At around noon on July 5, EST, a phone call, from a verifiable source, was received by a member of former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's camp indicating that the American prisoners in Israel have been moved to a detainment facility closer to the Ben Gurion Airport.
McKinney's imprisonment has shed additional light upon the plight of Gaza Â- which is one of two possible results of her trip Â- the other one being that supplies and a little joy for the children might have actually been delivered.
Either way, it's a step toward healing Gaza. And the Palestinians, observing the commitment of the humanitarians to delivering aid, see that some of the world cares.
These events have brought to light just how much help an American citizen - whether a former public servant or not - incarcerated in Israel, under very suspicious circumstances, can expect from their government.
According to the Reuters article "UN expert says Israeli seizure of aid ship a crime" (on OEN), a U.N. human rights investigator called Israel's seizure of the ship carrying relief aid for the Gaza Strip "unlawful" and said its blockade of the territory constituted a "continuing crime against humanity".
The article went on to say that "Richard Falk, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said the move was part of Israel's "cruel blockade of the entire Palestinian population of Gaza" in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Richard Falk, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said the move was part of Israel's "cruel blockade of the entire Palestinian population of Gaza" in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention."
Other countries have addressed the illegal seizure of their nationals.
Bahrain sent a plane to rescue their detained nationals: click here
"Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister Micheà ¡l Martin today called for the swift release of two Irish nationals currently detained in Israel following the June 30 seizure of a boat en route to Gaza with humanitarian aid... "My immediate priority is ensuring the safety and welfare of Ms. Maguire and Mr. Graham and securing their release as soon as possible," the minister said... " I would also call upon the Israeli Government to ensure that the humanitarian supplies for the people of Gaza being transported on The Spirit of Humanity are made available as soon as possible to the Palestinian authorities for distribution." (see "Ireland Calls for Release of Kidnapped Nationals Held in Israel" on OEN)
In the article "The Spirit of HUMANITY's 21 and the Spirit that Preceded it," the Palestine Telegraph says, "Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney who just prior to her kidnapping remarked, "This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip."
McKinney said,
"President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that's exactly what we tried to do."
The Independence Day timing of these incidents is stunningly appropriate, since these kinds of radical steps by passionate revolutionaries in a quest for a better world are exactly how this nation birthed itself.
Related article:
On OEN: Former POTUS candidate celebrates Independence Day in Israeli Prison click here
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