September, 28 2010, 09:51am EDT
Rights Groups Welcome Human Rights Council Report on the Israeli Attack on Flotilla to Gaza and its Finding that On-Going Blockade of Gaza is Illegal, Denounce U.S. Response to Report
HRC Report Says That Gaza Blockade Was Imposed to “Punish” People of Gaza for Hamas Election
NEW YORK
Discussions at the Human Rights Council (HRC) continued today following the
release of a report of the fact-finding mission that investigated the May 31,
2010 Israeli attacks on the flotilla of ships travelling to Gaza, in which it
found that Israel violated international law in attacking the flotilla and by maintaining
a blockade of Gaza. Nine people were killed during the Israeli attack on the
flotilla in international waters. The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR),
the Free Gaza Movement (FGM), an
organizer of the flotilla, and the National Lawyers Guild (NLG)
responded to the report and the comments made by the United States at the
Council today.
Today, at the HRC, the
United States criticized what it termed as the report's "unbalanced language,
tone and conclusions." Rather than
acknowledging the harm to the "peace process" that comes from the on-going
blockade of Gaza and the building of settlements on occupied Palestinian
territory, the U.S. urged that the report not be used to "disrupt" direct talks
between Israel and the Palestinians.
"Unfortunately, the United States
used the opportunity of the HRC's discussion on the flotilla fact-finding
mission's report to promote its political agenda instead of engaging on the
issue of legal accountability for Israel's illegal blockade of Gaza and the
unlawful attack on the Gaza flotilla," said CCR attorney Katherine Gallagher. "The U.S. must recognize that there can be no peace without
justice, and that until it supports accountability for violations of
international law - even when violations committed by Israel - instead of a
culture of impunity, it lacks the legitimacy necessary to serve as a broker of
peace."
"It has always been
the position of the Free Gaza Movement that when governments fail to act, it is
up to civil society to stand against injustice," said Audrey Bomse, Legal
Coordinator of the Free Gaza Movement. "The Fact-Finding Mission rejected
the notion that such intervention by civil society is meddlesome and called for
space for both humanitarian intervention to alleviate the crisis in Gaza, and political action
to address the causes creating the crisis. The Second Freedom Flotilla now
being organized, like the one so brutally attacked by Israel, will aim to do both. We
will continue sailing until the illegal siege of 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza is ended."
Among its findings, the
report stated that "one of the principal motives behind the imposition of the
blockade was a desire to punish the people of the Gaza Strip for having elected
Hamas [and there is] no doubt that Israel's actions and policies amount to
collective punishment as defined by international law."
The report also found:
That the flotilla
presented no imminent threat but the Israeli attack was based in concerns
regarding a "possible propaganda victory" of the flotilla organizers;That "the Israeli interception of the flotilla was
unlawful," and "the use of force by the Israeli forces in seizing control of
the...vessels was also prima facie unlawful";
That "much of the force used by the Israeli
soldiers...was unnecessary, disproportionate, excessive and inappropriate and
resulted in the wholly avoidable killing and maiming of a large number of
civilian passengers";
That based in forensic evidence, at least six of the
killings [including U.S.
citizen Furkhan Dogan] can be characterized as "extra-legal, arbitrary and
summary executions";
That "the conduct of the Israeli military and other
personnel towards the flotilla passengers was not only disproportionate to the
occasion but demonstrated levels of totally unnecessary and incredible
violence. It betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality"; and
That Israel's
confiscation of "a large amount of video and photographic footage...by
passengers, including many professional journalists... represents a deliberate
attempt by the Israeli authorities to suppress or destroy evidence and other
information" related to the flotilla attack.
"As a retired US Army Reserve Colonel and a former US diplomat, and as a
passenger on the Gaza flotilla, I am grateful that the UN Human Rights Council
commissioned an investigation into the Israeli military attack on the six
unarmed, civilian ships that formed the 'Gaza flotilla,'" said Ann Wright, one of two US diplomats who were passengers on the Gaza flotilla.
"Despite the passengers' notification to their respective diplomatic
representatives of criminal incidents that took place on the ships, including
murder, shootings, assaults, kidnapping on the high seas and theft of personal
property, the lack of required accountability by the Israeli government
pertaining to these crimes is outrageous. The lack of investigation on the part
of the U.S. government of the death of an American citizen and the assaults on
other American citizens by the Israeli military is a total renunciation of the
responsibilities of my government toward its citizens."
Sixteen U.S. citizens were part of the
flotilla, five of whom were on the U.S.-registered vessel Challenger I and one of whom was killed on the Mavi Marmara. U.S. citizens were injured, and their property,
including computers, video and photographic equipment which contain potential
evidence for investigations, was seized and appropriated by Israel and has not
been returned.
Marjorie Cohn, immediate past president of the NLG, said, "Israel could not maintain its illegal occupation
of the Palestinian territories without the support of the United States. Three weeks after
the flotilla attack, 329 out of 435 members of the House of Representatives and
87 out of 100 senators wrote letters to President Obama supporting what they
called Israel's right to 'self-defense.'
The Human Rights Council report says unequivocally that Israel had no
need to 'defend' against the flotilla because it posed no imminent threat and
that Israel's actions were illegal."
The Free Gaza Movement is a
human rights group that in August 2008 sent the first international boats to
land in the port of Gaza in 41 years. FGM seeks to break the
siege of Gaza, to raise international awareness
about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip and pressure the international
community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued
Israeli occupation.
The National Lawyers
Guild, founded in 1937, is the
oldest and largest public interest/human rights bar organization in the United
States. It is a member of the International Association of Democratic lawyers,
headquartered in New York with chapters throughout the United States.
The Center for Constitutional Rights is dedicated to
advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States
Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Founded in 1966 by
attorneys who represented civil rights movements in the South, CCR is a
non-profit legal and educational organization committed to the creative use of
law as a positive force for social change.
For more information on
CCR's response to the attack on the flotilla and the blockade of Gaza, go to: https://www.ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/gaza-freedom-flotilla.
The Center for Constitutional Rights is dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. CCR is committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change.
(212) 614-6464LATEST NEWS
Former US Lawmaker Finally Enjoys Social Policies He Fought for—In Europe
"I saw and felt what it's like to live in a community where everyone can go to the doctor. Where children aren't massacred by gun violence. It changes everything."
Mar 28, 2024
A former U.S. lawmaker who spent nearly half a century fighting for a nation that would have universal healthcare coverage and less gun violence is finally living in such a place—but he had to retire and move to Europe to find it.
In recent interviews with Roll Call and The Washington Post, former Democratic Congressman Jim McDermott, who also served in the Washington state Legislature, discussed life in France and the threat of former GOP President Donald Trump, who is set to face Democratic President Joe Biden in November.
"It was like I walked through an invisible door," McDermott told the Post's Elizabeth Becker about going to France. "Now I saw and felt what it's like to live in a community where everyone can go to the doctor. Where children aren't massacred by gun violence. It changes everything."
McDermott visited Civrac-en-Médoc in 2017, the same year he retired from Congress, and quickly bought a stone cottage. The 87-year-old keeps a residence in Seattle and remains an American—he is a member of Democrats Abroad and plans to vote for Biden. However, he largely lives in the rural French village, where he "doesn't need to lock his doors at night" and "loves that kids in the neighborhood don't worry about gun violence," as Roll Call's Ariel Cohen reported Wednesday.
"I spent 16 years in the Washington state Legislature trying to get single-payer healthcare. Then I spent nearly 30 years in Congress trying to get single-payer. Then I came to France and in three months I had single-payer. Was that mind-blowing? You bet."
France—which requires a psychological test for a gun license—has a population of about 68 million and each year sees 3.23 firearm-related deaths per 100,000 people, according to World Population Review. The United States, home to over 333 million, has 10.84 gun deaths per 100,000 people and mass shootings are on the rise.
During his decades on Capitol Hill, McDermott, a psychiatrist, supported stricter U.S. gun laws and nationwide universal healthcare. While progressives including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) continue the battle for Medicare for All in Congress, McDermott is experiencing France's full coverage system, which was built over seven decades.
"The system covers most costs for hospital, physician, and long-term care, as well as prescription drugs; patients are responsible for coinsurance, copayments, and balance bills for physician charges that exceed covered fees," according to the Commonwealth Fund. "The insurance system is funded primarily by payroll taxes (paid by employers and employees), a national income tax, and tax levies on certain industries and products."
McDermott told Cohen "I spent 16 years in the Washington state Legislature trying to get single-payer healthcare. Then I spent nearly 30 years in Congress trying to get single-payer. Then I came to France and in three months I had single-payer. Was that mind-blowing? You bet."
As Cohen detailed:
When he arrived in France, he needed to fill a few prescriptions but didn't have a French primary care doctor. The pharmacist looked at his empty pill bottles and refilled them, no questions asked. When McDermott finally got a French physician, he received a brand-new CPAP machine at no cost. A month later, someone came to make sure it was working properly.
"Coming to France is like a drink of cold water," he says. "Once you've had this experience, it's easy to see all the ways in the U.S. you're getting screwed—well, not screwed per se, but definitely overcharged."
McDermott's first electoral win was tied to healthcare—specifically, his support for abortion rights. He was elected to the Washington House of Representatives in November 1970, the same election in which the state's voters legalized abortion, three years before the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.
In June 2022, the Supreme Court's right-wing majority—including three Trump appointees—overturned Roe, sparking a fresh wave of forced pregnancy bills across the nation. Meanwhile, the French Parliament earlier this month enshired abortion rights in France's constitution.
"The whole country stood up and said, 'Up your ass, we're not going your way, America,'" McDermott said of the French vote. "People have realized America is not the place you want to be on everything."
While U.S. legislators in over 20 states have imposed new restrictions on reproductive healthcare since the fall of Roe, Trump—who's now signaling his support for Christian nationalism by hawking $60 patriotic-themed Bibles—and many congressional Republicans are pushing for a 15-week federal abortion ban and various other far-right policies.
From France, Becker noted, McDermott keeps tabs on U.S. politics, conversing with friends and politicians, sending money to campaigns, and warning people against a Trump win in November.
According to the former war correspondent:
In private conversations with McDermott, they wonder how to gauge the seriousness of Trump's increasingly dire threats to the country's democratic underpinnings and, potentially, to them and their families. "I get calls from my friends now who say they are scared to do what I did but are scared to stay."
He tells them: "If you can afford it, buy a second home in France, or Spain, or Portugal, wherever… a second home that could become a safe house."
Still, McDermott has some hope for his home country's future, telling Cohen: "I still vote, I still got my house in Seattle. Just because I don't live there doesn't mean I've given up on the United States."
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Montana Supreme Court Strikes Down 4 'Unconstitutional' Voting Laws Passed by GOP
The laws disproportionately impacted the ability of Native people to participate in voting, the court noted.
Mar 28, 2024
Native rights groups were among those applauding a decision by the Montana Supreme Court late Wednesday as four voting restrictions, passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature in the wake of former President Donald Trump's 2020 election loss, were struck down as "unconstitutional."
The sweeping 2021 laws had ended same-day voter registration, eliminated the use of student ID cards as a form of identification for voters, banned the distribution of absentee ballots to teenagers who would turn 18 by Election Day, and prohibited third parties from collecting ballots and returning them on behalf of voters.
Indigenous rights groups and tribes including Native Voice, Montana Native Vote, the Blackfeet Nation, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, the Fort Belknap Indian Community, and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe filed a lawsuit in 2021 to challenge H.B. 176 and H.B. 530, the two laws pertaining to same-day registration and ballot collection.
Chief Justice Mike McGrath noted that Native people were disproportionately affected by the two laws, writing that it is "much more difficult on average for people living on reservations to either get to a polling place on or before Election Day, or to mail an absentee ballot prior to election day."
The summary of the majority opinion said the laws "violate the fundamental right to vote provided to all citizens by the Montana Constitution."
The court upheld a district court ruling from 2022.
"Today's Montana Supreme Court decision is a great victory for our clients and all Native Americans in Montana, who have asked for nothing more than the ability to exercise their fundamental right to vote," said Jonathan Topaz, staff attorney at the ACLU's Voting Rights Project. "Once again, courts have struck down the Montana Legislature's attempts to unconstitutionally burden the constitutional rights of Native Americans across the state. We will continue to fight for Native American voters in Montana and across the country to preserve their fundamental, constitutional right to vote."
Jacqueline De León, staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, called the 4-3 ruling "a resounding win for tribes in Montana."
"Despite repeated attacks on their voting rights, tribes and Native voters in Montana stood strong, and today the Montana Supreme Court affirmed that the state's legislative actions were unconstitutional," said De León. "Native voices deserve to be heard and this decision helps ensure that happens."
Josh Douglas, a law professor at University of Kentucky, wrote at Election Law Blog that the state Supreme Court "put real teeth into [the] state constitutional protection for voters," recognizing that the Montana Constitution goes further than federal law in protecting voting rights.
As the state constitution reads, "All elections shall be free and open, and no power, civil or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage."
"The court refused to follow federal precedent, noting that '[t]his court can diverge from the minimal protections offered by the United States Constitution when the Montana Constitution clearly affords greater protection—or even where the provision is nearly identical,'" wrote Douglas. "State courts have various tools within state constitutions to robustly protect voters. The Montana Supreme Court's decision offers a solid roadmap for how to use state constitutional language on the right to vote. Other state supreme courts should follow the Montana Supreme Court's lead."
The ruling comes as Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) faces a competitive race for reelection.
Ronnie Jo Horse, executive director of Western Native Voice, said the ruling "reinforces the principle of equitable access to voting services and the protection of the rights for all voters."
"We are very pleased with today's landmark ruling," said Horse. "It stands as a testament to justice prevailing in defense of the rights of Montanans, especially those of Native American communities."
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'The Bible Exposes Grifters': Trump Rebuked as Christian Nationalist 'Con Man'
"All those legal fees are apparently really making Donald Trump's pockets hurt because his latest commercial venture, after selling sneakers and cologne, is as a Bible salesman," said one critic.
Mar 28, 2024
Critics of former U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday derided the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee for hawking $60 patriotic-themed Bibles, with one prominent progressive cleric warning that the so-called Good Book "exposes grifters who try to exploit it."
The
God Bless the USA Bible—which is actually a rebranded 9/11 commemorative Bible first offered for sale in 2021 by country musician Lee Greenwood of "God Bless the USA" fame—has been slammed by devout Christians for having an American flag emblazoned on its cover and for containing nationalist documents including the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Pledge of Allegiance.
"You all should get a copy of God Bless the USA Bible," Trump said in a 3-minute video promoting the book—which is not connected with his campaign. "You have to have it for your heart, for your soul."
"Replacing the real Bible with Trump Bibles is a too-perfect symbol of what has happened to evangelical Christianity."
Critics from across the political spectrum slammed what Slate senior writer Amanda Marcotte called Trump's "newest grift to squeeze money out of his cult followers."
"The not-at-all subtle message of the video is that Trump doesn't believe any of this faith-in-God crap, but he definitely believes in using Christian identity as a weapon to make money and dominate his foe," Marcotte wrote.
Bishop William Barber, the founding director of the Center for Public Theology & Public Policy at Yale Divinity School and a co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign,
said on social media that "the prophet Ezekiel named it in his day: Greedy politicians make an unholy alliance with false religion that says God is on their side when God has said no such thing!"
Conservative political commentator Charlie Sykes on Wednesday
blasted Trump for "commodifying the Bible during Holy Week," while former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming said that "instead of selling Bibles, you should probably buy one. And read it, including Exodus 20:14."
The volume's release comes during Christian Holy Week, and as Trump struggles to pay a $175 million bond after a New York judge found that he and his company committed massive fraud.
"Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country," Trump said in the promotional video. "It's one of the biggest problems we have, and it's why our country is going haywire. We've lost religion in our country."
"All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many. It's my favorite book," he added. "We must make America pray again."
Some observers noted how Trump used Christianity and the Bible as a prop during his White House tenure, including the time in 2020 when he ordered the violent dispersal of racial justice protesters in the wake of George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police so he could pose for a photo-op outside a Washington, D.C. church.
Despite facing 91 federal and state criminal charges, Trump is all but certain to secure the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Christian nationalists have been busily preparing for a second Trump term, in part by drafting Project 2025, which one watchdog described as a "far-right playbook for American authoritarianism."
While his words and deeds may be antithetical to Christian doctrine, Trump is wildly popular among Evangelical Christians.
"Replacing the real Bible with Trump Bibles is a too-perfect symbol of what has happened to evangelical Christianity," Marcotte wrote. "The mistake is in believing Trump's followers are confused or ashamed about their devotion to a godless creep who laughs at true believers. In Trump's hands, the Bible is not a text for prayer and reflection, it's just a weapon. It's much easier to beat people down with a book if it's closed."
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