{news} Press release from FreeGaza.org on Israel gunboat ramming of SS Dignity

Tue Dec 30 16:19:10 EST 2008

----- Original Message -----

From: "Scott McLarty"
To: natlcomaffairs at green.gpus.org
Subject: [usgp-dx] Press release from FreeGaza.org on Israel gunboat
ramming of SS Dignity
Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:04:27 +0000

> From Ramzi Kysia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Israeli Gunboats Came out of the Darkness and Rammed us Three Times

For more information, please contact:
(Gaza) Ewa Jasiewicz, +972 598 700 497 / freelance at mailworks.org
(Cyprus) Lubna Masarwa +357 99 081 767 / lubnna at gmail.com
(Lebanon) Caoimhe Butterly +961 70 875 727 / sahara78 at hotmail.co.uk
http://www.FreeGaza.org

(Lebanon, Tuesday 30 December) - Today the Free Gaza ship "Dignity"
carefully made its way to safe harbor in Tyre, Lebanon's
southern-most port city, after receiving serious structural damage
when Israeli warships rammed its bow and the port side. Waiting to
greet the passengers and crew were thousands of Lebanese who came
out to show their solidarity with this attempt to deliver volunteer
doctors and desperately needed medical supplies to war-ravaged
Gaza. The Lebanese government has pledged to provide a forensic
analysis of what happened in the dark morning, when Israel rammed
the civilian ship in international waters, and put the people on
board in danger of losing their lives.

The Dignity, on a mission of mercy to besieged Gaza, was attacked
by the Israeli Navy at approximately 6am (UST) in international
waters, roughly 90 miles off the coast of Gaza. Several Israeli
warships surrounded the small, human rights boat, firing live
ammunition around it, then intentionally ramming it three times.
According to ship's captain Denis Healy, the Israeli attack came,
""without any warning, or any provocation."

Caoimhe Butterly, an organizer with the Free Gaza Movement, stated
that, "The gunboats gave us no warning. They came up out of the
darkness firing flares and flashing huge flood lights into our
faces. We were so shocked that at first we didn't react. We knew we
were well within international waters and supposedly safe from
attack. They rammed us three times, hitting the side of the boat
hard. We began taking on water and, for a few minutes, we all
feared for our lives. After they rammed us, they started screaming
at us as we were frantically getting the life boats ready and
putting on our life jackets. They kept yelling that if we didn't
turn back they would shoot us."

Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. congresswoman and Green Party
presidential candidate, was traveling to Gaza aboard the Dignity in
order to assess the impact of Israel's military onslaught against
the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. According to McKinney,
"Israeli patrol boats...tracked us for about 30 minutes...and then
all of a sudden they rammed us approximately three times, twice in
the front and once in the side...the Israelis indicated that [they
felt] we were involved in terrorist activities."

The Dignity departed from Larnaca Port in Cyprus at 7pm (UST) on
Monday 29 December with a cargo of over 3 tons of desperately
needed medical supplies donated to Gaza by the people of Cyprus.
Three surgeons were also aboard, traveling to Gaza to volunteer in
overwhelmed hospitals and clinics. The ship was searched by Cypriot
Port authorities prior to departure, and its passenger list was
made public.

Israel's deplorable attack on the unarmed Dignity is a violation of
both international maritime law and the UN Convention on the Law of
the Sea, which states that "the high seas should be reserved for
peaceful purposes."

Delivering doctors and urgently needed medical supplies to
civilians is a just such a "peaceful purpose." Deliberately ramming
a mercy ship and endangering its passengers is an act of terrorism.

CALL the Israeli Government and demand that it immediately STOP
attacking the civilian population of Gaza and STOP using violence
to prevent human rights and humanitarian assistance to the
Palestinian people.

Mark Regev in the Prime Minister's office at:
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5 0620 3264
mark.regev at it.pmo.gov.il

Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:
+972 3697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
mediasar at mod.gov.il

Major Liebovitz from the Israeli Navy at:
+ 972 5 781 86248

###
The Free Gaza Movement, a human rights group, sent two boats to
Gaza in August 2008. These were the first international boats to
land in the port in 41 years. Since August, four more voyages were
successful, taking Parliamentarians, human rights workers, and
other dignitaries to witness the effects of Israel's draconian
policies on the civilians of Gaza.
http://www.FreeGaza.org
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******************************************
Tim McKee, Manchester CT, main number cell-860-778-1304, 860-643-2282
 National Committee member of the Green Party of the United States and is a spokesperson for the Green Party of CT.
BLOG-http://thebiggreenpicture.blogspot.com

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