Tribute to my brother Vittorio (Vik) Arrigoni – by Ken O’Keefe
There simply cannot be enough praise for brother Vik, he was a man who exemplified what it is to be human, to be a loving, courageous, full fledged human being. I am blessed till the end of time for knowing him; I will love him to the day I die. And the greatest way to honour Vik is to never give up, to never abandon Palestine, to seek truth and justice at every turn, to shed the fear and never accept the unacceptable.
On this one-year anniversary of his murder I say to his family, thank you so much for producing this warrior for justice, this brother to humanity. He is with us always; he is among the greatest Palestinians who have ever lived. TJP – Stay Human
US CONGRESSIONAL BILL LISTS ME AS HAMAS, AL QAEDA LINKED TERRORIST
Carrying on from the ludicrous claim by the Israeli Defence Forces (Offence Forces) that I am a ‘terrorist operative for Hamas’, myself and a US citizen, along with the IHH humanitarian aid organisation and several Turkish nationals are named as having ‘known links to Al Qaeda, Hamas, and other terrorist organizations’ in a US Congressional Bill now being processed through the traitorous US Congress. Here is the applicable paragraph;
‘(9) In 2010, IHH organized a flotilla that included the ship Mavi Marmara carrying 40 IHH members, including Fatima Mahmadi, Ken O’Keefe, Hassan Iynasi, Hussein Urosh, Ahmad Umimon, and others with known links to Al Qaeda, Hamas, and other terrorist organizations who were armed with 100 metal rods, 200 knives, 150 military self-defense vests, 50 wooden clubs, gas masks, and a telescopic sight for a gun.’
Read the entire bill here.
It seems we are living in Orwell’s ’1984′.
In the last year and a half alone I have been jailed and/or interrogated five times by four governments under Orwellian terrorism pretexts; once by the Israelis (in which I was beaten), once by Canadians (held for two days), once by the Americans, and twice by the British. That is just the last 18 months. So what happened 18 months ago? The Israeli massacre on the Mavi Marmara in which I was involved in disarming two of their commandoes. Israeli power brokers and Zionist agents have hated me ever since. Even more so when I referred to “Israel’s best” as “cowards”, on BBC HardTALK .
Following on, we have the British government, Israels alter-ego, doing their part in the ongoing slander campaign against me by arresting me on bogus ‘Fraud by misrepresentation’ allegations; allegations that were made by the hijackers of my Trade Not Aid mission. A mission that addresses the needs and desires of the Palestinian people to escape charitable dependancy and live a dignified life.
So the UK police have used blatantly spurious allegations as the excuse to arrest me and steal my property for the second time in six months. They have also stolen my DNA (by forcefully removing 15 strands of my hair), a gross abuse of human rights and useful ‘evidence’ to frame me in the future. Oh but they wouldn’t do that now would they?
In the last eighteen months I have had my personal property stolen and/or seized five times, once each by Israel, Canada and the US, twice by the Brits. Each time of course everything on my hard drives is copied and scrutinised with a fine tooth comb by ‘intelligence agencies’. These agencies are in fact terrorist agencies of the highest order, especially when we look at Mossad, the CIA and MI6. Imagine having all of your business and private matters in the hands of such enemies? Continuously. So right now it is the Brits’ turn, having stolen and retaining possession of my property for over two months, with an eye to keeping it until April 2012. Keep in mind this is the second time in less than six months the Brits have done this. They have two of my computers and several hard drives, plus my phone, personal documents and even my camera.
There is always a way for governments to violate the rights of the people, in this case the facilitators are Catherine Myles, Jez Cuthbert and Cath Jenkins, primary agents in the hijacking of my Trade Not Aid mission. These crooks falsely alleged that I had defrauded them by saying my mission was a “charity” when in fact it is and always has been a non-profit social enterprise. Their actions fit the classic profile of infiltrators aligned with or working directly for Special Branch, a notorious element of the UK police who make infiltration, subversion and even murder their business.
The likelihood of Special Branch involvement is made harder to ignore given that the allegations against me hold absolutely no weight whatsoever, never mind the fact that they are made by provable fraudsters.
Let us look to my press conference in Gaza last May, a press conference the police have been made aware of, it makes clear that my method of effecting positive social change is, once again, through TRADE… NOT AID, via “social enterprise”;
Additionally, my bank statements prove that I take no pay. So who is the “fraudster” exactly? The police, government, mass-media and the banksters perhaps?
The fact is that my history of activism, social enterprise and ability to articulate the crimes of the powers that be is what has made me a target. In terms of where I invest my time, the majority of it is dedicated to social enterprise. Accordingly, I won a fellowship position with the prestigious London School for Social Entrepreneurs in 2010. I was also featured in Social Enterprise Magazine twice. Both times highlighting my Aloha Palestine trade mission for Gaza.
Featured in Social Enterprise Magazine for my Aloha Palestine Mission to conduct SafeTrade with Palestine under the auspice of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
So the record shows my position over and over and over again, Trade, Not Aid, is what is needed in Palestine and what I have spent years to develop. This is completely undeniable and a matter of public record. Yet the police arrested me because they saw merit in Catherine Myles, Jez Cuthbert and Cath Jenkins claiming I said I represented a “charity”. It is the most pathetic, transparent excuse to steal my property and thwart my humanitarian work and why should any of this surprise us? It shouldn’t, because the British government is every bit as traitorous in its bend over subservience to the Apartheid state of Israel, as is the American government; traitors all.
So I have no money, again 100% verifiable, because I take no salary and do not even cover my expenses. In fact I have incurred provable debt for the work I have done. In particular with the playground I built in Gaza for the Samouni children.
Whats more, although I have the legal and moral right to take some pay for the work I do, from the money I raise no less, I have not taken any pay since early 2009 and that was a pittance which was agreed by the donor who supported the launch of Aloha Palestine. How many directors of charities, organisations or social enterprises work for free? I don’t know but I have, and the reason I do not take pay is because there is never enough money to do all that needs to be done. So I do the best I can with the limited resources I have got.
Myself with the Samouni kids in Gaza
What is even more astonishing is that I have absolute proof that Catherine Myles, Jez Cuthbert and Cath Jenkins are guilty of the fraud they accused me of. The police know this because proof has been given to them beyond what I have posted here. Despite this, the police have used the allegations of fraudsters who are 100% provably guilty of soliciting donations for a charity that did not exist, as the basis of arresting/harassing me on that very same charge.
What’s more, these same people have attempted to give cover for their theft of Trade Not Aid cash, donated items and vehicles by launching an un-Godly slander campaign in which they have said I am a thief, conman, womaniser, adulterer, that my children are illegitimate, that I am a ‘Nazi’ and a ‘white supremacist’, that I was nearly arrested in Gaza twice, that my Palestinian wife is ‘worse than me’ and that I have effectively stolen from the Samouni family in order to fatten my pockets.
This is a classic example of ‘Ritual Defamation’ as practised most effectively by the greatest liars and defamers of our time, the Zionists.
I have never referred to Aloha Palestine, the Samouni Project or Trade Not Aid as charities and I have taken no wages for my work since early 2009, and yet I have been arrested by one government for fraud, accused of or linked to terrorism by two others.
Will the UK police arrest the real fraudsters? Not a chance. Why? Because their objective is the same as Israel and Americas, perpetual harm for the people and nation of Palestine. Anyone in or from these nations who seriously endeavours to effect justice in Palestine is in effect, regarded as an enemy of the state.
Back to the pitiable traitors Myles, Cuthbert and Jenkins, here they are soliciting money for the non-existent charity ‘Palestine Aid’.
Here is the Facebook promotion for 'Palestine Aid' the 'charity'
One of many solicitations for donations for the non-existent 'charity' - 'Palestine Aid'
Jez Cuthbert, one of the accusers whose testimony was used by UK police to arrest me for fraud, committing fraud himself.
The main hijacker of Trade Not Aid Catherine Myles committing fraud by soliciting donations for a charity that does not exist.
With initial cover by the UK police, Palestine Aid is what these same scoundrels attempted to turn Trade, Not Aid, into. And this attempted transformation reveals something extremely important to understand if we truly care about the people of Palestine, and that is that a trade mission like mine is hugely problematic to the Zionist/EU partnership. Why? Because my Trade Not Aid mission will aggressively expose the EU’s disgustingly immoral trade with the Apartheid state of Israel, trade that amounts to over 25bn Euros annually, while the people of Gaza live in abject, donor dependent poverty.
Trade disparity between the EU & Israel vs. the EU & Palestine
Make no mistake there is massive money made within the ‘Aid Industry’ as I call it. Money to be lost by Israel should it lose its grip over the captive market of Gaza that survives on the aid dependency tit that Israel controls. The EU’s role in providing cover for the collective punishment of the people of Gaza, which includes over 800,000 children, is massively important to Israel. As I have said my mission intends to highlight the EU’s criminal complicity and active support for Israeli crimes in a bold and damning way. And it is through shaming the EU that we shall open up trade for real and end the blockade of Gaza.
We as people who claim to care about Palestine have done no favours to its people by investing so, so much of our energy into aid. We are reinforcing the aid culture that Israel wants and the EU facilitates. Well I listened to the people in Palestine, and they never told me “we want more aid”. They talk about justice and dignity, and that is why I created Trade Not Aid.
Given that my mission seriously threatens the status quo, I find no favour at all with the government or their police in the UK. But Catherine Myles, Jez Cuthbert and Cath Jenkins most certainly do, hell they seem to hold a ‘get out of jail free card’, and that pretty much says it all.
Fraudsters Catherine Myles, Jez Cuthbert & Cath Jenkins
But hold on, it gets even better.
Not only can we establish that those accusing me of fraud are in fact fraudsters and thieves, but the police have been informed by myself, my solicitor and others that the primary fraudster, Catherine Myles, has had at least £10,000 (but probably twice that or more) deposited in good faith to her account for the benefit of the Trade Not Aid mission, and that money is still completely unaccounted for. The UK Police have the authority to verify what we have alleged, and if they were not stooges for the powers that be they would have established beyond any doubt that Catherine Myles has zero credibility, and furthermore she is a thief who has stolen over £10,000 of donations, holding it for purposes unknown for over 6 months now… with police cover no less. So who are the fraudsters?
Say hello to the Trade Not Aid hijacking crew; Catherine Myles (aka Soraya Fitzgerald), Saeb Shaath, Sammi Coulthard (aka Saja Rana & Maitreyi Atmaja), Jez Cuthbert, Allison Hubbard (aka Vera Lynn) Ismail Patel (aka Iggle Piggle), Cath Jenkins and Yousef Khalfan.
It has become crystal clear to me that the whole reason for this travesty is to justify the police stealing my property and casting doubt on my integrity. At this point it looks like the UK police will conclude their sham investigation by returning my stolen property after six months and saying it was all a “civil matter”. At which point I have to rely on the corrupt UK “justice” system to recoup this stolen money and property. This all takes time and money and more importantly it delays the mission. Which is the whole point now isn’t it, to get me to give up or at the very least to delay it all, water it down, Zionize it and make it another bullshit band-aid on a gushing wound ‘aid mission’.
Watch this video to see what I am talking about when I refer to the ‘aid industry’ and how those running it are doing so to inflict massive harm to Palestine;
Here is the truth, the British, US and Israeli governments are one and the same, a true ‘Axis of Evil’ comprised of puppets of the powers that be. The police within these nations have proven over and over again that they are servants to these traitors and tyrants. “Just following orders” as it were, like any good Nazi would.
Catherine Myles and Saeb Shaath have played the critical roles in thwarting the Trade Not Aid mission. Myles was the key infiltrator, subverter, Shaath was the Palestinian turncoat who gave false legitimacy to the hijacking. He is also responsible for attempting to turn ‘Trade Not Aid’ into ‘Palestine Aid’, a non-existent charity focussed on bringing more second hand shoes and stuffed animals to Gaza. Ultimately these people are victimising the already terribly victimised Samouni family, all the while using disgusting slander to support their treachery. This has put innocent women in grave danger in Gaza, once again all done with the UK police providing cover.
Fraudster Catherine Myles and Turncoat Slanderer Saeb Shaath
The point of all this madness is to intimidate me, it has not worked. Listing me as a terrorist is meant to scare me. It has not worked. Stealing my property and copying every last bit of my business and personal files is meant to frustrate me and stop me from carrying on. Once again, not happening.
While these bastards in MI5-6 and/or ‘Special Branch’ are copying every single file I have ever saved, looking into every single thing I have ever done, I say to them you are shameless cowards all. Good luck to you in doing your personality profiling of me, trying to find any weakness in me, any area to exploit, good luck.
And of course, if there was even a shred of evidence that I was a fraudster, they would lock me up in a heartbeat.
And if I was Arab or Muslim? I would have been put away long ago, or outright assassinated. But I am white, making things just a little bit trickier.
And so these pathetic minions will have to make something up. When and if I am judged by my maker, I have absolutely nothing to fear. I am not one of the traumatised, fear induced masses, I will die with honour no matter what fraud or threat is used against me.
But I want this to be clear as well, for the honourable ‘intelligence’ agents or police reading this, I extend respect to you. I know you are there and I like many am counting on you to do the right thing when your orders amount to treason against the people. To the military, same thing. You are caught up in a machine that is using you, dishonouring you, and at some point you will know this and in order to redeem yourself you must speak out and disobey your unlawful, immoral orders.
The lesson here? The lesson is that when the ultimate fraudsters and terrorists call you a fraudster, terrorist, womaniser, thief, Nazi, conman, etc., you must be doing something right. So regardless of the effort to stop me from doing what I do, the next phase of the Trade Not Aid Mission will be launched, and we will see just how much damage to this cause the Zionist slander tactics have had. Either way I will never turn my back on my Palestinian family, whether it is my wife and children who have Palestinian blood, or my extended Palestinian family who I love deeply; there will be justice in Palestine.
For now however the world remains upside down, it is up to us to turn it round and make it right. Until such time I will take the accusations, arrests and harassment as a badge of honour.
PS – On the bright side, I filmed 26 stories in Gaza that have been edited and will be published on YouTube in the next few weeks. With the initial editing done we need only finish them off to the standard I require. Thankfully this entire job was made possible because I transferred all the video files to a friend before the police stole my property. For sure however this theft has prevented me from doing some important work, and of course that is part of the plan. I do not have my most vital piece of equipment, the laptop I use for all sorts of business, most notably my videos. I have had to borrow a machine to do this as I do not have the money to replace my equipment once again.
Samouni Inter-Trade Palestine, Trade Not Aid
Today my team heard from mothers, fathers and children of the Samouni family their story of the Hell on Earth created by Operation Cast Lead. Twenty-nine people were killed in this family: children shot in front of parents, parents shot in front of children, 97 people in one home blasted to bits by rockets and mortars. They were made to live amongst the mutilated and dead for several days; while ambulances were kept away some died slowly over hours and even days.
Ken O’Keefe (Gaza, March 2011)
Our Mission
Samouni Inter-Trade Palestine (SIP) is a social enterprise international trade mission. We endeavour to catalyse the end of Gaza’s charitable dependency through import and export trade. We do not seek simply to alleviate the suffering of the people in Gaza. Our ultimate objective is to eliminate preventable, blockade-derived suffering. We recognise the loss of dignity that is inherent in compelling a people to live on aid. We are focused on the root of the problem and thus we are committed to replacing aid with trade.
Samouni Inter-Trade Palestine logo
Our motives are humanitarian and non-profit. Our objective is to regularly transport people and cargo through Rafah Crossing without obstruction, which is an essential prerequisite for viable trade. In the long-term, our goal is for Gaza to be rebuilt with its infrastructure functioning to capacity, for an egalitarian economy to develop and a transformation from despair to prosperity to take place.
First Board Meeting for the Samouni Project
Our Method
We will take an international trade convoy from London on July 2, 2011, intending to arrive in Gaza on July 22. Among our drivers will be members of the Samouni family. Our cargo will include raw materials such as textiles and building materials, industrial machinery and equipment geared towards economic development and the rebuilding of Gaza. Upon offloading our cargo we will immediately begin to reload our trucks with ‘Made in Palestine’ products. Our task then will be to export these products to markets abroad.
Aloha Palestine CIC & the Samouni Project
This convoy is comprised of two primary partners, Aloha Palestine CIC and the Samouni Project. Both are EU registered, non-profit companies, with Aloha Palestine being a community interest trading company.
The Samouni Project mission is to provide long-term quality education along with community services to over 200 members of the Samouni family, as well as residents of the surrounding community of Zeitoun in Gaza. To date the Samouni Project has planted an olive tree orchard, built a playground, procured our classroom/community centre, and recruited teaching staff who are currently developing the curriculum. In addition, we have painted the classroom and collected textbooks, computers, arts and crafts, school supplies, a microscope, telescope, globe, screen projector, and musical instruments in order to create a welcoming and well-supplied classroom. Our next essential task is to transport all these materials from London and to secure running costs for teaching staff and administration of approximately £2400 a month.
Samouni family members authorising Samouni Project Mission
The aims of the Samouni Project complement and empower the mission of Aloha Palestine, whose function is to transport the cargo in order to complete the classroom and begin classes. Any attempt to block Aloha Palestine will be publicised as highly injurious to the Samouni family, and tantamount to denying this family and its children the education they deserve.
Trade Not Aid
Many people do not appreciate the damage caused to a society when citizens are compelled to live long-term on hand-outs as opposed to being able to provide for themselves. Normally aid is provided to people in the aftermath of a natural disaster. But in the case of Gaza it is political corruption and the failure to defeat this corruption that has resulted in the people of Gaza enduring more than four years as a charitable dependency. The result of this is devastating. In simple terms the parents are not only unable to protect their children from Israeli aggression, but are also incapable of providing even the bare essentials without aid. Children become both witnesses to and victims of this reality. Many begin to lose respect for their parents, which in turn causes parents to suffer from diminishing self-respect and depression. If no other options exist and aid becomes institutionalised, as it has become in Gaza, people begin to see it as their only means to live. Dignity is stolen from the recipients, and an insidiously destructive weapon becomes self-feeding, destroying a society from within.
At the root of this all is the blockade and the inability to conduct trade. At a certain point, it becomes arguably criminal to relegate people to living on hand-outs. SIP’s position is that Palestinians are more than capable of standing on their own two feet, but our collective failure to direct our energy at the root of the problem has relegated them to the status of beggars. Doctors and engineers are picking up trash in Gaza today because it is the only job they can find. And they are the lucky ones who at least have a job. SIP intends to confront the problem head-on, to strike at the heart of the problem and eliminate this injustice by proactive, as opposed to reactive, means.
Wael Samouni holding the first Samouni export of Chilies
Social Enterprise
Samouni Inter-Trade Palestine is a social enterprise collaboration. The nature of a social enterprise is to confront social problems and effect solutions through intelligent business models. Contrary to the standard business model, financial profits are not “the bottom line”. The key here is self-sufficiency and social impact. Social Enterprises do not rely upon donations for survival; this makes them much less susceptible to coercion from large donors.
Most of all, success for a social enterprise is measured by it’s impact on society.
SIP’s success will translate to the creation of jobs in Egypt, Europe and Palestine and intrinsically, stimulating the economies of each nation. Among the Palestinian jobs created in Gaza, 10 positions for teachers, counsellors and administrators for the Samouni Project’s education program, 2 positions for truck drivers, both to be filled by men of the Samouni family. Within our business model we work with the Palestinians as partners, as equals, not benefactors.
As the Managing Director of the Samouni Project I answer to the members of the company, who happen to be the Samouni family, if I do not carry out their will, they have the power to remove me.
The "Mukhtar" gives direction for the Samouni Project
We are not a charity; we are a partnership of Palestinians and internationals working together for common and mutually agreeable goals. Together we have the wisdom of Palestinian culture, the understanding of the Western market and mind-set. We are young and old, we are Internet and social media savvy, and we have significant backing from around the globe.
Make no mistake, the people of Palestine have determined SIP’s priorities and they are the primary stakeholders in our mission. As a social enterprise our success will not be measured by profits. It will be measured by the ability of the people of Gaza to work in dignified jobs, create and run their own businesses, rebuild their homes and factories, conduct international trade profitably, and develop their economy in order to shed their charitable dependency status. That is our ultimate mission.
Ken O'Keefe takes direction for the Samouni Project
Self-Determination
All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
We are committed to manifesting the transformation of the world’s largest open-air prison into a thriving Mediterranean metropolis. We will not celebrate the ‘breaking of the siege’ upon arrival in Gaza; instead we will offload our cargo, reload our trucks with cargo ‘Made in Palestine’, and then set off to export these products to markets abroad. Then we will repeat the cycle.
Ultimately this is a matter of the people of Gaza being able to exercise self-determination, which inherently includes the ability to conduct viable international trade and commerce.
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
The declaration is intended to establish a comprehensive Euro-Mediterranean partnership in order to turn the Mediterranean into a common area of peace, stability and prosperity through the reinforcement of political dialogue and security, an economic and financial partnership and a social, cultural and human partnership.
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership/Barcelona Declaration
Reading the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) agreements reveals continuous proclamations compelling respect for “human rights”, “democracy”, “free-trade” and “shared prosperity”.
The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership claims to focus on three key objectives:
· fostering “peace and stability”
· “promote understanding between cultures and exchanges between civil societies”
· and the “creation of an area of shared prosperity” in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
Under the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Israel has done extremely well, prospering to the tune of roughly 25bn Euros a year in trade with the EU. Palestinians, on the other hand, conduct a miniscule amount of trade by comparison. Even worse, the people of Gaza are almost completely barred from international trade and have been made to endure a brutal and illegal blockade for over four years.
Adding insult to injury, the Palestinians of Gaza are compelled by lack of choice to increase the profitability of their Israeli oppressors by buying the products Israel exports to Palestine.
Samouni Children
EU Obligations with Regard to the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
There are 27 Member States of the European Union who have entered into treaties that mandate a ‘Free Trade Zone’ in the Euro-Mediterranean region. The multi-lateral and bi-lateral treaties are contracts with ‘partner countries’ in the region. These countries include Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, all of which we will travel through en route to Gaza. Importantly, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership includes a treaty between the EU and the Palestinian Authority, identifying the ‘Palestinian Territories’ as a partner country, under this treaty, import/export bans are prohibited and free trade is sacrosanct, at least when it comes to Israel.
Legal precedents have been established to protect against import/export bans. Over the course of two years Aloha Palestine has been committed to due diligence by investing nearly one third of its entire budget on legal advice, with emphasis in public international law, human rights law, and international trade law. We have retained some of the top legal minds in preparation for the trade mission we are set to conduct this June.
Cultural Imperialism
Cultural imperialism is domination through policies that exploit the economic and/or technological superiority of one over the other, in this case the West over the Arab world. The EU and Israel are partners in cultural imperialism and the EMP has been one of their primary tools, especially with regard to Palestine. No significant challenge to this injustice has been conducted by trading with Palestine as Israel does with the EU, but that is exactly what SIP intends to do. We shall challenge the cultural imperialism of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership while citing the agreement itself. And we shall expose the hypocrisy of the EU should it not protect the interests of an EU-based trading company.
SIP intends to have top attorneys on retainer, prepared to take legal action should SIP be blocked or unjustly delayed.
Historic Role of the European Union
As an occupying power controlling Gaza’s air, land and sea space, Israel has been in grave breach of its obligations under international law. In addition, Israel has continuously violated the stated principles of the Euro–Mediterranean Partnership. Despite this, the EU has supported Israel without pause, firmly establishing its complicity in the crimes committed against the people of Gaza. Making this particularly reprehensible is the presence of over 800,000 children in Gaza. The reality is that innocent children in the eyes of the EU do not warrant even a fraction of the favour that the EU affords Israel.
The justification for the EU’s complicity in Israeli crimes is the democratic election in which Hamas came to power, since Hamas is listed as a terrorist organisation. A worthwhile comparison to Hamas however would be the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the African National Congress (ANC), both of which were deemed to be terrorist entities, both eventually having the opportunity to utilise politics as an alternative to violent resistance. Hamas, however, has repeatedly been denied this opportunity, despite making repeated offers for a long-term truce and a negotiated settlement.
It bears repeating, the EU has collaborated in collectively punishing the people of Gaza while rewarding the state that is guilty of the crime.
As an EU-based company, Aloha Palestine will demand the right to trade with Palestine just as other EU companies trade with Israel. If the EU fails to do this, we will employ every means possible to expose the EU not just for complicity, but active participation in the collective punishment of the people of Gaza.
Egyptian Blockade of Gaza
It must be said that the Israeli-led blockade of Gaza is in itself useless unless Egypt conducts its own blockade of Gaza. Under Mubarak Egypt did precisely that, justifying the blockade by citing agreements brokered for Israeli/US interests and at a terrible cost to Palestinians. However with the rising of the people of Egypt and the subsequent fall of Hosni Mubarak, the people of Egypt, especially the youth movements, hold the key to Gaza’s future.
First Bag of Cement through Rafah Crossing Since Blockade
Egypt’s new Foreign Minister Nabil al Arabi has stated that the time to end the Egyptian blockade of Gaza is now, and he further clarified that the blockade “is contrary to the rules of international humanitarian law which prohibits the siege of civilians, even in times of war.”
In this context we shall cooperate with the post-Mubarak government so as to ensure the economic and human rights of the people of Palestine are finally respected. On April 28 2011 Egypt formally announced the end of the Egyptian blockade. The stage is set for SIP to conduct a historic mission that should spell the end of a shameful chapter in Egypt’s history.
The timing of our mission could hardly be better.
Regional Security
…it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law…
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
SIP’s position is that respect for human rights, ending of the blockade, normalising trade and the establishment of legitimate security procedures at the Rafah Border Crossing is in the best interest of security for every nation in the region. We argue that by reviving the crippled economy of Gaza/Palestine and boosting the ailing economy of Egypt, stability through prosperity will develop. Stability is a prerequisite for security and we must not ignore the fact that corrupt economic and political systems, inequitable distribution of wealth and the deep poverty that results, are at the heart of the civil unrest reshaping the Middle East at this critical point in human history. Therefore, the development of the Egyptian and Palestinian economies is essential for a just and peaceful Middle East.
Safe Trade
Aloha Palestine is committed to enhancing regional security by conducting Safe Trade:
The commercial exchange of non-hazardous items; trade that stimulates economic growth while posing no danger to society. Trade involving transparency, fairness and social responsibility that fosters prosperity while enhancing security in the regions of the world in which it is conducted.
Unlike the free trade that is conducted between Israel, the EU and the United States, there will be no trading of weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction.
SafeTrade - No Guns - No WMD
Conclusion
… recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world…
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Samouni Inter-Trade Palestine is indeed a trade mission, but our motives are grounded in humanitarian principles. While the past is characterised by a system of tyranny, concentrated wealth, power in the hands of the most corrupt and violent, and ceaseless suffering and injustice, the future holds great promise for a better world.
Like the mythical phoenix, a symbol of rebirth, immortality, and renewal, we see Gaza/Palestine at the end of its period of fire. From the ashes Gaza will be rebuilt, and the people will rise to claim their inherent right of self-determination. And it will start with connecting Gaza to the world once more with viable international trade.
BBC Panorama ‘Death in the Med’ is 100% Zionist Propaganda
This is a letter from Ted (from Liverpool) who pretty much dismantles BBC; please share.
Aloha Ted,
An absolute joy to read. I will be spreading this enthusiastically and look forward to seeing how many of the “journalists” at the BBC manage to report the truth about their disgusting propaganda piece. A better world has no room for such trash, and since those at the helm of the BBC have made it their choice to serve invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and the ongoing occupation of Palestine, I look forward to their inevitable downfall… or takeover by people who actually honour the responsibilities inherent in genuine journalism. One way or the other, the truth will indeed set us free from the propaganda as only the BBC can deliver.
TJP,
Ken O’Keefe
Sir,
I would refer to the ‘consolidated appeal’ procedure which Michael Fadda, Editorial Assistant to the BBC Trust, has described in his email of 3rd December. This was in response to Richard Lightbown’s complaint of 24th August that the Panorama programme, Death on the Med’, was biased and lacking in impartiality. The procedure described by Mr Fadda is Byzantine and the process so drawn out as to make any final BBC decision, apparently due in April, meaningless.
It has become increasingly clear that the programme was a whitewash of the truth and represents a nadir of the consistent bias displayed by the BBC in its reporting of the Palestine/Israel situation.
This lack of impartiality was confirmed by John Pilger who told us on the Today programme (on 10/12/10) that the BBC had failed to report the UNHRC report on the Mavi Marmara affair on its main news channels – censorship by omission.
The report of the fact-finding mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla was released on 27/9/10. It is revealing and damning and should have been the subject of much publicity; it shows conclusively that US citizen Furkan Dogan and five Turkish citizens were murdered ‘execution-style by Israeli commandos’.
The report states that both activists and journalists on board the flotilla were treated in a cruel and inhuman way and confirms that cameras, laptops, mobiles, passports, credit cards and cash were stolen by the IDF. As John Pilger stated, war crimes were found to have been committed and the report recommends that there is a clear case for prosecution for wilful killing etc – *see extracts from the report shown below.
This Mission report gives unquestionable evidence that ‘Death on the Med’ was a travesty of truth. The BBC should now make an unreserved apology and offer the resignation of the Director General. Under the watch of the current DG the BBC has increasingly shown bias and lack of impartiality in their reporting of the Palestinian/Israeli situation. The BBC appears to be in thrall to Israel – as is much of the American media – it is understood that the UN Mission report did not appear in any US media whatsoever.
The Israeli military and its government have again behaved in flagrant contravention of the Geneva Conventions and should be regarded as a rogue state. For the UK to seek to protect members of the Israeli government from international law procedures – as they are attempting to do on 13th December by tampering with Universal Jurisdiction – makes them complicit in Israel’s serial wrongdoing, as does also the moral support they give in avowing that they are ‘Friends of Israel’
The UK government would be well advised to read the attached UN Mission report, and then to rethink that friendship and their whole policy towards the Middle East.
Ted from Liverpool
*The Mission considers that the same factual circumstances provide prima facie evidence that protected persons suffered violations of international humanitarian law committed by Israeli forces during the interception,
There is clear evidence to support prosecutions of the following crimes within the terms of article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention: • Wilful killing; • Torture or inhuman treatment; • Wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health
Perhaps the most shocking testimony, after that relating to the violence on the Mavi Marmara, was the consistent accounts of a number of incidents of extreme and unprovoked violence perpetrated by uniformed Israeli personnel upon certain passengers during the processing procedures inside the terminal at Ben Gurion International Airport on the day of deportation. These accounts were so consistent and vivid as to be beyond question.
TJP Liberty Report from Gaza – Ken O’Keefe Dec. 5, 2010
Virtually unreported by the western propaganda machine is the almost daily shootings of Palestinians in the so-called “buffer zone”. This land happens to be the best agricultural land in Gaza and in a state of siege in which 80-90% of the population is reliant upon aid to survive, these shootings are particularly cruel and criminal. This policy is also yet another way Israel effectively, unlawfully, annexes Palestinian land.
Road to Hope convoy stalled at Egyptian border
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Road to Hope convoy stalled at Egyptian border
The Road to Hope humanitarian aid convoy continues its role in the international community’s collective mission to break the illegal siege of Gaza and deliver desperately needed aid to the people of Palestine in Gaza. The convoy comprises 30 vehicles and 101 humanitarian aid workers. Among them are 8 survivors of the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla, 7 of them were aboard the Mavi Marmara, including Ken O’Keefe who was involved in disarming two Israeli commandos. The convoy has travelled four and a half thousand miles and is currently located at the Libyan / Egyptian border. As it stands the convoy finds itself at a standstill, with direct communication with the outside world being limited, and access to the internet very difficult.
It has always been a central aspect of the Road to Hope convoy that it acts in a non-political, non-confrontational manner. To work with and cooperate with every government in every country through which it travelled. Thus far this approach has rewarded it with exceptional receptions in every nation. All of the North African governments have been extremely accommodating and the people of each nation even more so. We must give special praise to the Libyan government for its constant support; when the convoy have had challenges, including breakdowns of vehicles, the authorities here have provided the means to repair those vehicles and continue our mission.
Ken O’Keefe: “Now we find ourselves in our third day at the Libyan / Egyptian border and we remain hopeful that the land route will be opened to us in the coming days”. The convoy departed from London with the understanding that the land crossing through Egypt had not been closed to it. Convoy leader, Kieran Turner: “One reason for our optimism that we will travel the land route is the fact that the Al Quds convoy, a Libyan convoy also delivering aid to Gaza, is set to travel the land route in the coming days. For several weeks we have hoped to join our convoys and travel together.” However, the convoy is awaiting permission from the Egyptian authorities to pass through Egypt in this way.
Mr. Turner understands that there is a possibility the Egyptian government will deny the convoy the land route, in which case they will have only two acceptable options —
1) To press on via the land border without permission, at which time our only chance of success will be by way of significant international pressure and a reversal of a policy which tacitly supports the illegal siege of Gaza.
2) If the land route is denied the only remaining option is to deliver our aid by sea. This option inherently requires significant increases in the cost of our mission, and importantly, to all subsequent aid missions. The end result of this policy is a reduction in the already limited resources that can be brought to bear for the people of Palestine.
The convoy leadership urge the Egyptian authorities to allow us safe passage to Gaza by land in the coming days, allow the convoy to join the Al Quds convoy, and ultimately increase the “easing” of the blockade which continues to collectively punish the people of Gaza.
Mr. Ken O’Keefe calls on all the supporters of Palestine “to support Road to Hope and the Al Quds convoys by spreading awareness of our missions and encouraging Egyptian cooperation”.
Contacts:
Primary contact: London – Eleanor Merton +44 777 037 6701
Libya / Egypt – Kieran Turner +44 779 22 66 111 (interviews in Libya available if the roaming costs are covered.)
The children of Libya
BBC’s Blatant Propaganda Exposed Big Time by Anthony Lawson
I am honoured to have contributed to Anthony Lawson’s new short doc. ‘BBC Bias: The Gaza Freedom Flotilla’, spread this far and wide.
An American “Terrorist” in London
Welcome to Orwell’s ‘1984’ ladies and gentlemen, where black is white, white is black, and the truth is nothing but a word. My 1984 reality is culminating with the United States and Israeli Governments treating me and/or charging me with being a “terrorist”. Americans worry not, you can sleep better at night knowing your “homeland” is being defended from the likes of me. And Israel, rest easy as well, it’s Ken O’Keefe and his Arab collaborators who are in the Mossad crosshairs.
All kidding aside, I am a family man, with a beautiful family, a loving wife and baby boy, a boy who will be the biggest victim if his father is no longer in his life.
How did I get here? Well my life is an open book, and one chapter includes meeting with people who resist war and occupation, but the idea that I would be involved in violence beyond self-defense is absurd. The character witnesses who truly know me will come out in force if ever I am locked up for conspiracy to commit a terrorist act. The real reason why I have been named by Israel as ‘operative of the Hamas Terror organization’ is that I speak and defend the truth, and more importantly, I act on it. The truth is that Hamas and every other government, group or individual does what just about any of us would do if we were oppressed and violated in the ways that are inherent in war/occupation. We would resist.
I say to every red blooded American, every European, every human, if someone came into your home, threatened your family, imprisons and even kills your family what would you do? I do not care if every westerner of any station is afraid to say it, it is part of my purpose in life to say it, I would fight. In fact I would kill before I would allow my family to be harmed. I would fight to the death.
I say to my American brothers and sisters in particular, can you not see that the Iraqis, the Afghanis and the Palestinians are people? They are mothers and fathers, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters and sons and daughters. They love their family every bit as much as you. Imagine that you were in their shoes, would you be passive? Would you sit by and watch your wife and child being violated? Or would you fight?
I want every reader of this article to come on a journey with me. We are in our home, we are brothers, poor in terms of money but rich in our love of family, we love each other as brothers do. Our wives are in the kitchen preparing food for our children. We do our best, poor and impoverished, surrounded by war brought in the form of occupiers from half way around the world. The sound of rifle butts banging on the door shatters the semblance of peace. You, my brother go to the door quickly, but not quickly enough. The door slams open and the soldiers from another land come storming in.
With weapons pointed at our heads, they shout orders which we believe tell us to put our hands on our heads and get down on our knees. We are not sure, English is a language brought to us, not our mother tongue. Our wives come to the room frightened, begging the soldiers to calm down for the sake of the children in the other room. The soldiers respond by shouting at our wives and pushing my wife to the ground with their assault rifles. Our hearts are racing, our manhood is being crushed, and we wonder if we are men at all.
The shouting and the chaos increases. Next comes the sound of your baby girl, you hear her crying for her mother, you imagine the look of her, terrified. Thinking of your little baby girl tears begin to fall from your face. You look to your wife; she is now on the ground bleeding from where the rifle butt slammed into her head. In the chaos you do not even know when this happened. The soldiers begin throwing all that we own everywhere, overturning furniture, throwing papers and family items to the ground and breaking dishes. They ransack while one demands to know our names. As soon as I say my name they grab me and take me into the next room, the room between you and our children. They begin to beat me, mercilessly. They are shouting at me, but you do not know what they are saying.
Now all the children are crying frantically, the soldiers keep yelling, and you catch the word “terrorist”. You realize that they are calling me, your brother who you have known your whole life, a “terrorist”. I plead with them to stop the beating, blood drenching every inch of my face, for the sake of the children, who are by now screaming, crying and begging for mom and dad, I beg. All you can think to do is nothing, you are paralyzed, and eventually the soldiers take me away… You will never hear from me again.
Your children are alive, for now, and your wife will survive, but she is scarred. Your sister-in-law is without her husband, you are without your brother, your parents are without their son and the children are without a father. You find out later that “someone” gave your brother’s name to the soldiers as a “terrorist”, probably while being tortured. And that is the end of that, someone who you do not know accuses the brother you know through and through, and lives are shattered.
And so you ponder, do I do nothing or do I resist?
This is a scenario of war/occupation, it is not extreme, it is inherent. Indeed we could include scenarios where woman, wives and daughters are raped in front of husbands and fathers. You think Americans do not do this, you are wrong. War makes everyone crazy; the question is to what degree? Insanity is inherent in war, the folly of chanting the “Support the troops!” slogan while sending them off to bullshit wars could not be more stark.
And so I ask, if you came from the lands we invade, would you fight? And if you did, would you see yourself as a “terrorist”? Or a man?
And if you did not fight, would you see yourself as noble? Or a coward?
I do not intend to pass judgment, but I would fight. I would fight because I know I would rot from the inside out if I did not. As far as I am concerned, I feel nothing but kinship, love and respect for my brothers and sisters who resist, I see myself in them.
It pains me deeply to know that we, western hypocrites and citizens of morally bankrupt states are the root of the problem. We are the terrorists, us. Our entire society should face charges for crimes against humanity for our use of DU, white phosphorous, cluster bombs, etc. We should pay massive reparations and beg forgiveness for the sake of a better future world. We claim to live in democracies, therefore we are responsible. Rather than face up to it, we remain delusional and insane, functionally insane, pretending as if we are “civilized”. We are barbaric, and not just Americans, Europeans as well. We do not have a monopoly on barbarity, but we have far more than our fair share.
When Gandhi was asked what he thought of western civilization he replied by saying, “I think it would be a good idea.”
Exactly.
I will not abandon my brothers and sisters who resist war and occupation. By being labeled a “terrorist” myself, I join you, falsely accused and persecuted, the Arabs, the Muslims, Nelson Mandela, the African National Congress, the Founding Fathers of America, the eco-warriors, the people of conscience past and present. And so be it, I am a terrorist in the eyes of the American and Canadian Government who puts me on their so-called “terror watch list”. I am a terrorist because Israel issues press releases stating I am a “operative of Hamas” on a mission to “form and train a commando unit for the Palestinian terror organization” in Gaza; in this world of Orwellian doublespeak I am honoured, truly honoured. The lies and depravity are oozing from you like puss from an infection of greed and power gone mad. In response I shall draw the proverbial line in the sand, those accusing and threatening me on the one side, those with me on the other side. And here is what ‘WE THE PEOPLE’ stand for;
- Breaking of the blockade of Gaza and Palestine 100%.
- Ending imperialism, occupation and war and thus the need for violent resistance.
- Ending of all forms of terrorism, with immediate emphasis on the state sponsored terrorism that is conducted with our taxes and in our name.
- Replacing the war tax system with a humanity tax system.
- Replacing institutionalized indoctrination with genuine education.
- Rendering corporate media propaganda completely impotent.
- Replacing the colour of law with justice based law.
- Embracing sustainable living and respect for nature in every way.
- Absolute respect for human rights for all people, without exception.
10. The “Golden Rule”, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
11. The way of a world citizen whose ultimate allegiance is to his entire human family and to planet Earth.
There you have it, if I am to be a “terrorist” then that is the brand I endorse. And now, I’m looking for a ship and a flotilla to go to Gaza, and I look to do it pretty soon. Who would like to join me?
TJP
Defenders of the Mavi Marmara
I have for many years understood that we, people of conscience, are the true holders of power in this world. Frustratingly however we have largely relinquished that power and failed to reach our full potential. Our potential to create a better world, a just world. Nonetheless I have conspired with others of like mind to reveal and exercise our true power. In 2002 I initiated the TJP Human Shield Action to Iraq because I knew that the invasion of Iraq had been planned well in advance, that it was part of a ‘Full Spectrum Dominance’ agenda as laid out by the Project For A New American Century.
I knew that protests had no chance of stopping the invasion, and that largely these protests were just a way of making us feel better about the coming mass murder; by being able to say I protested against it. With that understanding I argued that the only viable way to stop the invasion was to conduct a mass migration to Iraq. A migration in which people from around the world, especially western citizens, would position themselves at sites in Iraq that are supposed to be protected by international law, but which are routinely bombed when it is only Iraqi, Palestinian, generally non-white, western lives who will be killed. I felt 10,000 such people could stop the invasion, or at the very least, expose the invasion for what it was from the start, an act of international aggression, a war crime and a crime against humanity.
When our two double-decker buses travelled from London to Baghdad through Turkey, it was ever clear that the people of Turkey also could sense the power of this act, and they were the biggest participants in it. In the end we did not get the numbers required to stop the war, with at least one million Iraqi’s dead as a result, but I remain convinced that it was within our power to prevent the invasion. A massive opportunity lost as far as I am concerned.
In 2007 I joined the Free Gaza Movement with its plan to challenge the blockade of Gaza by travelling to Gaza by sea. From the moment I heard of the plan I knew it could succeed and ultimately I served as a captain on the first attempt. The Israeli government said throughout our preparation that we were no better than pirates and they would treat us as such. They made clear we would not reach Gaza. And still I knew we could succeed. And we did. Two boats with 46 passengers from various countries managed to sail into Gaza on August 23, 2010; this was the first time this had been done in 41 years. The truth is the blockade of Gaza is far more than three years old, and yet we, a small group of conscientious people defied the Israeli machine and celebrated with tens of thousands of Gazans when we arrived that day. We proved that it could be done. We proved that an intelligent plan, with skilled manipulation of the media, could render the full might of the Israeli Navy useless. And I knew then that this was only the tip of the iceberg.
This is the send off for the IHH passenger ship just before departure from Antalya on May 27, 2010. As you can see the atmosphere is jubilant and optimistic.
So participating in the Freedom Flotilla is like a family reunion to me. It is my long lost family whose conscience is their guide, who have shed the fear, who act with humanity. But I was especially proud to join IHH and the Turkish elements of the flotilla. I deeply admire the strength and character of the Turkish people, despite your history having stains of injustice, like every nation, you are today from citizen to Prime Minister among the leaders in the cause of humanity and justice.
I remember being asked during the TJP Human Shield Action to Iraq if I was a pacifist, I responded with a quote from Gandhi by saying I am not a passive anything. To the contrary I believe in action, and I also believe in self-defence, 100%, without reservation. I would be incapable of standing by while a tyrant murders my family, and the attack on the Mavi Marmara was like an attack on my Palestinian family. I am proud to have stood shoulder to shoulder with those who refused to let a rogue Israeli military exert their will without a fight. And yes, we fought.
When I was asked, in the event of an Israeli attack on the Mavi Mamara, would I use the camera, or would I defend the ship? I enthusiastically committed to defence of the ship. Although I am also a huge supporter of non-violence, in fact I believe non-violence must always be the first option. Nonetheless I joined the defence of the Mavi Mamara understanding that violence could be used against us and that we may very well be compelled to use violence in self-defence.
I said this straight to Israeli agents, probably of Mossad or Shin Bet, and I say it again now, on the morning of the attack I was directly involved in the disarming of two Israeli Commandos. This was a forcible, non-negotiable, separation of weapons from commandos who had already murdered two brothers that I had seen that day. One brother with a bullet entering dead center in his forehead, in what appeared to be an execution. I knew the commandos were murdering when I removed a 9mm pistol from one of them. I had that gun in my hands and as an ex-US Marine with training in the use of guns it was completely within my power to use that gun on the commando who may have been the murderer of one of my brothers. But that is not what I, nor any other defender of the ship did. I took that weapon away, removed the bullets, proper lead bullets, separated them from the weapon and hid the gun. I did this in the hopes that we would repel the attack and submit this weapon as evidence in a criminal trial against Israeli authorities for mass murder.
I also helped to physically separate one commando from his assault rifle, which another brother apparently threw into the sea. I and hundreds of others know the truth that makes a mockery of the brave and moral Israeli military. We had in our full possession, three completely disarmed and helpless commandos. These boys were at our mercy, they were out of reach of their fellow murderers, inside the ship and surrounded by 100 or more men. I looked into the eyes of all three of these boys and I can tell you they had the fear of God in them. They looked at us as if we were them, and I have no doubt they did not believe there was any way they would survive that day. They looked like frightened children in the face of an abusive father.
Israeli Commando - Disarmed and receiving first aid.
But they did not face an enemy as ruthless as they. Instead the woman provided basic first aid, and ultimately they were released, battered and bruised for sure, but alive. Able to live another day. Able to feel the sun over head and the embrace of loved ones. Unlike those they murdered. Despite mourning the loss of our brothers, feeling rage towards these boys, we let them go. The Israeli prostitutes of propaganda can spew all of their disgusting bile all they wish, the commandos are the murderers, we are the defenders, and yet we fought. We fought not just for our lives, not just for our cargo, not just for the people of Palestine, we fought in the name of justice and humanity. We were right to do so, in every way.
While in Israeli custody I, along with everyone else was subjected to endless abuse and flagrant acts of disrespect. Women and elderly were physically and mentally assaulted. Access to food and water and toilets was denied. Dogs were used against us, we ourselves were treated like dogs. We were exposed to direct sun in stress positions while hand cuffed to the point of losing circulation of blood in our hands. We were lied to incessantly, in fact I am awed at the routineness and comfort in their ability to lie, it is remarkable really. We were abused in just about every way imaginable and I myself was beaten and choked to the point of blacking out… and I was beaten again while in my cell.
In all this what I saw more than anything else were cowards… and yet I also see my brothers. Because no matter how vile and wrong the Israeli agents and government are, they are still my brothers and sisters and for now I only have pity for them. Because they are relinquishing the most precious thing a human being has, their humanity.
In conclusion; I would like to challenge every endorser of Gandhi, every person who thinks they understand him, who acknowledges him as one of the great souls of our time (which is just about every western leader), I challenge you in the form of a question. Please explain how we, the defenders of the Mavi Marmara, are not the modern example of Gandhi’s essence? But first read the words of Gandhi himself.
“I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence…. I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honour than that she should, in a cowardly manner, become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonour.” – Gandhi
And lastly I have one more challenge. I challenge any critic of merit, publicly, to debate me on a large stage over our actions that day. I would especially love to debate with any Israeli leader who accuses us of wrongdoing, it would be my tremendous pleasure to face off with you. All I saw in Israel was cowards with guns, so I am ripe to see you in a new context. I want to debate with you on the largest stage possible. Take that as an open challenge and let us see just how brave Israeli leaders are.
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