In Wake of Flotilla Tragedy, J Street Urges Stronger US Leadership to End Conflict Now Take Action Posted: May 31, 2010
.. not keen on the headline which could be seen to imply that stronger US leadership might have avoided this .. anyway ..
Today, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement upon reports .. http://www.jstreet.org/blog/?p=1094 .. of an IDF clash with the Gaza Flotilla:
"J Street is deeply shocked and saddened by reports that at least 10 civilians have been killed and dozens more wounded (including Israeli soldiers) this morning as Israel intercepted a naval convoy bringing humanitarian supplies and construction materials to the Gaza Strip.
"We express our condolences to the families of those killed and we wish the injured a full and speedy recovery. We hope that leaders on all sides will take immediate steps to ensure that this incident does not escalate into a broader round of violence – in Israel, in Gaza, or in the region. There will undoubtedly be calls in the coming days for a UN investigation into today’s events.
"A credible, independent commission appointed by the Israeli government should provide the world with a full and complete report into the causes and circumstances surrounding the day’s events and establish responsibility for the violence and bloodshed.
"This shocking outcome of an effort to bring humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza is in part a consequence of the ongoing, counterproductive Israeli blockade of Gaza. J Street has been and continues to be opposed to the blockade – believing that there are better ways to ensure Israel’s security and to prevent weapons smuggling than a complete closure of the Gaza Strip.
"We do not know yet what the impact of today’s incident will be on the just-restarted peace process, on Israel’s relations with the international community, or on the health of Arab-Jewish relations within Israel itself.
"We do know, however, that today is one more nail in the coffin for hopes of ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict peacefully and diplomatically and for preserving Israel’s Jewish and democratic character. We urge President Obama and other international and regional leaders to take today’s terrible news as an opportunity to engage even more forcefully in immediate efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
Critical letter circulating now in the Senate Take Action Posted: May 27, 2010
Huge news for our movement - Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) just started circulating a sign on letter in the Senate supporting recently launched Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks and the Administration's bold leadership towards a two-state solution.
With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu coming to Washington on Tuesday to meet President Obama and the Administration approaching a critical decision in the coming months about how strongly they'll pursuepeace, this is EXACTLY the right time for our movement to stand up strong in support of Feinstein's pro-Israel, pro-peace letter.
Ah, finally, on one 7am news just now. Rudd has joined world leaders in expressing deep sorrow re the event, but Israel has remained defiant, claiming they had acted in self defense. That was it.
A reporter and producer for the Arabic news organization Al Jazeera who was on board the Gaza-bound aid flotilla during Monday's deadly raid gave a firsthand account of the grisly scene aboard the ship to the network Thursday.
According to Jamal ElShayyal's account of the raid, the Israeli military had fired on the Mavi Marmara before boarding the ship. "It was evident there was definitely fire from the air, because one of the people who was killed was clearly shot from above -- he was shot, the bullet targeted him at the top of his head," ElShayyal said. "There was also fire coming from the sea as well." This account differs from the one given by the Israeli military.
The reporter also describes being mistreated by officials alongside other civilians before his Thursday release [dated June 3, 2010].
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