Israel Murders Human Rights Workers Delivering Humanitarian Aid
On Sunday, Israel murdered human rights workers who were attempting to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, because Gaza has been virtually cut off from the outside world by Israel. At least 19 people were reportedly killed and dozens injured when Israeli troops boarded the 6-ship Freedom Flotilla convoy in international waters and immediately fired live ammunition at the people on board the ships. The convoy was comprised of 700 people from 50 nationalities and included a Nobel laureate, members of parliament from Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Turkey and Malaysia, as well as Palestinian members of the Israeli Knesset and a Holocaust survivor.
Israel’s armed attack on these human rights workers constitutes a clear breach of international law. The human rights workers should be released immediately, medical treatment should be provided for the wounded, and all humanitarian aid materials should be immediately transferred to Gaza.
Human rights organizations and bar associations, including the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, the National Lawyers Guild, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, MADRE, the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy, World Human Rights, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, and the governments of Britain, France, Germany and Turkey have condemned the Israeli assault. The U.S. government, has not yet spoken out in opposition to the assault by Israel, the largest recipient of U.S. aid since World War II.
There should be an international investigation of crimes committed during and after Israel’s armed attack on the Freedom Flotilla and prosecution of all Israeli officials and soldiers responsible.
Israel must end its illegal blockade of Gaza, which constitutes unlawful aggression under General Assembly Resolution 3314 (1974). When the Security Council convenes, it should order Israel to cease its acts of aggression.
Marjorie Cohn, a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and immediate past president of the National Lawyers Guild, is the deputy secretary general for external communications of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, and the U.S. representative to the executive committee of the American Association of Jurists. See www.marjoriecohn.com.
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF DEMOCRATIC LAWYERS CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF ISRAELI MURDER OF HUMAN RIGHTS WORKERS
Contacts:
Jeanne Mirer, IADL President: president@iadllaw.org; 313-515-2046
Marjorie Cohn, IADL Deputy Secretary General for External
Communications: marjorielegal@gmail.com; 619-374-6923
The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) condemns in the strongest possible terms Israel’s murder of human rights workers who were attempting to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. At least 19 people were reportedly killed and dozens injured when Israeli troops boarded the 6-ship Freedom Flotilla convoy in international waters and immediately fired live ammunition at the people on board the ships. The convoy was comprised of 700 people from 50 nationalities and included a Nobel laureate, members of parliament from Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Turkey and Malaysia, as well as Palestinian members of the Israeli Knesset and a Holocaust survivor.
Israel’s armed attack on these human rights workers constitutes a clear breach of international law. IADL demands the immediate release of the human rights workers, medical treatment for the wounded, and the immediate transfer of all humanitarian aid materials to Gaza.
IADL also calls for an international investigation of crimes committed during and after Israel’s armed attack on the Freedom Flotilla and prosecution of all Israeli officials and soldiers responsible.
Israel must end its unlawful blockade of Gaza, which constitutes unlawful aggression under General Assembly Resolution 3314 (1974).
The Security Council must immediately convene and order Israel to cease its acts of aggression.
IADL will undertake to conduct an investigation and will present its findings to the United Nations.
The International Association of Democratic Lawyers, founded in 1946, has consultative status with the ECOSOC, UNESCO and UNICEF. It has member associations in more than 90 countries.
ZNet Articles
ZMag Articles
ZCommentaries
Blog Posts
Books
Operation â??Flotillaâ? as a new stage of jihadist war
By Durmov, Miroslav at Jun 01, 2010 14:29 PM
Yes, the world is shocked by the news that people are killed and, I may say, it is an inconvenient situation for the state of Israel. It is obvious that somebody in Israel has analyzed the realm trough outdated stereotypes and was unable to foresee the complexity of the plot. It should be admitted that the organizers of the provocation have created an excellent win-win scenario. In case the flotilla would be permitted to land, the interpretation would be that do not control its shores. On the other hand, if a violent outcome is to be expected, the result has to be outrages and that is exactly what has been planned.
The public opinion is accustomed to perceive the jihadists as suicide bombers but the negative effect of killing innocent civilians is counterproductive for the organizers. And now they are changing the appearance. They want to be killed to create an image of the Israeli soldiers as assassins and the state of Israel as a violator of the international law and its right of self-defense to be denied. To achieve the aim, is necessary only to shift the focus from a suicide bomber to a martyr who just runs in front of a soldier attack them, try to kill them with the hope to be killed and the rest would be done by the media. It is a sad result but it is not to be expected that the organizers of this show will regret about the casualties. It is a war. The jihadist war is changing the means to achieve the goal-the destruction of the state of Israel. To understand such a scenario is necessary to remember that the imagination of the evil goes beyond the boundaries of the human morality.
On Jerusalem Post on-line edition a video is posted and in my understanding it would be beneficial to be seen.
Reply this comment
Re: Operation â??Flotillaâ? as a new stage of jihadist war
By Dodds, Jim at Jun 01, 2010 20:35 PM
Many years ago I listened to a debate on BBC television between Israeli academics and others on Israel's right to make decisions on all things Israeli and Palestinian. To a man the academics refused to discuss Israel's legitimacy because it was 'God's will' that it should be where man had created it. Evidence of the truth of that statement has yet to be produced.
I suggest that the quality of life is relative to the honesty in which it is lived. How else will we be true to ourselves? Destroy truth and we must destroy mankind. The horizon for this event is much closer than most folk dare to acknowledge. The Armagedon forecast by fundamentalists could be something as simple as a chosen few having access to the little water remaining on earth while the majority are left to dehydrate on the road to somewhere even more unpleasant. Atomic warfare would be another option. Those 'saved' in the former would be housed in gated communities with bomb proof bunkers available to the latter. The others, the useless eaters referred to by Professor Strauss of the University of Chicago, would be thus sent to eternity to prolong the lives of not-useless eaters on their way to eternal bliss.
There is an arid dearth of political honesty everywhere but especially in Israel and the USA. Money determines media truth and the rest of us need to look a little harder to find Z Net and Democracy Now, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Norman Finkelstein and a few others dubbed self hating Jews by Zionists. Where can be the truth of that condemnation? Probably in the same place as the truths espoused by Israeli political commentators today. Those few aided by so many more around the world but then, can we really condemn those who do not dare to know better?
Reply this comment