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The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
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UN panel: Israel broke international laws in deadly flotilla raid
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/09/22/israel.flotilla.report/index.html?hpt=T2
By the CNN Wire Staff
September 23, 2010 -- Updated 0228 GMT (1028 HKT)
Nine people died when Israeli military forces intercepted the
humanitarian aid flotilla on May 31.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* Nine people were killed during interception of flotilla bound for Gaza
* A U.N. probe says Israeli forces used unnecessary violence
* Israel says council's conclusions are biased
* Report: Circumstances of some deaths were "consistent with ...
summary execution"
(CNN) -- The United Nations' Human Rights Council concluded Wednesday
that Israeli forces committed serious violations of international law
when they conducted a mid-sea interception of a humanitarian aid
flotilla in an incident that left nine people dead.
"The fact-finding mission concluded that a series of violations of
international law, including international humanitarian and human
rights law, were committed by the Israeli forces," said the 56-page
report.
The report described the circumstances of the deaths of "at least six
of the passengers" as being "consistent with ... an arbitrary and
summary execution."
Israel has maintained its troops used force on the activists in May
after they were attacked by those on board one boat. Soldiers were
attacked with knives, metal poles and other objects, Israeli officials
have said.
But passengers on board the boat insist Israeli troops fired on them
without provocation.
"The report published today is as biased and as one-sided as the body
that has produced it," the Israeli government said. "Israel,
therefore, is of the opinion that the flotilla incident is amply and
sufficiently investigated as it is. All additional dealing with this
issue is superfluous and unproductive."
But Israel on Wednesday said it was conducting its own investigation
and will participate in a panel of inquiry called by U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The Human Rights Council, which indicated it spoke with more than 100
witnesses, said Israeli troops "demonstrated levels of totally
unnecessary and incredible violence" against flotilla passengers
during the May 31 interception.
It said there was also evidence of wilful killing, torture or inhuman
treatment and injury that would warrant prosecution within the Fourth
Geneva Convention.
"The Mission is satisfied not only that the flotilla presented no
imminent threat but that the interception was motivated by concerns
about the possible propaganda victory that might be claimed by the
organizers of the flotilla," the council's fact-finding mission
declared.
After Israeli forces landed on one vessel, a struggle for control of
the ship began. Israeli forces fired at wounded people and killed
several people who posed no threat, the report said. "The
circumstances of the killing of at least six of the passengers were in
a manner consistent with an extra-legal, arbitrary and summary
execution," it added.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has said that Israel went to great
diplomatic lengths to stop the flotilla heading to the Palestinian
territory of Gaza, and when that didn't work, it considered the
implications of the use of force and weighed the possibility of simply
letting the flotilla through.
In the end, Israel made the right decision, Barak said recently in
testimony before an Israeli commission looking into the incident.
The incident left a wide-ranging military and diplomatic alliance
between the Jewish state and Turkey, its powerful regional ally, badly
shaken. The flotilla departed from Turkey.
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WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full
capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I
agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe
it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or
do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our
philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian
fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader
was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the
weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or
religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It
just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common
sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to
understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it
is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very
clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed
and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change
to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for
medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be
absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews,
antisemites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies
or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love
and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it".
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"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history,
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
Rael
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