Washington, DC; Americans for Peace Now (APN) is deeply dismayed at the tragic results of Israel's interception of the international Gaza aid flotilla today and calls on Israel to thoroughly investigate the operation and to reassess its policy toward the Gaza Strip.
CONTACT:Ori Nir - (202) 494-4080; onir@peacenow.org
APN mourns the loss of life on board the Marmara, and wishes full recovery to the injured, both IDF soldiers and the international activists.
APN joins its Israeli sister organization, Peace Now, in expressing outrage at the way Israel's government is dealing with people who challenge its policies. APN strongly supports Peace Now activists who are demonstrating today in Tel Aviv against their government's policies.
Commenting on the Gaza ship disaster, APN President and CEO Debra DeLee said: "The details of the operation in the Mediterranean are still not clear. Regardless, the outcome of this operation is unacceptable and the policy that led to it is deeply flawed. Clearly, IDF soldiers have the right to defend themselves, but this mission was, from the outset, terribly flawed. The fact that Israel finds itself in this difficult situation today underscores the extent to which Israel's continued policy of blockading Gaza in untenable and increasingly indefensible. APN has consistently opposed the siege on Gaza. It believes this policy does not serve Israel's interests."
DeLee added: "It is becoming increasingly common for Israeli officials and pundits to refer to challenges to its policy as 'terrorism' - we hear terms like 'economic terrorism' used to describe a Palestinian Authority effort to boycott products made in Israeli settlements, 'popular terror' to describe non-violent protest, and 'cultural terror' to describe pressure on international artists to cancel appearances in Israel. This past week we heard terms like 'violent propaganda' to describe the Gaza flotilla, even before any clash between its participants and the IDF. Such language cheapens the debate and undermines Israel's legitimate position when it acts in genuine self-defense. It also makes almost inevitable the kind of tragedy that is unfolding today."
Earlier today, Peace Now stated, "This morning Israel marked a new low point in the way it chose to contend with its domestic and external policy dissidents. Israeli society as a whole is responsible for the grim results of the IDF takeover of the protest ships. This radicalization of Israeli society is yielding its fruit."
APN joins Peace Now in calling for an end to the radicalization of the Israeli government's language and policy. As Peace Now said, "[we] watch with despair as Israel with its own actions justifies the brutal and violent image it acquired in the last years. If the miserable naval clash had any winners, they are in Tehran, in the bunkers of Beirut and in the Hamas headquarters in Gaza..."
Go HERE to see APN's recommendations for dealing with the Gaza-Hamas challenge
Americans for Peace Now is the nation's leading Jewish organization advocating for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
APN mourns the loss of life on board the Marmara, and wishes full recovery to the injured, both IDF soldiers and the international activists.
APN joins its Israeli sister organization, Peace Now, in expressing outrage at the way Israel's government is dealing with people who challenge its policies. APN strongly supports Peace Now activists who are demonstrating today in Tel Aviv against their government's policies.
Commenting on the Gaza ship disaster, APN President and CEO Debra DeLee said: "The details of the operation in the Mediterranean are still not clear. Regardless, the outcome of this operation is unacceptable and the policy that led to it is deeply flawed. Clearly, IDF soldiers have the right to defend themselves, but this mission was, from the outset, terribly flawed. The fact that Israel finds itself in this difficult situation today underscores the extent to which Israel's continued policy of blockading Gaza in untenable and increasingly indefensible. APN has consistently opposed the siege on Gaza. It believes this policy does not serve Israel's interests."
DeLee added: "It is becoming increasingly common for Israeli officials and pundits to refer to challenges to its policy as 'terrorism' - we hear terms like 'economic terrorism' used to describe a Palestinian Authority effort to boycott products made in Israeli settlements, 'popular terror' to describe non-violent protest, and 'cultural terror' to describe pressure on international artists to cancel appearances in Israel. This past week we heard terms like 'violent propaganda' to describe the Gaza flotilla, even before any clash between its participants and the IDF. Such language cheapens the debate and undermines Israel's legitimate position when it acts in genuine self-defense. It also makes almost inevitable the kind of tragedy that is unfolding today."
Earlier today, Peace Now stated, "This morning Israel marked a new low point in the way it chose to contend with its domestic and external policy dissidents. Israeli society as a whole is responsible for the grim results of the IDF takeover of the protest ships. This radicalization of Israeli society is yielding its fruit."
APN joins Peace Now in calling for an end to the radicalization of the Israeli government's language and policy. As Peace Now said, "[we] watch with despair as Israel with its own actions justifies the brutal and violent image it acquired in the last years. If the miserable naval clash had any winners, they are in Tehran, in the bunkers of Beirut and in the Hamas headquarters in Gaza..."
Go HERE to see APN's recommendations for dealing with the Gaza-Hamas challenge
Americans for Peace Now is the nation's leading Jewish organization advocating for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
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Truly Israel is formatting trouble for themselves in the world community. Their actions
in international waters are asking for sanctions
against their country and turning friendly nations
into enemies. Negitive reactions are sure to follow. There policies toward their neighbors are
shameful. This is a disgrace that cannot be overlooked. There greedy aggression tactics and
calias disregard for the rights of others should be
justification for action by the United Nations.
It is truly enough to make God puke.
Very good statement, but the investigation into what happened should be done by the United Nations, not Israel, and if Israel boarded those ships in international waters the leaders who ordered the raid should be brought before the ICC.
This has nothing to do with protecting Israel and as the statement points out, the real winners are Tehran , Hamas etc.
The real Terrorists here are the Israelis!
Great work APN. Happy to read your comments about this.
Israel has a lot to answer for this one. Since when did aid groups and a flotilla carrying a holocaust survivor, Nobel prize laureate and European legislators become "terrorist".
The IDF soldiers had all the right to defend themselves but lets not forget that they are the ones with the weapons, live ammunition and were the ones boarding this ship. If the situation ever did boil to the point of "self defense" for these well equipped soldiers from a group unarmed activists, I am sure force could have been used to arrest any of them but to have KILLED them is an entirely sad and different disaster.
Disappointing on multiple levels.
The flotilla is full of Islamic activists wanting to end the embargo on.... bullets, guns, missile launchers, and missiles. Humanitarian aid and medicine already gets in ... and gets inspected. Why would Americans for Peace Now support more militarization of a war zone?
As for your great hope in the international community, it seems a tad misplaced.
Finally, please compare and contrast both mainstream media and government reaction around the world to two recent naval events. Yesterday's events - which began with Israel asking to inspect the flotilla for weapons - led to numerous global protests against Israel's right to exist, numerous governments immediately condemning Israel, a UN Security Council meeting, and editorials calling for the importation of weapons to Gaza.
Please juxtapose that to almost universal silence when North Korea sank, without warning, a South Korean ship killing 46 sailors. No UN Security Council meeting in 50 days. No immediate outrage. No global protests outside of South Korea.
May I suggest that the discrepancy reveals something about the prevalent bias against Israel and the still strong open hostility to Jews across the Mideast and too many parts of the world?
Creating a two-state solution means that the Palestinian Authority must first assume control of the Gaza Strip. Otherwise, we are talking about a three-state solution. Is that the new APN position? Really?
The acts of violence and inhumanity against the poor Gazan people is another black mark for Israel's reputation. Our country's government remains passive and tolerant of what they would condemn in other nations.
Winston Churchill In 1952 backed separate state for the Jews but warned them they would never be secure if they could not dwell at peace with it's
neiborhood. The hardline right Israeli government
provokes much of the hostility from it's neighbors.
Will Israel ever learn?