I can claim to have had a small hand in instigating the legal complaint to the International Criminal Court by the Comoros Islands against the murders by Israeli troops on the Mavi Marmara. The Washington Post writes:
In a filing, lawyers from the Istanbul-based law firm Elmadag argued that the events that took place on the Mavi Marmari should be considered as having occurred on the territory of Comoros.
As though this were in any sense a matter of dispute. That crimes committed on any ship outside of territorial waters are under the jurisdiction of the flag state of the ship, is both customary international law of ancient standing and a fundamental provision of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Article 92:
Ships shall sail under the flag of one State only and, save in exceptional cases expressly provided for in international treaties or in this Convention, shall be subject to its exclusive jurisdiction on the high seas.
The Comoros Islands are a tiny state off the East coast of the continent. They are part of the disgraceful system where small or failed states lease out their shipping registers – often corruptly – to western companies who run them, enabling major shipping owners to evade safety, conditions, qualifications and pay regulations of more serious states. Liberia has been the most notorious example. The Comoros government therefore deserves huge congratulation for taking its flag state responsibility so seriously, and so bravely, in taking on Israel.
It is a responsibility Turkey deliberately shed just before the Mavi Marmara was attacked.
There is, in this regard, as I reported from my meetings with organisers and bereaved families of the Mavi Marmara in Izmir two years ago, something extremely disturbing about the case of the Mavi Marmara:
Shortly before sailing, the registration was switched from Turkey to the Comoros Islands. This exempted Turkey from the responsibility of jurisdiction. It also made discussion at NATO much easier for the US; if the Israelis had attacked in international waters a ship flying the flag of a NATO state, that would have been a much more difficult thing for the alliance to ignore.
It turns out that the change was made at the insistence of the Turkish Ministry of Transport. They carried out a number of inspections of the Mavi Marmara prior to the Gaza trip and made repeated demands for changes: mattresses and cushions had to have more modern, fire resistant foam. Internal walls had to be upgraded for fire resistance. Whatever changes were then made, the Ministry found new faults. In the end, the Ministry had said that the Mavi Marmara would be impounded unless it changed its registration, as it could not meet the safety requirements for a Turkish flagged ship.
The strange thing is that the Mavi Marmara had been Turkish flagged for years, and hade been running tourist cruises out of Istanbul. None of the faults the Ministry found resulted from any changes, yet none had apparently been a problem on past inspections. The family told me that, before the Mavi Marmara sailed, they had been in no doubt the Turkish government had been deliberately obstructive and had forced the change of flag.
Part of the Turkish state was insistent on giving the Mavi Marmara no protection. You have to ask the question, did these people know in advance the Mavi Marmara was to be attacked? The fatal shootings on board were mostly not random – they were targeted shots to the head of selected people. If Israel had planned this, how long in advance, where did they get their intelligence on who was aboard? If they had assistance from within the Turkish state, of course the Turkish state would want to ensure they did not have legal responsibility over the killings.
Let me be plain. I am not accusing the current government of Turkey. But they inherited a bureaucracy and political establishment riddled, especially at the most senior levels, with ultra-nationalists and relatives and connections of the Turkish military. The Turkish Foreign Office in particular is notoriously ultra and completely penetrated and corrupted by Israel. The Turkish government has had a most difficult job in changing the direction of the country without provoking violent nationalist reaction. That has been a process; and the result is that those apparently in power did not in reality get control of all the levers of power at once.
We are a long way yet from knowing the full truth about the Mavi Marmara: and Israel is not the only place to look.
Frazer,
I’m deeply sorry you lost your friend. You’re correct, most commentators are not on the ground, nor will they ever be.
I watch VICE on HBO, and they recently did an article about boy suicide bombers that are as young as 8. These boys are being told that the vests they are putting on contain secret documents. They are told to press a button on the vest to destroy infidels, but they won’t be hurt. They went on to interview some who have been arrested, and showed the carnage. Most of the casualties are Muslims and and other civilians. These tactics are new, and indicate that the Taliban is escalated bombing its campaign.
As you have experienced today’s events, do you feel that the bombing are getting better or worse? Do you notice or feel that most killed are not with the government or the ISAF?
@Cryptonym
“That time draws ever closer, place your bets ladies and gents, How long has Israel left?”
A lot of time. An incredible amount of time, unless another state wants to lob some nukes. Israel, like the Palestinians are not going anywhere.
Your moaning does absolutely nothing except place blame and take a side. Bitch all you want, it does nothing to solve the age old dilemma. BTW, when was the last time you were delivering aid, or helping the innocents?
Duqu at 11.09 a.m. My first thoughts too were of Anna Ardin. Her recent criticism of anti-Jewish factions linked by Jemand on the Anna Ardin liar thread which I am re-linking here for those who missed it.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/i-was-targeted-after-i-made-assange-sex-crime-claim-says-accuser-of-wikileaks-founder-8613006.html
Remember that Ardin was a co-ordinator for Sweden’s “Aid to Gaza” programme.
That grotesque Rothschild attempt in owning his own country, has been an utter failure. As it stands zionistan without the handouts from US tax funds, could not survive more than a few weeks.
Simply put the rabid racist ziofuckwits are already engaged in an internal struggle, that coupled with the withdrawal of the funds provided by US tax payers (US itself is imploding) will result in the destruction of that bastard entity.
Recollecting that no one could envisage the collapse of USSR, hence we can safely assume the same can be applied to the collapse of US.
The signs of collapse are already there, as in the case of USSR its collapse started from the satellite countries, as in Poland, Romania, etc. Now we witness the same pattern with the satellite countries such as Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal, etc. Therefore we can safely conclude the collapse of US, and thereafter (chicken or the egg situation really) zionistan is a question of when? Not if.
@Spalding…thanks..the guys from VICE were over here a few weeks ago..escorted them around KBL..believe the vid is released in Sept..
@Fedup
What about the fall of many European nations? They are all still there, from losing wars and colonies to going bankrupt. England, Germany, France, Holland, Spain, Portugal, on and on…. They’re still on the map.
My friend works for a technology company (not Jewish owned) which is traded in Israel, and has a serious presence there due to popularity amongst consumers. A very large company I used to work for has bought the only product available (for the business need) which runs on MS SQL Server developed and sold world wide by an Israeli tech company. My point is, I don’t see (in my world) them failing economically.
BTW, what are Israel’s satellite countries? Have they failed? How about the US and it’s satellites? If you’re in Europe aren’t you in some regard a satellite?
@Spalding
I don’t do ziofuckwits!
That’s awesome, I’m not, but I live in the real world. I’m sure the ‘ziofuckwits’ will be pleased to know you ‘don’t do them’….
You really believe the collapse of Israel and the ‘ziofuckwits’ (I can only guess who they are especially in your mind as you must rubber stamp that label) will change the world, or better yet, it may bring justice to your world view. Will you rejoice when any person is suffering, on any side?
@ John Goss (20h43):
“….Anna Ardin. Her recent criticism of anti-Jewish factions….”
———-
Tut tut, John!
Surely you mean “anti-Zionist factions”….don’t you?
April Showers will be most displeased with you.
Spalding @8:36pm:
I was talking about our precious media vomiting tedious spin about human rights whilst turning a blind eye to the number one regional lawless serial transgressor.
I’m not sure where you’re coming from: are you on right page of your script?
What is the ‘the age old dilemma”? I’d hardly say the 65-year crime spree of the Israeli thugs is anything like age old and yes I doubt it can last much longer. And are you seriously suggesting there are two sides to this which deserve consideration?
You’re damned right that I’m placing blame and taking the only ‘side’ that counts, it couldn’t be more clear cut that it is the side of right. Your point is a species of ‘one lot is just as bad as the other’, therefore we should walk away shrugging our shoulders.
I’m had thought I was asking the same question as many, how does the genuinely free or non-aligned world deal with a nuclear-armed rogue state, cornered and guilty as hell.
I won’t be playing your ‘holier than thou’ top-trump game either, thanks for the offer.
Dad!
How hard do you have to train to be to such to write that stuff?
“Jew-haters” was a quote from Anna Ardin. If you had bothered to click the link you’d have seen this in no time.
Don’t your posts say far more about you than they ever say about your targets?
No wonder your handlers find you an such embarrassment.
“Tut tut, John!”
Habbabkuk you should have read the article. It was not me that used the phrase anti-Jewish but Anna Ardin. Pay attention. Just when I think you are getting a degree of lucidity, you let me down. Tut, tut.
My credentials regarding Jewish individuals and Zionist manipulators were made clear in a comment on the 13th (BBC thread) 2.44 p.m.
“The BBC, and other media news outlets have radicalised me in a way they could not have done before the false flag (BBC complicit in that) of 9/11 which, as the late Aaron Russo so eloquently explained, Muslim groups did not have the capability to pull off 9/11 and where have been the subsequent 9/11 type sabotages. “Come on” he said. I say the same to Craig Murray who is the last sensible person who does not think 9/11 was an inside job.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZjKKUEHTKk
There are other sources, like Wesley Clark, but because Aaron Russo was also Jewish, he had no reason to question the official version. It also demonstrates that I am not anti-Jewish – just anti-Zionist.”
For some reason you missed this.
With respect to Anne Ardin, I was just reading about June Cobb, a CIA infiltrator in Castro’s government and in the Fair Play for Cuba Committee.
Correction.
How hard do you have to train to write that stuff?
At first it was going to be “to be such an idiot” but I tried to be a bit kinder and screwed up as usual.
‘What is the ‘the age old dilemma”? I’d hardly say the 65-year crime spree of the Israeli thugs is anything like age old and yes I doubt it can last much longer. And are you seriously suggesting there are two sides to this which deserve consideration?’
Yes, I am. Forget about the nation state, Israel, and even Palestine. How far back would you like me to go? You know there were Jews in the Arabian peninsula back when the Arabian tribes were worshiping gods? They lived in relative peace, but things could (and did) get out of hand. Same thing before the turn of the century and Zionists movements. This just came up in a Google search makes some brief history points, which are not ancient:
http://www.fsmitha.com/h2/ch17jeru.html
So what’s the dilemma? Well if both sides had their ‘tribes’ there for a long period of time, and religion is a dividing line, and there has always been conflicts, then Choosing a side DOES NOTHING to solve the problems each has in order to bring some form of a universal peace. If Israel failed, do you really think the entire region would experience some sort of lasting peace? Does it matter, historically, who is right and wrong? If we’re for things such as human rights, self determination, general health and well being, etc. then taking a side to the issue is going to only make the other side become more hard lined, and unwilling to negotiate, isn’t it?
Sophie Habbercake. Like minds. Yes it was Jew-haters that Anna called them. Well spotted. Thanks for your support. Sorry about the domestic rift but I guess it must be difficult living in the same house as a, what shall we call him . . . you decide.
Frazer
16 May, 2013 – 7:49 pm
I offer my sympathy
“Reading some of the above comments and being a follower of Craig’s blog I realise how little some of the commentators know about the real world.”
I agree with you there.
Spalding – thanks for the insight re. Turkey. Love the country and the people – pity about the government…could say the same about the UK, but Erdogan would probably be an improvement on anything we’ve got…
(O/T for lulz)
…one example of which hasn’t been filing its company returns in Arizona – who knew?
http://starpas.azcc.gov/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=wsbroker1/corp-detail.p?name-id=F16741348
I hope he and Ruth (remember her?) are very happy in their new home for US tax purposes at 409 PROSPECT ST
NEW HAVEN,CT 06511
Click on REVOKED-FILE ANNUAL REPORT on that page for more details.
Spalding
16 May, 2013 – 8:24 pm
“Frazer,”
“I’m deeply sorry you lost your friend. You’re correct, most commentators are not on the ground, nor will they ever be.”
I agree and you are one of them.
Spalding, on another thread, claimed he worked for this crowd
http://www.atf.gov/
(unless I misread him)
and he says he’s thinking of becoming a private contractor. I wonder what outfit he has in mind.
I’ll take a break for a moment from tormenting Dad.
Frazer. My heart aches for you and for all those who are paying the cruel price of losing dear ones to the deliberate actions of others, for whatever the cause.
Please don’t be too hard on your fellow commenters. We may not all be experiencing the the harshest end of reality but aren’t we mostly, and in our own unique ways, taking a stand for a fairer and more compassionate world? Isn’t this blog a refreshing crowd-sourced attempt to point out false narratives and elite agendas, and a step in the right direction?
The few notable exceptions, like Dad, may as well be crude, predictable little algorythms, simply set to reject, distract and sneer. Their targets are clearly chosen because they are the ones who genuinely shed light on issues that the corporate media either avoid or distort.
For my part I find I cope better with the wreckers when I can recast them as entertainers. Then they don’t derail me from taking home the bounty of people like you who quite clearly care deeply.
Frazer,
My heart goes out to you and to the poor guy’s family and other friends. And to the families of the other victims.
Frazer My sympathy and condolences too. Terrible.
John Goss. Sorry to see that the resident clown found it necessary to chide you using my name in the process even though I was not around last night. He just can’t help himself. I would never be ‘displeased’ with you.
Komodo. Brilliant find on B.Liar, the instigator, along with his pal Bush, of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has the deaths and maiming of millions on his hands. I suggest a cold cell on a cold island for him with a tape of the screams of his victims playing on a loop 24/7.
This piece speculates on the effect his fame had on his children’s lives.
‘When I read Leo Abse’s biography of Tony Blair, one detail struck me in particular: an aide claimed that Mr Blair, in his official car, was forever checking the vanity mirror. It came back to me yesterday when I read that the former prime minister has confessed in an interview to being so out of touch with his family that he never knew his children suffered at school because of their famous father.’
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/cristinaodone/100216348/on-reflection-tony-you-were-not-the-great-family-man/
http://nsnbc.me/2012/05/29/turkey-indictment-of-israel-over-gaza-flotilla-killings-of-nine-turks-covering-up-for-turkey-israel-co-operation-in-murders-and-preparations-of-war-on-syria/.
IIRC nsnbc had a local connection who made the Syria link.
It was some time before it was obvious RE was putting on a big act.
When I started writing I had intended to include the Anna Ardin link to the convoy organisation. Given her links to CIA sponsored anti-Castro organisations in Cuba and Miami, and her apparent Israeli settler persona as Anna Ben Ardin, and the Independent article linked to above by John Goss in which she characterises those who have called her out as anti-Jewish, her involvement with the convoy had always seemed to me highly suspicious.
But, despite being told of it on many occasions, I have never seen a really good source for Ardin’s connection to the Gaza aid convoy, and none of the Turkish organisers knew of her. So sources, please…
Thanks for the info from Turkey Spalding.
My condolences to Frazer and the family of his lost friend, as well as to the families of all the other casualties, what futility, waste of young life’s and long term grief.
Komodo B.Liar’s faithful right hand woman Ruth Turner was to become a mother at the age of 41. The father is Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts and an ex B.Liar aide.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2172984/RICHARD-KAY-Blair-babe-Ruth-starts-family.html
Cash for honours –
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1557289/Cash-for-honours-aide-Ruth-Turner-rejoins-Blair.html
What a shower! as Terry Thomas would have said.
So what’s the dilemma? Well if both sides had their ‘tribes’ there for a long period of time, and religion is a dividing line, and there has always been conflicts, then Choosing a side DOES NOTHING to solve the problems each has in order to bring some form of a universal peace. If Israel failed, do you really think the entire region would experience some sort of lasting peace? Does it matter, historically, who is right and wrong? If we’re for things such as human rights, self determination, general health and well being, etc. then taking a side to the issue is going to only make the other side become more hard lined, and unwilling to negotiate, isn’t it?
A rational and valid POV. Once again, the argument tends towards establishing internationally accepted standards of behaviour and enforcing them impartially-lol. Or pulling out of the region altogether and leaving them to it. In an ideal world…
On the other hand, in the special case of Israel (it never tires of telling us how special it is), there is a nation which on the one hand claims to be an exemplar of civilisation, humanity and justice, and on the other routinely bombs the most densely populated area on earth (Gaza) and imprisons thousands of Palestinians – its own citizens – indefinitely, without even preferring formal charges. In other words it behaves like Assad, (who does not make a song and dance about Syria’s shining beacon of democracy)
I think it is legitimate to question its policy in the strongest terms, precisely because ” we’re for things such as human rights, self determination, general health and well being, etc.”, and, on paper, so is Israel. It’s our moral code that’s being used as cover for land theft, ethnic cleansing and the general bullying of non-Jewish Israelis, and the walled prison that is Gaza. We have a special interest in this.
Not sure if you caught this, Mary –
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/tony-blair/9859780/Revealed-Tony-Blair-and-the-oligarch-bankrolling-his-charity.html
So
Windrush Ventures Ltd,
Windrush Ventures No.2 LLP*
Windrush Ventures No.3 LP**
Firerush Ventures Ltd,
Firerush Ventures No.2 LLP*
Firerush Ventures No.3 LP**….
aren’t contributing to the Rev’s noble work?
* Financial dodge instituted during the Blair gov’t
** Not the same thing. Totally opaque dodge – doesn’t need to publish accounts at all.
News to me. Emetic stuff. B.Liar the war criminal seems to have a fatal attraction to these types and their shekels.
Victor Pinchuk (Ukrainian: Віктор Михáйлович Пінчýк, Victor Mykhailovych Pinchuk; born December 14, 1960) is a Jewish-Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist. In March 2012, Forbes ranked him 255th on the list of the wealthiest people in the world, with a fortune of $4.2 billion.[1] Pinchuk is the founder and main owner of EastOne Group Ltd., an international investment advisory company based in London, and of Interpipe, one of Ukraine’s leading pipe, wheels and steel producers. Pinchuk is the owner of four TV channels and a popular tabloid, Fakty i Kommentarii. He has been a member of the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, for two consecutive terms from 1998 to 2006. He is married to Olena Pinchuk, the daughter of former President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma.
Pinchuk should look nearer to his roots and use his money for better purposes than Phony Tony’s FF.
http://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/ENACARegion/Pages/UAIndex.aspx