SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
gaza freedom flotilla
Despite Turkish Posturing, Detente with Israel Won't Change the Gaza Blockade
Jun 27, 2016
This afternoon, Israel and Turkey announced a detente, ending a six-year diplomatic rift. Relations broke down in 2009 after Israeli commandos killed 10 Turkish nationals during the seizure of a passenger ship, which departed from Turkey as part of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla," a sea convoy packed with aid and activists.
Among the casualties was a dual U.S.-Turkish citizen, Furkan Dogan, who was 19.
As a term of the agreement, Turkey will pass a law to make illegal any "criminal and civil claims" against Israel or it's military forces for the death of the activists, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in Rome.
Netanyahu added that the blockade over the Gaza Strip, which was a dispute between the two countries, will remain in full. "This is our supreme security interest; I was not prepared to compromise on it," he said.
Yet, speaking to reporters in Ankara, Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim alluded to a lessening of Israeli restrictions over Gaza--which were not guaranteed by Israel in the talks.
The "Gaza embargo to be largely lifted," he said, adding "Turkish ship[s] carrying 10,000 tons of aid will move toward [the] Israeli port of Ashdod on Friday," reported the Turkish outlet Anadolu Agency.
While Gaza's border will still remain under Israeli control, the agreement will include Turkish construction of a hospital, power plant and water sanitation facility in the Strip, and the financing of an industrial zone in the northern West Bank. In turn Israel will pay $20 million in reparations for the deaths of the Turkish citizens.
In Turkey, the pact was criticized by parties close to the victims. The charity organization IHH, where the killed activists aboard the MV Mavi Marmara volunteered, released a 15-point criticism of the pact.
"Humanitarian aid in Gaza is only part of the issue. In Gaza, the problem is mainly freedom," IHH said on social media.
Gaza's governing authority, Hamas, has yet to comment on the deal. On Friday, Hamas Khaled Mashaal traveled to Turkey to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for private talks.While the exact terms of the deal have not been disclosed, Haaretz's Barak Ravid reported that an official said the Gaza government will be left out altogether. "There are absolutely no references to Hamas in the agreement," said the source.
In Rome, Secretary of State John Kerry praised the agreement. This morning, hours before the negotiations concluded, Kerry spoke alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two also met Sunday night.
Kerry relayed backing from the Obama administration, Vice President Joe Biden in particular, who volunteered an American oil and gas expert to facilitate concurrent economic talks on a suspected adjoining energy agreement between Israel and Turkey.
"The United States welcomes this step. We have talked about it for several years," Kerry said of a potential oil and gas deal.
Netanyahu added the agreement would have " immense implications for the Israeli economy."
"And I use that word advisedly - immense implications for the Israeli economy, and I mean positive immense implications," he said.
Yet back in Israel the normalization of relations was received with skepticism.
Officials from the opposition party decried the $20 million in Israeli indemnities. The Zionist Union's Issac Herzog wrote on social media "Every Hebrew mother should know that right-wing politicians will compensate her son's attackers."
Israel's President Reuven Rivlin expressed support during a meeting with the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
"I understand the many Israelis that disagree or feel hurt by the agreement, but our elected leaders have the responsibility to act in the country's best interest," said Rivlin. "There are no shortcuts in the Middle East. Hatred spreads much faster than hope, and the only way to move forward is direct negotiations," he added.
As a term of the agreement, Turkey will pass a law to make illegal any "criminal and civil claims" against Israel or it's military forces for the death of the activists, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in Rome.
Netanyahu added that the blockade over the Gaza Strip, which was a dispute between the two countries, will remain in full. "This is our supreme security interest; I was not prepared to compromise on it," he said.
Yet, speaking to reporters in Ankara, Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim alluded to a lessening of Israeli restrictions over Gaza--which were not guaranteed by Israel in the talks.
The "Gaza embargo to be largely lifted," he said, adding "Turkish ship[s] carrying 10,000 tons of aid will move toward [the] Israeli port of Ashdod on Friday," reported the Turkish outlet Anadolu Agency.
While Gaza's border will still remain under Israeli control, the agreement will include Turkish construction of a hospital, power plant and water sanitation facility in the Strip, and the financing of an industrial zone in the northern West Bank. In turn Israel will pay $20 million in reparations for the deaths of the Turkish citizens.
In Turkey, the pact was criticized by parties close to the victims. The charity organization IHH, where the killed activists aboard the MV Mavi Marmara volunteered, released a 15-point criticism of the pact.
"Humanitarian aid in Gaza is only part of the issue. In Gaza, the problem is mainly freedom," IHH said on social media.
Gaza's governing authority, Hamas, has yet to comment on the deal. On Friday, Hamas Khaled Mashaal traveled to Turkey to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for private talks.While the exact terms of the deal have not been disclosed, Haaretz's Barak Ravid reported that an official said the Gaza government will be left out altogether. "There are absolutely no references to Hamas in the agreement," said the source.
In Rome, Secretary of State John Kerry praised the agreement. This morning, hours before the negotiations concluded, Kerry spoke alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two also met Sunday night.
Kerry relayed backing from the Obama administration, Vice President Joe Biden in particular, who volunteered an American oil and gas expert to facilitate concurrent economic talks on a suspected adjoining energy agreement between Israel and Turkey.
"The United States welcomes this step. We have talked about it for several years," Kerry said of a potential oil and gas deal.
Netanyahu added the agreement would have " immense implications for the Israeli economy."
"And I use that word advisedly - immense implications for the Israeli economy, and I mean positive immense implications," he said.
Yet back in Israel the normalization of relations was received with skepticism.
Officials from the opposition party decried the $20 million in Israeli indemnities. The Zionist Union's Issac Herzog wrote on social media "Every Hebrew mother should know that right-wing politicians will compensate her son's attackers."
Israel's President Reuven Rivlin expressed support during a meeting with the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
"I understand the many Israelis that disagree or feel hurt by the agreement, but our elected leaders have the responsibility to act in the country's best interest," said Rivlin. "There are no shortcuts in the Middle East. Hatred spreads much faster than hope, and the only way to move forward is direct negotiations," he added.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Following Israel's Assault on Gaza, 'Freedom Flotilla' to Sail Against Siege
'It is the responsibility of civil society worldwide to sail to Gaza.'
Aug 13, 2014
Following Israel's latest military assault on Gaza, civil society groups from around the world say they are moving forward with plans to break the blockade on this besieged strip by sailing a "freedom flotilla" into Gaza Port.
At a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey this week, the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and numerous other groups came to the conclusion that "it is the responsibility of civil society worldwide to sail to Gaza," according to a press statement. They committed to making the voyage during 2014, which has been coined by the United Nations as the "International Year of Solidarity With the Palestinian People."
While the group did not publicly disclose a launch location or date, they announced that they expect participation from civil society organizations across the globe -- from Greece to South Africa to Jordan to Malaysia--as a counter to "the complicity of world governments" in the blockade on Gaza.
"Calls to end the blockade of Gaza need to move from words to actions," said Ann Ighe, chairperson of Ship to Gaza and member of the FFC. "We invite all interested citizens worldwide to participate in this initiative in any way you can."
Israel's month-long military assault on Gaza, currently stalled by a tenuous ceasefire, has left at least 1,939 Palestinians dead, 9,886 wounded, over 200,000 displaced, and more than 10,000 Palestinian housing units destroyed or severely damaged. United Nations officials estimate that at least three-fourths of Palestinians killed in Gaza are civilians and one third are children.
Another freedom flotilla--Gaza's Ark, which Palestinians planned to sail from the Gaza Port to break the siege--was one of the many civilian targets hit by Israeli air strikes in July. The shelling, which destroyed the boat, followed a previous attack that partially sunk the boat in April. David Heap, Canada-based spokesperson for Gaza's Ark, told Common Dreams that Palestinian organizers on the ground plan to continue the campaign "once they are able to concentrate on something other than surviving another day."
The 1.7 million residents of Gaza -- one of the most densely populated areas on earth--were already living under a U.S.-backed military and economic siege, which has escalated since 2007, cutting off residents from public goods including clean water and medical supplies.
"We are sailing against the sea blockade because there is no possibility of a peaceful future without freedom of movement for Palestinians," said Heap.
Previous attempts to sail against the siege have been met with violent attacks, including a 2010 Israeli assault on the Mavi Marmara ship sailing from Turkey that killed nine people and injured dozens, sparking global condemnation.
"We urge all governments to defend Human Rights and the right of the Palestinian people to freedom of movement, to facilitate the sailing of our ships to Gaza," said Ehab Lotayef of the FFC. "It is their responsibility."
While the group did not publicly disclose a launch location or date, they announced that they expect participation from civil society organizations across the globe -- from Greece to South Africa to Jordan to Malaysia--as a counter to "the complicity of world governments" in the blockade on Gaza.
"Calls to end the blockade of Gaza need to move from words to actions," said Ann Ighe, chairperson of Ship to Gaza and member of the FFC. "We invite all interested citizens worldwide to participate in this initiative in any way you can."
Israel's month-long military assault on Gaza, currently stalled by a tenuous ceasefire, has left at least 1,939 Palestinians dead, 9,886 wounded, over 200,000 displaced, and more than 10,000 Palestinian housing units destroyed or severely damaged. United Nations officials estimate that at least three-fourths of Palestinians killed in Gaza are civilians and one third are children.
Another freedom flotilla--Gaza's Ark, which Palestinians planned to sail from the Gaza Port to break the siege--was one of the many civilian targets hit by Israeli air strikes in July. The shelling, which destroyed the boat, followed a previous attack that partially sunk the boat in April. David Heap, Canada-based spokesperson for Gaza's Ark, told Common Dreams that Palestinian organizers on the ground plan to continue the campaign "once they are able to concentrate on something other than surviving another day."
The 1.7 million residents of Gaza -- one of the most densely populated areas on earth--were already living under a U.S.-backed military and economic siege, which has escalated since 2007, cutting off residents from public goods including clean water and medical supplies.
"We are sailing against the sea blockade because there is no possibility of a peaceful future without freedom of movement for Palestinians," said Heap.
Previous attempts to sail against the siege have been met with violent attacks, including a 2010 Israeli assault on the Mavi Marmara ship sailing from Turkey that killed nine people and injured dozens, sparking global condemnation.
"We urge all governments to defend Human Rights and the right of the Palestinian people to freedom of movement, to facilitate the sailing of our ships to Gaza," said Ehab Lotayef of the FFC. "It is their responsibility."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Despite Explosion, Gaza Freedom Flotilla to Sail Against Siege: Organizers
'We are full of hope that we can do something for the people of Gaza'
May 12, 2014
Gaza's Ark--a freedom flotilla aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade from within this besieged strip--was rocked by an unidentified explosion last month before it ever left the Gaza Port. Yet organizers announced Monday they intend to overcome severe damage sustained to the boat's hull, and a history of sabotage against similar flotillas, to sail the ship this Autumn.
"The future plan is to continue our efforts and prepare Gaza's Ark to be ready for sailing at maximum by late September," said Zaher Birawi, member of the International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza--a founding organization of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, in an interview with Common Dreams. "We will not stop trying our best to break the siege of Gaza using all peaceful means."
The decision emerged from a two-day meeting of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, held in London, during which organizers committed to do the estimated two months of repair--at the cost of $30,000--needed to get the ship into the necessary condition to sail.
While the cause of the late April explosion is still unknown, Gaza's Ark released a statement on Monday declaring, "[I]t is well known who enforces the blockade on Gaza and who doesn't want it challenged. Preliminary results of the investigation and inspection by our partners indicate that the materials which were used in the attack are not readily found in Gaza."
Jointly organized by Palestinians living in Gaza--including the Palestine Sailing Federation and the Fishermen's Solidarity Campaign--and international solidarity organizations, the vessel was constructed by Palestinians and initially slated to embark in June on a voyage through international waters carrying Palestinian goods and people from Gaza and around the world.
"The goal is to challenge the ongoing, illegal Israeli blockade and focus worldwide attention on the situation in Gaza and the complicity of the governments that support it or look the other way," according to the organization's website.
The explosion follows numerous attacks on vessels attempting to break the siege, including a 2010 Israeli assault on the Mavi Marmara ship sailing from Turkey that killed nine people and injured dozens, sparking global condemnation.
Since 2007, Israel--with U.S. backing--has intensified its blockade of Gaza, trapping and isolating its population of 1.7 million people. The siege has strangled the local economy, forcing 80 percent of all people in Gaza to rely on humanitarian aid, and has cut residents off from essential goods, including clean water and medical supplies.
"We will continue our campaign to break the siege by sea using Gaza's Ark, and by land using convoys from Rafah to Gaza and the petition we launched recently to put some pressure on political decision makers to stop this illegal siege," said Birawi.
He added, "We are full of hope that we can do something for the people of Gaza. If we did not have hope, we would have nothing"
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular