment imposed in clear violation of Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law.

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via Red Cross: Gaza blockade illegal

Disturbing the Universe will premiere on PBS on June 22, 2010 (check local listings) SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE BROADCAST HERE!

June 11, 2010

MEDIA ALERT:

JUST RELEASED: ONE HOUR OF FOOTAGE FROM MAVI MARMARA Footage taken aboard largest ship in Gaza Freedom Flotilla in hour before and during raid by Israeli military

New York, NY

A full hour of raw footage taken aboard the Mavi Marmara in the hour leading up to and during the Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla has just been made available to view at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwsMJmvS0AY

The footage is also available for download at: http://tinyurl.com/flotilla-footage/

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