לדעתי הצהלות הן מסיבה אחרת – הסיפור עם המאווי מרמרה נחשב בצה״ל לכישלון מבצעי והסברתי, ברוך נוראי שהשאיר אחריו טראומה בכל המערכת. מה שאתה שומע עכשיו זאת אנחת רווחה קולקטיבית – הפעם לא נכשלנו בשרוכי נעלינו ונפלנו על הפרצוף. י

טום לרר נהג לומר, בהקדמה לשירו"send the marines", שלינדון ג'ונסון התנסה ב"Escalatio", בהקשר למלחמת ויאטנם. המונח, שילוב של Escalation – הסלמה, וFellatio – מציצה, נועד לתאר את ההנאה הכמו-מינית שהצמרת המדינית בארה"ב זכתה לה כתוצאה מההסלמה במלחמותיה הקולוניאליסטיות. אני חושב שביטוי דומה יוכל להתאים במקרה שלנו, בוודאי בתור תשובה לשאלתך "מה יעמוד לנו".

אף מילה על זה שממשלת ישראל סוף סוף עושה מה שאתה דורש שנים? מפסיקה את הסבסוד ל"עוד יוסף חי"?

השנה זוהי כבר פעם רביעית שנציגי מפלגות ימין מתחככים בעמיתיהם מתנועות ימין אירופאיות (שלא לומר קיצוניות). פעם ראשונה היה וילדרס, אחר כך איוב קרא ביקר את יורשו של היידר, אח"כ ברה"מ ביתם אירחו את NDA הרוסית. מקווה לראות את אריה אלדד המחבק את גאבור וונה עוד השנה.

לא בדיוק השתלטות לא אלימה, כדאי לתקן את המאמר לאור מידע שהשתחרר בינתיים:

Letter from Canadian Gaza Freedom activist in prison in Israel

I write to you from cell 9 of the Apartheid State of Israel

Dear sisters and brothers, friends and loved ones,

I write to you from cell 9, block 59 Givon Prison near Ramla in Occupied Palestine. Although I was tasered during the assault on the Tahrir, and bruised during forcible removal dockside (I am limping slightly as a result) I am basically ok. We, Ehab, Michael, Karen from Tahrir, as well as Karen, Kit (US) and Jihan who we saw briefly this morning. We are most concerned about our Tahrir shipmate, Palestinian Majd Kayyal from Haifa, last seen by us at Ashdod being photographed and put in a police car.*

Although Michael and I (among others) were transported in handcuffs and leg shackles, let me stress that we are neither criminals nor illegal immigrants but rather political prisoners of the apartheid state of Israel. Four from the Tahrir are imprisoned with 12 Irish comrades from the Saoirse, who have more experience with such issues. The four of us, Ehab and I (Cdn), Michael (Aus) and Hassan (UK) have joined with the Irish in their political prisoners' committee in order to press our collective demands:

association in the block – i.e. open cells
adequate writing and reading material
free communication with outside world – i.e. regular phone calls
information about shipmate women held at same prison

We add one Tahrir-specific demand: that Israeli state recognize the professional status of Democracy Now journalist Jihan Hafiz in accordance with her credentials from the US government. All political incarceration is unjust but let me stress that in duration and conditions, our situation pales in comparison to the plight of thousands of Palestinian political prisoners and to the open air prison of Gaza.

If you have energy to devote to solidarity actions in the coming days, please concentrate on them. We must get Tahrir back and hope Freedom Waves continue.
Free Majd Kayyal! Free all political prisoners! Free Gaza! Free Palestine!

Anishnabe-debuewin, restons humaine, stay human, in love and struggle,

David

* Majd Kayyal was released, but it appears David the other political prisoners weren't told where he was taken.

וגם:

Latest update on the Freedom Waves to Gaza Boats November 6, 2011

take over of the Tahrir and the Saoirse was violent and dangerous. Despite very clear protests from the occupants of the two boats that they did not want to be taken to Israel, they were forcibly removed from the boats in a violent manner. The whole take over took about 3 hours. Many of those on the Canadian boat were beaten.

It began with Israeli forces hosing down the boats with high pressure hoses and pointing guns at the passengers through the windows. Fintan Lane, on the Saoirse, was hosed down the stairs of the boat. Windows where smashed and the bridge of that boat nearly caught fire. The boats were corralled to such an extent that the two boats, the Saoirse and the Tahrir collided with each and were damaged, with most of the damage happening to the MV Saoirse. The boats nearly sunk, the method used in the take over was very dangerous.

The Israeli forces initially wanted to leave the boats at sea but the abductees demanded that they not be left to float unmanned at sea, for they would have been lost and possibly sunk. David Heap, a Canadian delegate, was tasered and beaten. All belongings of the passengers were taken off them and crew and they still do not know if and what they will get back. 6 prisoners were released-both of the Greek Captains, 2 of the journalists and 2 delegates. The passengers remain in Givon detention center and many, including Kit Kittredge of the U.S., have not been able to make phone calls.

Those remaining are being asked to sign deportation papers which state that they came into Israel illegally and that they will not attempt another effort to break the Gaza blockade. If they sign they will not be allowed into Palestine, through Israel, for 10 years. Obviously their goal was to go to Gaza not Israel, and a signature could validate Israel's right to blockade Gaza, so they refuse to sign. This will mean longer detention. Their continued detention is designed to force them to agree to abandon their legal rights and has nothing to do with the security of Israeli civilians – just like the blockade of Gaza's civilians is clearly punitive and has nothing to do with the security of Israeli civilians

Our State Department has not been an advocate for its citizens. They would rather join Israel in stating that we are terrorists. Obama on Thursday said the passengers on these boats are defying Israeli and American law. He must have been confused. It's the other way around. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the U.S. was renewing its call to Americans "not to involve themselves in this activity," and warned of possible consequences.

WE NEED ALL OF YOU TO GET ON THE PHONE TODAY AND CALL:

U.S. Emergency Consular Services 202-647-4000
and the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv 011-972-3-519-7575

Tell them you want them to insist Israel free the prisoners immediately and end its siege of Gaza.

Just a few phone calls can make a difference.

Thanks for all you do.

Jane Hirschmann and Felice Gelman

———————

Please distribute this press release:

For Immediate Release:

November 6, 2011

Contact: Felice Gelman 917-912-2597

Passengers on boats to Gaza beaten, denied visits by lawyers and access to families;

misled by U.S. consular authorities

Although Freedom Waves to Gaza organizers have not yet had direct communication with the people taken into custody by Israeli armed forces as they tried to peacefully sail to Gaza last week, information is emerging that Israeli armed forces tactics in confronting the non-violent activists have been violent and dangerous. This despite claims from the IDF spokesperson that "every precaution will be taken for the safety of the activists."

Prisoners include U.S. citizen Kit Kittredge, a delegate on the Tahrir from Quilcene, WA, and Jihan Hafiz, a U.S. citizen and journalist from Democracy Now, the national news program. Both have been advised by the U.S. consul in Israel to sign an Israeli deportation agreement. Both have refused because the statement says they came into Israel illegally and will not attempt another effort to break the Gaza blockade. Both statements are untrue.

A letter from Canadian David Heap, smuggled from the Givon prison, states that he was tasered and beaten when the Israeli Navy attacked the Tahrir. Irish prisoner, Fintan Lane, in a telephone call from Givon prison, reported that the takeover of the Saoirse was also violent. The Tahrir and the Saoirse were forced by Israeli warships to crash into each other, crippling both ships.

Palestinian Israeli Mad Kayal, a delegate aboard the Tahrir, who was arrested and released confirms these reports. "As a Palestinian, I was not surprised at how the IDF treated us," said Kayal, after his release, noting this kind of abuse is a daily reality for the 1.5 million people of Gaza, who are indefinitely detained in an open-air prison. "However, for the Canadians and other Westerners onboard, it was a complete shock."

"Israeli brutality and the unnecessary use of force against non-violent protests are well documented. What has happened to the passengers on the Tahrir and the Saoirse is just a tiny fraction of the daily abuse directed at Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank as part of Israel's occupation policy," said U.S. coordinator Jane Hirschmann. "Nonetheless, all people – Palestinians under occupation and peace activists kidnapped and imprisoned – have human rights under international law that civilized governments must respect. The purpose of the boats' voyage to Gaza was to demonstrate that Israel continually violates those laws, and that the U.S. government cares more about Israel than about its own citizens."

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קראתי את האנגלית. הכותבים משחקים בלהיות לוחמי מחתרת, צ'ה גווארה מגן הילדים. מתנהגים כאדונים לבנים בעולם הילידים. ספק אם בכלא אמריקאי או קנדי הם היו מקימים ועדות מגישים מחאות ובכלל. הכי מעניין ומאלף: עמירה הס, ציונית מילטריסטית ידועה, כתבה שהדבר הטוב ביותר שפרוגרסיב קנדי יכול לעשות זה לחזור לאירופה ולפנות מקום לילידים. מה קורה בארה"ב כיבוש וול סטיריט וכ"ו ידוע. מה בכלל הכסילים הללו עושים כאן? לפנינו התחמקות בוטה מעבודה קשה בבית לשיוטים בים התיכון ולזיבולי שכל על כביכול אלימות ישראלית. שיטפלו במחלות הקשות של ארצותיהם, כולל אירלנד.