Open Letter To The British Government Regarding The Gaza Flotilla
Allen L. Jasson | 21.06.2010 05:51 | Flotilla to Gaza | Anti-militarism | Palestine | Repression | World
Mr Vidler,
Your response to my email is shocking and apalling. Given that we each must take responsibility for what we do, even when done on behalf of others, I would go so far as to say that your action in writing it, even on behalf of your government calls into question your personal integrity. I will not so much as extend the polite courtesy of thanking you for response as this perhaps also is a matter of personal integrity. The rest of this correspondence is addressed to the other recipients referred to above and the government generally.
Your response to my email is shocking and apalling. Given that we each must take responsibility for what we do, even when done on behalf of others, I would go so far as to say that your action in writing it, even on behalf of your government calls into question your personal integrity. I will not so much as extend the polite courtesy of thanking you for response as this perhaps also is a matter of personal integrity. The rest of this correspondence is addressed to the other recipients referred to above and the government generally.
To: Foreign Secretary William Hague
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
Mike Vidler
Near East Group
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
CC: Simon Burns MP
Mr Vidler,
Your response to my email is shocking and apalling. Given that we each must take responsibility for what we do, even when done on behalf of others, I would go so far as to say that your action in writing it, even on behalf of your government calls into question your personal integrity. I will not so much as extend the polite courtesy of thanking you for response as this perhaps also is a matter of personal integrity. The rest of this correspondence is addressed to the other recipients referred to above and the government generally.
Foreign Secretary William Hague and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
I am quite certain that if members of your family or friends were among the dead on the Mavi Marmara you would go much further than a statement that "deeply deplores the loss of life", you would condemn this action most emphatically for what it is; a cowardly, criminal act of violence against unarmed civilians. Of course, these are not your family or friends, but we all all of us share empathy with victims of such outrageous, immoral acts of criminal violence and have a moral duty to condemn it. This is what the world spoke of in relation to attacks on people of New York and London by violent terrorists. This attack on the Mavi Marmara is in every sense equivalent.
The weakness expressed in the paragraph regarding "The Government’s first responsibility" to British Nationals which seems to have been addressed by visiting illegally arested British Nationals in an Israeli prison to offer "consular support" and pressing for their release "at the earliest possible opportunity" is a long way short of asserting strident demands for their immediate and unconditional release as was required in this situation. Having attempted to join an aid convoy to Gaza myself I can say with absolute certainty that if anyone aboard the Mavi Marmara is without a passport it is because the Israeli government has confiscated it (stolen it) and so I know as well as you do that the frail excuse you have made for the Israeli government in alleging "This was made more difficult because many of those on board the boats did not have passports" is shameful, even treacherous and dishonest. The Israeli government has kidnapped these people in international waters and transferred them against their will to Israel. If this were not itself a sufficiently outrageous act on the part of Israel to incur the wrath of the British government then the further outrage of charging these people with illegal entry into Israel and deporting them without their property and in some cases without their passports certainly should be.
The efforts of the Israeli government, obviously planned from before the attack,
° Boarding the vessels under cover of darkness
° Boarding the vessels in an aggressive, intimidating and violent manner
° Jamming all communications of the vessels with the outside world - for very obvious reasons
° Killing at least NINE unarmed people defending themselves with sticks and knives
° Calling such violent murders, some of them with head shots and multiple gunshot wounds, "self defence"
° Stealing all cameras and video equipment - for very obvious reasons
° Incacerating passengers for several days - for very obvious reasons - while the Israeli propaganda machine goes to work against them
all reflect a very obviously sinister and devious intent. It is a premeditated plan to deny the passengers of the Mavi Marmara their voice and to hide the criminality of the Israeli government.
Particularly in view of the above your reference to Israel's announcement of an inquiry headed by former Supreme Court judge Yaakov Tirkel as "an important step forward" is as absurd as it is disingenuous. Israeli peace activist Uri Avnery called the inquiry a "pathetic excuse for a commission".
Turkey lost NINE of its citizens in the attack and the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has stated that Turkey has no confidence that a commission of inquiry set up by Israel to probe the Israel Defense Forces raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla will conduct an impartial investigation. The past record of Israeli inquiries, particularly that in contrast to Goldstein into the Gaza attacks of 2008/9 stand as testimony that he is absolutely right to think so.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that "Undeterred by the [Israeli] government's decision yesterday to establish an independent public committee into the raid against the Gaza-bound flotilla, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is moving forward with plans to form an internationally sanctioned investigative forum to probe the deadly events. "; clearly another vote of "no confidence" by the UN General Secretary.
The Russian Daily reports that "The leaders of many European and Middle East countries along with the UN Security Council were swift to dismiss the move, which, they said, is out of sync with their (Israel's) official stance on the matter. ". To my knowledge there were no Russian nationals aboard the flotilla, yet the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who also condemned the Israeli attack saying "We regret the loss of life" went far beyond the British government to "condemn the use of force and demand a meticulous investigation into the raid, which was conducted in violation of international norms." In particular, he pointed to the fact that Israel carried out the attack in international waters, which the British government has meticulously and conspicuously avoided, even in your response to my email.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, hamstrung as he is, has also said that "Israel’s probe would not meet the demands made by the UN Security Council earlier this month."
In light of these comments, which are but a fraction of what is being said on the internet generally about the inquiry, leave the British government alone and ridiculous in its cynical "optimism".
While the Israeli government has, by all the means referred to above, premeditatively and methodically silenced those aboard the flotilla (who have a very different story to tell) the British government, by careful avoidance of any firm stance on the matter and by such insidious remarks as "These events have captured the world’s attention, but they should not be viewed in isolation", clearly adopting the strategy of the equally insidious and dishonest reference to rocket attacks after the violent Christmas 2008 assault on Gaza, has slavishly played along with the Israeli propaganda machine.
As Gideon Levy stated in "Haaretz" on May 30, 2010 "The Israeli propaganda machine has reached new highs [in] its hopeless frenzy". The Israeli media has fed the public such lies as to claim "that the commandos had been viciously assaulted after 'arriving almost barefoot'" or that "the commandos had been 'ambushed'" by which means the military attack on the civilian ships is characterised as a legitimate "act of self-defence", as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it and the killing of nine aid activists, by contrast, is transformed into an attempted "lynching of our soldiers" by terrorists. The world's media, including the BBC has slavishly taken up and paroted these absurdities and the British government is treading barefoot on glass to avoid any rupture of the illusion.
The responses of the British government are so feeble as to amount to an obsequious coalsescence in the wishes of the Israeli government to the degree that some would call it bordering on treason and the question that is increasingly being asked is "Why?". Why is it that leaders of the British government of whatever insipid political flavour, against the wishes of more than 60% of the British public, fall all over themselves in their efforts to please and appease the Israeli government, even to the point of protecting them against British law.
I personally am also asking this question. Why?
Sincerely
Allen L. Jasson
-----Original Message-----
From:
AINAGCorrespondence@fco.gov.uk [mailto: AINAGCorrespondence@fco.gov.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, 16 June 2010 4:28 PM
Subject: Flotilla of Boats to Gaza
Thank you for your email regarding the interception by Israeli forces of a flotilla of vessels carrying aid to Gaza.
As the Foreign Secretary set out in the House of Commons on 2 June, the British Government deeply deplores the loss of life that has occurred. It is a matter of grave concern to us that the Israeli actions should have ended in such heavy and tragic loss of life.
The Government’s first responsibility was to ensure the safety of the British nationals who were involved. We immediately pressed Israel to provide full information on British nationals detained during their operation. This was made more difficult because many of those on board the boats did not have passports. However British Consular Staff visited the prison where the flotilla passengers were being detained; provided consular support to British detainees; and pressed for their release at the earliest possible opportunity. As far as we are aware, all of the British Nationals involved have now left Israel.
We have underlined the need for a full, credible, impartial and independent investigation into the events of 31 May. We have made clear that we want to see a process that ensures full accountability and commands the confidence of the international community, including international participation.
Israel's announcement of an inquiry headed by former Supreme Court judge Yaakov Tirkel is an important step forward. We welcome the appointment of Lord Trimble as an international observer. Clearly it is very important that it is a truly independent inquiry and a thorough investigation that the international community can respect.
We will be better able to draw further conclusions once the conduct of the inquiry becomes clearer. What is important now is that the inquiry is able to proceed swiftly, transparently and rigorously.
These events have captured the world’s attention, but they should not be viewed in isolation. They arose from the unacceptable and unsustainable situation in Gaza, which is a cause of public concern here in the United Kingdom and around the world. It has long been the view of the government that restrictions on Gaza should be lifted; a view confirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 1860 which called for the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid and called on states to alleviate the humanitarian and economic situation persisting there.
It is essential that there be unfettered access not only to meet the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza, but to enable the reconstruction of homes and livelihoods and permit trade to take place. The Palestinian economy, whether in Gaza or the West Bank, is an essential part of a viable Palestinian state which we hope will one day live alongside Israel in peace and security.
We are doing what we can to offer practical support to the people of Gaza. Following the end of the Gaza conflict in 2009 the UK pledged £26.8m to the people of Gaza for humanitarian aid and early recovery activities, of which over £24 million has already been spent, providing, for example, food for nearly one million people.
A solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict is firmly in the national interests of the UK, as well as those in the region. We want the new generation of Palestinians to grow up in hope, not despair, believing in a peaceful settlement with Israel; not impoverished and susceptible to terrorist recruitment. We want the next generation of Israelis to live free from the fear of rocket fire and able to enjoy peaceful relations with their Arab neighbours. Whilst we cannot deliver this for either side ourselves, as friends to both Israelis and Palestinians we will seek to buttress the diplomatic initiative of President Obama’s Administration and the proximity talks that are underway, and we will be strong supporters of those building the institutions of a future Palestinian state while actively exploring with our European partners the scope for further EU action.
Yours Sincerely,
Mike Vidler
Near East Group
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
***********************************************************************************
Visit
http://www.fco.gov.uk for British foreign policy news and travel advice and http://blogs.fco.gov.uk to read our blogs.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
Mike Vidler
Near East Group
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
CC: Simon Burns MP
Mr Vidler,
Your response to my email is shocking and apalling. Given that we each must take responsibility for what we do, even when done on behalf of others, I would go so far as to say that your action in writing it, even on behalf of your government calls into question your personal integrity. I will not so much as extend the polite courtesy of thanking you for response as this perhaps also is a matter of personal integrity. The rest of this correspondence is addressed to the other recipients referred to above and the government generally.
Foreign Secretary William Hague and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
I am quite certain that if members of your family or friends were among the dead on the Mavi Marmara you would go much further than a statement that "deeply deplores the loss of life", you would condemn this action most emphatically for what it is; a cowardly, criminal act of violence against unarmed civilians. Of course, these are not your family or friends, but we all all of us share empathy with victims of such outrageous, immoral acts of criminal violence and have a moral duty to condemn it. This is what the world spoke of in relation to attacks on people of New York and London by violent terrorists. This attack on the Mavi Marmara is in every sense equivalent.
The weakness expressed in the paragraph regarding "The Government’s first responsibility" to British Nationals which seems to have been addressed by visiting illegally arested British Nationals in an Israeli prison to offer "consular support" and pressing for their release "at the earliest possible opportunity" is a long way short of asserting strident demands for their immediate and unconditional release as was required in this situation. Having attempted to join an aid convoy to Gaza myself I can say with absolute certainty that if anyone aboard the Mavi Marmara is without a passport it is because the Israeli government has confiscated it (stolen it) and so I know as well as you do that the frail excuse you have made for the Israeli government in alleging "This was made more difficult because many of those on board the boats did not have passports" is shameful, even treacherous and dishonest. The Israeli government has kidnapped these people in international waters and transferred them against their will to Israel. If this were not itself a sufficiently outrageous act on the part of Israel to incur the wrath of the British government then the further outrage of charging these people with illegal entry into Israel and deporting them without their property and in some cases without their passports certainly should be.
The efforts of the Israeli government, obviously planned from before the attack,
° Boarding the vessels under cover of darkness
° Boarding the vessels in an aggressive, intimidating and violent manner
° Jamming all communications of the vessels with the outside world - for very obvious reasons
° Killing at least NINE unarmed people defending themselves with sticks and knives
° Calling such violent murders, some of them with head shots and multiple gunshot wounds, "self defence"
° Stealing all cameras and video equipment - for very obvious reasons
° Incacerating passengers for several days - for very obvious reasons - while the Israeli propaganda machine goes to work against them
all reflect a very obviously sinister and devious intent. It is a premeditated plan to deny the passengers of the Mavi Marmara their voice and to hide the criminality of the Israeli government.
Particularly in view of the above your reference to Israel's announcement of an inquiry headed by former Supreme Court judge Yaakov Tirkel as "an important step forward" is as absurd as it is disingenuous. Israeli peace activist Uri Avnery called the inquiry a "pathetic excuse for a commission".
Turkey lost NINE of its citizens in the attack and the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has stated that Turkey has no confidence that a commission of inquiry set up by Israel to probe the Israel Defense Forces raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla will conduct an impartial investigation. The past record of Israeli inquiries, particularly that in contrast to Goldstein into the Gaza attacks of 2008/9 stand as testimony that he is absolutely right to think so.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that "Undeterred by the [Israeli] government's decision yesterday to establish an independent public committee into the raid against the Gaza-bound flotilla, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is moving forward with plans to form an internationally sanctioned investigative forum to probe the deadly events. "; clearly another vote of "no confidence" by the UN General Secretary.
The Russian Daily reports that "The leaders of many European and Middle East countries along with the UN Security Council were swift to dismiss the move, which, they said, is out of sync with their (Israel's) official stance on the matter. ". To my knowledge there were no Russian nationals aboard the flotilla, yet the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who also condemned the Israeli attack saying "We regret the loss of life" went far beyond the British government to "condemn the use of force and demand a meticulous investigation into the raid, which was conducted in violation of international norms." In particular, he pointed to the fact that Israel carried out the attack in international waters, which the British government has meticulously and conspicuously avoided, even in your response to my email.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, hamstrung as he is, has also said that "Israel’s probe would not meet the demands made by the UN Security Council earlier this month."
In light of these comments, which are but a fraction of what is being said on the internet generally about the inquiry, leave the British government alone and ridiculous in its cynical "optimism".
While the Israeli government has, by all the means referred to above, premeditatively and methodically silenced those aboard the flotilla (who have a very different story to tell) the British government, by careful avoidance of any firm stance on the matter and by such insidious remarks as "These events have captured the world’s attention, but they should not be viewed in isolation", clearly adopting the strategy of the equally insidious and dishonest reference to rocket attacks after the violent Christmas 2008 assault on Gaza, has slavishly played along with the Israeli propaganda machine.
As Gideon Levy stated in "Haaretz" on May 30, 2010 "The Israeli propaganda machine has reached new highs [in] its hopeless frenzy". The Israeli media has fed the public such lies as to claim "that the commandos had been viciously assaulted after 'arriving almost barefoot'" or that "the commandos had been 'ambushed'" by which means the military attack on the civilian ships is characterised as a legitimate "act of self-defence", as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it and the killing of nine aid activists, by contrast, is transformed into an attempted "lynching of our soldiers" by terrorists. The world's media, including the BBC has slavishly taken up and paroted these absurdities and the British government is treading barefoot on glass to avoid any rupture of the illusion.
The responses of the British government are so feeble as to amount to an obsequious coalsescence in the wishes of the Israeli government to the degree that some would call it bordering on treason and the question that is increasingly being asked is "Why?". Why is it that leaders of the British government of whatever insipid political flavour, against the wishes of more than 60% of the British public, fall all over themselves in their efforts to please and appease the Israeli government, even to the point of protecting them against British law.
I personally am also asking this question. Why?
Sincerely
Allen L. Jasson
-----Original Message-----
From:
AINAGCorrespondence@fco.gov.uk [mailto: AINAGCorrespondence@fco.gov.uk] Sent: Wednesday, 16 June 2010 4:28 PM
Subject: Flotilla of Boats to Gaza
Thank you for your email regarding the interception by Israeli forces of a flotilla of vessels carrying aid to Gaza.
As the Foreign Secretary set out in the House of Commons on 2 June, the British Government deeply deplores the loss of life that has occurred. It is a matter of grave concern to us that the Israeli actions should have ended in such heavy and tragic loss of life.
The Government’s first responsibility was to ensure the safety of the British nationals who were involved. We immediately pressed Israel to provide full information on British nationals detained during their operation. This was made more difficult because many of those on board the boats did not have passports. However British Consular Staff visited the prison where the flotilla passengers were being detained; provided consular support to British detainees; and pressed for their release at the earliest possible opportunity. As far as we are aware, all of the British Nationals involved have now left Israel.
We have underlined the need for a full, credible, impartial and independent investigation into the events of 31 May. We have made clear that we want to see a process that ensures full accountability and commands the confidence of the international community, including international participation.
Israel's announcement of an inquiry headed by former Supreme Court judge Yaakov Tirkel is an important step forward. We welcome the appointment of Lord Trimble as an international observer. Clearly it is very important that it is a truly independent inquiry and a thorough investigation that the international community can respect.
We will be better able to draw further conclusions once the conduct of the inquiry becomes clearer. What is important now is that the inquiry is able to proceed swiftly, transparently and rigorously.
These events have captured the world’s attention, but they should not be viewed in isolation. They arose from the unacceptable and unsustainable situation in Gaza, which is a cause of public concern here in the United Kingdom and around the world. It has long been the view of the government that restrictions on Gaza should be lifted; a view confirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 1860 which called for the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid and called on states to alleviate the humanitarian and economic situation persisting there.
It is essential that there be unfettered access not only to meet the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza, but to enable the reconstruction of homes and livelihoods and permit trade to take place. The Palestinian economy, whether in Gaza or the West Bank, is an essential part of a viable Palestinian state which we hope will one day live alongside Israel in peace and security.
We are doing what we can to offer practical support to the people of Gaza. Following the end of the Gaza conflict in 2009 the UK pledged £26.8m to the people of Gaza for humanitarian aid and early recovery activities, of which over £24 million has already been spent, providing, for example, food for nearly one million people.
A solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict is firmly in the national interests of the UK, as well as those in the region. We want the new generation of Palestinians to grow up in hope, not despair, believing in a peaceful settlement with Israel; not impoverished and susceptible to terrorist recruitment. We want the next generation of Israelis to live free from the fear of rocket fire and able to enjoy peaceful relations with their Arab neighbours. Whilst we cannot deliver this for either side ourselves, as friends to both Israelis and Palestinians we will seek to buttress the diplomatic initiative of President Obama’s Administration and the proximity talks that are underway, and we will be strong supporters of those building the institutions of a future Palestinian state while actively exploring with our European partners the scope for further EU action.
Yours Sincerely,
Mike Vidler
Near East Group
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
***********************************************************************************
Visit
http://www.fco.gov.uk for British foreign policy news and travel advice and http://blogs.fco.gov.uk to read our blogs.
Allen L. Jasson