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27 January 2011 By Stephen
Lendman Last May 31, Israeli commandos
attacked and murdered nine or more activists, injuring
dozens in international waters on board the Mavi
Marmara mother ship, one of five bringing humanitarian
aid to besieged Gazans. An earlier article explained,
accessed through the following link: http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/05/brave-israeli-commandos-slaughter-aid.html The UK-based Stop the War
Coalition called the attack "Yet another act of
Israeli barbarism." Global protests erupted. Haaretz
columnist Gideon Levy cited Israel's "propaganda
machine....reach(ing) new highs (in distributing)
false information....embarrass(ing) itself by entering
a futile public relations battle," filled with
malicious fiction and deceit. What happened was clear. IDF
commandos planned and executed a premeditated attack
against unarmed, nonviolent humanitarian activists,
trying to break Israel's illegal blockade to deliver
essential aid. Cold-blooded murder resulted. The
entire world knows it except Israeli government and
military officials, as well as its self-appointed
Turkel Commission, established to whitewash, not
reveal, facts. Commission members included: -- two voting members: former
Israeli Supreme Court Justice Jacob Turkel (its head)
and Amos Horev, a retired major general; and -- two non-voting observers: (1)
close Israeli ally David Trimble, a Northern Ireland
unionist allied with death squads during "The
Troubles;" and (2) retired Canadian general Ken Warkin,
involved in the coverup of the Canadian Airborne
Regiment Battle Group's early 1990s Somalia
atrocities. Like similar Israeli and
Washington commissions, it was established for coverup
and denial. As a result, it unanimously endorsed
bald-faced lies, distortions, omissions, false
conclusions, and exoneration of cold-blooded murder,
as ordered by top Israeli government and military
officials who'll get off as usual scot-free. The
outcome was preordained as was Israel's Cast Lead
whitewash. On August 9, it began hearings.
On January 23, Haaretz writer Barak Ravid headlined,
"Israel's Gaza flotilla probe: IDF soldiers acted in
self-defense," saying: In the first part of its report,
the Turkel Commission absolved Israeli commandos of
criminality. It "also determined that Israel's
(illegal siege) does not break international
law....(and) there were clear indications that the
flotilla intended to break the naval blockade....By
clearly resisting capture, the Mavi Marmara had become
a military objective," despite on board activists
offering no resistance. Saying so was a lie. Moreover, the Commission
"determined that Israel had been in compliance with
(its unilaterally imposed) conditions for such a
blockade," a clear oxymoron. It also suggested Israel
"examine the medical needs of the people of Gaza in
order to find ways to improve the current
situation....focus(ing) its sanctions on Hamas while
avoiding harm against the civilian population." Omitted was admitting the siege's
illegality or that Hamas is Palestine's legitimate
government, obligated to serve, protect and defend its
people. Sanctioning it for doing its job is criminal
and inhumane. In several months, the report's
part two will be out, discussing Israel's procedures
for investigating its international law violations, as
well as the government's decision-making process
ordering the assault. Last September 22, the UN Human
Rights Council's (HRC) fact-finding mission held
Israel entirely culpable, calling its assault brutal
and disproportionate. An earlier article discussed it,
accessed through the following link: http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/09/guilty-as-charged-un-report-on-gaza.html Based on eye witness testimonies,
forensic evidence, video footage, and other
photographic material, it: "concluded that a series of
violations of international law, including
international humanitarian and human rights law, were
committed by the Israeli forces during the
interception of the flotilla and during the detention
of passengers in Israel prior to deportation....The
preponderance of evidence from impeccable sources is
far too overwhelming to come to a contrary opinion." Israel's justification on
"security grounds" was called entirely baseless.
Moreover, prosecuting Israeli criminals is warranted
and essential under Fourth Geneva's Article 147,
covering: -- willful killing; -- torture or inhuman treatment;
and -- willfully causing great
suffering or serious injury to body or health. HRC commission members included: -- Desmond de Silva, a UK lawyer
and former chief prosecutor for the Sierre Leone
Special Court investigation into widespread killings
there; -- Karl Hudson-Phillips, a former
International Criminal Court (ICC) judge and former
Trinidad and Tobago attorney general and parliament
member; and -- Malaysia's Mary Shanthi
Dairiam, active in gender equality issues, including
on the UN Development Program's gender equity task
force. In emergency session ahead of its
investigation, the HRC criticized Israel's "outrageous
attack on aid ships attempting to breach a blockade on
the Gaza Strip," calling it "piracy, (an) act of
aggression, (a) brutal massacre, (an) act of
terrorism, (a) war crime, (a) crime against humanity -
unprovoked, unwarranted, atrocious, (and) brutal." It
described activists onboard as "peaceful, innocent,
noble, unarmed, (and) defenseless, setting a hopeful
tone for a Goldstone Commission-like investigation and
conclusions." Following its own investigation,
Turkey's report (like the HRC mission) held Israel
entirely culpable, accurately concluding what actually
happened, not Israel's web of lies and coverup, its
speciality. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected Israel's findings, saying they have "no value or credibility." Turkey's Foreign Ministry said it was "appalled and dismayed." As expected, New York Times writer Isabel Kershner's article leaned heavily toward Israel, headlining, "Israeli Panel Rules Flotilla Raid Legal," saying: "Israeli officials expressed hopes that the (panel's) conclusions....would vindicate Israel and win it at least some foreign support, quoting Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev saying "the findings....are clear: Israel acted in justifiable self defense. Our soldiers acted to protect themselves and to protect their country." Video footage, said Kershner, "showed Israeli naval commandoes being set upon as they rappelled from helicopters onto the ship's deck. Some soldiers had their equipment seized, and the commission found that two were shot during the melee, but it said it was unable to determine whether (Turkish) activists brought their own firearms on board." False on all counts. What, in fact, happened was opposite of what Kershner reported. No one on board had arms. Israeli commandos killed activists before coming aboard, then with photos of ones targeted, they shot them at point blank range. Viva Palestina's Kevin Ovenden, on board the Mavi Marmara, responded saying: "The claim by Israel's Turkel Commission that Israeli forces acted legally when they killed nine people (and) left another brain dead, will be laughed out of court by all but the Israeli government and its most fanatical supporters." "This whitewash commission was set up by the Netanyahu government, the same people who commissioned the assault on the aid ship....Israel has refused (to cooperate with an) independent international inquiry and instead was brazen enough to establish this farce. No Turkish official, lawyer or representative was allowed to take part," even though its citizens were killed....However hard the Israeli Government attempts to rewrite history, they can't rewrite the truth." Israel committed premeditated slaughter in international waters, murdering unarmed activists in cold blood, trying to deliver humanitarian aid. Dealing only with Israel's blockade, the Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement said "No Commission of inquiry can authorize collective punishment of a civilian population by restricting its movement and access, as did Israel." "We disagree with the Commission's conclusion that the restrictions were justified for military or 'strategic' reasons." It's unjustifiable to claim preventing "the transfer into Gaza of industrial margarine, paper, and coriander (among other non-military staples) contributed to a legitimate military goal." Gisha rightfully calls Israel's closure policy "illegal" under international law. It was established illegitimately to weaken Hamas, as well as punish and strangle Gaza's economy, not protect security as claimed. Murdering unarmed, nonviolent humanitarian activists trying to deliver essential aid compounds Israel's culpability. Ongoing without letup or accountability, Turkel's whitewash commission absolved it.
Two earlier articles discussed it, accessed through the following links: http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/08/charade-begins-netanyahus-flotilla.html http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/08/charade-begins-netanyahus-flotilla.html Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/. |
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