ISRAEL MENACE D’ATTAQUER LE BATEAU « Spirit of humanity »

ALERTE ! !

Chers Amis,

Le nouveau bateau de Free Gaza, "Spirit of Humanity" vient de quitter le port de Larnaca. Il devrait arriver vers 11h demain matin. Nous venons d’apprendre que le government israelien a infomé l’ambassade de Chypre à Tel Aviv qu’ils sont prêts à "utiliser tous les moyens" pour empêcher son arrivé à Gaza.

Vous trouverez ci-attaché le dernier communiqué de presse de Free Gaza à ce sujet aussi bien qu’une notification formel de voyage et une liste des passagers avec professions et nationalité.

Veuillez faire votre possible pour transferer cette information à tous vos contacts, surtout à ceux qui ont des positions officielles, afin de leur demander de téléphoner au governement israelien pour le prévenir que les yeux du monde suivent leurs actes et qu’ils souhaitent voir arriver le bateau "Spirit of Humanity" à Gaza demain.

Les noms et numéros à appeler en Israel se trouvent ci-dessous ainsi que ceux de certaines ambassades.

Nous vous remercions d’avance.

En solidarité,
Bianca Shana’a
Free Gaza
+33 663 59 2028

Email reçu de Free Gaza au sujet des appels faits et à faire.

Send the numbers out to your lists. Make sure others have them and call them.

The numbers highlighted in red are the mobile numbers, and they do answer. Major Liebovitz is no longer answering hers, but it’s still worth a try. They will tell you that we have to take our doctors and supplies through Erez. Insist that we have every right to go into Gaza without any permission from the israelis. They need to know that we are coming. They cannot say they did not know. And they need to hear from more than just one or two of us. If you call on SKYPE, they can’t trace the phone call and it doesn’t cost very much. Please make the phone calls tonight and tomorrow.

Mark Regev in the Prime Minister’s office :
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5 0620 3264
mark.regev@it. mark.rege

Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence :
+972 3697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
mediasar@mod. media

Major Liebovitz from the Israeli Navy :
+ 972 5 781 86248

Ambassades en Europe

 Paris : INFO@PARIS.MFA.GOV.IL

Tél : +33140765500, Fax : +33140765555

 Spain : INFO@MADRID.MFA.GOV.IL

Tél : +34917829500, Fax : +34917829555

 Portugal/Lisbon : INFO@LISBON.MFA.GOV.IL

Tél : +34917829555, Fax : +351213553658

 Suisse : INFO@BERN.MFA.GOV.IL

Tél : +41313563500 / +41313563501, Fax : +41313563555

 Belgium : INFO@BRUSSELS.MFA.GOV.IL

Tél : +3223735500, Fax : +3223735617

 Germany : INFO@BERLIN.MFA.GOV.IL

Tél : +493089045500, Fax : +493089045555

==========================

Communiqué de presse

(France) Bianca Shana’a, +33 663 59 2028 bianca_shanaa@yahoo.com
(Cyprus , 12 January 2009) - The Free Gaza Movement ship, “SPIRIT OF HUMANITY,” left Larnaca Port at 3:00 pm, Monday, 12 January, on an emergency mission to besieged Gaza . It is expected to arrive in Gaza at approximately 11am (UST) Tuesday morning. Aboard the ship are 36 passengers and crew, representing 17 different nations. They are doctors, journalists, human rights workers, and five European parliamentarians representing Belgium , Greece , Italy , and Spain (see below for a complete passenger list). The mercy ship also carries desperately needed medical supplies meant for hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

This voyage marks Free Gaza’s second attempt to break through the blockade since Israel began attacking Gaza on 27 December. Between August and December 2008, the Free Gaza Movement successfully challenged the Israeli blockade five times, landing the first international ships in the port of Gaza since 1967.

The Israeli military violently attacked an earlier attempt by the Free Gaza Movement to send an emergency boat filled with doctors and medical supplies to Gaza . In the early hours of Tuesday, 30 December, the Israeli navy deliberately, repeatedly, and without warning rammed the unarmed ship, the DIGNITY, causing significant structural damage and endangering the lives of its passengers and crew. The DIGNITY found safe harbor in Lebanon , and is currently awaiting repairs.
Shortly before the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY left Cyprus today, the Cypriot authorities informed the Free Gaza Movement that the Israeli government had officially contacted their embassy in Tel Aviv, and warned them that they felt “justified” in using “any means available” to forcibly prevent the mercy ship from arriving in Gaza. At the request of the ship’s organizers, the Cypriot authorities searched the ship prior to its departure to certify that it only carried medical supplies.
Fouad Ahidar, a member of the Belgian Parliament sailing to Gaza aboard the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, responded to concerns that Israel may attack the unarmed ship by saying, "I have five children that are very worried about me, but I told them : ‘you can sit on your couch and watch these atrocities on the television, or you can choose to take action to make them stop.’"

Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have injured thousands of civilians and killed over 900 people, including hundreds of women and children. This ongoing Israeli massacre severely and massively violates international humanitarian law defined by the Geneva Conventions, especially the obligations of an Occupying Power and the requirements of the laws of war.

The United Nations has failed to protect the Palestinian civilian population from Israel ’s massive violations of international humanitarian law. Israel has closed off Gaza from the international community and demanded that all foreigners leave. But Huwaida Arraf, an organizer with the Free Gaza Movements, stated that, “We cannot just sit by and wait for Israel to decide to stop the killing and open the borders for relief workers to pick up the pieces. We are coming in. There is an urgent need for this mission as Palestinian civilians in Gaza are being terrorized and slaughtered by Israel, and access to humanitarian relief denied to them. When states and the international bodies responsible for taking action to stop such atrocities chose to be impotent, then we—the citizens of the world—must act. Our common humanity demands nothing less.”

Israel has been notified that we are coming. A copy of the notification to the Israeli Authorities is attached. The Free Gaza Movement will hold Israel responsible for any harm that may be done to the ship or its passengers.