Monday December 29, 2008, 10:11 pm
They are firing live ammunition around the Dignity, and one of the warships has rammed the civilian craft causing an unknown amount of damage. Contrary to international maritime law, the Israelis are actively preventing the Dignity from approaching Gaza or finding safe haven in either Egypt or Lebanon. Instead, the Israeli navy is demanding that the Dignity return to Cyprus - despite the fact that the ship does not carry enough fuel to do so. Fortunately, no one aboard the ship has yet been seriously injured.

There are 15 civilian passengers representing 11 different countries (see below for a complete list). At approximately 5am (UST), well out in international waters, Israeli warships began surrounding the Dignity, threatening the ship. At 6:45am (UST) we were able to establish brief contact with the crew and were told that the ship had been rammed by the Israeli Navy in international waters, and that the Israelis were preventing the ship from finding safe harbor. We heard heavy gunfire in the background before all contact was lost with the Dignity.

It is urgent that you TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION!

URGENT! Israeli Navy Attacking Civilian Mercy Ship! TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY!

CALL the Israeli Government and demand that it immediately STOP attacking the Dignity and endangering the lives of its passengers!

CALL Mark Regev in the Prime Minister's office at:
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5062 3264
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il

CALL Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:
+972 33697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
mediasar@mod.gov.il

Monday December 29, 2008, 10:13 pm
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Dignity departed from Larnaca Port in Cyprus at 7pm (UST) on Monday 29 December, bound for war-devastated Gaza with a cargo of over 3 tons of desperately needed medical supplies donated by the people of Cyprus. At our request, the ship was searched by Cypriot Port authorities prior to departure, to certify that there was nothing "threatening" aboard - only emergency medical supplies.

TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY TO STOP THE ISRAELI NAVY FROM ENDANGERING THE DIGNITY AND ITS PASSENGERS!

Civilians aboard the Dignity being threatened by the Israeli military:

(UK) Denis Healey, Captain
Captain of the Dignity, Denis has been involved with boats for 45 years, beginning with small fishing boats in Portsmouth. He learned to sail while atschool and has been part of the sea ever since. He's a certified yachtmaster and has also worked on heavy marine equipment from yachts to large dredgers. This is his fourth trip to Gaza.

(Greece) Nikolas Bolos, First Mate
Nikolas is a chemical engineer and human rights activist. He has served as a crewmember on several Free Gaza voyages, including the first one in August.

(Jordan) Othman Abu Falah
Othman is a senior producer with Al-Jazeera Television. He will remain in Gaza to report on the ongoing military onslaught.

(Australia) Renee Bowyer
Renee is a schoolteacher and human rights activist. She will remain in Gaza to do human rights monitoring and reporting.

(Ireland) Caoimhe Butterly
Caoimhe is a reknowned human rights activist and Gaza Coordinator for the Free Gaza Movement. She will be remaining in Gaza to do human rights monitoring, assist with relief efforts, and work on project development with Free Gaza.

(Cyprus) Ekaterini Christodulou
Ekaterini is a well-known and respected freelance journalist in Cyprus. She is traveling to Gaza to report on the conflict.

(Sudan) Sami El-Haj
Sami is a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, and head of the human rights section at Al-Jazeera Television. He will remain in Gaza to report on the ongoing military onslaught.

(UK) Dr. David Halpin
Dr. Halpin is an experienced orthopaedic surgeon, medical professor, and ship's captain. He has organized humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza on several occasions with the Dove and Dolphin. He is traveling to Gaza to volunteer in hospitals and clinics.

(Germany) Dr. Mohamed Issa
Dr. Issa is a pediatric surgeon from Germany. He is traveling to Gaza to volunteer in hospitals and clinics.

(UK/Tunisia) Fathi Jaouadi
Fathi is a television producer and human rights activist. He will remain in Gaza to do human rights monitoring and reporting.

(USA) Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia is a former U.S. Congresswoman from Georgia, and the 2008 Green Party presidential candidate. She is traveling to Gaza to assess the ongoing conflict.

(Cyprus) Martha Paisi
Martha is a senior research fellow and experienced human rights activist. She is traveling to Gaza to do human rights work and to assist with humanitarian relief efforts.

(UK) Karl Penhaul
Karl Penhaul is a video correspondent for CNN, based out of Bogotá, Colombia. Appointed to this position in February 2004, he covers breaking news around the world utilizing CNN's new laptop-based 'Digital Newsgathering' system. He is traveling to Gaza to report on the ongoing conflict.

(Iraq) Thaer Shaker
Thaer is a cameraman with Al-Jazeera television. He will remain in Gaza to report on the ongoing military onslaught.

(Cyprus) Dr. Elena Theoharous, MP
Dr. Theoharous is a surgeon and a Member of the Cypriot Parliament. She is traveling to Gaza to assess the ongoing conflict, assist with humanitarian relief efforts, and volunteer in hospitals.
###

Monday December 29, 2008, 10:58 pm
THANKS, JACKIE

Tuesday December 30, 2008, 4:39 am
Humtrain assist must go to the civilian not fair that civilian died

Tuesday December 30, 2008, 4:56 am
You can protest all you want but there is no end to this situation until the Palestinians elect a government that acknowledges Israel's right to exist. Palestinians are not Arabs but they are armed by them and used as pawns in a proxy war. The United States arms the Israelis and uses them as pawns in order to maintain Arab disunity and line the pockets of war profiteers.

Tuesday December 30, 2008, 7:00 am
I think you will find Matthew that under democratic law the Palestinians can elect whom they please...whether Israel and other questionable establishments like the USA like it or not. We know who arms the Israelis. the Palestinians have been under siege for two years and are now being murdered by the fifth most powerful military machine in the world...I also think the Palestinians do see themselves as Arabs...and I think that their tunnels have been fully used to bring in more vital supplies than arms...like food, fuel, medicines all of which are being denied them under the bully-boy tactics of their prison warders (the Israelis) I would suggest you read report by the Palestine Think Tank from inside Gaza before parading your ignorance in posts like this one above...unless care2 has the sense to remove it.

Tuesday December 30, 2008, 9:45 am
David: I don't know how many Arabic friends you have or how much time you have spent in Arabic countries. I've been to Northern Africa twice and stayed with and ate with them. If you are a guest in an Arab household, you are treated like a king. I am in no way defending the heavy handed actions of the Israelis. I am just stating facts. Most Arabs regard Palestinians at best as red-headed stepchildren. Palestinians have never exercised control over the land that they occupy. They had a shot at possible statehood until they democratically elected Hamas to represent them. Hamas members have been
either actively or passively complicit to several hundred rocket attacks on Israel. These rockets are unguided and indiscriminate and are regarded as terrorist attacks. Very ineffective ones at that. Israel answers them with missiles of a much more precise and deadly nature. Palestinian human casualties outnumber the Israeli's by over 100 to 1. Dollar losses are probably much greater. They have been forced into a life of starvation, material lack, and apartheid. Most of the shooting wars going on now are largely the fault of the U.S., England, and France who drew up all of the borders in contested regions, lumping people together who will never get along.

Tuesday December 30, 2008, 10:16 am
No One gets along with Zionists of any nationality or denomination THAT is the whole idea, you have to be one to join that club and that club is a Global one...without Heart or conscience.

Tuesday December 30, 2008, 2:48 pm
I find all of this killing/murder and deprivation of people an absolutely unacceptable situation. It is paramount that all peoples on this planet learn to live to-gether - accepting that we all have our differences and rights and these must always be respected. Thanx Jackie for this post - Brightest Blessings to you - Peace & Harmony.

Tuesday December 30, 2008, 5:01 pm
Kudos to all the brave volunteers aboard the Dignity {good name!}, without exception; and at least two of the volunteers should be well-known to some Care2 members. {Maybe more of them, also, I plead my ignorance.}

(Sudan) Sami El-Haj
Sami is a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, and head of the human rights section at Al-Jazeera Television. He will remain in Gaza to report on the ongoing military onslaught.
Some of us were very active in signing and circulating petitions and letters to get Sami El-Haj released from Guantanamo; showing that such letters, e-mails and petitions DO have an effect!

(USA) Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia is a former U.S. Congresswoman from Georgia, and the 2008 Green Party presidential candidate. She is traveling to Gaza to assess the ongoing conflict.
Those of us on Care2 active in the Green Party and some of the petitions and News Items regarding it as well as those referencing her past Congressional record, will be well acquainted with the name of Cynthia McKinney.

Any deaths or injuries aboard a peaceful unarmed civilian ship are of course atrocious; as are ALL the civilian Palestinian injuries and deaths. But when someone you feel you almost know personally is in such imminent danger...... it gives yet another dimension of urgency.......

Tuesday December 30, 2008, 5:16 pm
Of course these un-bought and honest journalists, and these doctors working for HUMANITY rather than for HMO profits, and human rights and aid workers NOT involved in Ponzi schemes and embezzlement, are EXACTLY the sort of people the Bush/Cheney establishment WOULDN'T SHED ANY TEARS OVER if they ALL got killed....
Watch the Bush/Cheney mis-Administration say, in that instance, "It was their own fault, for going into a war zone, they knew they weren't obeying the rules.... OUR rules. THEY ASKED FOR IT! THEY ASKED FOR IT! THEY ASKED FOR IT! {Just like with rape....} WATCH BUSHCO SHAMELESSLY SAY THAT..... in the event of the unspeakable happening..... {besides, it was our Israeli patsies done it and not us....}
Same thing as with Rachel Corrie.....

This is many things; but ONE of the things among others, is, to make President Obama's first days as DIFFICULT as possible, and to get his Administration enmeshed in something perhaps impossible to get out of; or impossible to get out of without offending large swaths of Obama's support {Jews, non-Jews, Arab-Americans, Christians, lefties, moderates, etc. etc.}. A "damned whatEVER you do" situation. A double-and-triple bind.

Tuesday December 30, 2008, 6:00 pm
I was the one who first flagged Jackie C.'s post, "No-one gets along with Zionists". I tried and tried to get a message thru to Jackie, who IS MY FRIEND, why I did this. NO LUCK! Something is WRONG with my network messages today!
Therefore, since I can't wait around all day for Care2 to fix this, I am going to put my message to Jackie HERE, and hope she reads it!!! and other people understand why I flagged Jackie, also!
Here is my message I tried without success to send thru NM just now:

'I really wanted to give you a GREEN STAR for posting that news item!!! but I was afraid it would be mis-understood by you!
[Then followed the 'report' to Care2 that you are asked to send when you flag someone. It went something like as follows: "I am flagging this because it is a mere RANT; it suggests that ALL Jews and the state of Israel are part of some International Zionism, a fictitious entity."]

This "RANT", as I call it, Jackie, is UNWORTHY OF YOU. I am not flagging it "arbitrarily"! It is not a matter of "difference of opinion". To me, it is not a reasoned argument for a particular point-of-view, but an emotional RANT, designed to stir up hateful feelings!!! UNWORTHY OF YOU, like I said!!!
This news item stirs up strong feelings, including mine! But, we have to guard against TARGETTING SCAPEGOATS!
If you did not "mean" this in your "rant", take note that it could be interpreted so.
I want all us Activists to be as EFFECTIVE and CLEAR as possible! I make no apologies for calling 'em as I sees 'em!

In conclusion, THANK YOU for posting that article!
Cheers, BMutiny T Barbara'

I will repeat, if Jackie didn't "mean" what I got out of the posting, it STILL could be INTERPRETED that way, by the mean-minded.
I think we have to be REALLY CAREFUL about our choice of words; and especially on guard, against those who would use hateful words on any side of any equation. BMT

Tuesday December 30, 2008, 6:17 pm
Just a simple question that I would like to ask all of you. Qui bono? Who benefits? It certainly isn't the U.S. taxpayer. It certainly isn't the Israili or Palestinian citizen. It certainly isn't the rest of the Arab world. Before you can begin to solve the problem, you have to understand what the problem actually is. The big picture. For the most part, we are a bunch of ignorant morons who live comfortably 7000 miles away, who glean little tidbits off or the corporate news and make our decisions without worry of bombs falling on our heads. When I was 18 years old, I had all of the answers. At 56, I still have all of the answers but I have trouble matching them up with the right questions.

Tuesday December 30, 2008, 6:52 pm
Hi BMutiny I had no idea you had flagged my comment. I really did not consider my comment to be a rant at all but spot on. I am not anti semitic.I have many semitic friends. If you consider Zionists to be fiction thats your choice but plz don't impose on me. You are obviously very emotional or angry judging by all the capital letters and exclamation marks. Truth is I am a lot more polite on this site than many others I have come across and no one has ever flagged me as far as I know.

Saturday January 3, 2009, 1:40 am
Unbelievable....., BMutiny...flagged Jackie. WTH? hmmm
Jackie, you know I am taking any action I can on this issue. I don't see anything that you have written that needed this ridiculous action, and you aren't the one ranting. Noted and thank you.

Monday January 12, 2009, 8:17 am
http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=3626&pst=970919