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Irish fury over Israeli raid

APRIL DREW,

Irish Central Staff Writer

Published Thursday, June 3, 2010, 3:37 PM

Updated Friday, June 4, 2010, 8:07 AM

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She said it was necessary for the vessel to complete its mission “to assure the people of Gaza the world does care.”

She added, “Their port has been closed for over 40 years. With 1.5 million people, it’s like the population of Northern Ireland, totally cut off from the world by this inhumane illegal siege of Gaza. Their borders are closed. There is a shortage of medicines.

“Could you imagine if that happened to the 1.5 million people in Northern Ireland? The world would be absolutely crying out that this stop immediately.”

Labor Foreign Affairs spokesman Michael D Higgins called on the government to demand safe passage for the Rachel Corrie.

“The minister for foreign affairs must make it clear that any assault on the Rachel Corrie would be regarded as a hostile act against Ireland and a clear breach of international law that could not be ignored by this country,” he said.

Fiachra O’Luain, 27-year-old Donegal-born candidate in last year’s European elections, was one of three Irish people on board one of the lead ships which traveled in the first wave of the flotilla when it encountered Israeli naval commandos.

His father, Joseph Bangert, who lives in Brewster, Cape Cod, said initially that while information was hard to come by, he had heard unconfirmed reports that his son was wounded and taken into custody by the Israelis.

His father added in an RTE interview that when he eventually saw the Israeli defense film of the arrest he could see his son was walking. “He had two arms and two legs and his head was still there so I was very happy,” he said.

O’Luain, who is held in a detention camp, plans to contest his deportation from Israel.

His father said, “I'm scared for Fiachra but I am also proud of him. My son is heroic.”

Flotilla organizers eventually reported that all Irish in the convoy were unhurt.

Fintan Lane, a 42-year-old Dublin book publisher who was also planning to contest his deportation, received praise from his family.

His Cork-based father Jim said, “I am proud of my son, not only for going on this solidarity mission to Gaza, but also for refusing deportation.

“He is making a point that Israel should have no control over who enters Gaza. He has done nothing wrong and I support him.”

Late on Sunday night, in his final blog posting before communications were cut, Lane wrote, “Tension is mounting among the passengers. Everyone is wearing their lifejackets and preparing for an Israeli attack.”

Demonstrations were held across Ireland on Monday evening after the flotilla raid. More than 1,700 attended Dublin’s protest, including Lord Mayor Emer Costello, when demonstrators marched from the city-centre to the Israeli Embassy in Ballsbridge.

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Kurmudgeon | Jun 21, 2010, 11:44 PM EDT

What a bunch of purient hipocritss, so what! I've taken the chieftans, derek bell,enya, tommy maken et al cds and used my colt 1911 to relieve my stess. I'll burn seamus h, and yeats and have a barbacue. Oh my, arn't I a judeonazi. Well, from your lips to G-d's ears. There's no pope here, I wish I could return the favor for the rachael roadkill and send "humanitarin" aid to the men of Ulster. You Irisher f**ks! You are in range of the Jericho IV! Maybe you can take the arab rapists and settle them in Limerick. No Jews there. Ha Ha.

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DennisQ | Jun 07, 2010, 12:43 AM EDT

Support for the Israelis comes from people who believe that Israel has the right to two classes of citizenship: first class for Jews; and second class for Arabs. This, in a country that was appropriated from Arabs and is surrounded by Arabs. No wonder the so-called "Jewish state" has unique difficulties staying out of trouble with its neighbors. Zionism is racism.

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killowen | Jun 06, 2010, 07:37 PM EDT

US of Israel Games - sheep awake In June 1953, when the first United States intervention to crush the Islamic Revolution in defense of its own interests and those of its close ally the United Kingdom took place, which resulted in Mohammed Reza Pahlevi assuming power, Israel was a small state that had not yet seized almost all of Palestinian territory, part of Syria and more than a small part of neighboring Jordan, defended up until then by the Arab Legion, of which not a trace remained. Today the hundreds of rockets with nuclear warheads, supported by the most modern aircraft supplied by the United States, are threatening the security of all the states of the region, Arab and non-Arab, Muslim and non-Muslim, that are in the reach of the wide radius of action of Israeli missiles, which could fall within a few meters of their objectives.

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killowen | Jun 06, 2010, 07:35 PM EDT

US of Israel Games - testing brain matter Last Sunday, May 30, when I wrote the Reflection "The Empire and drugs," the brutal attack on the flotilla transporting provisions, medicines and other items for the one and a half million Palestinians besieged in a small fragment of what was their own homeland for thousands of years, had not yet taken place. The vast majority of people invest their time in and struggle to confront the necessities that life imposes upon them, including food, the right to recreation and study, and other vital problems of their closest family members; they do not have time to search for information about what is happening on the planet. They can be found anywhere, with noble expressions on their face, trusting that others will take charge of finding solutions to the problems overwhelming them. They are capable of rejoicing and laughing. Thus, they bring happiness to those of us who have the privilege of observing with equanimity the realities threatening us all.

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seanomelbourne | Jun 06, 2010, 07:14 PM EDT

gardengal the ships were not bound for Israel they were bound for Gaza where Israeli storm-troopers block basic commodities from entering. Gaza is not Israel.

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gardengal | Jun 06, 2010, 04:23 PM EDT

Isreal has the right to defend it self like every other Country on this earth. Would Ireland the U.S. or Turkey let ships come into there Country with out inspecting them. I dont think so, so why should Isreal. They have a history of being terroized more than any other country.

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shuvonn | Jun 06, 2010, 09:32 AM EDT

So some of you think Irish people need to stay home and look after our own problems in Ireland and not be interfering in Israels? By the same token does that mean we Irish should be saying to the US to stay out of Iraq and Pakistan? You should maybe have also stayed out of Korea and Vietnam? And starlet:Israel used selective footage of the attack on the vessel in International waters. The numbers of dead Turkish and one dead US citizen speaks more of what really happened as opposed to what Israel is selectively showing. There were no weapons on those vessels. There is dispute of the IDF account of 9 dead as many more are missing and 34 are hospitalized with 9 seriously wounded. And the blockade IS illegal as per the UN. 4 of the dead were shot execution style. SO IF you choose to believe the IDF's account so be it, but the facts speak for themselves...

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DennisQ | Jun 06, 2010, 06:03 AM EDT

I don't agree that America's in any kind of vise with regards to Israel. All we have to do is drop them as a friend. And we're certainly headed in that direction as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement spreads beyond churches and colleges. Secondly, American Jews will refuse to stay in bed with Christian fundamentalists who have always despised them. It's a completely unnatural alliance that's falling apart as we speak. The Dump Israel movement is gaining momentum.

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seanomelbourne | Jun 05, 2010, 07:55 PM EDT

Peterson!! check with Fox news are you crazy are you still in junior school.

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killowen | Jun 05, 2010, 05:47 PM EDT

America is now in a vise that will destroy 'em. No rocket scientist stuff - the cancer is eating into its very marrow. What are they telling Obama to mouth at this juncture. A spock figure scared out of his gourd. Were it not for the Irish the US of A would not exist. Those ignorant posters haven't a clue. 14 signers of declaration of independence. Brit parliament bemoaning the loss of their American colony due to their treatment of their Irish neighbor. Having no history of their own the Amerikansis in time began to cling to Mother and began to pass along whatever ridicule that was employed on a people long yearning to be free - 800 years worth. Oh say can you see.

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peterson | Jun 05, 2010, 02:40 PM EDT

All Israel wants to do is check these ships for weapons, ie. firearms, rockets, etc. They certainly have a right do do that. Those boarding the ships did so only after these ships refused to stop. Don't believe every thing the "controlled" media reports. Check with Fox news or Reuter's.

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killowen | Jun 05, 2010, 01:15 PM EDT

The NUT'N'YAHOO, Israeli Pirate head, teams up with Somalian Pirates but with a twist. This nut and his g-dly connected, assisted by their Great Kihuna backer aim to keep imprisoned Gazans from the basic aid that they are in dire need of. Facts such as this will be pretzel twisted by their minions who manage their goy flock with consumate ease. Having given us a god named Jesus it would be natural for us believe we are dealing with a g-dly people. Our Zion Masters. No one dare complain. Three our fathers and three hails should keep the sheep from going beserk as the Germans demonstrated in the past century.

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DennisQ | Jun 05, 2010, 02:48 AM EDT

The courage of the Irish shines through in the face of Israel's guns. This incident was never about Israel's self-defense; it was always about saving face. The Irish are a humanitarian, generous people; the Israelis are neither. The whole world clearly sees the difference.

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seanomelbourne | Jun 04, 2010, 11:16 PM EDT

let me out of here it's full of zionist apologist's. piracy is ok if your mates are the pirates.

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Starlet | Jun 04, 2010, 10:16 PM EDT

In this instance, I don't see Israel as having been wrong. The people who were assaulting these Israeli soldiers who were trying to inspect this aid-bearing ship are closely related, and obviously in sympathy, with those who feel they are obligated to kill Israelis and destroy The land of Israel.

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