My complaint to the Israeli Embassy elicits a remarkably informal and rude reply, to which I respond as politely as I can under the circumstances...

Related Links:
Emergency Protest: Israel must Release the Free Gaza activists | Reports that Free Gaza boat 'Spirit of Humanity' has been boarded by the Israeli Navy. | IFPAL Press Release 29th June | Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign | Raymond Deane's Facebook Page

From the Letter:
"... Your final gambit constitutes the standard recourse to red herrings: the fact that Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia violate human rights doesn't in some mysterious way mitigate Israeli crimes, although it's interesting that you implicitly acknowledge that Israel belongs in such dubious company. Even if it were true that Israel is "a liberal democracy" - which it is not, because Israel is an Apartheid ethnocracy or racial state - this would in no way mitigate its crimes." - Raymond Deane.

On Friday 13th February, myself and my cousin will head off to Gaza with a lorry full of aid for some of the 60,000 people left homeless after the recent attacks by Israel.

We will be joining up with a convoy of 90 other vehicles in London, where we will leave from the embankment opposite the Houses Of Parliment, and then make our way to the ferry and hopefully 17 days later we will arrive at the border in Rafa.

We are the only Irish crew going, and we feel very proud to be a part of this trip, and to try and give something to the people of Gaza who have suffered so much.

This convoy is being led by George Galloway MP, and is organised by Viva Palestina.

"Overwhelming response to the Galway Palestine Children's Appeal"
Last Saturday, members of the Galway Palestine Children's Appeal were "overwhelmed" by the public response to their appeal for humanitarian aid for the children and people of Gaza - filling not one, not two, but three 40ft containers with medical supplies, household goods, non perishable food, clothes and toys. For more, click here.

Galloway to Lead Aid Convoy to Gaza on February 14th
British MP George Galloway announced on Monday that he will be leading an aid caravan compiled of a number of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid supplies accompanied by ambulances. The convoy will leave London on February 14th heading for Gaza Strip. For more, click here.

Viva Palestina
A life line from Britain to Gaza - Click Here.

There is no entity in the world more keenly aware of the criminal nature of the Israeli project in Palestine than the government of Israel itself. David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel is often quoted on this point. But while Palestinians remain in a state of exile and oppression in their own country, he cannot be quoted enough:

"Why should the Arabs make peace? If I was an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have taken their country. Sure God promised it to us, but what does that matter to them? Our God is not theirs. We come from Israel, but two thousand years ago, and what is that to them? There has been antisemitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They only see one thing: we have come here and stolen their country. Why should they accept that? "
- David Ben Gurion, Source

Related Links:
• Leaked Database: Reveals Israeli State Complicity in 'Settler' Land Grabs / PDF of Translated Extracts
• Previous Indymedia Ireland Story: Zionist Poison Spreader Set To Win UK Weblog Awards
• Melanie Phillips' Hate Porn: MelaniePhillips.com.
• Some Truth From Palestine: 'Raising Yousuf and Noor': Diary of a Palestinian Mother.
• Irish Response To Israeli 'PR Attack': "War is Peace": Video Screened on the Israeli Embassey.
• A Shot At Bias In The Media: MediaBite.org.

Some people are aware of the network of Israel-promoters around the world who have dedicated themselves to preaching venom about the Palestinians and their sympathisers in other parts of the Muslim world. At the apex of this hate promotion is the rabid Zionist Melanie Phillips who was recently, and thankfully, defeated in her attempt to win the UK weblog awards for 2008. At least that opportunity to gloat over Palestinian deaths was denied her.

Phillips keeps a daily diary of Muslim hatred on The Spectator website from which she spews outrageous claims and distortions to an adoring crowd of fascists and sickos whose comments have to be seen to be believed.

On Sunday 25 January 2009, what is probably a US Navy C-9B Skytrain logistics aircraft was photographed at Shannon airport in neutral Ireland, at about 11 am. Even though it had no obvious military markings, it was being guarded by an Irish army security patrol. The registration number it is obliged to display was incomplete. The only number it displayed was 0050. As far as we can establish its full aircraft registration number is 160050.

Recent News:
• Obama orders Guantánamo Gulag to be Shut read more
• ShannonWatch.org suffered a mysterious DDoS Attack
• Ed Horgan asks President Barack Obama to Respect Irish Neutrality

We are urgently seeking more information on this aircraft, and wish to thank those who have provided research so far.

This plane is probably part of VR-52 (Naval Reserve Fleet Logistics Support) at Willow Grove Naval Air Station, Pennsylvania. It's US Navy C-9B "Skytrain", due to be phased out in the near future.

It has come to our attention over the past year that old aircraft, some of questionable air-worthiness have been transiting through Shannon airport, both with the US military and civilian airlines contracted to ferry troops and munitions through Shannon to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The civilian aircraft that have experienced mechanical trouble on these trans-atlantic flights include, OMNI Air, Kalita Air, and Murray Air. Old C130 Hercules military aircraft have also experienced mechanical trouble while making the US to Middle East trip via Shannon "neutral" airport.

The recent attacks on Gaza by the Israeli state have brought some strange bedfellows out of the Irish woodwork, marching together in lock-step. Almost to a man, and woman, those who were vitriolic in opposition to the Irish Peace Process have been four-square behind the slaughter in Gaza. Eoghan Harris, Kevin Myers, Tom Carew, and Ruth Dudley Edwards - please take a bow.

For Edwards, Myers, Harris and Carew - Sinn Féin equals Hamas (or previously, Sinn Féin equals PLO, when the PLO were the international right’s bad guys) . It is good copy for right wing politics. Unfortunately for the Gaza warmongers, ignorance of strange sounding foreigners in far away places has been replaced by pictures of slaughter in every living room in the country. We can see who is suffering and who is killing. Israel’s Irish friends would like us to focus on Hamas rockets, the ones Hamas started firing again when Israel deliberately broke a ceasefire that was working, in order to provoke the rocket firing, in order to provoke an excuse for the slaughter. It’s not rocket science.

Below is a short but sharp report on the recent role they played in support of the Israeli Defence Forces, and how that role relates to their Irish politics.