Flotilla – Sixteen Minutes to Palestine

A word by word breakdown of Joshua Treviño’s “misunderstood” tweet

August 20, 2012 By Sami Kishawi 1 Comment

Special Update: The Guardian dumped Joshua Treviño today, August 24, for good, citing in a joint statement, Treviño’s failure to disclose a major conflict of interest. Read the statement and the events leading up to the dismissal here.

The Guardian still hasn’t dropped Joshua Treviño. In fact, Treviño, one of the paper’s latest additions, was given the opportunity to insult the public’s intelligence with an attempted clarification of one of his many offensive and bigoted tweets. This is the “important perspective” we need, The Guardian insists. But it really isn’t.

On June 25, 2011, just days before the second Freedom Flotilla prepared to sail, Treviño posted the following remark on Twitter:

A year later, following public outrage over The Guardian‘s decision to hire him as a columnist (though he has apparently been demoted), Treviño published an explanation of the tweet in which he says:

“I realise that this statement left a sizable number of people appalled that I, by their reading, urged the Israeli Defense Force to shoot Americans participating in the second incarnation of the Gaza flotilla.

“I urged no such thing. I intended no such thing.”

So that we’re all clear, here is a word by word breakdown of Treviño’s tweet to show that it is exactly what he intended. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Analysis, Media & Journalism, News Tagged With: Flotilla, Joshua Treviño, The Guardian

Israel pulls Jersey Shore-like stunt on Turkey

September 9, 2011 By Sami Kishawi Leave a Comment

Is it just me, or does Israel’s latest political strategy sound more like reality television?

From Haaretz (and I invite you to view the featured image and the equally ridiculous caption):

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released on Friday a statement regarding Foreign Minister Avidgor Lieberman’s “plan” to take retaliatory steps against Turkey.

According to a report in Yedioth Ahronoth, Lieberman assembled a team in charge of retaliating against Turkey. According to the report, the team recommended to Lieberman that Israel should cooperate with the terrorist organization PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) and even consider supplying it with weapons. Another suggestion was to offer assistance to the Armenians and file UN reports against Turkey for violating human rights of Turkey’s minorities.

In other words, Israel and Turkey were once friends, but the relationship hasn’t been the same since Israel not-so-covertly shot and killed nine Turkish nationals during 2010′s Flotilla attempt. With Turkey at the forefront of shifting political leverage in the Middle East, Israel’s government feels compelled to make a stand for itself in what appears to be a dramatically childish attempt to undermine Turkey’s authority. Not that I watch Jersey Shore or anything, but I’m fairly certain The Situation pulled this same move on Snooki in the fourth season. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Commentary, News Tagged With: Armenians, Avigdor Lieberman, Flotilla, Israel, Jersey Shore, Kurds, Turkey, United Nations

Inconsistencies and errors of judgment in the Palmer Report

September 5, 2011 By Sami Kishawi Leave a Comment

This article was first published as a guest blog post on The Electronic Intifada. It has since been modified and reformatted for this site.

The United Nations-led Palmer Report on the May 2010 Gaza-bound Flotilla has been released. The PDF file can be found here. The most prominent finding of this report is that Israel acted properly and in complete “self-defense” although its military units acted with “excessive and unreasonable” force. This conclusion appears at face value to be openly critical of Israel’s military engagement of the Flotilla, but it ultimately features a new and much more subtle form of whitewashing: it acknowledges Israel’s abuses but blatantly lets them slide, doing absolutely nothing about them except to passively pass along the blame to those in Gaza making the naval blockade necessary and “legitimate”.

Here are some interesting quotes from the Palmer Report and my take on them. Brackets indicate footnotes in the original document.

“We have made it clear that we consider that Israel was entitled to impose the naval blockade. It follows that Israel was also entitled to enforce it. The manner of its enforcement, however, raises serious issues of concern.” (Page 51) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Analysis, News Tagged With: Flotilla, Israel, Mavi Marmara, Palestine, Palmer Committee, Siege, Turkey

IDF condemns phosphorus shells after ‘Gaza-launched’ attack, possibly tampered with evidence

August 22, 2011 By Sami Kishawi 1 Comment

After targeting over a million Palestinian civilians in Gaza with barrages of white phosphorus shells during Operation Cast Lead in 2008-2009, the Israeli military is making it clear that phosphorus weapons are illegal under international law. According to the website for the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson:

“Mortar shells containing phosphorus, which when exposed to air burn through anything with which they come into contact, are illegal under international law when fired at civilians.”

Ignoring the blatant hypocrisy behind this particular reminder, the report itself contains a major inconsistency. In the brief news report released on 21 August 2011, the IDF spokesperson alleges that a “mortar shell with phosphorus was fired at the Kerem Shalom land crossing along the Israel-Gaza border”. It shows two photographs (embedded within screenshots of the website):

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Analysis, News Tagged With: Civilian, Flotilla, IDF Spokesperson, Kerem Shalom, Operation Cast Lead, Phosphorus

Controversy surrounding SMP

July 29, 2011 By Sami Kishawi 9 Comments

A group of well-intentioned friends staged what can be considered an intervention of sorts, fearing that I might be putting myself in harm’s way by saying things that a middle class, rational, and ambitious advocate for peace and justice shouldn’t be saying. I was being “too controversial” and needed to be “more careful”. Essentially, it was a slap in the face.

The concern came in response to two particular articles I wrote during my stay in Gaza, the first calling for a protest in Gaza City and the other an interview with a Palestinian resistance fighter about his wounds. The articles garnered quite a bit of heat after publication, due primarily to the controversial nature of the article topics, but the biggest criticisms ironically came from the people who knew me best. The content of the articles supposedly raised alarming suspicions that I had ‘radicalized’.

Although I do appreciate the concern, I feel it is absolutely necessary to defend the reputation and high standards of this blog and of my principled opinions by setting things straight for the record.

I condemn all forms of violence, prejudice, hatred, bigotry, immorality, and criminal activity, and I will forever make this clear in the articles I write and the work I do. Of the 167 posts published on this blog, not a single one contains any support of the ‘radicalization’ that some have suspected me of embracing. Yes, this blog is heavily critical of Israeli policy towards Palestinians but I have never called for or supported violence by any means. If anything, I try hard to find peaceful and effective solutions that will afford Palestinians their rights without stripping other people of their own natural rights. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Personal Tagged With: Controversy, Flotilla, Gaza City, Greece, Pre-med, Rally

The Palestine Entries: Photos of Gaza City’s Mina and Flotilla memorial

July 21, 2011 By Sami Kishawi 3 Comments

// Entry #32

The Mina is one of the Gaza Strip’s most beautiful coastal stretches, featuring Gaza City’s main port, a small fish market, a memorial for the Turkish nationals murdered on the Mavi Marmara headed to Gaza, and a series of relatively elegant hotels frequented by foreigners and young Palestinian men and women wishing to escape the noise and the commotion of the city surrounding them. It’s not spatially large nor is it always open to the public but it is a landmark in Gaza that merits publicity.

This marble monument stands in memory of the nine Turkish individuals killed during Israel’s raid of the Mavi Marmara during the first global Freedom Flotilla. Each panel features one of the nine names as well as a Turkish flag alongside a Palestinian flag, symbolizing the strength of international solidarity and celebrating their lives as honorary Palestinians.

Immediately to the side of the marble memorial is this set of flags. Turkish flags line much of Gaza’s coasts and can even be found taped onto store windows, hanging from rearview mirrors, and waving at the front entrance of many restaurants. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Photo Set, The Palestine Entries, Visual Arts Tagged With: Flotilla, Gaza City, Mavi Marmara, Mina, Photography, Turkey

EMERGENCY POST // The Palestine Entries: Rally in support of Flotilla in Gaza City as soon as possible

July 4, 2011 By Sami Kishawi 2 Comments

// Entry #20

This is an emergency post. I don’t really know how to accomplish this but I have an amazing image in my head. I see thousands of Palestinian, Turkish, French, Spanish, South African, and even Greek flags waving through the crowded streets of Gaza. I hear hundreds of thousands of voices chanting in unison, demanding that the Flotilla be allowed to travel to the shores of Gaza in full safety and security.

I have less than two more weeks and Gaza but I want to be a part of this scenario before I leave. We, the people of Palestine, must stand up against the outsourcing of Israel’s blockade to Greece. We need to be out on the streets, we need to do what the French did under the Eiffel Tower and what activists all across the globe continue to do in front of their Israeli embassies, their Greek consulates. There is no better time than now. The world’s eyes are on the Flotilla and people are steadily becoming more aware of the oppression and injustice this noble humanitarian effort intends to challenge. We need to give them — the Flotilla activists and the international community — every opportunity to do what’s right in the name of service to humankind.

The Gaza Strip is the Flotilla’s final destination. Even though the fleet of ships has not yet arrived, we need to be on the coasts pulling them in. We need to break the siege ourselves, to unsilence ourselves, to swim out into the sea towards the solidarity activists who have nothing else on their minds except for a free Palestinian people.

Today is the last day for tawjeehi testing, the final examination period for students completing high school. These tests are taken very seriously and the entire Gaza Strip undergoes a brief lull in activity to respect the students. But with the testing phase of the school year over, the youth must head to the streets. We need to outdo the world’s activism. After all, we are the ones under siege.

Pull your mothers, your fathers, your aunts and uncles. Drop your weapons. Ignore your political allegiances. Hug your Palestinian brethren. Don a keffiyeh, wave a flag, hold a sign. Let us break the siege with our voices and our strong will.

Rally in Gaza City, as soon as possible.

Filed Under: The Palestine Entries Tagged With: Flag, Flotilla, France, Gaza, Greece, Israel, Keffiyeh, Protest, South Africa, Spain, Turkey

The Palestine Entries: Waiting on Gaza’s shores for the Flotilla

July 3, 2011 By Sami Kishawi 3 Comments

// Entry #19

With open arms, the people of Gaza patiently wait for the Freedom Flotilla to reach the shores of the besieged Gaza Strip. Although technical difficulties, life-threatening sabotages, and an unclear naval blockade mimicking Israel’s very own continue to delay the humanitarian mission’s progress, Gaza’s residents remain hopeful that this symbolic gesture of solidarity will go on without further trouble.

Just yesterday, children taking part in a summer camp in Beit Hanoun just north of Gaza rallied with international activists against the ban imposed by Greek authorities to prevent the fleet of ships from setting sail. The children waved the flags of all the countries represented in this year’s Flotilla and called for the safe passage of the ships through international waters to the shores of the Gaza Strip. At present, this is the only publicized demonstration featuring Gaza’s support of the Flotilla since the fleet assembled in Greece, but the people are following every unfolding detail and express frustration at not having yet welcomed the Flotilla to Gaza. [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Palestine Entries Tagged With: Blockade, Flotilla, Greece, Israel, Israeli Navy, Palestine

The Palestine Entries: Hillary Clinton, first you fell for your husband’s lies and now you fell for Israel’s

June 26, 2011 By Sami Kishawi 2 Comments

// Entry #10

In the limited internet access I’ve had over the course of the last few days, I’ve seen Hillary Clinton’s name attached to almost every tweet concerning the incoming Freedom Flotilla. In a recent statement delivered by Clinton on 23 June, she apparently gave Israel the green light to attack the Flotilla once it enters “Israeli waters”.

First she fell for her husband’s lies, and now she’s falling for Israel’s.

As Ali Abunimah breaks down in his post, these are not “Israeli waters”. The coast and its attached sea-space is in fact part of the Gaza Strip’s territory — territory that is under both siege and occupation but is not within Israel’s internationally-recognized sovereign control. This misconception is one that is perpetuated at Clinton’s front desk, and she falls for it always.

But then she fell for an even greater lie. In the same statement, she said that “there will be construction materials entering Gaza and we think that it’s not helpful for there to be flotillas that try to provoke actions”. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. Non-violent, progressive activism for equality and inalienable human rights does not rest on the actions of a state predicated on stunting the economic, social, and political growth of its neighbors “out of self-defense”. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Commentary, The Palestine Entries Tagged With: Beit Hanoun, Flotilla, Hillary Clinton

The Palestine Entries: T-minus three days and almost ready to go

June 14, 2011 By Sami Kishawi 3 Comments

Note to readers: If things go as planned, this blog will take on a more personal side for the next few weeks as I write about my experiences in occupied Palestine. Any post regarding the trip will fall under the heading of ‘The Palestine Entries’.

In less than four days, I’ll be heading toward the land that dominates my political discourse as well as most other candid conversations I have. We’ve already begun packing and I can only imagine just how inspiring and life-changing this trip to the Gaza Strip will be.

Maybe it’s a common practice but my family has a tradition of packing very early for international travels. It usually begins years before we even think about making an airline reservation. If any family member runs into a good deal on a useful item, it goes into a suitcase to be filled with gifts for the relatives. Fancy dress shirts, stuffed animals, toy cars (personal favorites of mine), purses, make-up kits, colognes, soccer cleats: the little things that don’t always exist inside the borders. The gifts eventually accumulate well beyond the capacity of the suitcase and plane tickets are reserved. [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Palestine Entries Tagged With: Flotilla, Mama