Gregg Carlstrom:

Marc Lynch, a professor at George Washington University – writing in his Foreign Policy blog – notes that the global outcry over the attack will force the Obama administration to react.

I’ll just say that the bottom line for Washington is that the U.S. can not ignore this or try to hope that it will pass quickly so that it can resume business as usual. It is rapidly spiraling into one of the most intensely galvanizing issues in the Arab media — and around the world — since the Israeli war on Gaza itself. If Obama goes ahead and meets with Netanyahu as if nothing happened, then his administration’s outreach to the Muslim communities of the world is effectively over.

The White House has not exactly rushed to comment on the flotilla attack. We reported a brief one-sentence statement this morning (see 11:51am post); that’s all we’ve heard so far.

video link via freegazaorg Twitter feed

Subject: LATEST EMERGENCY PROTEST TIMES

LONDON – 2pm @ DOWNING STREET

SHEFFIELD – NOW @ TOWN HALL

MANCHESTER – 5pm @ BBC on OXFORD STREET

GLASGOW – 5pm @ GEORGE SQUARE

YORK – 5pm @ ST SAMPSON SQUARE

EDINBURGH – 5pm @ FOOT OF THE MOUND

PARIS @ 18hr info de dérrniére minute rassemblement a 18h devant l’ambassade d’ Israël 3 rue Rabelais (75008 ……Paris) metro ligne 9 St-Philippe-du-Roule

PLEASE POST, SHARE AND FORWARD TO EVERYBODY .. THIS IS A BIG SITUATION .. AT LEAST 19 DEAD (MARTYRED) AND MANY MORE DYING ON THE SHIPS .. OVER 60 INJURED, MANY HAVE BEEN SHOT

Gaza Civil Society

31 May 2010

We Gaza based Palestinian Civil Society Organizations and International activists call on the international community and civil society to pressure their governments and Israel to cease the abductions and killings in Israel’s attacks against the Gaza Freedom Flotilla sailing for Gaza, and begin a global response to hold Israel accountable for the murder of foreign civilians at sea and illegal piracy of civilian vessels carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza.

[Read more]

Written by Free Gaza Team | 31 May 2010
Posted in Press releases

(Cyprus, June 1, 2010, 6:30 am) Under darkness of night, Israeli commandoes dropped from a helicopter onto the Turkish passenger ship, Mavi Marmara, and began to shoot the moment their feet hit the deck. They fired directly into the crowd of civilians asleep. According to the live video from the ship, two have been killed, and 31 injured. Al Jazeera has just confirmed the numbers.

Streaming video shows the Israeli soldiers shooting at civilians, and our last SPOT beacon said, “HELP, we are being contacted by the Israelis.”

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