The “Audacity of Hope,” a Palestinian aid ship part of the commemorative flotilla, has been towed back to Greece. Despite the monetary and economic troubles that Greece is currently experiencing, the Mediterranean nation has enough funds to stop a peaceful group of several hundred activists to deliver much needed aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. The Greeks were more professional than their Israeli counterparts, who, in a raid last year on the Mavi Marmara, killed 9, including an American citizen.
Greek commandos “surrounded” the Audacity of Hope with live weapons, boarded the boat, and eventually towed it back to a different port for fear of sabotage by Israelis:
The boat has not been free of sabotage attempts. On June 24, an annonymous complaint was filed against the ship’s “seaworthiness”. The Israel Law Centre (Shurat HaDin), took responsibility for the complaint in the Israeli press.
The Greek embassy in Tel Aviv put out a statement confirming that the Greek coast guard has enforced a decision by the Civil Defence to prevent all flotilla vessels from leaving Greek ports.
Greece’s Civil Protection Ministry said coast guard authorities had been ordered to take “all appropriate measures” to implement the ban.
It also said the “broader maritime area of the eastern Mediterranean will be continuously monitored by electronic means for tracking, where applicable, the movements of the ships allegedly participating” in the flotilla.
At this point, it is nonsensical for Israel to act like they are not acting to derail most, if not all, of these humanitarian flotillas. Some are even suggesting that Israel is using the fragile state of Greek finances to enforce the ban on the flotilla. To be fair, however, this cannot be corroborated until both Greece and Israel’s finances are made public record.
LOL kickbacks
"For all their troubles…"
Greeks do what Greeks always do, bend over and take it up the shoot. Doesn't matter if 'taking it' is from the IMF/WorldBank or Israel. Golly, how servile has become the Nation of Greece. Orders from US/Israel? That has got to be utterly humiliating.
So goodluck with that new-found suck-ass indenture my Grecian home-boys. You are so going to need it.
your mouth smells of cum you faggot
Yup, it was a condition of the bankster bailout.
I wonder what the Israeli and Greek officials talked about last week? Exchanging recipes for latkes and loukomades?
A little blood money goes a long way.
Nothing on this site but a bunch of head up there rectum liberals, and a few angry arabs who hate demcracy. I was once like you folks until one day I realized how much you hate the freedom that living in a democracy affords you. Israel is the only Democracy in the middle east and the IlLegal
squaters are in the position they are in due to endless suicide bombers and missle attacks forcing Israel to close there borders to people who are at a constant state of war with the citizens of Israel.
I still can picture your freedom fighters from Gaza dancing in the streets with there gutteral chants, handing out candy and burning American flages as my fellow American citizens were being murdered during the 9/11 attacks. What was there crime? The innocent victims got up in the morning and went to work so they could earn there living? What crime did they commit? I have news for you S**t heads. Today they are attacking Israel, tommorw they will be in your neighborhood attacking you.
By contrast, after 911, Iran had midnight candlelight expressions of sympathy for the US. At the same time, the urban movers in NJ. were giving each other high fives, and dancing with joy. Urban movers were Israeli undercover types who said once they were back in Israel, on TV, they were there to witness the event and photograph it. Hmmm. I am sure there were Palestinians where were please that the US. You expect a lot from a occupied people- Gandhi – but we are not that either. Rocket attacks against civilians are terrible- but so is the cast lead attack with 2000 pound bombs in Gaza. The targeted killings keep up the general war tension, and when some hot heads launch a home made rocket at some settlement – you get 'see I told you so' and the excuse to launch barbaric raids by a sophisticated air force to punish mostly helpless civilians, and to teach them a lesson. I guess they taught somebody a lesson. They sowed hatred for sure- but thats the plan- to provoke ever more harsh response, until the Israeli implement their final solution.
Mark,
This isn't just "a bunch of head up there (sic) rectum liberals, and a few angry arabs who hate demcracy (sic)." If you actually read what this site is about, it was founded by a libertarian crowd, except the non-intervention crowd doesn't discriminate. We open our arms to all who wish to resist American imperialism aka what the ORIGINAL CONSERVATIVES did.
Israel is as much of a democracy as the United States is. People go to the polls, they vote, and the charade goes on. How is Israel a democracy when most of its top officials are from former Soviet states and retain much of their former ideology? How is Israel a democracy when Arabs are blatantly discriminated against by the state? Hey, any thriving democracy has sidewalks that only the natives can walk on, right?
Those illegal squatters were there far before Zionist zealots decided to establish their God driven experiment.
What is the crime of the Palestinian whose family is blown to thousands of bits because some Palestinian fanatic decided to launch a rocket into Israel, inviting retaliation from the Israelis? What was their crime? That's the sad thing about WAR, Mark. It results in innocent people dying all of the time. You ought to look at yourself and your country and its "allies" before criticizing the Palestinians: they ALL WORK THE SAME WAY. Some are just better killing machines than others.
The Greeks as well as the Turks and Irish [governments] realize that by International Law ,Israel's Blockade is legal . In addition everyone by now KNOWS there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza . If the "flotilla's agenda is truly "humanitarian " let them set sail for Syria .
oh , btw , mark's above comment is SPOT-ON .
The anti-Israel know nothings on this thread , would do themselves well to educate themselves and familiarize themselves with international law regarding a sea blockade of an enemy . Hamas by declaration and action [thousands of rockets indescriminately launched into another Sovereign nation -Israel] has most definitely assumed the position of an enemy , and Israel has every right to blockade Gaza , so long as medical supplies are allowed in [and they are ] and no attempt to starve the civilian population is attempted [ and it has not ] .Smarten up nimrods .
If Hamas is a terror organization then Israel is a much more bigger one. Israel is the only Hypocrisy in the middle east. The country that has been established by displacement and murder of the Palestinians and runs now on nothing but lies, deceit, blackmail and smear campaigns against anyone it deems a threat, is nothing more than a banana republic. Why would a country need paid megaphone hasblaba losers to defend it’s crimes? Because they want to keep the people misinformed and dumb. Can someone smell the trolls?? There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza? oh yes, not in the eyes of the “supreme race”. To them the Palestinians are only two legged animals that don’t even actually exist. Sorry but we are smart enough and well informed. Shove your megaphone someplace else.
Mark, it’s long been proven that the vid of dancing Palestinians after the 911 false flag attack was a fake. And also who was behind the attack is not a big secret anymore. The other truth is that today Israel is occupying Palestine, tomorrow when Americans wake up and finally realize that Israel is also occupying America through AIPAC and congress, they will kick the likes of you in the behind. So which democracy are you talking about that Arabs hate?
MY SNARK: Greece is probably trying to curry favor with its best supplier of desperately needed tear gas!
SEE: Greece asks Israel for teargas grenades, Ynet News, 12/14/08
(excerpts) Greek authorities contacted Israel this weekend with an urgent request for teargas grenades to be used against the wave of riots that broke out in the country last week, Athens police reported on Sunday…
…Israeli sources said the request was understandable due to the geographical proximity of the two countries and the fact that the Greek government is aware of Israel's large stock of crowd dispersal means including teargas grenades.
SOURCE – http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3…
AND SEE: Greece is out of tear gas; turns to allies for more, World Tribune, 12/16/08
(excerpts) ATHENS — Greece, engulfed by civil unrest, is urgently seeking to procure tear gas from neighboring countries…
…Israeli officials said the government in Athens has requested that Israeli companies send tear gas grenades to help police battle the massive riots in Athens. They said Greece has already exhausted its tear gas supply.
Officials said Athens has turned to Israel, Germany and other European Union members for non-lethal, anti-riot equipment. They said Israel has a huge arsenal of tear gas for military and police operations in the West Bank….
…Greece and Israel have increased their military and security cooperation over the last five years. The two countries have conducted military exercises as well as counter-insurgency training…
SOURCE – http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/20…
Yeah, looks like Greece is playing footsie with Tel Aviv. There's no other explanation for the Greek government's interference with the Gaza aid flotilla.
If Israel kills Greek citizens someday, I hope the Greek government doesn't overlook it the way the U.S. Government overlooks the murder of Americans (U.S.S. LIBERTY, Rachel Corrie, the 2010 Gaza aid flotilla). . . .
I love how the AUTHOR of this article , qualifies his statement at the end , by saying "however his aspersions and allegations CAN NOT be CORROBERATED , because Israel and Greece's finance have not been made public . LOL….PERFECT EXAMPLE OF YELLOW JOURNALISM . And the " SYCOPHANTS " ….suck it up …..big time . It's what tickles the ears of the readers here and thus the author patronizes the attitudes , rather than do what good journalists do —-report from a position of neutral;ity and with objectivity – minus his own BIASED opinion . But in effect the author appeals to the biased opinions and preconcieved notions which are the theme of this thread and blog .
I qualified the statement because I am trying to be neutral. If you read closely, I said that people were "suggesting" and "to be fair…this cannot be corrorborated." I put in a disclaimer for that exact reason.
Based on Israel's attitudes towards the flotilla, as well as its admitted attempts to sabotage them, I happen to think that Israel using Greece's finance as leverage would not be such a farfetched and delusional idea. If I was a yellow journalist and one with my own agenda, I would have misled the reader. That I did not.
Cast aspersions and accusation , make strong suggestions , and in the last sentence , you add -"to be fair , none of this can be corroborated " ??????
That begs the question – WHY did you right it to begin with UNLESS ,it was based on F-A-C-T-S ?
Are you a storeteller , editorialist or a JOURNALIST ? " To be fair " -this is your opinion , and it appeals to the already OPINIONATED and BIASED attitudes which this blog is set in .
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Portable megaphones are widely used for crowd management and mass communication. When needing to transmit important information or to guide a large amount of people, an electric megaphone is valuable if other public announcement devices are not present.