Heard over Turkish TV feed live from Mavi Marmari: "We have critically injured people here, we need help. Do not fire on us, We are civilians"
Based on the caption of this screenshot from Turkish TV, I can understand the following:
Aid Mission Intervention
Israel attacks Mavi Marmari ship
2 Dead, About 30 injured
People are shouting "we need help"
turkTV
To: Baroness Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Baroness Ashton
Via: catherine.ashton@ec.europa.eu Dear Baroness Ashton,
Calling on "all involved to act responsibly" or "with restraint" as you did is a false sort of balance. On one side you have an unarmed, international civilian flotilla heading toward Gaza with badly needed aid that has been prevented from reaching Gaza by an illegal, cruel and punitive Israeli blockade. On the other side you have the Israeli state and navy, threatening an act of piracy on the high seas using commandos, missile boats, drones and helicopters.
What is need from you now is to take a stand, to take sides. To stand with the Palestinian people in Gaza who after being subjected to war crimes, terror and occupation, are now being prevented from any meaningful reconstruction all because Israel (and with it the 'Quartet') disagree with some leaders in Gaza. This is unconscionable.
Yours,
Ali Abunimah
Via: catherine.ashton@ec.europa.eu Dear Baroness Ashton,
Calling on "all involved to act responsibly" or "with restraint" as you did is a false sort of balance. On one side you have an unarmed, international civilian flotilla heading toward Gaza with badly needed aid that has been prevented from reaching Gaza by an illegal, cruel and punitive Israeli blockade. On the other side you have the Israeli state and navy, threatening an act of piracy on the high seas using commandos, missile boats, drones and helicopters.
What is need from you now is to take a stand, to take sides. To stand with the Palestinian people in Gaza who after being subjected to war crimes, terror and occupation, are now being prevented from any meaningful reconstruction all because Israel (and with it the 'Quartet') disagree with some leaders in Gaza. This is unconscionable.
Yours,
Ali Abunimah
Picture of some of the several dozen UK nationals aboard the Mavi Marmara, a passenger ship that is part of the Freedom Flotilla currently headed to Gaza. Within the past hour, the flotilla has been approached by a number of Israeli warships amid threats from Israel the ships would be boarded and seized.
UK citizens aboard the ship have asked their compatriots to contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to ask the UK government to intervene. Here's the FCO contact page: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/contact-us
They have asked citizens of all other countries to contact their governments. Sarah Colborn of Palestine Solidarity Campaign aboard said there will be protest at 10 Downing St. Check UK PSC website or Friends of Al-Aqsa website for details:
unionflag
Reports on board the Turkish ship say that a short time ago Israeli warships which have appeared on the horizon, contacted the captain of the Turkish ship and demanded it identify itself and its destination. The Freedom Flotilla to Gaza was reported to be about 120 miles off the coast of Gaza in international waters at the time.
Picture captured from live video feed which keeps going in and out
Screenshot of Palestinian citizen of Israel and member of the Knesset Haneen Zoubi (Balad) speaking to Israeli media a few moments ago from aboard Turkish ship steaming toward Gaza as part of the Freedom Flotilla. Zoubi, speaking in Hebrew, reiterated that this is an unarmed convoy carrying badly needed aid supplies and expressed consternation at Israeli military plans to hijack the ships on the high seas.
A screenshot from the live video feed of the Gaza flotilla shows a cargo ship, which is one of the 6 ships heading to Gaza, carrying what appears to be a large construction crane. Building supplies and equipment are in cripplingly short supply in Gaza due to the illegal Israeli blockade.
Screenshot from the live video stream: http://www.livestream.com/insaniyardim
