The flotilla comprised six ships carrying about 10,000 tonnes of aid for Gaza [AFP] Shock and outrage has swept the globe after Israeli soldiers stormed a flotilla of aid ships bound for Gaza.
International powers have closed ranks in condemning the deadly raid.
Statement from the Turkish foreign ministry The interception on the convoy is unacceptable ... Israel will have to bear the consequences of its actions. We strongly condemn it and await an immediate explanation. By targeting innocent civilians, Israel has once again clearly displayed that does not value human lives and peaceful initiatives.
We forcefully condemn these inhumane activities by Israel.
The incident that occurred in open sea which is a gross breach of international law, could cause irrevocable consequences for our relations.
We wish to express our condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased, and swift recovery to the wounded.
Statement from the White House US President Barack Obama "expressed deep regret at the loss of life in today's incident, and concern for the wounded" in a phone call to Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. "The president also expressed the importance of learning all the facts and circumstances around this morning's tragic events as soon as possible."
Ismail Haniya, Hamas leader in Gaza The government of Hamas call on Palestinians to carry out a total strike in Gaza and West Bank to show solidarity and protest the Israeli crimes.
We request emergency session for the UN Security Council, Arab League and Islamic Conference and we demand the Palestinian Authority to stop all forms of negotiations.
The government decided to grant those on board Freedom ships the medal of honour.
We appeal to the UN to withdraw from the Quartet.
The government has decided to name the May 31 "the freedom day". We demand the Arab League to carry out all decisions to stop the siege of Gaza.
We say to those heroes that the essence of your honourable blood has reached us before the aids you are carrying to us.
We salute everyone on board the Freedom ships.
Salam Fayad, Palestinian prime minister Israel went beyond all that could be expected.
This [attack] is a transgression against all international covenants and norms and it must be confronted by all international forums.
Statement from the Palestinian presidency Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemns the crime perpetrated by the occupation authorities against international solidarity activists aboard the Freedom Flotilla.
The Palestinian leadership is closely following the developments and the President calls on the United Nations to confront Israel, which is disregarding all international laws and norms.
The attack on the Flotilla is an attack against humanity.
This incident will have grave consequences in the region and the world.
Statement from the Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa has called for an emergency meeting at the League's headquarters in Cairo on June 1.
The attack clearly shows Israel's aggressive nature and its disrespect to international and humanitarian rules and laws.
We call on the international community to take immediate steps against Israel, a rogue state that practices all forms of terrorism and piracy, and instigates tension and instability in the region and in the middle of the Mediterranean sea.
Jens Stoltenberg, Norwegian prime minister A military attack against civilian activists is totally unacceptable.
We are shocked at the news that Israeli naval forces have attacked ships bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
An independent international investigation into what has taken place, must be opened as soon as possible.
Norway's Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will raise this issue with the UN Secretary General today.
Statement from Brazil's foreign ministry Brazil condemns, in vehement terms, the Israeli action, given that there was no justification for a military intervention on a peaceful convoy of a strictly humanitarian character. Brazil considers that the incident should be the object of an independent investigation that should fully elucidate the facts in the light of human rights and international law.
Saad Hariri, Lebanese prime minister The Israeli attack on the aid convoy is a dangerous and crazy step that will exacerbate tensions in the region.
Lebanon firmly denounces this attack and calls on the international community, notably major powers ... to take action in order to end this continued violation of human rights and threat to international peace.
Spokesperson for EU's foreign policy chief High Representative Catherine Ashton expresses her deep regret at the news of loss of life and violence and extends her sympathies to families of the dead and wounded.
On behalf of the European Union she demands a full enquiry about the circumstances in which this happened.
The continued policy of closure is unacceptable and politically counter-productive. She calls for an immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of the crossing for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza. Ambassadors from the 27 EU countries The EU condemns the use of violence that has produced a high number of victims among the members of the flottilla and demands an immediate, full and impartial inquiry into the events and the circumstances surrounding it. EU does not accept the continued policy of closure, it is unacceptable and politically counterproductive, we need to urgently achieve a durable solution to the situation in Gaza.
Guido Westerwelle, German foreign minister I am deeply concerned about the events last night in the waters off Gaza ... These are disconcerting initial reports.
The foreign ministry is now working to establish the full facts of what happened.
Diego Lopez Garrido, Spain's secretary of state for EU affairs The Israeli storming of a flotilla of activist ships heading for Gaza is unacceptable and very serious event.
We have have summoned the Israeli ambassador [to Spain] to give us explanations and, of course, we will investigate and will start handling this matter immediately.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian president [The attack was an] inhuman Zionist regime action against Gazans.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Emir of Qatar The Israeli act of piracy against Arab and foreign activists who tried to break an non humanitarian unjust siege imposed on our fellow citizens in Gaza Strip, for no reason but they exercised their democratic right of choice.
The crimes purportrated this morning against the civilians supporting the Palestinians remind us of the unjust siege the open bleeding wound in the Strip; and all those who preach freedom, justice and democracy are required now to move and act to break this siege so the bloods of those free men do not go down the drains.
This is also message addressed to the Arab states who were brought to the moment of justice by those free men on board. Micheal Martin, Irish foreign minister I am gravely concerned at the reports emerging of the storming of a Turkish ship this morning by Israeli commandos.
My department is seeking to establish the full facts of what has occurred and confirm the safety of the eight Irish nationals who sailed with the
Turkish-led flotilla.
The reports of up to 15 people killed and 50 injured, if confirmed, would constitute a totally unacceptable response by the Israeli military to what was a humanitarian mission attempting to deliver much needed supplies to the people of Gaza.
Statement from Britain's Stop The War Coalition The action should see Israel condemned under international law.
Israel has repeatedly flouted law and public opinion worldwide in its treatment of the Palestinians.
The decision by Israel to attack the flotilla with such loss of human life shows it is arrogant and deadly intent in opposing any aid to the Palestinians.
Navi Pillay, UN high commissioner for human rights I am shocked by reports that humanitarian aid was met with violence early this morning reportedly causing death and injury as the boat convoy approached the Gaza coast.
The blockade keeps undermining human rights on a daily basis.
The current situation falls far short of what is necessary for the population to lead normal and dignified lives.
I condemn once again the indiscriminate firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel.
Franco Frattini, Italian foreign minister Italy deplores the loss of civilian life in Israel's raid on a flotilla of aid ships bound for Gaza.
Statement from the UN Relief and Works Agency We are shocked by reports of killings and injuries of people on board boats carrying supplies for Gaza, apparently in international waters. Such tragedies are entirely avoidable if Israel heeds the repeated calls of the international community to end its counterproductive and unacceptable blockade of Gaza.
William Hague, British foreign minister I deplore the loss of life during the interception of the Gaza Flotilla. Our embassy is in urgent contact with the Israeli government.
We are asking for more information and urgent access to any UK nationals involved. We have consistently advised against attempting to access Gaza in this way, because of the risks involved.
But at the same time, there is a clear need for Israel to act with restraint and in line with international obligations.
It will be important to establish the facts about this incident, and especially whether enough was done to prevent deaths and injuries. This news underlines the need to lift the restrictions on access to Gaza, in line with UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1860. The closure is unacceptable and counter-productive. There can be no better response from the international community to this tragedy than to achieve urgently a durable resolution to the Gaza crisis. I call on the government of Israel to open the crossings to allow unfettered access for aid to Gaza, and address the serious concerns about the deterioration in the humanitarian and economic situation and about the effect on a generation of young Palestinians.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Children behind Israeli bars
| By Nour Odeh in | on May 30th, 2010 |
With a timid smile, 16 year-old N twiddles his thumbs as he tells me his frightening story. Israeli soldiers came to his house a year ago at dawn. He was blindfolded, handcuffed, and taken away without any explanation.
When the military jeep finally stopped, the soldiers took him to a room with chairs. They began cursing at him and using derogatory terms against his mother and female siblings. The soldiers then put sunglasses on N's eyes and a female headband on his head.
"They took pictures of me; they were laughing," he told me.
"Aren’t you going to confess?" the soldiers kept asking him… "To what?" he would reply. "To throwing stones," they would say.
Afraid of ending up in jail, N refused to confess to the alleged offence.
"I kept telling them: I didn't do it. I didn't do anything," he recalled.
Until this point, N's story sounded familiar to someone like me, who's been covering the conflict in Palestine for years. Beatings, humiliation, and mistreatment of Palestinian detainees, including minors, are regularly documented by human rights organisations.
But N's story was just beginning.
"There was a dog barking outside the room… The soldier told me he would bring it in to f**k me if I didn't confess… I was so scared… The guy then took out a stick; he whipped it forward and it got longer. He told his friends, who were looking on and laughing at me: "This boy doesn't want to talk. Let's pull down his pants so I can shove this stick up his a**."
"I tried to hold on to the chair; he kept poking me, groping my privates with the stick, trying to get me off the chair," N said while avoiding eye contact with me.
The Palestine Chapter of Defence for Children International (DCI) has collected 100 sworn affidavits this year of Palestinian children, under the age of 18, who said they were mistreated by their Israeli interrogators. Fourteen of them say they were either sexually abused or threatened with sexual assault, including rape, if they didn't confess to what their interrogators accused them of.
N is one of these children… His confession landed him a three month sentence in an Israeli jail.
Because of the stigma attached, there are fears that many more children may have suffered similar abuse but have been afraid to come forward.
N kept telling me he felt awkward talking about his experience. "It feels bad to talk about this. I mean, what a thing to talk about… It's shameful," he told me.
So I asked this shy teenager why he mustered the courage to speak out. "I want justice," he said. "I wish these people could be tried in a court so that they don't do this to other guys."
N told me that at prison, he met many boys who had suffered similar abuse.
Israeli forces arrest approximately 700 Palestinian minors every year. During interrogation, these minors are not allowed to have contact with their lawyers or families. Human rights organisations say the alleged abuses happen during this period of isolation.
"These practices are meant to break the children. In a way, when you break the spirit of these children, you're breaking the spirit of the nation," Rifaat Kassis, the director general of DCI, told me.
And it's because of the powerful impact sexual abuse has on these children that DCI has sounded the alarm at the highest possible international levels. The organisation has communicated affidavits to the Special UN Rapporteur on Torture, hoping to galvanise enough international pressure to bring these abuses to an end.
This step is a reflection of the stonewalling human rights organisations usually face from Israeli authorities.
"Most of the time, the Israelis, they just dismiss our allegations and say this is not correct, this is not true; so if this is the case, we challenge them to record these interrogations and let the interrogations happen with the lawyer," Kassis told me.
This time was no different. We tried to request a response from the Israeli army but all our requests were turned down. The army told us they would only comment if they had more specific details about these cases, which is a demand the children's lawyers say could jeopardise their clients.
But after the report aired on Al Jazeera, the Israeli military issued a statement rejecting the allegations and the DCI report. The army also said its practices were consistent with international law; a claim hotly contested by all human rights organisations working in Israel and the Occupied West Bank.
The Israeli army's response to these allegations also proves what DCI admits: this is a long-term battle.
So is recovery - N still struggles with his experience
"I'll never forget his eyes; the way he looked at me," he said, referring to his interrogator.
N still has nightmares and struggles to curb the fear he feels when the army is on patrol nearby.
But he's relatively lucky, having a supportive family that has encouraged him to talk about his experience. And N has received counselling from the torture victims' centre of the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association).
Still, this is a frustrating battle, requiring endless patience.
The director general of DCI told me his organisation's petitions and campaigns within the Israeli military system have generally yielded very limited results, if at all. That's why these child rights advocates are hoping that outside pressure will eventually help prevent further instances of abuse and afford children like N the basic rights and protection they should be entitled to.
The tormenting part of this battle, however, is knowing that until success is achieved, there is nothing these activists can do for the children now detained by Israeli soldiers on a regular basis.
They can only hope that counselling, after the fact, can help them recover.
source: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/05/30/children-behind-israeli-bars
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