Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Al Jazeera English's Powerful Documentary on the Gaza Flotilla Seizure

Al Jazeera's 45 minute-long documentary on the seizure of the ships and boats of the Gaza flotilla concentrates on events aboard the MV Mavi Marmara. This is because most of Al Jazeera's team (one of whom spent election day 2008 with my wife and I in Wasilla, covering the results in Palin's home town) was on the small cruise ship, and footage smuggled out by members of Cultures of Resistance came from that vessel. In the documentary there is evidence of war crimes by the IDF.


For instance, the very straightforward skipper of the Mavi Marmara states:


At around 6:30 in the morning [after the IDF had seized the bridge of the MVMM and bound all crew there but the captain], we were asked to start the engine and turn to the route 130 degrees. No matter how many times I asked the Israeli soldiers to provide first aid to the injured, until our doctors intervened, they kept on insisting that as long as the engine was not started and the route was not turned to 130 degrees, they would not provide first aid.



There are so many instances of Israeli soldiers just letting injured people or sick people just fucking die. The most pathetic recent incident occurred late last week, as Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem opened fire on the husband of an American citizen in his car. When he got out and sought to distance himself from the car in which one of his American daughters was cowered down, they shot him, let him bleed, then shot him again. Then, according to numerous witnesses, they danced around his body, in triumph.


Please watch this powerful Al Jazeera documentary. I doubt you will see such comprehensive reporting on the flotilla on any American TV network.



Will any American network provide coverage of the next Euro-American-Asian flotilla later this month, or in July?


I had friends on the last one, and several will be on this one. Yesterday evening, I got word that members of the London-based group Jews for Justice for Palestinians will participate in the Jewish boats that will attempt to break the blockade. JfJfP produced the 2005 performance of my work about Rachel Corrie, The Skies are Weeping, in London (after Alaska and New York performances had been canceled), and hosted my wife and me. I brought 20 pounds of Copper River Sockeye salmon I had smoked myself from Wasilla to London for my friends, and for the Israeli-Palestinian-people-from-all-over reception we had after the concert. We drank Palestinian and Israeli and British beer, even pouring suds from the three countries together into the same glasses.


Some of the Jewish peace activists on the German boat will be bringing musical instruments, which have been banned in Gaza.


The Al Jazeera documentary embedded here fairly clearly shows the benign intent of the vast majority of participants in the Memorial Day weekend flotilla. How will the Israeli press handle the European Jewish boats? What if the Jewish boats and the supposed Iranian boats meet up and exchange gifts, food, musical instruments, hugs?


This flotilla movement is more fascinating every day.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Phil attempts to chide others for something he's done in the past.

Before Phil recently took up the drumbeat of his latest single issue obsession, (besides his ever-present infatuation with self), Phil ignored on these pages any mention of Israel Palestinian strife.

Now that he's carrying the torch, he expects he should be lauded for something he's not been at all consistent with himself. But now that he's picked up his drum, he thinks that magically gives him the higher ground.

Time to change the name of the 'blog'. The content is less and less about progressive Alaska issues and more and more about Phil and his self-centered self-congratulatory rhapsodizing about his 'achievements' and faux martyrdom.

If one wants to find out about Alaska issues, one won't find any comprehensive or even any barely meaningful insight and/or coverage here.

..

Anonymous said...

Ah. It comes clear. Now I get it.
You are actually personally involved with the Free Gaza and International Solidarity Movements and committed to their mission.

Okay. Thank you for that.
With that meaningful context, your information and perspective make sense now.
I can respect that, even while I don't agree.

Anonymous said...

Will the human rights activists be turning their attention to protesting injustices and inhumanity in Egypt?

Here's an American that took a real beating from Egyptian authorities last week. He's dead.
(warning: extremely graphic)
http://mfatta7.blogspot.com/2010/06/brutal-killing-of-khaled-viewer.html

Egyptian security forces beat the crap out of protestors and then arrested dozens.
www.santacruzsentinel.com/world/ci_15288936

BBC: "Photos of Mr Said's battered face have been circulated in Egypt by human rights activists.
They say his death is evidence that Egypt's emergency law has created a culture of police impunity.
The law, which has been in place for nearly 30 years since the assassination of President Anwar Sadat by an Islamic militant, was recently renewed for a further two years."



hsje.org/Egypt/Egypt%20Today/17EGYPT.html
In fact, it was the same cage - or perhaps a similar one - in the same High Security Court where the Islamist assassins of the previous Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat, had been tried and sent to their executioners some 20 years before. The symbolism was not lost on any of us sitting in the court.
...
In the 1990's, the courts played a crucial role in Mubarak's successful campaign to crush a rebellion by Islamic militants. Thousands of Islamists, alleged Islamists and would-be Islamists were summarily arrested under emergency law and paraded in and out of these courts and their cages, and they continue to be. Even today, between 15,000 and 16,000 Islamists -- not all of them militants -- remain in prison. Many have never been charged or tried. Under Mubarak's emergency laws, his regime is not even obligated to release their names.

Anonymous said...

Americans investigating themselves

Afghan prisoners beaten to death at US military interrogation base
'Blunt force injuries' cited in murder ruling
"The deaths have led to calls for an inquiry into what interrogation techniques are being used at the base where it is believed the al-Qaida leader, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is now also being held. Former prisoners at the base claim that detainees are chained to the ceiling, shackled so tightly that the blood flow stops, kept naked and hooded and kicked to keep them awake for days on end.

The two men, both Afghans, died last December at the US forces base in Bagram, north of Kabul, where prisoners have been held for questioning. The autopsies found they had suffered "blunt force injuries" and classified both deaths as homicides.

A spokesman for the Pentagon said yesterday it was not possible to discuss the details of the case because of the proceeding investigation.
It is believed that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, described as the number three in al-Qaida, is being interrogated at Bagram. Most al-Qaida suspects are being held outside the US which means that they are not entitled to access to the US judicial system.

Two former prisoners at the base, Abdul Jabar and Hakkim Shah, told the New York Times this week that they recalled seeing Dilawar at Bagram. They said that they had been kept naked, hooded and shackled and were deprived of sleep for days on end. Mr Shah said that American guards kicked him to stop him falling asleep and that on one occasion he had been kicked by a woman interrogator, while her male colleague held him in a kneeling position."



Muslim Egyptian Girl Who Converted to Christianity Subjected to Acid Attack
Cairo - 15-year-old Egyptian Muslim-born girl who converted to Christianity, was subjected to an acid attack, the latest in a string of failed attempts by Muslim fanatics against her and her father, 57-year-old Peter Athanasius (Maher el-Gowhary), who converted to Christianity 35 years ago. Several Fatwa's were issued calling for the "spilling of his blood," which makes their lives in constant danger in the face of the reactionaries and advocates for the enforcement of Islamic apostasy laws, which call for the death of a convert.
In June 2009 a Court refused his request to order the Civil Registry to alter his religious designation on his ID to reflect his Christian religion and his Christian name.
The Court ruling said that the religious conversion of a Muslim is against Islamic Sharia law and poses a threat to the "Public Order" in Egypt. He appealed the Court ruling (AINA 6-16-2009)."
In interviews, the girl appealed to President Mubarak to be allowed to leave Egypt in order for them to live normally and for her to continue her education.
"The el-Gowhary family was barred from leaving Egypt on September 17, 2009 without any legal reason. They were told, however, that the order came from a higher authority. To this today, says Maher, he does not know why he is barred from travel and which authority exactly is barring him (AINA 9-26-2009)."
Assyrian International News Agency

Philip Munger said...

I have no way of knowing whether or not the four above anonymous comments are by the same person.

There certainly are a lot of human rights stories out there not covered by PA. I'm glad when commenters here bring them to readers' attention.

On January 30th, I explained why PA spends a lot of space on the issues around Palestinian rights.

Here is a link to the article. Feel free to read it.

Anonymous said...

He covers so called Palestinian rights because he hates Israel.
All you need is connection with terrorists on the Muslim side and you can pretty much cover all the propaganda bases you need.

Anonymous said...

Al Jazeera English's Powerful Documentary on the Gaza Flotilla Seizure


Fair and Balance?

Anonymous said...

Phil, your supposed 'response' doesn't address the lack of Alaska issue coverage on this supposed 'progressive Alaska' so-called 'blog'.

As an aside, while you may think you've responded by attempting to cast doubt on the posts in this thread, the simple truth here is that it's entirely immaterial whether or not the posts were generated by the same poster.

All that said, I can assure you that those posts were not generated by a single poster.

Still missing here is that evidence of 'progressive Alaskans' and/or any evidence of their 'powerful ideas'.

What local or national issues are represented here are miscast, misrepresented or simply falsified and often delusional.

Alaska burns while it's supposed chronicler gazes off into a vicarious fantasy.

Nothing of any substance to see here, move along.

..

Anonymous said...

Phil, your supposed 'response' doesn't address the lack of Alaska issue coverage on this supposed 'progressive Alaska' so-called 'blog'.

As an aside, while you may think you've responded by attempting to cast doubt on the posts in this thread, the simple truth here is that it's entirely immaterial whether or not the posts were generated by the same poster.

All that said, I can assure you that those posts were not generated by a single poster.

Still missing here is that evidence of 'progressive Alaskans' and/or any evidence of their 'powerful ideas'.

What local or national issues are represented here are miscast, misrepresented or simply falsified and often delusional.

Alaska burns while it's supposed chronicler gazes off into a vicarious fantasy.

Nothing of any substance to see here, move along.

..

Anonymous said...

Phil, your supposed 'response' doesn't address the lack of Alaska issue coverage on this supposed 'progressive Alaska' so-called 'blog'.

As an aside, while you may think you've responded by attempting to cast doubt on the posts in this thread, the simple truth here is that it's entirely immaterial whether or not the posts were generated by the same poster.

All that said, I can assure you that those posts were not generated by a single poster.

Still missing here is that evidence of 'progressive Alaskans' and/or any evidence of their 'powerful ideas'.

What local or national issues are represented here are miscast, misrepresented or simply falsified and often delusional.

Alaska burns while it's supposed chronicler gazes off into a vicarious fantasy.

Nothing of any substance to see here, move along.

..

Anonymous said...

Phil, your supposed 'response' doesn't address the lack of Alaska issue coverage on this supposed 'progressive Alaska' so-called 'blog'.

As an aside, while you may think you've responded by attempting to cast doubt on the posts in this thread, the simple truth here is that it's entirely immaterial whether or not the posts were generated by the same poster.

All that said, I can assure you that those posts were not generated by a single poster.

Still missing here is that evidence of 'progressive Alaskans' and/or any evidence of their 'powerful ideas'.

What local or national issues are represented here are miscast, misrepresented or simply falsified and often delusional.

Alaska burns while it's supposed chronicler gazes off into a vicarious fantasy.

Nothing of any substance to see here, move along.

..

Anonymous said...

Phil, your supposed 'response' doesn't address the lack of Alaska issue coverage on this supposed 'progressive Alaska' so-called 'blog'.

As an aside, while you may think you've responded by attempting to cast doubt on the posts in this thread, the simple truth here is that it's entirely immaterial whether or not the posts were generated by the same poster.

All that said, I can assure you that those posts were not generated by a single poster.

Still missing here is that evidence of 'progressive Alaskans' and/or any evidence of their 'powerful ideas'.

What local or national issues are represented here are miscast, misrepresented or simply falsified and often delusional.

Alaska burns while it's supposed chronicler gazes off into a vicarious fantasy.

Nothing of any substance to see here, move along.

..

Anonymous said...

and you ought to fix your comment process, it's quite evidently as dysfunctional as your self-generated tropes.

..

Anonymous said...

Does the "benign intent" of the participants include planning to throw Israeli soldiers overboard? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSYjuDEZw1w&feature=player_embedded