Israel's deadly attack on the relief boat bound for Gaza almost defies comment. Its wanton criminality is so blatant and its "justifications" so transparently false that condemnation seems almost superfluous; the evil of the action is self-evident.
Likewise, the reactions of the American power structure – timorous appeasement from the White House, unhinged bloodthirstiness from Congress – have been so wildly inappropriate and utterly divorced from reality that they can scarcely bear any serious consideration; they are simply roars of meaningless noise, set loose in hopes of drowning out the truth.
Rami al-Meghari watched the news unfold from live video feeds monitoring international waters 65km off the coast of the Gaza Strip Monday morning, one of Gaza's 1.5 million residents anticipating a shipment of wheelchairs, prefabricated homes, crayons, raw construction supplies, dental surgery equipment and reams of paper brought by international humanitarian activists on board a flotilla of boats.
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 aboard the ships are reported killed, and dozens wounded.
May 31, 2010: In the middle of the night, in international waters, Israeli military forces stormed the Mavi Marmara, one of six ships carrying humanitarian relief to Gaza, killing at least 9 activists and injuring dozens of others. This is a shocking, horrific, and belligerent massacre.
While the details of the Israeli attack and killings are not all clear at this writing, and Israeli officials and media are unleashing a massive disinformation barrage, what is known is that the Mavi Marmara and other ships in the Freedom Flotilla were in international waters when stormed by heavily armed, elite Israeli military forces.
Israeli Occupation Forces have kidnapped 21 Human Rights workers aboard the Free Gaza boat, Spirit of Humanity, including Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire & former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney [and WCW Advisory Board Member]. For more information, see: www.FreeGaza.org
For more information contact:
Greta Berlin (English)
tel: +357 99 081 767 / <friends at freegaza.org>
Caoimhe Butterly (Arabic/English/Spanish):
tel: +357 99 077 820 / <sahara78 at hotmail.co.uk>
[23 miles off the coast of Gaza, 15:30pm] - Today Israeli Occupation Forces attacked and boarded the Free Gaza Movement boat, the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, abducting 21 human rights workers from 11 countries, including Noble laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney [also a World Can’t Wait Advisory Board Member] (see below for a complete list of passengers). The passengers and crew are being forcibly dragged toward Israel.
Each year Israel receives billions in funding from the U.S. Israel would not exist today if it had not been for U.S. aid given over the last 60 years. In 2007 the United States government agreed to provide Israel with $30 billion in military aid over the next decade. The transfer of this aid to Israel actually violates U.S. law. But don’t expect U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to seek any arrest warrants against President Barack Obama and other U.S. officials.
In 1976 Congress passed the Symington Amendment. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended by the Symington Amendment and the Glenn Amendment of 1977, prohibits U.S. military assistance to nations that acquire or transfer nuclear reprocessing technology outside of international nonproliferation regimes, such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Israel has refused to sign the NPT and for very good reason – it would be in breach of the treaty as it is a nuclear weapons power.
On April 2nd Amnesty International announced that a massive consignment of U.S.-supplied munitions was delivered to Israel on March 22nd. Amnesty stated that a German ship, chartered by U.S. Military Sealift Command, unloaded its cargo at the Israeli port of Ashdod. The port is near Gaza.
According to the Amnesty report, “the German ship left the U.S. for Israel on 20 December, one week before the start of Israeli attacks on Gaza. It was carrying 989 containers of munitions, each of them 20 feet long with a total estimated net weight of 14,000 tons.” A U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed to Amnesty International that "the unloading of the entire US munitions shipment was successfully completed at Ashdod on 22 March”.
Some of the white phosphorus artillery shells that Israeli forces used in Gaza during its war were from U.S.-made stockpiles. The overwhelming majority of the other munitions used by Israeli forces to commit violations of international law in the recent war against Gaza were also supplied by the U.S.
On Wednesday, March 25th Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a 71-page report that provides eye witness accounts of the devastating effects that white phosphorus munitions had on Palestinian civilians and their property during Israel’s recent war against Gaza. After the war ended, HRW researchers in Gaza discovered spent white phosphorus shells, canister liners, and dozens of burnt felt wedges containing white phosphorus on city streets, apartment roofs, residential courtyards, and even at a United Nations school. The HRW report presents ballistics evidence, photographs, and satellite imagery, as well as documents from the Israeli military and government.
According to the report, Israel's repeated firing of white phosphorus shells over densely populated areas of Gaza during its recent military campaign was indiscriminate and is evidence of war crimes. (The report is entitled, "Rain of Fire: Israel's Unlawful Use of White Phosphorus in Gaza”)
Note – the following poem was submitted to World Can’t Wait comments, by Rick the poet
Three small bodies in Gaza.
Lined on linen in a row.
Like triplets,
all the same.
No blood distracts from their toddler trance
No grimace of death pain.
I cannot but stare at the innocence.
Missing limbs are but there, still attached.
Someone points and the pale sleep speaks.
How neatly is this death?
See the circle-symmetry of centered targets,
slow moving.
Cleansed by the echo of cleansing shots.
Exit wounds all the size of an infant's fist.
Each one, small-chest center.
Already mother-cleansed
and lifetime-wept.
The crowd stirs in uniform misery.
A dance in the greed of hell.
Lonely witness to
the mercy of an American rifle
in the hands of an Israeli sniper
making room for his sister’s house.
By 
week before the start of Israeli attacks on Gaza. It was carrying 989 containers of munitions, each of them 20 feet long with a total estimated net weight of 14,000 tons.” A U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed to Amnesty International that "the unloading of the entire US munitions shipment was successfully completed at Ashdod on 22 March”. 
researchers in Gaza discovered spent white phosphorus shells, canister liners, and dozens of burnt felt wedges containing white phosphorus on city streets, apartment roofs, residential courtyards, and even at a United Nations school. The HRW report presents ballistics evidence, photographs, and satellite imagery, as well as documents from the Israeli military and government.
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