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In intercepting boat bound for Gaza and seizing 22 aboard, Israel violated int’l law and journalists’ rights

Yesterday afternoon Israel stopped the “Al Awda,” the lead of two boats of the Freedom Flotilla in international waters as it sailed toward Gaza and forced it to the Israeli port of Ashdod and arrested 22 people comprising crew and passengers, some of them journalists. The Al Awda is a Norwegian flagged fishing boat. The second boat is scheduled to arrive in Gaza in another day or so. This statement was released today by the Freedom Flotilla.

Two people from Al Awda (The Return) have been released, but most of the crew and participants are still in unlawful detention at Givon prison in Israel. We are still gravely concerned for their safety and well-being as we had no contact with most of them as of 14:00 CEST today. We continue to demand that our boat and the medical supplies on board reach their rightful recipients, Palestinian civil society in Gaza.

Crew member Zohar Chamberlain Regev (interviewed by Jonathan Ofir)

Although the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) claim that the capture of our vessel happened ‘without exceptional incident’, eye-witness Zohar Chamberlain Regev reports that at the time of boarding: “People on board were tasered and hit by masked IOF soldiers. We did not get our passports or belongings before we got off the boat. Do not believe reports of peaceful interception.” We urgently need to know the details of who was injured and how seriously, and what treatment they are receiving, if any. A military attack on a civilian vessel is a violent act and a violation of international law. Taking 22 people from international waters to a country which is not their destination constitutes an act of kidnapping, which is also unlawful under the international Convention of the Law of Sea.

From the time we lost contact around 13:15 local time on Sunday, we know that the IOF blocked all communication signals, including satellite phones. We are very concerned about this violation of journalists’ right to report freely and we remain gravely concerned about their ability to keep their professional equipment and their storage media. As Australian journalist Chris Graham recently observed, “Bad things happen when good people stay silent, as history well records. But horrendous things happen when media are prevented from scrutinizing the actions of a state.”

Two of our participants, Zohar Chamberlain Regev and Yonatan Shapira, Israeli citizens, have been charged with attempting to enter Gaza and conspiracy to commit a crime, and were released on bail last night.  Boat leader, Zohar Chamberlain Regev, reports seeing blood on the deck of the Al Awda as the last participants were being dragged off the ship.

In comparison with the violence routinely directed at Palestinian civilians, including at fishers from Gaza, and the violent capture of Palestinian fishing boats, yesterday’s seizure and kidnapping may not be the most serious of Israeli crimes. What these violents acts have in common is that there is no accountability demanded by other governments and Israel continues to enjoy total impunity.

We call on national governments, civil society and international organizations to demand that Israeli authorities immediately release our boat so that we can deliver our much-needed medical supplies on  Al Awda and the fishing boat itself to the rightful recipients in Gaza. Detailed specification of our exact cargo on board are available on request.

Israel’s capture of the lead boat in this Gaza-bound flotilla may seem like a predictable outcome to some, but that doesn’t make it any less violent nor any less illegal. Our second boat
Freedom will follow Al Awda within a day or two, and the Freedom Flotilla will continue until the blockade ends and Palestinians of Gaza regain their full freedom of movement.

Details about detainees still in prison, including their last videos and personal statements, can be found on our website and Facebook pages.

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[Copy of July 29 e-mail to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.]
Sir,
The Government of Canada must insist that hijacking this international humanitarian boat to Gaza (please see below) is unacceptable. Israeli’s illegal and cruel blockade of Gaza and the hijacking of humanitarian aid to the strip is reprehensible. The Government of Canada must insist that this ship (these ships) of hope and succour be allowed to pass unhindered by the Israeli military, and that the illegal blockade of Gaza be lifted immediately. Failure on Israel’s part to do so should result in the immediate suspension of the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement.

FYI From the Freedom Flotilla Coalition Website (July 29, 2018) –

The motor vessel Al Awda (The Return), travelling in international waters towards Palestinian waters, 49 nautical miles from the port in Gaza City, has been contacted by the Israeli Occupation Forces navy and warned. The Israeli navy claims our ship is breaking international law … At last news from on board, Al Awda maintains her course towards Gaza, where the crew and participants hope to arrive this evening around 21:00 local time.
A number of warships have appeared, so an attack, boarding and capture appear to be imminent, and we anticipate that all communications with the vessel will be lost shortly. Al Awda is sailing under a Norwegian flag, carrying 22 people and a cargo of medical supplies, including #Gauze4Gaza. There are people from 16 nations on board, including human rights supporters, journalists and crew, along with €13,000 worth of medical supplies. The boat itself, a former fishing vessel from Norway, is a gift to Palestinian fishers in Gaza.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition calls on … the national governments of those aboard Al Awda and the Freedom, other national governments, and relevant international organizations to act immediately.
The international community must assume its responsibilities and demand that Israeli authorities ensure the safety of those on board, the speedy delivery of our gifts to the Palestinian people in Gaza, an end to the illegal blockade of Gaza, and to stop impeding our legal right of innocent passage to Gaza to deliver our gift of much-needed medical supplies.

https://jfp.freedomflotilla.org

It’s about time that the countries whose vessels and citizens are attacked in these acts of piracy provided naval escorts.

With striking symbolism, on board the Al Awda is Joe Meadors, a survivor of Israel’s deadly sneak attack on the USS Liberty.
https://consortiumnews.com/2018/07/09/uss-liberty-survivor-named-us-delegate-on-gaza-flotilla/

“Although the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) claim that the capture of our vessel happened ‘without exceptional incident’, eye-witness Zohar Chamberlain Regev reports that at the time of boarding: “People on board were tasered and hit by masked IOF soldiers. We did not get our passports or belongings before we got off the boat.”

It’s not a contradiction, because it is not exceptional at all for them to act this way.

The apartheid state gets away with breaking international laws, again.