NOTE The following text is a quote:
http://telaviv.usembassy.gov/Warden_Message/May_312010.aspx
Warden Message Of May 31, 2010
The US Embassy in Tel Aviv and the US Consulate General in Jerusalem advise American citizens in Israel, Jerusalem, and the Palestinian territories to be alert for possible road blockages, demonstrations and protests as a result of the Israeli naval interdiction of a group (or flotilla) of ships attempting to arrive in Gaza earlier today. American citizens should especially use caution in places with large Arab populations, including Umm al Fahm, Akko, Jaffa, Haifa, East Jerusalem and Jerusalem’s Old City. Demonstrations are likely in various West Bank cities as well as in Gaza.
Israeli police are currently on high alert. Israeli media reports that the state of alert has been raised throughout Israel, including the Wadi Ara region and the Gaza vicinity, and in Jerusalem. The state of alert has also been raised within the Israeli prison service for fear of protests. The Israeli Department of Transportation is restricting traffic and access in the Wadi Ara and Temple Mount/Haram Al-Sharif areas.
Early on May 31, 2010, members of the Israeli Defense Force intercepted and boarded the six ships comprising the flotilla. An unspecified number of participants in the flotilla were killed, and a number have been injured and have been hospitalized in Israel. In addition, a number of Israeli defense forces were injured, several seriously. According to media reports, leaders in the Israeli-Arab community have called for a general strike to begin on Tuesday, June 1, 2010. We currently have no reports of serious injuries or fatalities of American citizens. The Embassy is closely monitoring the situation as it develops.
American citizens should stay current with media coverage of local events and be aware of their surroundings at all times. For updated information on the Department of State’s worldwide caution notice, please refer to: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html.
REMINDER: the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem are closed on Monday, May 31, 2010 in observance of Memorial Day, and will reopen on Tuesday, June 1.
Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the U.S. Embassy’s website http://telaviv.usembassy.gov/, and the U.S. Department of State’s, Bureau of Consular Affairs’ website www.travel.state.gov , where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, including the Travel Warning for Israel, West Bank and Gaza, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information can be found. The U.S. Embassy also encourages U.S. citizens to review “A Safe Trip Abroad,” found at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1747.html, which includes valuable security information for those both living and traveling abroad. In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada, or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
If you need specific assistance from the U.S. Embassy, contact our switchboard during office hours (03-519-7575). Outside of office hours, contact 03-519-7551 and your call will be transferred to the Embassy’s duty officer. For routine inquiries, please email the American Citizen Services Unit at AMCTelAviv@state.gov . To subscribe to receive additional Warden and other messages from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, go to the following link and enter your email address in the yellow box on the right-hand side of the screen: http://usembassy-israel.org.il/consular/acs/index.aspx. Thank you.
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/vivapalestina/index?tab=articles
http://www.investigativeproject.org/topics/48/viva-palestina
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http://www.investigativeproject.org/1982/violence-and-humanitarian-aid
“Violence and Humanitarian Aid”
IPT News
June 1, 2010
SNIPPET: “Condemnations of Israel’s commando raid on the flotilla trying to break a blockade on Gaza are pouring in after 10 people were reported killed in the violence at sea early Monday.
Egypt announced Tuesday that it would open its border with Gaza, which Reuters describes as “a major boost for Hamas and a blow to efforts by Israel and its Western allies to cripple the Islamists.” Turkey is threatening to send more ships, escorted by its own navy, while there are fears Hizballah will use the incident to justify a new wave of rocket attacks toward Israel.
Was it, as some suggest, the plan of flotilla organizers all along?
It’s worth remembering why the aid was being transported by sea in the first place. A convoy led by then-British MP George Galloway ended in violence at the Egyptian-Gaza border in early January after authorities delayed their entry into Gaza.
An Egyptian police officer was shot and killed by Hamas gunmen. Egypt deported Galloway, made it clear he was unwelcome there again, and told the convoy it could no longer enter through its crossing. Galloway’s partner in that convoy was the Turkish-based International Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), which helped lead the flotilla.
IHH was a key player in the Free Gaza Movement flotilla. Israeli officials say IHH is tied to Hamas, and even to al Qaeda, and it was banned in Israel in 2008 for being “part of Hamas’s fundraising network.” Court papers in the U.S. prosecution of Abdurahman Alamoudi also tie it to terrorist activity, citing French intelligence expert Jean Louis-Bruguiere’s assessment that IHH played “[a]n important role” in the Millennium bomb plot.
IHH also is part of the Union of Good, a collection of charities run by Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi. The union was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2008 as a terrorist entity due to its fund-raising activities on behalf of Hamas and Hamas-controlled organizations in the West Bank and Gaza.”