Gaza relief boat damaged in encounter with Israeli vessel

CNN correspondent Karl Penhaul was aboard the 60-foot pleasure boat Dignity when the contact occurred. When the boat later docked in the Lebanese port city of Tyre, severe damage was visible to the forward port side of the boat, and the front left window and part of the roof had collapsed. It was flying the flag of Gibraltar.

The Dignity was carrying crew and 16 passengers -- physicians from Britain, Germany and Cyprus and human rights activists from the Free Gaza Solidarity Movement -- who were trying to reach Gaza through an Israeli blockade of the territory.

Also on board was former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney.

Penhaul said an Israeli patrol boat shined its spotlight on the Dignity, and then it and another patrol boat shadowed the Dignity for about a half hour before the collision.

CNN) -- An Israeli patrol boat struck a boat carrying medical volunteers and supplies to Gaza early Tuesday as it attempted to intercept the vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, witnesses and Israeli officials said

CNN correspondent Karl Penhaul was aboard the 60-foot pleasure boat Dignity when the contact occurred. When the boat later docked in the Lebanese port city of Tyre, severe damage was visible to the forward port side of the boat, and the front left window and part of the roof had collapsed. It was flying the flag of Gibraltar.

The Dignity was carrying crew and 16 passengers -- physicians from Britain, Germany and Cyprus and human rights activists from the Free Gaza Solidarity Movement -- who were trying to reach Gaza through an Israeli blockade of the territory.

Also on board was former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney.

Penhaul said an Israeli patrol boat shined its spotlight on the Dignity, and then it and another patrol boat shadowed the Dignity for about a half hour before the collision.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/30/gaza.aid.boat/

Israeli vessel hits Gaza-bound boat

A small boat, damaged as it tried to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, has arrived in the Lebanese port of Tyre.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/20081230121412669439.html

No Comment!

this sad caricature 

http://www.worldbulletin.net/caricature.php?id=132

Volunteer suicide bombers seek to attack Israel

TEHRAN, Iran – Hard-line Iranian student groups have asked the government to authorize volunteers to go carry out suicide bombings in Israel in response to the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.

The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had not responded to the call by Wednesday. Five hard-line student groups and a conservative clerical group launched a registration drive on Monday, seeking volunteers to carry out suicide attacks against Israel.

In an open letter to Ahmadinjead, the students said "volunteer student suicide groups ... are determined to go to Gaza. You are expected to issue orders to the relevant authorities in order to pave the way for such action." A copy of the letter was made available to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Volunteer suicide groups have made similar requests in the past and the government never responded to their calls. Some hard-liners have claimed previously they succeeded in secretly sending bombers to Israel, but their claims have never been verified, and there has not been any sign of Iranians carrying out suicide attacks in Israel — raising the likelihood the groups´ activities are mainly for propaganda purposes.

The hard-liners started signing up volunteers after Iran´s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a religious decree Sunday saying anyone killed while defending Palestinians in Gaza against Israeli attacks would be considered a martyr.

The groups claim that more than than 10,000 people throughout Iran have registered as volunteer suicide bombers in the past three days. At a gathering Tuesday in Tehran, hard-liners were distributing registration forms to volunteers.

"How can I remain indifferent while defenseless Palestinians are being butchered," said one volunteer, Ali Reza Takrim Namini, as he filled out the registration form.

Another, Mostafa Babaei, vowed, "I´m willing to sacrifice my blood in support of Islam and in defense of Palestinian Muslims."

The volunteers wore white shrouds symbolizing their willingness to die and headbands with the slogan "Defenders of Gaza" and "Ready for Martyrdom." Most of those registering were members of the Basij militia, a hard-line paramilitary group that has tens of thousands of members and is often involved in drumming up popular fervor against Israel and the West.

Israel´s bombardment of Gaza, whick has killed hundreds of Palestinians, has sparked outrage in Iran and throughout the rest of the Muslim world. Israel says it launched its campaign in retaliation for rocket fire aimed at civilians in southern Israeli towns by Hamas. Iran is Hamas´ main backer, providing it considerable financial aid, though Tehran denies sending it weapons.

Protesters have held daily rallies outside the Egyptian interests section in Tehran, as well as the Jordanian and Saudi embassies, protesting what they call inaction by Arab nations. On Thursday, hard-line students threatened to storm the Egyptian mission unless Egypt open its Rafah border crossing with Gaza, a step Cairo has refused.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081231/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_israel_palestinians

We live in an absurd world. Here´s  another link, not for the faint of heart, for those who want to sympathize with the above:

http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?ei=UTF-8&p=14+Afghan+children+killed+by+a+car+bomb&x=wrt&c=av

Isn´t it time to condemn all killings?

 I think that´s what most here have been doing isn´t it? and the UN too. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29436&Cr=Gaza&Cr1=

Did you sign the petition?  The link was posted on the locked thread by myself and also si. Here´s the link again:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/gaza_time_for_peace/?cl=161915027&v=2606

I did sign it, thanks for posting it again though.

Is there going to be a petition if Israelis are going to get killed too? That´s what I mean by condemning ALL killings, regardless of race, religion, nationality, and including self-destruction in order to kill. This has to stop or we will wipe ourselves from existance (the only spiecies to ever do so I would imagine).

Here´s another thing that caught my eye. It really puts things in perspective, doesn´t it?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/27/watch-if-an-asteroid-hit_n_153724.html

 I understood what you meant and my answer is still the same.  If you look at the Avaaz (http://www.avaaz.org/en/) site, you will see that it is not only concerned with the killing of Palestinians.  You are preaching to the converted.  They are concerned different conflicts around the world, not only Gaza. Now that you have signed the petion on that site they will send you news of other problems in the world. 

Organisations such as this have grown out of human feelings just like the ones you have voiced and they allow ordinary people like you and I to support their cause, whatever our background.  You can be sure that there are millions of people who think like you, whatever their race, religion, nationality.

People are expressing their sadness over the deaths in Gaza at the moment because it´s a tragedy.  That expression does not have to mean that they support any particular ´side´.  It is the way here, on this site, people express their sadness when a tragedy occurs.  It doesn´t have to have any other meaning other than the sadness and grief for the death of fellow human beings. 

There is always hope, for every bad thing that goes on in this world there is always a good and remarkable thing.  Seems you are condemning the human race.  Did you see Cybernetics´ post about hope? 

My only regret is that you didn´t say that in the first place i.e. condemn ALL killings around the world.  I fear your previous post might lead some here to think you are only concerned with "East/West"  (loose term ) issues and conflicts and that your final statement is an attempt to back pedal. 

 I´d rather the tragedy of death wasn´t used to start another  round of personal accusations/insults here as it doesn´t serve any purpose. 

Point taken. It´s good to see there´re more like-minded people. Sometimes it´s easy to forget when all you see is fights and arguments. Thanks for reminding me of it

And just to add re the part you edited. You´re right, I should have been more specific, such comments can be easily misconstrued.

Ok, I´m gonna post this link again, it sort of got lost between the above exchange.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/27/watch-if-an-asteroid-hit_n_153724.html

This is something everyone should see in my humble opinion. Very eye-opening at how vulnerable and lucky at the same time we have been so far (well, the dinosaurs, that´s another story (according to some theories of course) ).

 Now you are reminding me of one of those people on the streets in London wearing a sandwich board with the message "The end is nigh!" 

touche

Wouldn´t it be interesting though? The total destruction of life as we know it. Would life reappear? People? What would that be like to start anew without all that baggage we have?