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Israelis threaten Gaza Flotilla with Irish rugby player Trevor Hogan aboard

Hogan urged to abandon protest before ships sail from Greece

CATHAL DERVAN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Monday, June 27, 2011, 7:36 AM

Updated Monday, June 27, 2011, 9:40 AM

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Ship from last year's flotilla being boarded by the Israeli army

Israel has warned that it will halt the latest foreign aid flotilla heading for Gaza – with former Irish rugby star Trevor Hogan on board.

Hogan, capped four times before a knee injury ended his professional career last year, is one of 30 Irish people aboard the Saoirse boat aiming to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

The Saoirse is one of 10 ships aiming to break through the sea blockade and bring much needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

Fellow rugby stars Gordon D’Arcy, Eoin Reddan and John Fogarty have publicly supported Hogan’s mission, 12 months after the Israeli attacks on a previous flotilla left nine protestors dead.

“The injustices there are something I slowly became aware of. I can see the parallels with Palestinian history and Irish history,” said Hogan, now on board the Saoirse as it prepares to set sail for Gaza from Greece on Tuesday.

“What has happened to the Palestinian people is unjust and we are hoping to provide humanitarian aid as part of a peaceful mission.”

Israeli authorities have confirmed that their defense forces have been ordered to stop the maritime convoy reaching Gaza.

Foreign media has been warned that all equipment will be impounded and any journalist arrested will be banned from entering Israel for 10 years.

The Foreign Press Association has condemned the Israeli threat to journalists.

“Journalists covering a legitimate news event should be allowed to do their jobs without threats and intimidation,” said the Association in their statement.

“This move sends a chilling message to the international media and raises serious questions about Israel’s commitment to freedom of the press.”

Up to 500 activists are expected to board the 10 ship convoy before it leaves Greece for Gaza tomorrow.

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Rugby stars add weight to Ireland’s Gaza aid flotilla efforts

Irish Government will press Israel on Gaza humanitarian aid flotilla

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Greek authorities have refused permission for a number of the vessels, including American ship Audacity of Hope, to set sail.

The biggest ship in the flotilla, the Turkish Mavi Marmara, pulled out earlier this month. Nine Turkish activists aboard the Mavi Marmara were killed in May of last year when Israeli commandos stormed the Gaza-bound vessel.

Israeli forces are on high alert as they bid to stop the flotilla amid government promises that all humanitarian aid will be allowed to enter Gaza via land crossings.

A Dublin politician has called on the Irish activists to abandon their protest and return home.

Labor Party councilor Richard Humphreys appealed to the Irish protestors aboard the Saoirse to heed the warnings of the UN and President Barack Obama and stay at home.

“Ultra left politicians such as Dún Laoghaire Rathdown county councilor Cllr Hugh Lewis, and Paul Murphy MEP, would be fulfilling their duties better if they stayed at home and attended to their constituents, rather than heading off for this ill-advised Mediterranean cruise,” said Humphreys.

“This is not just my opinion. This flotilla is in defiance of the call by the secretary general of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, that such flotillas should be discouraged, and blocked by member states, as they may only provide a focus for violence.

“President Obama’s administration, and Hillary Clinton in particular, has made the same appeal to call off this flotilla.

“I fully support the call by our party leader Eamon Gilmore that all sides must avoid the completely unjustified violence associated with the last flotilla.”

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shuvonn | Nov 07, 2011, 11:56 AM EST

BishopSean: Why did israel agree to those very 67 border when they signed the Oslo Accords only to go back on them. AGAIN I quote * In a 2001 video, Netanyahu, reportedly unaware he was being recorded, said: "They asked me before the election if I'd honor [the Oslo Accords]," "I said I would, but ... I'm going to interpret the accords in such a way that would allow me to put an end to this galloping forward to the '67 borders. How did we do it? Nobody said what defined military zones were. Defined military zones are security zones; as far as I'm concerned, the entire Jordan Valley is a defined military zone. Go argue.* That the kind of TAQQIYA you are referring to? OR is that man just a LIAR? You also claim that israel did not begin the 67 campaign, again you LIE and I quote *The Six Day War began with a preemtive attack by Israel on the 5th of June 1967. While the blockade by Egypt of the Gulf of Aqaba (announced on May 22nd 1967) provided the immediate trigger, "the blockage was only one part of a buildup against Israel that had gone on for more than a year" (Tigay, 1980).* You DO know that pre-emptive means israel struck first? SO stop your LIES !!

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shuvonn | Nov 07, 2011, 11:50 AM EST

BishopSean, Goldstone did no such thing, I do hate to have to break it to ya. And I QUOTE *The findings of the committee headed by New York Judge Mary McGowan Davis, which tracked the implementation of the recommendations in the Goldstone report, were published last month. According to Goldstone, the McGowan Davis report findings indicate that Israel did not have an explicit policy of causing intentional harm to civilians. This is the "retraction" everyone is rejoicing over. However, reading the final UN report reveals that the committee didn't come anywhere near that conclusion. On the contrary. The committee states repeatedly that according to the information presented to it, "Israel does not appear to have conducted a general review of doctrine regarding military targets" (i.e. Israel did not discuss at all on which targets it is legitimate to open fire and on which it is not ). Perhaps IF israel co-operated rather than blocked access to real information the findings might have been different. TAQQIYA is what YOU are engaging in or perhaps just LYING???

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seanomelbourne | Jul 10, 2011, 07:17 PM EDT

Your full of baloney BishopSean,you condone the murder of innocent Palestinian children. you keep dodging the truth and relying on semantics to justify your your pro Israeli stance.

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BishopSean | Jul 10, 2011, 09:10 AM EDT

Seanomelbourne, kindly look to Youtube to see personally how British Col. Kemp before the UN HR Commission refuted similar charges in the UN Goldstone Report—following which Goldstone himself debunked the report bearing his name, once he finally realized it was based on intentional misinformation by Hamas that he had unfortunately believed. This is TAQQIYA in action, Seán. Col. Kemp, a respected seasoned veteran, says the Israeli Army is the most moral in the world, based on his research. Why should we discard Col. Kemp's objective views, Seán? Regards.

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seanomelbourne | Jul 09, 2011, 07:54 PM EDT

Biasop Sean!! The last major carpet bombing of Gaza.I do not read the NYT or do I speak french. You are scraping the bottom of the barrel to justify the murder of Palestinians.Be honest and admit you condone the murder of Palestinians. Maybe you should change your name to Rabbi Johannes.

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BishopSean | Jul 09, 2011, 03:05 PM EDT

Also, Seanomelbourne, kindly look to http://infobot.com/youtube/watch?v=NX6vyT8RzMo&feature=player_embedded to see how British Col. Kemp before the UN refuted similar charges in the UN Goldstone Report—following which Goldstone himself debunked the report bearing his name, once he finally realized it was based on intentional misinformation by Hamas that he had unfortunately believed. This is TAQQIYA in action, Seán. Col. Kemp, a seasoned veteran, says the Israeli Army is the most moral in the world, based on his research. Regards.

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BishopSean | Jul 09, 2011, 02:58 PM EDT

Also, Seanomelbourne, kindly look to http://infobot.com/youtube/watch?v=NX6vyT8RzMo&feature=player_embedded to see how highly respected British Col. Kemp refuted similar charges in the UN Goldstone Report—following which testimony, Goldstone himself debunked the report bearing his name, once he finally realized it was based on intentional misinformation fed to him by Hamas that he had unfortunately believed. This is TAQQIYA in action, Seán. Why, specifically, should we not believe Col. Kemp, Sean? I think he studied the matter in greater detail than both of us, perhaps. Regards.

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BishopSean | Jul 09, 2011, 02:52 PM EDT

Hi, Seanomelbourone. I can understand why you might be persuaded that Israelis murder children because such stories are sometimes carried in Western news sources such as New York Times, the Guardian, and TIME magazine. Fortunately, over time, these stories are being systematically debunked. For example, remember the infamous story aired first on FRANCE 2, about 12-year old Muhammed al-Durah? As it turns out the boy was killed in a gun battle between Palestinian factions in Gaza in 2000. Some fair-minded Frenchmen took FRANCE2 to court and FRANCE2 was found guilty of intentionally airing staged footage to make it look as though it had been an Israeli war crime. So, I look for reliable evidence. Could you produce some specific reliable evidence of cases of where Israeli soldiers killed Palestinian children with impunity while their government stood by as “guilty bystanders?” Please do and I will gladly research, fully expecting to be able to rebut.

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seanomelbourne | Jul 08, 2011, 08:22 PM EDT

Bishop Sean to state that Israel is in favour of a two state solution is mischievious if not a blatant misrepresentation of the facts on the ground.Israel wants a psuedo state still under it's control with no universal rights for a Palestinian democratic state.If your premise is correct why is not the occupied west bank a seperate and free state. Israel wishes to formulate all the rules on how sucvh a state should be run.You seem to have a problem in condemning Israeli murders by spouting that age old get out clause"murder is wrong regardless of who commits it".have the integrity to go that one step further and state thet the murder of Palestinian children by the Terrorist Israeli state is wrong.

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BishopSean | Jul 08, 2011, 02:42 AM EDT

Hi, seanomelbourne. What I am hoping you will see is that (1)murder is wrong, no matter who does it (2) Israel has a right to defend itself when attacked from Gaza, which Israel ceded in good faith on promises of peace (3) Israel is in favour of a two-state solution, while Hamas is not so far (4) the violence can end as early as the Hamas leadership stop their violence. (5) Different but complementary interests of each party can be the source of greatest joint gains. Regards.

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seanomelbourne | Jul 07, 2011, 09:00 PM EDT

BishopSean Thank you for agreeing with me in your "roundabout fashion"re sinai.But your tacit approval of the desruction of palestine has not gone unnoticed.

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BishopSean | Jul 07, 2011, 12:04 PM EDT

Dea-Lá, seanomelbourne. Re yr point the Sinai return to Egypt—this was not an Arab war victory. it was a principled settlement with Israel. Despite original surprise attacks by Egypt and Syria, Israeli troops reached within 40 km from Damascus and 101km from Cairo. This negotiated settlement had brilliant inputs from the Harvard U. Program on Negotation’s pioneers. During seemingly intractable dispute over Sinai, negotiators concluded that Israelis cared more about security, while Egyptians were more concerned about sovereignty. Solution was to establish a demilitarized buffer zone under Egyptian flag rather than continue a vain zero-sum search over where to draw the boundary line in the sand. In other words, both sides could agree mutually that if Egypt would keep there tanks, etc., out of Sinai, Israel would remove the Israeli flags and control over Sinai. They decided that different but complementary interests of each party can be source of greatest joint gains.

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seanomelbourne | Jul 06, 2011, 09:00 PM EDT

Bishop sean!! To state that Israeli's who murder innocent Palestinians are charged with the offence really beggars belief,if that were the case hundreds of soldiers/airmen would have been charged.The few who are charged are usually accquitted with a rap on the knuckles or a light custodial sentence given,I believe it's called "tokenism". The return of the Sinai was predicated by the "Yon Kippur War" .The Israeli's were suprised that the arabs could launch such an attack and win. The sinai was then negotiated between the protagonists and a settlement insued. You know very well that thousands of Palestinians have been murdered b the IDF over the last 10yrs. You are also aware of Israeli land grabs .What would you have the Palestinians do? Accept the polish style ghetto experience foisted upon them by a terrorist state?

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BishopSean | Jul 06, 2011, 01:13 PM EDT

Update: Governments of UK, France, Canada, Cyprus, Greece, Italy & Australia have come out against this flotilla. Memebers of the Quarted, USA, UN, European Union & Russia, urged anyone wishing to deliver goods to Gaza to do so through established channels so their cargo can be inspected and transferred via established land crossings. Nor has the Flotilla received international legitimacy from the UN Secretary General, the UN Security Council, the European Union and the Group of 27 Council. Even pro-Palestinian activist and Dutch journalist Asna El Maroudi withdrew when her boat's organizers failed to provide her with a list of who would be sailing as well as the source of the trip´s funding. May reason prevaiil.

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BishopSean | Jul 06, 2011, 12:11 PM EDT

Hi, seanomelborne. Sorry for delay in responding to dialogue. I'm rushed but please consider (1) international press is frequently incorrect in reporting on this sensitive issue, (2) murder is murder no matter who is the perp. Israel normally hauls offenders, soldiers or civilians, before a court of law for alleged murders of Palestinians. When have Palestinians done likewise when Jews are murdered, especially targeted civilians? (3) I do not believe Hamas has yet rescinded their demand that Israel must be eliminated from the Land. If they ever said that, to date, I would expect they are practising the Muslim principle of TAQQIYA, which allows them to lie in order to advance the cause of Islam. They will try to get property by diplomatic means (like Gaza) promising peace, but then.... (4) Israel was the victor in a just war and ceded the Sinai peninsula and then Gaza. They have shown great flexibility. But their Muslim neighbours, who consider them (and us other non-muslims) to be the "house of war," because we are not of the House of Submission (Islam)--what good faith offer have they made and honoured?

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