FLOTILLA READY TO SAIL TOMORROW ~~ SEE ACTION ALERT AT END

July 3, 2011 at 11:36 (Activism, Collaboration, Gaza, Hasbara, Humanitarian Aid Flotilla, International Solidarity, Israel, Palestine, zionist harassment)

Foreign minister says Israel was behind the Greek ban on departure of ships, claims Greek government understands Israel’s needs.

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Perhaps this is the solution….

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BOYCOTT GREECE! NO PRODUCTS, NO TOURISM. GREECE HOVERS AT THE EDGE OF COLLAPSE. A BOYCOTT WILL PUSH IT OVER THE EDGE AND BRING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT THAT CHOSE TO ACT AS ISRAEL’S PRIVATEERS AGAINST A US-FLAGGED SHIP!

SPREAD THE WORD.

BOYCOTT GREECE!

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Add 520 to your Boycott List

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Gaza flotilla to set sail Monday despite numerous setbacks

Activists say all operational ships will be ready to depart, but exact number is yet unknown.

By Amira Hass

The organizers of the Gaza-bound flotilla said Sunday that all operational ships will set sail on Monday, despite the numerous delays the flotilla activists had encountered in the past week.

The decision to depart on Monday was made following several days of deliberations on the subject, and the exact number of ships due to sail is still unknown.

In contrast to recent reports, most of the Gaza flotilla activists are still participating.

Moreover, activists in several countries of origin of the ships participating in the flotilla such as Canada and Belgium held protests in support of the Gaza flotilla and against the Greek government, which had issued an order to bar the ships from leaving Greek ports.

Eight of the ten ships due to participate in the Gaza flotilla were delayed over the weekend in various Greek ports, following an order by the Greek government to bar the departure of the vessels.

The activists as well as members of the leftist opposition in Greece accused the Socialist government of caving in to Israeli pressure. Greek Foreign Minister Stavros Lambrinidis said that the Greek government is preventing the departure of the vessels in order to avoid a ‘humanitarian disaster’ which will result from a violent confrontation with the Israeli navy.

The foreign minister also promised that he will continue to negotiate with the UN in order to find a solution to the flotilla crisis.

The Greek ban applies to all Greek and foreign vessels in Greek ports heading to Gaza.

The organizers of the flotilla were considering legal action to cancel the Greek ban on the departure of the ships. They were also trying to rally members of leftist parties in various countries and the European Parliament to convince the Greek government to change the orders.

Before the official publication of the instructions at 4:30 P.M. on Friday, the boat of the American delegation tried to set sail from the port of Perama without clearance from the Greek authorities. The ship was carrying 51 passengers, including five members of the crew and 11 journalists.

According to the flotilla organizers, the delays by the Greek authorities in granting permission to sail stemmed from political pressure.

The American ship, Audacity of Hope, named after President Barack Obama’s book, was blocked by a vessel of the Greek coast guard.

After the members of the American delegation were warned that their ship would be taken over by force they agreed to sail back to port, shadowed by the coast guard vessel.

Written FOR

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Follow Amira Hass’ Flotilla Diary

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Max Blumenthal reports the following

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Yonatan Shapira held in Greek port: “I don’t know if I’m detained or not”

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Also from HaAretz….

*Lieberman admits Israel was behind the departure ban …. in a roundabout way

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Lieberman: Flotilla activists are blaming Israel for their failure

Foreign minister says Israel was behind the Greek ban on departure of ships, claims Greek government understands Israel’s needs.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Sunday that the Gaza flotilla activists, who had accused Israel of purposely sabotaging their ships, are just trying to place the blame for their failure on Israel.

“The activists are trying to blame someone for their failure – no doubt they have watched too many James Bond films,” Lieberman told Army Radio in an interview. “There is an attempt to evade responsibility for their propaganda, as well as a lack of support from countries around the world.”

Lieberman also said that Israel was behind the Greek government’s decision to forbid the flotilla from sailing to the Gaza Strip. “Things do not just happen on their own,” he maintained, “the Quartet, the governments of Greece, and Cyprus object to the flotilla, understand the needs of Israel, and are acting effectively.”

However, despite the technical difficulties and the Greek government’s decision to forbid the voyage, the activists on board believe that it is only a matter of time before they leave for the Gaza Strip, declaring Sunday that they intend to set sail on Monday.

The Greek authorities have announced that they will not allow the ships to sail, as they believe the mission is “too dangerous.” The captain of the American ship, Audacity of Hope, will appear in court on Tuesday where he is be charged with defying the Greek ban, as well as endangering the lives of the ship’s passengers.

In the aftermath of the captain’s arrest, as well as the forced transfer of the ship to a Greek military naval base, the activists held a press conference wherein they blamed Israel for “exporting the siege on Gaza to Greece” and condemned Greece for “implementing the policies of the Israeli government.”

The Middle East Quartet issued a statement on Saturday that pleaded with those interested in transferring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip to do so “through established channels so that their cargo can be inspected and transferred via established land crossings.” The declaration further called on all governments involved to “use their influence to discourage additional flotillas, which risk the safety of their participants and carry the potential for escalation.”

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ACTION ALERT FROM THE US BOAT TO GAZA….

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The U.S. Government Must Pressure Greece 

to Let U.S. Boat to Gaza Sail

 

Release Captain John Klusmire 

and Our Boat Immediately!  

The U.S. Boat to Gaza calls for pressure 

on the U.S. State Department

 

People around the world are rallying for the release of the boats that Greece is preventing from sailing to Gaza. We call on you to show your solidarity and support for the flotilla as a whole, and in particular for the captain of the U.S. boat, John Klusmire.

 

Over the past two weeks, two boats of the international flotilla to Gaza have been sabotaged while docked at Greek ports.  No one has claimed responsibility for the damage done to these boats.  The potential danger to the U.S. boat was obvious to the captain, the crew and the passengers: there was a clear possibility that the U.S. boat would be sabotaged next.

The departure of the U.S. Boat to Gaza – The Audacity of Hope – was first delayed by a complaint filed by the Israel Law Center and shown to be frivolous. Greek authorities then inspected the boat but, until the boat set sail five days later the, the results of that inspection has not been shared with the captain and his crew. Those results were not shared until the Hellenic Coast Guard stopped The Audacity of Hope some 20 minutes after it had left the dock on Friday, July 1. The Hellenic Coast Guard intercepted the ship and ordered that the ship stop. This order was obeyed. Commandos with drawn rifles ordered the ship to return.  It is now impounded at a military dock in Athens and the captain has ben arrested.

Captain Klusmire faces two charges: disturbing sea traffic and endangering passengers; and moving away from the dock in violation of an order not to do so. He is being held in a cell without a bed and does not have access to toilet facilities. The only food and water he has had has been brought in by visitors. He has not been visited by anyone from the U.S. Embassy even though he is entitled to such a visit by international law.

The U.S. Boat to Gaza campaign urges you to immediately take the following actions. Even though it is a holiday weekend we urge you to make these calls now, and if necessary to place calls again on Monday and Tuesday.

• Contact your members of Congress and urge him or her to pressure the Greek authorities to drop the charges against Captain Klusmire. 

• Contact the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Greece. Insist that they fulfill their duty to advocate on behalf of Captain Klusmire and that they demand the release of the U.S. boat by Greece so it can freely sail to Gaza.
  • Sect. of State Hillary Clinton: 202-647-5291
  • Kim Richter, Consular Affairs, Overseas American Citizens Services, U.S. State Dept: 202-647-8308
  • Greek Desk, U.S. State Dept: 202-647-6113
  • U.S. Embassy in Athens: 011-30-210-721-2951, fax 011-30-210-645-6282, website: athens.usembassy.gov

• Activate your emergency response network to publicly demonstrate support for Captain Klusmire and our call for Greece to let the flotilla sail! Pass along this action alert as widely as possible.

 

Below is a copy of the latest press release from the U.S. Boat to Gaza.

 

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July 3, 2011 Athens, Greece

 

On eve of U.S. Independence Day, U.S. passengers on 

flotilla start open-ended fast at U.S. Embassy in Athens

Demand that U.S. government pressure Greece to 

free their boat and captain, and allow boat to sail to Gaza

 

Members of the U.S. Boat to Gaza have begun an open-ended fast calling on the U.S. government to defend our right to sail out of Greece. The fast has begun in front of the U.S. Embassy at 91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue in Athens. Fasters delivered an urgent letter to the Embassy and plan to sleep overnight outside the Embassy gates.

Passengers and U.S. boat organizers participating in the fast are: Medea Benjamin, Ken Mayers, Paki Wieland, Kathy Kelly, Ray McGovern, Helaine Meisler, Nic Abramson, and Carol Murry.     

Passenger Kathy Kelly said, “We call on officials at the U.S. Embassy in Athens to publicly acknowledge our right to sail and to call on the Greek government to free our ship and its captain immediately.”

There will also be a march in support of the flotilla beginning at 7 pm organized by Greek activists who have been protesting the government’s austerity measures in Syntagma Square. The march will include a demand on the Greek government to let all of the boats in the Freedom Flotilla 2 sail to Gaza and to free the captain of the U.S. ship, who has been held in jail.  

The departure of the U.S. Boat to Gaza – The Audacity of Hope – was first delayed by a complaint filed by the Israel Law Center and shown to be frivolous. Greek authorities then inspected the boat but, until the boat set sail five days later, the results of that inspection has not been shared with the captain and his crew. 

The Greek Coast Guard stopped The Audacity of Hope some 20 minutes after it had left the dock on Friday, July 1. The Coast Guard ordered the captain to stop the ship, which he did. Commandos with drawn rifles ordered the ship to return.  It is now impounded at a military dock in Athens and the captain has ben arrested.

Over the past two weeks, two boats of the international flotilla to Gaza have been sabotaged while docked at Greek ports.  The potential danger to the U.S. boat was obvious to the captain, the crew and the passengers: there was a clear possibility that the U.S. boat would be sabotaged next.

Greek consular officials in the United States, when besieged with calls by angry Americans,  told callers that they should direct their protest to U.S. officials because they were ultimately responsible.  “We know that the U.S. government has been supporting Israel’s underhanded efforts to thwart the flotilla, and has been pressuring the Greek government to stop us. This is a disgrace,” said passenger/faster Medea Benjamin. “On July 4, it’s time for our government to declare independence from Israel and start supporting its own citizens.”

We note that on June 24, passengers on the U.S. Boat to Gaza visited the Consul General in Athens, Deputy Consul General Kate Brandeis agreed that the U.S. Boat “had a right to sail to Gaza.”   

Ms. Brandeis assured the passengers that the consulate was there to assist U.S. citizens that run into difficulty while in Greece.  To date, we have received no assistance from the U.S. Embassy and the captain of our boat, a U.S. citizen, remains in jail and has yet to be visited by anyone from the U.S. Embassy.

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