Demonstration opposing Israeli attack on Free Gaza Flotilla June 1st at 4pm-6pm

[annm4peace]

Demonstration opposing Israeli attack on Free Gaza Flotilla





Date:


Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Time:


4:00pm - 6:00pm

Location:


Senator Amy Klobuchar's Office

Street:


1200 Washington Avenue

City/Town:


Minneapolis, MN




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Description

On Sunday May 30th, Israeli Navy special forces attacked with live ammunition the Free Gaza Flotilla in international waters killing numerous humanitarian aid workers and peace activists, and wounding many more. The flotilla which sailed from Ireland was bringing desperately needed food, medicine and building supplies to the people of Gaza .

For the past 5 years Gazans have been living under a brutal Israeli siege and blockade which has resulted in intolerable and escalating rates of malnourishment, unemployment and homelessness. The vicious Israeli bombing and military assault on Gaza in December 2008 - January, 2009 killed over 1400 people, mostly civilians, and destroyed the civilian infrastructure. A report by the United Nations Human Rights Commission found that Israel deliberately attacked the civilian population and infrastructure, and committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.

Israel has now committed a brazen military attack on defenseless civilians in international waters.

Israel 's criminal actions cannot be permitted to continue. The United States directly supports Israeli atrocities with billions of dollars of military and economic aid every year. All of our Senators and Congressional representatives have supported this aid. This must stop. We call for an immediate end to U.S. ties to Israel . Specifically as people in Minnesota , we call for an end to Minnesota economic ties and financial support of Israel 's atrocities.

Sponsored by; Coalition for Palestinian Rights (CPR), Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), AntiWar Committee (AWC), International Jewish anti-Zionist Network - TC (IJAN-TC), MN Break the Bonds (MN BBC), Teachers Against Occupation (TAO)





I have also heard that my friend (Colonel) Ann Wright was on one of the boats in the flotilla. Here’s the statement from Cynthia McKinney on the atrocity that occurred last night. (PS: Cynthia is scheduled to speak at the Pigstock on June 17th.)





"I am outraged at Israel 's latest criminal act. I mourn with my fellow Free Gaza travelers, the lives that have been lost by Israel 's needless, senseless act against unarmed humanitarian activists. But I'm even more outraged that once again, Israel's actions have been aided and abetted by a U.S. political class that has become corrupted beyond belief due to its reliance on Zionist finance and penetration by Zionist zealots for whom no U.S. weapons system is too much for the Israeli war machine, and the silence of the world's onlookers whose hearts have grown cold with indifference.

"I recently visited the offices of IHH, the Turkish humanitarian organization that sponsored one of the Freedom Flotilla boats, and that was targeted by the Israelis for its murderous rampage. Reports are still coming in as to the full extent of the senseless Israeli violence. Of course, I expect Israel 's apologists in the press and in the United States government to shift into high gear to support Israel 's lying machine. Take note of their names. The 12,000 internet squatters/written word grenade throwers, hired by the Israeli Foreign Ministry to defend Israel and attack peace activists online, are already busy spreading their orchestrated disinformation in cyberspace. Be very careful what you read and believe from special interest press and the internet. You could be reading one of Israel 's hired hacks. As a news diversion from what Israel has just done, I suspect that we can also expect to see a lot of historical footage of war's atrocities on television: today is Memorial Day in the United States , a day long ago set aside to remember the sacrifices of U.S. war dead.

"I encouraged and supported U.S.S. Liberty veteran Joe Meadors's participation in the Freedom Flotilla. Unfortunately, the fate of the U.S.S. Liberty innocents on the high seas, while in international waters, has now been visited upon the participants in the Freedom Flotilla, in large measure because of the Congressional- and Presidential- level cover-up of the 1967 Israeli attack on that U.S. surveillance ship. Combined with the failure of just about every other effort to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide, and crimes against the peace. Belgium and Spain changed their domestic laws of universal jurisdiction after Israeli appeals to do so. The entire musical chairs gang of rotating Israeli leadership are war criminals. During my imprisonment in Israel for attempting to take crayons to the children of Gaza , I called Israel a failed state. If Israel is threatened by unarmed, humanitarian activists to the point of massacring them, then Israel is a failed state. Israel is a failed nuclear state.

"Obama's most recent granting of an additional $205 million for Israeli "missile defense" is unconscionable, when in the same week, reports revealed for the first time, Israel 's offer of nuclear weapons to apartheid South Africa . Just last week, a paper bearing the signature of former Israeli Prime Minister, Shimon Peres, was released by South Africa , revealing that in 1975, Israel could offer South Africa nuclear weapons "in three sizes." South Africa 's then-Minister of Defense, P.W. Botha, was South Africa 's signatory to the letter. This information would make the entire Obama Administration look sadly farcical as it points an accusing finger at Iran , except that U.S. obeisance to the Israeli bloodthirst is deadly serious. With deadly outcomes.



"Earlier this month, Israel was granted admission to the Organization of Economic and Community Development (OECD), a direct affront to ongoing Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) efforts across the world. Once again, Israel has thumbed its nose at the global community--with bloody results--because it can.

"I am proud to serve on the Bertrand Russell Tribunal on Palestine . Its next sitting will be in London , where we will examine corporate complicity in Israel 's crimes against Palestine . The Tribunal will sit from November 5 - 7. Please put this on your calendar. We all must do what we can, where we are to end wars against the people at home and wars against human rights abroad.

"Finally, a friend just sent a message to me saying that the Israelis had lost their minds. Sadly, based on the past, the Israelis could very well conclude that they can do anything--imprison me for trying to take love to the children of Gaza and kill humanitarian activists trying to do the same--because they know, in the end, they'll get away with it. Instead, I would suggest that we are the ones who have lost our minds, our souls, our spirits, and our human dignity if we allow the Israelis to get away with murder--again- -and we do nothing.

"I am calling on the people of the United States to change course now.

"On this Memorial Day 2010, I am stunned and outraged beyond belief while mourning the dead of the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza ."