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They Denied Us So They Wouldn't Have to Ram Us!--UPDATED

Cynthia McKinney

The Israelis are hopping mad. And they're flexing their muscles in all the ugly places. They can't ram us again without sparking an international uproar, so they're trying to stop us from leaving the port at all. The Limasol, Cyprus Port Authority which controls the port of Larnaca also, sent their inspector to Larnaca with a letter saying that the boat failed inspection, only thing, the letter was written BEFORE he even arrived in Larnaca to do the inspection! Reuters is doing the story at this very moment saying that we were prevented from leaving due to Cypriot authorities. We just learned from a Cyprus government source that pressure is being applied by Israel to deny us departure credentials. It appears, then, that Israel is putting us into contortions because they don't want us to take cement into Gaza. After white phosphorus, depleted uranium, DIME, cluster bombs, F16s, death, destruction, and mayhem. All of *this* over a few bags of cement. Can you believe???

1. Read the Haaretz article here, showing Israeli concern about us taking cement to Gaza

2. Hear the interview with Don Debar on the contortions we're being put through by Cyprus Port Authority

3. Read the Reuters article here (interesting that the story broke in Israel and not Cyprus!!)

4. Individuals have already started to contact the Cyprus UN Mission and their DC Embassy to inquire why they are arbitrarily not allowing the Spirit of Humanity and the Free Gaza to set sail.

1. Here is the Ha'aretz article:

Last update - 17:00 18/06/2009

Activists plan to send Gaza cement, in violation of Israel blockade

By Reuters and Haaretz Service

Activists campaigning for an end to Gaza's blockade by Israel will sail to the Hamas-run enclave from Cyprus despite the presence of the Israeli navy, they said on Thursday.

Two boats, including one carrying cement and building supplies -- materials not permitted in by Israel over fears that they could be used for military purposes -- will sail from Cyprus on June 25, the multi-national Free Gaza Movement said.

"We are taking 15 tons of cement, which is just a token of how much the Palestinians need, because the Israelis won't allow building supplies into Gaza," said Greta Berlin, a representative of the group.

The group started regular shuttles to Gaza from Cyprus in August 2008, but was turned back by the Israeli navy on its last journey in mid-January of this year.

Israel tightened a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after the Islamist Hamas took control of the enclave, a strip of land that is home to 1.5 million people.

Israeli forces bombed and then invaded Gaza in late December 2008 in a bid to rout out militants lobbing rockets into Israel, badly battering its already decrepit infrastructure.

U.S. ups pressure on Israel to end Gaza blockade

Ex-president Carter urges Obama to remove Hamas from U.S. terror list

2. Hear Greta Berlin and I explain what is happening with the purposeful delay of our departure

http://www.livestream.com/wbaix

3. Read the Reuters article:

12:54 25Jun09 -Cyprus halts aid boats bound for Gaza Strip

LARNACA, Cyprus, June 25 (Reuters) - Cyprus stopped two

boats planning to carry aid to the Gaza Strip in defiance of an

Israeli blockade from leaving port on Thursday, officials said.

The U.S.-based Free Gaza Movement had been planning to take

33 activists to Gaza with medical supplies and cement, a

material that Israel does not allow into the Palestinian

territory devastated by a short war that ended early this year.

The Free Gaza Movement started sending regular aid voyages

from Cyprus to Gaza in August 2008, but one of its boats was

involved in a collision with an Israeli vessel in December, and

was turned back on another mission in January.

Cypriot shipping officials cited inspection requirements for

stopping the two vessels, a small ferry and a sailing boat, from

leaving port two hours before their scheduled departure.

Both vessels had travelled to Gaza before.

"One of the ships was only recently registered in Cyprus and

under Cyprus law it has to undergo inspection before being given

permission to sail," said Serghios Serghiou, head of Cyprus's

Department of Merchant Shipping. "(The second) ... did not apply

for any inspections before sailing."

Israel tightened a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after the

Islamist group Hamas took control of the enclave, a tiny sliver

of territory home to some 1.5 million people.

Israel bans imports of cement, steel or other building

supplies to Gaza, saying militants could use them for military

purposes. One of the vessels was to carry 15 tonnes of cement.

Israeli forces bombed then invaded Gaza in late December

2008 with a declared aim of ending cross-border rocket attacks

from the Hamas-ruled territory.

The war damaged infrastructure and hurt an economy already

hobbled by years of isolation.

(Writing by Michele Kambas, editing by Lin Noueihed)

((michele.kambas@thomsonre

uters.com;

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; Reuters

messaging michele.kambas.reuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: PALESTINIANS ISRAEL/ACTIVISTS

Thursday, 25 June 2009 12:54:02

RTRS [nLO676773 ] {C}

ENDS

We are determined to depart, if not today, then tomorrow.

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*********************

The latest info is here:

The State Department has just sent us the notice below. The White House says that cement and medical supplies should get into Gaza and that's exactly what we are attempting to take to Gaza.

Instead of quoting Israel policy to us, the State Department should state U.S. policy to Israel. Therefore, the U.S. should send a message to Israel reiterating the reported White House position that the blockade of Gaza should be eased, that medical supplies and building materials, including cement, should be allowed in, and that Free Gaza boats should be allowed to reach their destination, from Cyprus territorial waters, through international waters, and straight into Gaza territorial waters.

The State Department has chosen to advise us to take the Israeli notification seriously. Our question is, "Can we take President Obama seriously?" Will he stand by his own words and allow us to provide relief for Gaza or will he back down?

Here's the notice from the State Department:

From: Consular, Nicosia <consularnicosia@state.gov>;

Date: Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 7:58 AM

Subject: The Risks in Your Sailing to Gaza

To: friends@freegaza.org

For Greta Berlin, Ramzi Kysia, and other United States citizens,

Please be aware of the risks involved in your planned sailing from Larnaca to Gaza this morning.

As I am sure you know, the U.S. Department of State issued a Travel Warning for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza that remains in effect. This warning reads in part: “The State Department strongly urges that American citizens refrain from all travel to the Gaza Strip. This recommendation has been in effect since the deadly roadside bombing of a U.S. Embassy convoy in Gaza in October 2003. It applies to all Americans, including journalists and aid workers. American citizens should be aware that as a consequence of a longstanding prohibition on travel by U.S. Government employees into the Gaza Strip, the ability of consular staff to offer timely assistance to U.S. citizens there is extremely limited.”

On Monday, June 22, the Israeli Foreign Ministry informed U.S. officials at the American Embassy in Tel Aviv that Israel still considers Gaza an area of conflict and that any Free Gaza boats attempting to sail to the Gaza Strip will “not be permitted” to reach its destination.

I encourage you to take the State Department’s Travel Warning and the Israeli notification seriously.

Sincerely,

Randy Carlino

U.S. Consul

Author's Bio: Cynthia Ann McKinney (born March 17, 1955) is a former United States Representative and the 2008 Green Party nominee for President of the United States. McKinney served as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993–2003 and 2005–2007, first representing Georgia's 11th Congressional District and then Georgia's 4th Congressional District. She is the first African-American woman to have represented Georgia in the House.[1] In the 1992 election, McKinney was elected in the newly re-created 11th District,[2] and was re-elected in 1994. When her district was redrawn and renumbered due to the Supreme Court of the United States ruling in Miller v. Johnson,[3][1][4] McKinney was easily elected from the new 4th District in the 1996 election, and was re-elected twice without substantive opposition. McKinney was defeated by Denise Majette in the 2002 Democratic primary, in part due to Republican crossover voting in Georgia's open primary election, which permits anyone from any party to vote in any party primary,[5] and in part due to her "controversial profile, which included a suggestion that [George W.] Bush knew in advance of the September 11 attacks." (from wikipedia)

www.opednews.com/articles/They-Denied-Us-So-They-Wou-by-Cynthia-McKinney-090625-315.html

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