Green Party Watch

This video is getting a LOT of play in Israel and around the world. Cynthia McKinney calls WBAIX from Israeli prison. She and 20 others where detained after being seized by Israeli Navy while in international waters. They were attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. To watch live updates, interviews, protests go to http://www.livestream.com/wbaix

(HT: Craig Seeman)

Fox News, the first of the corporate media to begin covering the saga of the Spirit of Humanity, carries a piece by David Lewkowict titled “Cynthia Mckinney Does it Again”. Fox News is also carrying a legitimate news piece which points out, as reported here earlier today, that McKinney and the rest are free to leave if they sign a statement that they violated Israeli territorial waters.

Former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney and several other human rights activists remain in an Israeli prison after refusing to sign a deportation form that they claim is self-incriminating.

An article by Kent A. Miles at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution quotes a Washington DC based Israeli spokesman Jonathan Peled saying that preparations are being made to deport the activists.

“It is taking slightly longer. Former congresswoman McKinney is not cooperating with the authorities” and refusing to sign a document acknowledging deportation, he said.

“It’ll take a couple more days before she is put on a plane and flown out of Israel,”

Latest news on the McKinney front:

About an hour ago an associate of Cynthia McKinney spoke with an official at the American Embassy in Tel Aviv who stated that Cynthia McKinney and the other 20 human rights activists can be released from prison if they sign a statement of guilt in violating Israel’s territorial waters, which of course they are refusing to sign.

Apparently Israeli law states that if the 21 do not sign the admission of guilt they must be held for 3 days before the Israeli Government can either choose to release them or continue to detain them.

A petition calling for the release of Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and the other 20 people aboard the Spirit of Humanity when it was seized by the Israeli Defense Force has been posted to a webpage maintained by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

Passengers and crew abducted from international waters by the Israeli navy include:

US Campaign Advisory Board member, Huwaida Arraf; Former U.S. Congresswoman, Cynthia McKinney, Irish Nobel Peace Laurate, Mairead Maguire; al-Jazeera journalists Othman Abufalah and Mansour Al-Abi; Khalad Abdelkader; Khaled Al-Shenoo; Fatima Al-Attawi; Juhaina Alqaed; Ishmahil Blagrove; Kaltham Ghloom; Derek Graham; Alex Harrison; Denis Healey; Fathi Jaouadi; Lubna Masarwa; Theresa McDermott; Adnan Mormesh; Adam Qvist; Adam Shapiro; Kathy Sheetz

H/T to On The Wilder Side for the link.

In a posting to a webpage at her official MySpace page, reports of conversations between Cynthia McKinney and WBAIX reporter Don DeBar and her Press Secretary from her 2008 presidential bid, John Judge are posted.

Cynthia McKinney was able to get a call out to a colleague, Don Debar, she sends a message that she is fine, keep calling, faxing and emailing. Keep protesting, too! She is being held at the Ramle Prison in Israel…she has seen an attorney today provided by Free Gaza. She had no information on any of the 21 being released. Mairead Maguire is possibly being held or detained somewhere else. FREE the FREE GAZA 21! Demand that Israel return the ship along with the DANGEROUS CARGO–CRAYONS!

From John Judge:

John Judge (Press Secretary during the 2008 campaign) sent this tonight: I just got a call from former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney from inside an Israeli prison at Ramale where she and 20 other humanitarian aid workers from 9 different countries are still being held by Israeli authorities. US Embassy officials have spoken to Ms. McKinney and are aware of the situation. Four of the group are US citizens. Among them is Mairead Maguire, from Ireland, a Nobel laureate and renowned peace activist. They have named themselves the “Free Gaza 21.” They are demanding their release. They were in international waters on a boat delivering humanitarian aid to people in Gaza when Israeli Navy ships surrounded them and illegally threatened them, dismantled their navigation equipment, boarded and confiscated the ship. All those aboard were then taken off the ship and into custody, and brought into Israel and imprisoned. Immigration officials in Israel said they did not want to keep them, but they remain imprisoned. State Department and White House officials have not effected their release or taken a strong public stance to condemn the illegal actions of the Israeli Navy, enforcing a blockade of humanitarian assistance that has been condemned by President Obama.

In an article at The Irish Times, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairéad Maguire and another Irish citizen aboard the Spirit of Humanity were reportedly separated from the rest of the crew by Israeli authorities and detained in an undisclosed location. When Maguire protested her separation from the rest of her compatriots she was hand cuffed. They were later returned to join the rest of the group as they awaited deportation at Ben Gurion International Airport.

The piece, part of Akers’ series “The Sleuth”, ridicules McKinney for her efforts on behalf of the people of Gaza. Titled Where Are They Now: Cynthia McKinney Strikes Again, the piece gives scant information about the current detention of McKinney, but reaches back to 2002 to defame her.

The article does, however, provide a link to a fairly comprehensive report from 11 Alive. The article is down the page so you will have to scroll down to read it. Written by Chris Sweigart, the article includes the statement issued by the Consulate General of Israel in Atlanta.

Earlier today an Israeli Navy team boarded and took control of the cargo boat ‘Arion’ as the vessel illegally attempted to enter the Gaza Strip. In accordance with internationally recognized agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the waters along the Gaza Strip are under Israeli security control and foreign vessels are not permitted to sail into the territory. The Israeli Navy attempted to make contact with the ‘Arion,’ but its repeated warnings were ignored. No shots were fired during the boarding of the boat and the vessel was rerouted to the Israeli port of Ashdod. Humanitarian goods found aboard to boat will be transferred to the Gaza Strip, subject to authorization. We expect the vessel’s passengers to be flown home shortly.

Israel continues to make the humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza one of its top priorities. Humanitarian aid is shipped into Gaza regularly through multiple ground crossings and those who wish to transfer humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip can do so through these existing channels. In 2009 alone, the Gaza Strip has received over 300,000 tons of humanitarian supplies. Hundreds of aid trucks enter Gaza daily. In some cases, this has led to a surplus of humanitarian aid, with reports of Gaza civilians selling extra aid they possess.

Once again former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and her fellow travelers have taken it upon themselves to disregard their own safety, as well as the safety of the vessel’s crew, by leading a boat into restricted waters. Ms. McKinney ignored the available and legal means for the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip and instead chose to make a reckless political stunt.

Fox News is reporting that the authorities in Israel plan to deport Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney after taking the ship she and 20 others were using in an attempt to deliver humanitarian air to the people of Gaza. The article implies that Israel intends to keep the ship, registered in Greece.

The article quotes Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor.

“Nobody wants to the keep them here. They will be released as soon as they are checked.”

The article says that McKinney and the others, including 1977 Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire, are being held at Ben Gurion International Airport and will be deported from there. McKinney and the others were on board the Spirit of Humanity, operated by the Free Gaza Movement Referring to their captivity, Free Gaza Movement founding member Greta Berlin told Ynet news, an online publication based in Israel:

They simply kidnapped the passengers. I call on the Israeli occupation forces to release our people immediately. It’s funny. What are they going to do? Deport us? The last place we wanted to reach was Israel.

In an earlier report Fox News reported that Congresswoman McKinney was demanding the immediate release of the the crew of the seized ship.

“This is an outrageous violation of international law against us,” said McKinney. “Our boat was not in Israeli waters and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip. President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that’s exactly what we tried to do. We’re asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey.”

In an appeal to supporters across the globe, Congresswoman and 2008 Green Party presidential nominee Cynthia McKinney has called for phone calls and email messages to Israeli leaders to demand an end to what are described as illegal actions to prevent her and others from reaching Gaza with humanitarian aid. The full text, from Free Gaza, follows.

FROM FREE GAZA @ 826PM EST 6/29/09

We just spoke to the passengers. Everyone is OK, but the situation is still very tense. They continue to be surrounded by Israeli warships which are threatening to open fire. The Israeli Navy is actively jamming all navigation systems in violation of international maritime law, endangering the people on board.

Former U.S. Congresswoman, Cynthia McKinney, speaking from on board the SPIRIT, stated, “I am extremely angry. We demand that the Israeli government call off their attack dogs. We are unarmed civilians aboard an unarmed boat delivering medical and reconstruction aid to other human beings in Gaza. Why in God’s name would Israel want to attack us and threaten our safety and welfare. I call on President Obama and the international community to intervene now to prevent this situation from escalating with potentially drastic results to the civilians on board.”

Since the boat’s navigation equipment is being jammed, it has turned westward in order to stay in international waters.The Captain and crew are working from the most ancient of navigation equipment…the compass to stay clear of Israeli waters.

CALL or FAX Major Liebovitz from the Israeli Navy at:
Tel + 972 5 781 86248 or +972 3737 7777 or +972 3737 6242
Fax +972 3737 6123 or +972 3737 7175

CALL Mark Regev in the Prime Minister’s office at:
Tel +972 2670 5354 or +972 5 0620 3264
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il

CALL Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:
Tel +972 3697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
mediasar@mod.gov.il

Free Gaza Movement
357 99 081 767

http://www.freegaza.org

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29205195@N02/

This was posted to Free Gaza even more recently:

Tuesday, 30 June 2009 03:03 Written by Free Gaza Movement
Dear Friends,

We just spoke again with our people aboard the Spirit of Humanity. The Israeli Navy is continuing to try and intimidate the ship, and is actively jamming its radar, GPS, and navigation systems in direct violation of international maritime law. This jamming is extremely dangerous and directly threatens the welfare and safety of everyone aboard our civilian ship.

Because their instrumentation is being jammed, they are using compass & paper to attempt to navigate. They are in international waters & they believe their location is approximately 110km off of the town of Hadera. Everyone is tired but determined. They are not being deterred by the Israeli aggression & are continuing toward Gaza. Please help them.

In a press release, the Green Party of the United States announced their participation March 30th in a world wide effort to bring attention to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

The party endorses full human rights, democracy, equality under the law, and security for Palestinians and Israelis; efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict; dismantling of the separation wall; and the Palestinian right of return

The Suburban Journals report that the entire Board of Alderman (City Council) in St. Louis are Democrats, excepting a lone Republican. In this year’s elections only the Green Party is challenging these incumbent Democrats, proving again that the Green Party is America’s second party.

The website Free Gaza carries an article written by Cynthia McKinney titled “We Lived to Tell the Story; Lebanon Rescued Us”. She makes it clear that she and the rest of the folks aboard the Dignity would have died in icy Mediterranean waters if their boat had been made of different materials.

The Examiner also offers coverage of McKinney’s attempt to carry humanitarian aid to Gaza. In addition, Black Agenda Report carries a piece in which McKinney calls on President Elect Obama to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and calls on Congress to stop sending weapons of mass destruction to the area.

McKinney is not alone in her calling for peace and justice in Gaza, as this article in The Southern shows. Greens and other peace activists in Carbondale, IL hit the streets to show their displeasure at Israeli attacks in Gaza.

As has been noted here earlier, an elected Green in California is giving serious thought to a run for Governor in California. If he does run, hopefully he’ll have an ally in the state legislature in the person of Alex Walker. As noted at California Greening, Walker is an active Green, a regular blogger, and a wonderful person to boot. Start setting aside those pennies…he’ll be taking donations soon I hope!

The Jewish Chronicle last month interviewed Jewish activists with the Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians. In this piece, two Jewish Wisconsin Greens write their views on the Green Party, what it stands for and why Jews should consider voting Green. I encourage you to read the piece entitled “Green Party Seeks to Defend Everyone’s Rights” in the Jewish Chronicle by Mike Bootzin and Ruth Weill.

Probably the highlight – and most controversial – portion is on the Green Party’s positions on Israel and the Middle East. It deserves reprinting here. It is well written, careful, but honest and serious.

Position on Mideast

As Jewish Greens, we take special interest in Middle Eastern affairs, especially when pertaining to Israel/Palestine.

Back in 2005 the Green Party approved support of the Divestment in Israel campaign. Many in the Jewish community saw this as anti-Semitic, an act hostile to the existence of the state of Israel. We disagree.
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Press release from GPUS:

WASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders said today that antiwar voters will not get an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by voting for presumed Democratic nominee Barack Obama on Election Day.

Green leaders urged Americans who oppose the wars started by the Bush Administration with bipartisan support in Congress to vote instead for Green nominee Cynthia McKinney, running mate Rosa Clemente, and Green congressional candidates.

“Millions of voters plan to vote for Barack Obama in the hope that he’ll bring peace to Iraq and other nations in the region,” said Omar N. López, Green candidate for the US House in Illinois (4th District). “But his positions are really ‘McCain-Lite’ — he’ll continue many of the same belligerent foreign policies as the Bush-Cheney Administration that John McCain would. Mr. Obama supports a larger military in terms of both spending and personnel. We want to stop the US from being the world’s bully, and instead fund a peace dividend to deal with the economic, energy, and global warming crises.”

“We appeal to voters to take a look at the Green Party’s ‘Peace Slate’ of candidates, with Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente on the Green presidential ticket. A vote for a candidate who doesn’t represent your own ideals is a vote wasted,” said Mr. López.
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