Israel Reportedly Attacks Palestinian Aid Flotilla

[Gita]

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Which Side Are You On?

In San Francisco–Dockworkers Refuse to Cross Picket Line to Unload Israeli Ship 20. Jun, 2010

Activists singing "Which Side Are You On?' sums up the protest.

Protesters Picket Israeli Cargo Ship

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=UpKObPFtcBA

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters picketed at the Port of Oakland, in California, on Sunday hoping to delay an Israeli cargo ship from docking, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.


Police estimated that more than 500 demonstrators gathered early Sunday morning at Berth 58, where a cargo ship operated by the Israeli Zim shipping company was scheduled to dock. The crowd dispersed around 10 a.m. but around 200 protesters returned in the afternoon when a second shift of dockworkers were scheduled to work.

The demonstration was staged to protest Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.

"Our objective was to boycott this ship for 24 hours, and we succeeded in doing that," said Richard Becker, with the ANSWER Coalition, one of the groups that organized the protest. {more}

Anti-Zionist Protestors Stop unloading of Israeli Ship

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=K3NDZNmybvE

This protest gives us the opportunity to take a look at a bit of the past history of Zim Shipping. The 9/11 connection.

That a company moved from one place to another is not news, it happens all the time.

But for a company partially owned by the state of Israel to move out of the WTC one week before the attacks and forfeit $50,000.00 in broken lease fees is news.

And where has Zim moved part of its operations to?

O’Neill’s FBI colleague, Mike Dick, aggressively investigated this Israeli ring before and after 911 . But like O’Neill, he soon found himself removed from his duties on the orders of the then-head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Michael Chertoff. Dick was very suspicious when Israeli movers quickly moved Zim American Israeli Shipping Company out of its 10,000 square feet of office space on the 17th Floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The partially Israeli state-owned firm forfeited a $50,000 security deposit when it terminated its lease and vacated the building one week prior to 911. According to a non official cover (NOC) CIA source who worked with Dick, Israeli movers moved explosives into the 17th Floor office space after Zim moved out.

After 911, Dick as well as the CIA NOC were harassed by their superiors on orders “from above.” Those orders came from Chertoff. Dick was first relieved of his primary counter-espionage duties, eventually sent to Pakistan to investigate the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, and eventually buried in a desk job at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC.

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[Gita]

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Netanyahu Vows to ‘Tighten’ Gaza Blockade

Hours after the Israeli government announced that it was intending to issue a new “banned goods” list for the Gaza Strip, focused on placating international demands to allow more food and humanitarian goods into the tiny enclave, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a pledge that the move would actually “tighten” the blockade.

“Our friends around the world are getting behind our decision and giving international legitimacy to the security blockade on Hamas,” Netanyahu insisted, adding again that “dual use” goods would continue to be barred from Gaza.



Israel’s military has claimed broad swathes of goods to be “dual use” in the past, including imposing a three year ban on shoes under the claim that shoes could theoretically be made the part of a military uniform, and therefore had a military use.

Officials say that banned luxury goods like pasta and cordiander will be allowed into the Gaza Strip under the new list, but so far the government has been mum on the most needed item, cement. Israel has barred all cement from the strip as a “dual use” good as well, leaving the homes in the region in ruins since the January 2009 invasion despite massive pledges of foreign aid. It seems the changes in the blockade may end up being superficial, and done purely for to score points internationally.

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[Gita]

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Iran awaiting Egyptian Gaza aid route

Iran says it has prepared ships containing humanitarian and medical aid for Gaza and is awaiting an Egyptian response for a route to deliver the aid.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in a Tuesday press briefing that Iran has made contacts with the Egyptian government on arrangements to facilitate the delivery of the shipments to the impoverished people of Gaza and that any Egyptian efforts in opening a delivery route would be “appreciated by nations.”

“We consider Egyptian efforts in opening an aid-delivery route a correct approach,” said Mehmanparast. He expressed optimism that Egypt would reflect on the “historic role” they can play in making the aid delivery to the people of Gaza happen, and keep in mind the expectation that nations have from them in this regard.

The Iranian official also elaborated on Tehran's decision to refuse entry to two inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying that if any IAEA inspectors are in violation of their assigned duties, member countries have the right to object and demand new inspectors.

He added that Iran considers relaying inaccurate information or making data available to irrelevant individuals by the agency's inspectors as violation of their duties.

Mehmanparast also declared that Iran plans to transmit protest letters to the 12 members of the UN Security Council that recently voted for the anti-Iran sanctions resolution. He noted that the letters will go out soon.

The spokesman also referred to recent propaganda efforts by the US administration to avert a gas pipeline deal between Iran and Pakistan, stressing that energy cooperation between nations have extensive aspects and go far beyond being affected by propaganda campaigns.

Responding to a question regarding Iran's declared readiness in helping to contain the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Mehmanparast said the inability of the US government to effectively deal with the crisis is quite significant. He then noted that since the crisis is an environmental and humanitarian one, it encourages the involvement of all nations to resolve it.

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[Gita]

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Blair: No need for Gaza aid convoys

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is urging charities to stop launching aid flotillas to the blockaded Gaza Strip, and use Israeli-run crossings instead.

"If we implement this policy so that the things that people are trying to bring in by flotilla you can bring in through the legitimate existing crossings, do it that way,” Blair told The Jerusalem Post in an interview on Monday.

"That is the more sensible way to do that,” he added.

The remarks come amid reports of more ships seeking to sail from Lebanon to break Israel's naval blockade in the next few days despite Tel Aviv's Sunday announcement that it was easing the land blockade on the Gaza Strip, and that it would allow all goods except for arms and weapons-related material into the territory.

The move seemed to be aimed at evading mounting international pressure triggered by Israel's deadly attack on a Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla on May 31, where at least nine activists onboard the aid fleet were killed.

Blair said he had been discussing the easing of those restrictions with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu long before the fatal onslaught on the Flotilla.

The envoy for the Quartet for Middle East Peace, however, sympathized with Israel over its alleged security concerns which keep the blockade in place.

“Where I divide from some others in the international community is that I think that Israel has got a genuine security concern that it is entitled to meet,” he said.

“For me, the fact that Israel says, 'Look, we're not going to allow things into the [Gaza] seaport, but you can bring them to Ashdod, and we can check them, and then they can come on to Gaza,' I think that is a reasonable position."

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[Gita]

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'Israel destroying peace talks'

Saeb Erekat says Israel is trying to sabotage indirect peace talks through the demolition of Silwan neighborhood homes in East al-Quds (Jerusalem.)

On Monday, the chief Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) negotiator called on the international community to "halt these dangerous steps" and said that the move "proves that Israel has decided to destroy the proximity talks with the Palestinians."

Erekat said that on Monday the Israeli al-Quds (Jerusalem) municipal planning committee approved the demolition of 22 Silwan homes to make room for the construction of a tourist center.

The site, called al-Bustan, is a section of the larger neighborhood of Silwan, which is home to about 50,000 Palestinians and 70 Jewish families.

Silwan residents have vehemently objected to the plan, which would lead to forced evictions and demolitions, and have demanded that the committee discuss an alternative plan that does not include razing their homes, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

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[Gita]

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Exclusive: Leaked documents show PA undermined Turkey's push for UN flotilla probe

A document sent to Ibrahim Khraishi, Palestinian Authority representative at the UN in Geneva, proves that the PA attempted to undermine Turkey's push for a UN Human Rights Council investigation in to Israel's attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla (Patrick Bertschmann/UN Photo)




June 22, 2010

The Palestinian Authority attempted to neutralize a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution condemning Israel's deadly attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, leaked UN and Palestinian Authority documents obtained by The Electronic Intifada show. Israel's 31 May attack killed nine Turkish citizens, including a dual US-Turkish citizen, and injured dozens of others aboard the Mavi Marmara in international waters.


The Electronic Intifada (EI) today publishes one of the documents it obtained, containing proposed amendments to a draft Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution. Annotations to the resolution indicate the Palestinian Authority (PA) stood with European Union (EU) countries against Turkey's calls for robust action to hold Israel accountable.

The PA's apparent collusion to shield Israel will recall for many its efforts to undermine UN action on the Goldstone report last October.

Apparently written by a European delegate, the document's amendments would have seriously diluted Turkey's original wording. The most damaging change would have removed the call for an independent UN investigation under HRC auspices. The document was provided to EI by a source who described how it was obtained inside the UN Office at Geneva, and asked to remain anonymous.

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Downlead PDF here.

[Gita]

Palestine on the map ?

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=p9r9ACkpFVk

[777]

Great vid Gita :-)

[Gita]

Yes it is 777.

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Israeli army arrests 21 Palestinians



Israeli soldiers arrest 21 Palestinians in Doura town, west of al-Khalil (Hebron), in the southern West Bank, local sources say.

The soldiers invaded several areas and broke into dozens of homes, Palestinian news agency IMEMC reported late Tuesday.

Israeli soldiers also invaded the Zabbouba town, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, sealed off the area, broke into more than 10 houses belonging to the Palestinians and searched them.

The army also handed military summons to ten residents and summoned them to a nearby military base for interrogation.

Local sources said that the soldiers fired gas bombs and concussion grenades during the invasion.

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[Gita]

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Beirut warns Israel against ship attack

As a Lebanese aid convoy is preparing to set sail for the Gaza Strip, Beirut says Tel Aviv would be held accountable for any attack against the vessel.

In a letter to the United Nations on Tuesday, Lebanon's Foreign Ministry said "Israel will be held fully responsible for any attack on Lebanon," AFP reported.

Lebanon "cannot prohibit a ship from leaving its ports if its cargo, passengers and destination all comply with Lebanese law."

The letter came after the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations sent a letter to the UN, threatening that it would use "all necessary means" to stop the Gaza-bound aid convoy.

Earlier on Monday, Lebanese authorities granted permission for one of the two ships, the Julia, to sail to Cyprus and then to Gaza. With Lebanon and Israel technically still at war, the ship cannot directly sail for the Gaza Strip.

The aid mission comes as Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned earlier that Lebanon would be responsible for any confrontation with vessels sailing to Gaza from its shores.

The ships, which have been organized by the Free Palestine Movement, would be carrying humanitarian supplies for the besieged people of Gaza.

The pro-Palestinian campaigners planned the mission after Israeli commandos stormed the Gaza Freedom Flotilla aid convoy on May 31, killing at least several civilian activists and injuring dozens of others in international waters.

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[Gita]

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Israel to block Iran aid ships to Gaza

With new international missions underway to deliver aid to Gaza, Israel says it will seek ways to block Iranian and Lebanese aid shipments to the besieged strip, referring to them as 'flow of arms.'

"We have the right to inspect and prevent the flow of arms into Gaza," Israel's Ynet news website quoted Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi as saying on Tuesday.

"We can't let Gaza become an Iranian port," he added.

The remarks come as Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast announced plans to send two Iranian aid ships carrying humanitarian relief and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip.

Mehmanparast also said arrangements were being negotiated with the Egyptian government to facilitate the delivery of the shipments to the impoverished people of Gaza.

“We consider Egyptian efforts in opening an aid-delivery route a correct approach,” the Iranian spokesman said, adding that such measures that will help the delivery of aid supplies would be “appreciated by nations.”

Earlier on Monday, Iran's Red Crescent said two shipments of relief goods and relief workers were due be sent for a 14-day journey to the coastal region by the end of the week.

The Iranian ships will follow a Lebanese aid vessel, the Julia, which is scheduled to set sail for Gaza through Cyprus. With Lebanon and Israel technically still at war, the ship cannot directly sail for the Gaza Strip.

Ashkenazi went on to warn against Lebanon's aid mission, saying that "If a flotilla comes from Lebanon we will deal with it. If they are peaceful we will deal with it peacefully, if not we will deal with it as we need to."

The pro-Palestinian campaign by Iran and Lebanon comes after Israeli commandos stormed the Gaza Freedom Flotilla aid convoy on May 31, killing at least 9 civilian activists and injuring dozens of others in international waters.

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[K626]

Love the way Obama sits around making neutral comments and Clinton makes a 'looky here' hard speech, but with no punishments entailed withinn.

[Gita]

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Swedish dock blocks Israeli cargo

Swedish dockworkers have staged a blockade of Israeli ships and cargo to protest Tel Aviv's deadly attack on an international Gaza-bound aid convoy.

The Swedish Dock Workers Union (Hamnarbetarforbundet), which had supported the flotilla, said Wednesday that the weeklong protest also calls for an end to the deadly blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The blockade was launched “because of the assault on the ship to Gaza, that we supported before they took off … And the blockade of the Gaza strip, which affects the civilian population," union spokesman Rolf Axelsson said.



Eleven Swedish activists were on the Turkish-flagged Gaza Freedom Flotilla when Israeli commandos stormed the ship on May 31, killing at least 20 civilian activists and injuring dozens of others in international waters. The fatal attack sent shockwaves across the world and raised global calls for an international investigation into the incident.

Union chairman Bjoern A. Borg said stevedores in all unionized Swedish ports are set to refuse to handle containers containing cargo from Israel or goods destined for it until June 29.

Although Israel announced Sunday that it would ease its land blockade on the coastal region, which has been under siege for three years, it is widely believed that the recent measure does not mean the end of the siege and only aims to reduce global pressure on Tel Aviv following its deadly attack on the aid convoy.

Swedish dockworkers have also called Israel's recent easing of its Gaza blockade as insufficient and urged for an international probe into the attack.

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[OnyxKnight]

Posted by pilotsimone (here)
Israel Reportedly Attacks Palestinian Aid Flotilla

HAIFA, Israel — Israeli warships attacked at least one of six ships carrying pro-Palestinian activists and aid for the blockaded Gaza Strip, killing at least two and wounding an unknown number of people on board, an Arabic satellite news channel and a Turkish TV network reported early Monday.

There were Turks and Muslims from Macedonia on that ship. I still wonder about the attack and the real reason.

Deliberate disinformation?

Misinterpreted intel or something?

Anyone watched the video on youtube?

[Studeo]

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-...nclick_check=1


Oakland protesters prevent unloading of Israeli ship
By Sean Maher
Oakland Tribune


OAKLAND "” Hundreds of peace activists prevented the unloading of an Israeli ship at the Port of Oakland Sunday by forming a picket line.

Organizers said their goal was to delay the ship"s unloading for 24 hours in protest of the Israeli military"s May 31 open-seas raid on a humanitarian aid flotilla that had been bringing goods to Gaza. The raid ended in the death of nine Turkish citizens.

Several hundred people gathered at the Oakland port about 5:30 a.m. at berths 57, 58 and 59, which is operated by SSA Terminals. An Israeli Zim Lines ship was expected to arrive in the morning, but didn"t. So the crowd stayed until the afternoon, preventing workers from unloading a ship from China, according to SSA officials.

"Free, free Palestine! Don"t cross the picket line!" the pickets shouted, blocking the berths" entrances and preventing about 100 longshoremen from walking past.

The longshoremen"s union largely cooperated with the picket line. No workers tried to cross it.

Clarence Thomas, an executive board member of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 10 said, "We don"t want our members getting into fist fights or anything. We don"t want police escorting us to work. That"s unsafe."

Organizers had informed Oakland police of their plans for the picket, and police reported no arrests.

Richard Mead, president of Local 10, said Sunday night that SSA decided against ordering night shift workers to unload the Israeli ship, so employees didn"t show up and didn"t have to cross any picket lines.

"We can"t make them order a crew," Mead said. "It is what is."

"We consider this to be a huge victory and a historic moment," said organizer Richard Becker. "This is the first time this has happened, that an Israeli ship was blocked from unloading in a U.S. port."

Even after protesters heard that the shutdown was successful, about 200 people continued to picket until 7 p.m., about an hour and a half after the ship docked.

The flotilla raid, protesters said, was only the latest injustice to come from Israel"s actions toward what it considers hostile neighbors.

Marchers also demanded Israel end its blockade of Gaza and its occupation of the West Bank in Palestine.

"My grandmother"s Jewish. I"m not anti-Semitic," said Larkspur resident Frank McClain, who had joined the picket line. "But what Israel"s doing is murdering people. They staged a raid in international waters. If Somalis had done that, they"d be called pirates and we"d have punished and stopped them immediately.—

Israel has held Gaza under blockade since shortly after Hamas took power there in 2007.

Israeli officials have sworn that the country will not apologize for the raid, citing videos of one ship"s passengers attacking the Israeli troops. But Israel"s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday outlined steps the country plans to take to ease the blockade.

The move is expected to assuage recently tense relations between the United States and Israel.

[Gita]

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Israel cannot evade Gaza charges: Cairo

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says Israel cannot evade its responsibility for inflicting hardship upon the people of the besieged Gaza Strip by shifting the blame onto Egypt.

"We are exerting all efforts to lift the Israeli blockade on Gaza," Mubarak told the members of his ruling National Democratic Party on Wednesday in a speech quoted by AFP.

"We reject attempts by Israel, the occupying force, to free itself of responsibility towards the strip and place it on Egypt," he said.

Egypt has been assisting Israel with its closure of the Gaza Strip in the past years by refusing to open the Rafah border crossing, the only terminal not under Israeli control.

Cairo has also built a deep metal wall to disrupt a network of cross-border tunnels used by Palestinians for sending their basic needs into the besieged coastal strip.

Mubarak's comments come shortly after Israel announced on Sunday that it would allow "civilian" goods into the strip while maintaining the strict "security" restrictions and preventing weapons and certain dual-use items from entering the Palestinian territory.

The decision came under mounting international pressure triggered by Israel's May 31 attack in international waters on the blockade-busting Gaza Freedom Flotilla and the killing of 9 civilian activists onboard the aid convoy.

In the aftermath of the onslaught and the massive outrage it sparked in the Muslim and Arab world, Egypt made an attempt to distance itself from the Israeli siege by indefinitely opening the Rafah border crossing.

Earlier in June, Israel said it was Cairo that encouraged Tel Aviv to step up the blockade of Gaza to force the territory's impoverished population to rise up against the democratically elected Hamas government in the territory -- a claim vehemently rejected by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry .

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[Gita]

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Israeli Court Begins Trial Against Palestinian Official For 'Illegally Praying' At al-Aqsa Mosque


Court proceedings began Wednesday morning in Jerusalem for Hatem Abdel Qader, the Palestinian Chief of Jerusalem Affairs. He was charged with "violating a military order" preventing him from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.


The mosque is considered the third-holiest site in Islam, but many Muslims are prohibited by Israeli authorities from praying there. Israeli authorities control access to the mosque and its grounds, which are located in the Old City of Jerusalem.


Palestinians who try to pray in the mosque face off with Israeli soldiers every Friday at East Jerusalem checkpoints, and very few are allowed to enter Jerusalem to pray at the mosque. Some, like Hatem Abdel Qader, have received personal orders from the Israeli military banning them from entering the mosque for a certain period of time. These orders do not provide the reason for the ban, but simply inform the recipient that they are not allowed to pray in the mosque.


Originally, Hatem Abdel Qader was supposed to be tried in May, but a group of right-wing Israelis disrupted the court proceedings and prevented the trial from moving forward.


Qader's supporters gathered in front of the courthouse Wednesday morning, where they demanded that the Israeli court drop the military order against Qader and others. They say that these orders violate the internationally-recognized right to freedom of religion.

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[Gita]

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Israel faces new war crime headache

Israeli leaders are facing more legal action from rights activists who are filing new lawsuits in connection with Israel's war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.

Two Belgian lawyers filed an indictment on Wednesday on behalf of more than a dozen Palestinians, calling for some 14 Israeli officials to stand trial for crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Tel Aviv's December 2008-January 2009 offensive against the Gaza Strip.

The list comprises of various politicians and military and intelligence officials — including Defense Minister Ehud Barak, then Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert — who had a role in the deadly onslaught The Jerusalem Post quoted Hungarian News Agency MTI as saying.

The indictment defines Israel's deliberate targeting of places known to hold civilians as well as attacks on plantations and water systems, among other things, as war crimes committed during the 22-day offensive that killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and left thousands more injured.

Belgium's "Universal Jurisdiction" law allows for the trial of war criminals in Belgium while the events in question took place elsewhere.

A Brussels court granted a war crimes suit against former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2001. Fears of facing legal action in the country also made Livni refrain from traveling to Belgium as Israel's foreign minister in 2009.

Meanwhile, a group of Greek activists plan to sue senior Israeli officials for their role in the May 31 deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy and the killing of several civilians onboard the fleet while it was in international waters.

The 33 Greek nationals, who were accompanying the Gaza Freedom Flotilla when it came under fire, accuse high-ranking Israeli officials, including Barak and Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi of violating international laws by attacking the flotilla in international waters.

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[Gita]

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PACE issues resolution against Israel

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has issued a resolution condemning Israel's last month attack on a flotilla of ships carrying aid to Gaza.

It censured Israel for its attack on the Freedom Flotilla, describing the move as breach of international laws and "manifestly disproportionate."

The resolution also urged Israel to "completely" lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip, describing such a move is "essential" for lowering tensions and resumption of Middle East peace talks.

Israeli commandos on May 31 stormed the Gaza Freedom Flotilla aid convoy, killing 20 civilian activists and injuring dozens of others.

PACE also called on Israel to halt its settlement projects in the occupied Palestinian lands, including the East al-Quds.

In a similar move, the European Parliament (EP) last week passed a resolution calling for an "impartial inquiry" into Israel's attack on a humanitarian flotilla.

The EP resolution, passed on June 17, also urges an "immediate end" to the Gaza blockade.

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[Gita]

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Israeli airstrike on Gaza kills two

At least two Palestinians have been killed and another has been injured after Israeli war planes attacked three locations in the Gaza Strip overnight.

Palestinian medical workers said on Friday that the two men were killed after Israeli jets attacked "survival tunnels" along Rafah border.

A former airport in the south and the northern town of Beit Hanun were also attacked.

The tunnels, which link the south of the impoverished enclave to Egypt, have been serving as conduits for vital supplies to the besieged Gaza Strip, and are frequently attacked by Israeli and Egyptian security forces.

The Israeli army said the strikes were carried out in response to a rocket attack from the strip on southern Israel on Thursday, which caused no damage or casualties.

The crippling land, sea, and air blockade was imposed by Israel and Egypt since June 2007, when the democratically-elected Hamas government gained control of Gaza.

The enclave's 1.5 million inhabitants have to heavily rely on the perilous tunnels as the sole means of obtaining essential supplies such as food and medicines.

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