While our attention has been diverted by the death of Michael Jackson there has been an incident in the Middle East that has been ignored by the world’s media.
On the 30th June, a Free Gaza ship, named the Spirit of Humanity, was carrying aid and toys for the besieged children of the Gaza strip. On board this ship were film-maker, Ismahil Blagrove, Nobel Prize winner and co-founder of the Community of Peace People organisation, Mairead McGuire, ex US senator, Cynthia McKinney and other UK nationals.
While 23 miles off the coast of Gaza in international waters, Israeli forces opened fire on the unarmed Free Gaza ship then boarded and arrested everybody. Ismahil Blagrove is being held in Ramla High security prison in Israel and news is very sketchy about his fellow Spirits of Humanitarians.
All this coming after a week where the world has learned through an Amnesty International report that Israeli forces committed war crimes in Gaza and purposefully targeted civilian and residential buildings. Palestinian fighters also committed war crimes by firing indiscrimanately into Israel.
Concerning the Spirit of Humanity mission, why hasn’t the foreign secretary, David Milliband made any statement about this incident? Or the Tory foreign affairs spokesman, William Hague? I haven’t seen anything reported by the BBC about the matter nor Sky News. What is going on? Or is it that when Israel blatantly commits war crimes the world just throws their arms up in the air with resignation because they always seem to get away with it anyway? At least one of the people held captive, Ismahil Blagrove, is a British national. He has made documentaries for Channel 4 and the BBC and is the founder of Rice N Peas films.
Barack Obama has been in power for six months or so. Will he allow Israel to continually flout international law just like his predecessor? If David Cameron gains power next year, will he also keep quiet when Israel flagrantly sticks two fingers up against international law? Or only speak out when a rag band of Palestinian fighters launch missiles into Israel?
Is there anything as ridiculous as a mercy ship, loaded with aid and toys for children, being impounded somewhere near an Israeli naval base?
So instead of thinking of ways to bribe us about cuts in spending can our leaders stand up for something good against something wrong?
