Re: The Reported Illegal Seizure of the 21 Humanitarian Activists on Board The Spirit of Humanity

Below is an account of the seizing of the ship reported by the Green Party of The United States:

The Free Gaza's 'Spirit of Humanity' was delivering medical and other supplies following Obama's call for relief to war torn Gaza; the boat was in international waters.

Green Party leaders are calling on the White House and US State Department to intervene and demand the immediate release of 21 human rights activists, including former US Rep. Cynthia McKinney and Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire, who were taken prisoner by the Israeli navy after gunboats surrounded and seized the Free Gaza Movement relief boat 'Spirit of Humanity' on Monday.

"This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip," said Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party's 2008 candidate for President of the United States. "President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that's exactly what we tried to do. We're asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey."

Read Cynthia McKinney's latest statement here: http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/hope-fleet-news/970-call-off-your-attack-dogs-cynthia-mckinney

Ms. McKinney had earlier sent appeals to President Obama and the State Department for assurances of protection for the relief mission. The Spirit of Humanity was sailing in international waters when it was seized. Greens stressed that the relief boat represents no threat to Israel and must be allowed to continue its voyage to Gaza.

For more information and updates, see the Free Gaza Movement web site (http://www.freegaza.org), including the latest release on the seizure of the relief boat (http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/hope-fleet-news/976-israel-attacks-justice-boat-kidnaps-human-rights-workers-confiscates-medicine-toys-and-olive-trees).

For communications and updates from Cynthia McKinney, visit her Green Party page (http://www.gp.org/cynthia/index.php) and blog (http://dignity.ning.com).

The Spirit of Humanity was carrying medical supplies, cement, olive trees, and children's toys to Gaza after the Israeli invasion in December and January damaged or destroyed 50,000 homes, 800 industrial properties and 200 schools damaged or destroyed, 39 mosques, and two churches. The supplies were confiscated by the Israeli navy.

The Green Party of the United States condemned the invasion and massacre of Palestinians and has endorsed the call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel until the Israeli government guarantees full human rights, including political rights and democracy, for all Palestinians and non-Jewish Israelis.

Click here for a report on the incident in Al-Jazeerah.

Below are the words of Mr. Pinkney:

The Israeli government, through its military (in this instance the Israeli Navy), had absolutely no right or need to board and kidnap former U.S. Congresswoman (and former Green Party U.S. Presidential candidate) Cynthia McKinney and the other international humanitarian activists on board the small humanitarian boat, the Spirit of Humanity. Apparently the Israeli Government is determined to continue to arrogantly flaunt and disregard international law and just plain human decency. 

Yet again, the Israeli apartheid Zionists and the Israeli Government have demonstrated how truly despicable and utterly hypocritical, they truly are. These kinds of actions clearly indicate that the Israeli Government does not seek to legitimately defend Israel, but rather to provoke attacks and stifle & sabotage opportunities for peace with justice. 

I join with many millions of persons around the world who are in legitimate and growing outrage at these constant and latest Israeli actions.

BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board Member, Larry Pinkney, is a veteran of the Black Panther Party, the former Minister of Interior of the Republic of New Africa, a former political prisoner and the only American to have successfully self-authored his civil/political rights case to the United Nations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In connection with his political organizing activities in opposition to voter suppression, etc., Pinkney was interviewed in 1988 on the nationally televised PBS NewsHour, formerly known as The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. For more about Larry Pinkney see the book, Saying No to Power: Autobiography of a 20th Century Activist and Thinker, by William Mandel [Introduction by Howard Zinn]. (Click here to read excerpts from the book). Click here to contact Mr. Pinkney.