Viva Palestina's Hamas connections

hardly an objective credible source you have cited as 'evidence', its about as good as citing cif-watch

You ignore the fact also that if Israel ended the illegal blockade of Gaza, international organisations would not need to send so much humanitarian aid and medicine, as Gazan's could move freely and the economy could grow.

Thank you for posting this link, Ray.
And shame on the JfJfP twerps who would even think of joining this flotilla - especially on Yom Kippur!

To those who are interested in the trith:
blockade not illegal - where is the legal challenge its legality?
Gazans do not need humanitarian aid
stated object NOT of VP NOT to provide aid but to bring awareness of blockade (and give gorgeous George his much needed publicity fix)
My post was about connection to Hamas
All sources which don't meet with a twisted world view are deemed unreliable and the lies of terrorists are represented as the truth.

the blockade is totally illegal and the fact that Israel continues to deny Palestinians in Gaza the right to freedom of movement and has prevented the import and export of goods, plus restrictions on activities such as fishing, have led to the economic collapse of Gaza.

Ray, why not go to Gaza for yourself and see what is really going on, rather than merely replicating the ridiculous Israeli discourse that anyone who opposes the illegal Israeli blockade is automatically assumed to be a Hamas supporter. This is simply not true, as Jews for Justice for Palestinians are proving.

If the Israeli occupation of Gaza has really ended (i.e the supposed disegagement of 2005), then what right has Israel to deny humanitarian aid entering Gaza?

Clearly this proves that Israel continues to occupy the Gaza Strip, and in doing so is breaking international law

So where do you people see all of this ending up ? Where do you WANT it to end up ? Are we cursed to a millenium of slagging matches on JC blogs or can we get real ?

eat your heart out cassandra

You can see it is illegal as often as you like but the maritime blockade is not illegal. Israel has legally declared it and is in a state of belligerence with the Gazan government.

Humanitarian aid by the 100's of truckloads passes weekly into Gaza.

The economy of Gaza has collapsed because of Hamas and its policies. It cares nothing for its own people, it's too busy hating Jews.

I did not say that those who oppose the maritime blockade (which is quite separate from the embargo) are all Hamas supporters but they freely associate with them, march with them, support them on these blogs and act as apologists for them.

Therefore, you/they support Hamas. Therefore you/they support a terrorist, genocidal regime.

Ask yourself what Israel had to gain by painfully evacuating thousands of its citizens and then blockading Gaza. Why would it do that? You know the answer: because Hamas began attacking Israel by firing rockets and laucnhing 'operations' against Israel, by tunnelling under the border posts, by arming iteself to the teeth, by declaring Jihad on Israel and Jews. And who suffers most because of this? Gazans.

You should direct you humanitarianism to the benighted Palestinians in Lebanon (http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2010/08/lebanese-call-on-govt-to-kick.h...)

and Libya (http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2010/08/libya-imposing-restrictions-on-...)

and Jordan (http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2010/08/gazans-who-are-in-open-air-pris..., http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2010/08/gazans-forced-to-stay-in-their-...).

This is who you are supporting http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2010/09/hamas-gaza-refugee-group-denoun...

Even the PA are at it - http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2010/09/palestinian-arab-apartheid-agai...

Here's an example of Gazan suffering http://www.drzz.info/article-nouveau-reportage-photo-gaza-prison-a-ciel-... if you can't read French, look atthe pretty pictures.

Your charity is literally misguided.

ibrows, I know this is hard for you so I'll make it simple.

Israel's blockade is completely legal and not unique. It operates a partial blockade, providing power, food and medical supplies (and free tratment in Israel to around 10,000 Palestinians every year). Egypt, which you omit to mention also shares a border with Gaza, gives Gaza precisely nothing. Not a thing. It operates a complete blockade. Hamas fires rockets into Israel, not Egypt.

Hypocrite.

As to the legality of the blockade and the boarding of the Mavi Marmara, here is a balanced article from Reuters:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE6511I7.htm

I quote in full below:

LONDON, June 2 (Reuters) - Israel has said it will continue a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip despite growing global pressure to lift the siege after a navy raid on a Turkish ferry carrying aid killed nine activists this week.

What is the legality of the blockade and did Israel's intervention breach international law? Below are some questions and answers on the issue:

CAN ISRAEL IMPOSE A NAVAL BLOCKADE ON GAZA?

Yes it can, according to the law of blockade which was derived from customary international law and codified in the 1909 Declaration of London. It was updated in 1994 in a legally recognised document called the "San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea". Under some of the key rules, a blockade must be declared and notified to all belligerents and neutral states, access to neutral ports cannot be blocked, and an area can only be blockaded which is under enemy control.

"On the basis that Hamas is the ruling entity of Gaza and Israel is in the midst of an armed struggle against that ruling entity, the blockade is legal," said Philip Roche, partner in the shipping disputes and risk management team with law firm Norton Rose.

WHAT ARE INTERNATIONAL WATERS?

Under the U.N. Convention of the Law of the Sea a coastal state has a "territorial sea" of 12 nautical miles from the coast over which it is sovereign. Ships of other states are allowed "innocent passage" through such waters.

There is a further 12 nautical mile zone called the "contiguous zone" over which a state may take action to protect itself or its laws.

"However, strictly beyond the 12 nautical miles limit the seas are the "high seas" or international waters," Roche said.

The Israeli navy said on Monday the Gaza bound flotilla was intercepted 120 km (75 miles) west of Israel. The Turkish captain of one of the vessels told an Istanbul news conference after returning home from Israeli detention they were 68 miles outside Israeli territorial waters.

Under the law of a blockade, intercepting a vessel could apply globally so long as a ship is bound for a "belligerent" territory, legal experts say.

CAN ISRAEL USE FORCE WHEN INTERCEPTING SHIPS?

Under international law it can use force when boarding a ship.

"If force is disproportionate it would be a violation of the key tenets of the use of force," said Commander James Kraska, professor of international law at the U.S. Naval War College.

Israeli authorities said marines who boarded the Turkish vessel Mavi Marmara opened fire in self-defence after activists clubbed and stabbed them and snatched some of their weapons.

Legal experts say proportional force does not mean that guns cannot be used by forces when being attacked with knives.

"But there has got to be a relationship between the threat and response," Kraska said.

The use of force may also have other repercussions.

"While the full facts need to emerge from a credible and transparent investigation, from what is known now, it appears that Israel acted within its legal rights," said J. Peter Pham, a strategic adviser to U.S. and European governments.

"However, not every operation that the law permits is necessarily prudent from the strategic point of view."

OPPONENTS HAVE CALLED ISRAEL'S RAID "PIRACY". WAS IT?

No, as under international law it was considered a state action.

"Whether what Israel did is right or wrong, it is not an act of piracy. Piracy deals with private conduct particularly with a pecuniary or financial interest," Kraska said.

HAVE THERE BEEN ANY SHIPPING DISRUPTIONS AFTER THE RAID?

None so far but the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), an association which represents 75 percent of the world's merchant fleet, has expressed "deep concern" over the boarding by Israeli forces, arguing that merchant ships have a right to safe passage and freedom of navigation in international waters.

"These fundamental principles of international law must always be upheld by all of the world's nations," the ICS said.

For links to the maritime declarations click on: http://www.icrc.org/IHL.nsf/52d68d14de6160e0c12563da005fdb1b/7694fe2016f347e1c125641f002d49ce!OpenDocument

http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/1909b.htm (Editing by Noah Barkin)