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PDF versionVatican deplores Israeli assault on flotilla; priest fears reprisals
Jun. 01, 2010
Palestinian women shout slogans during a protest in front of a U.N. building in Gaza City June 1. (CNS photo/Mohammed Sa lem, Reuters)
VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican deplored the "useless loss of life" in an assault by Israeli commandos on a flotilla of ships taking aid to the Gaza Strip.
In a written statement released May 31, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, called the incident "a very painful event" that church officials were following closely.
In Gaza, the parish priest, Father Jorge Hernandez, said June 1 would be "a day of mourning in the Strip. All of Gaza will stop. There will be demonstrations, some of which are already under way in various parts of the city and throughout Gaza. The climate here is heavy and the risk of an escalation of violence is very real, which is why we are calling for caution and prudence."
At least 10 people were killed when Israeli special forces boarded the ships in the early morning hours May 31 in an attempt to stop the vessels from reaching the Palestinian territory of Gaza. Dozens were wounded in the ensuing fight between Israeli commandos and activists on the ship.
The eight-vessel flotilla, bearing building materials, medications and other aid materials, was formed to try to breach the three-year-old blockade of Gaza enforced by the Israeli military. The commandos raided the ship while it was in international waters.
In his statement, Father Lombardi said: "This is a very painful event, particularly for the useless loss of human life. The situation is being followed in the Vatican with great attention and concern."
He said that the Catholic Church is always opposed to violence "no matter where it comes from" because "it always makes efforts for peaceful solutions more difficult."
Pope Benedict XVI will "constantly reiterate the message of peace," especially on his June 4-6 visit to Cyprus, Father Lombardi said. Pope Benedict is expected to address the difficulties of the Christian communities in the Middle East.
Father Hernandez told the Italian bishops' news agency, SIR, that it was a tragedy that the attacks occurred during the May 29-June 4 World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel, promoted by the World Council of Churches.
"I do not know how to express our disappointment in such a thing, which should have and could have been avoided," the priest said. "Israel said that it would block every attempt to reach Gaza. Israel has the means to prevent and control these situations. It was not necessary to arrive at the point of killing, and now the risk is that the violence will lead to more violence. There already are people talking about vengeance and reprisals."
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The assault received widespread international condemnation. A statement issued by the U.N. Security Council deplored the violence and called for "a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards."
The Israeli government said that its commandos acted in self-defense and that they were attacked when they boarded the ship via helicopter after the flotilla ignored warnings to change course.
"The intent of the militants was violent, the methods they employed were violent, and unfortunately, the result was violent," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Footage released by the Israeli Defense Forces showed a cache of clubs, knives and bags of marbles which it said was used to attack the commandos, whom it said were armed only with paint guns and personal weapons.
In a statement, the Jerusalem Inter-Church Center condemned "in the strongest language possible the irresponsible actions perpetrated by the Israeli forces against civilian participants of the Freedom Flotilla." It called on people to take action that would see Israel adhere to international norms by ending the siege on Gaza and as well as its military occupation of the Palestinian territories.
"It is only through ending the unjustifiable ongoing military occupation of another people's land that true peace can emerge," they said. "It is tragic that no serious interventions were made from third parties to avoid such a tragic end for a good human action. The result of silence is death."
The United States and many other countries have called for an investigation into the incident. Turkey condemned Israel and recalled its ambassador. The ship in question was Turkish and most of the dead and wounded are apparently Turkish, reports said.
In a May 31 interview with Vatican Radio, Father Hernandez called the attack "a crime that could have been avoided" because, he said, "it was possible to have acted peaceably."
The Israeli of blockade of the Gaza Strip, Father Hernandez said, has produced a situation in which "the lack of nearly any product has made prices soar to the sky. Medicine and other necessary goods are extremely costly. The situation has been getting worse day by day."
He said that he feared an increase of violence in the region as a result of the attack on the ship because "violence begets violence; evidently there will be consequences to this."
it is ok for muslims to to
it is ok for muslims to to kill jews, kidnap jews, bomb jews with rockets,but when israel strikes back they are wrong....the palestenians (hamas) are ruthless people who do not even have the rights to gaza...if they are goin to let a terrorist group run their country, they shouldnt be givin rights to own gaza...i am not muslim or jewish but have some common sense about what is going on over there..the iranian president (a terrorist) wants to nuke the jews.. why shoulda israel ply fair when all of the muslims(fools who are the cause of the whole problem)dont have knowledge of what tht means..they have tried to make peace but the muslims wont..but NOONE condemns what they have done..there wont be peace until the filthy muslim community will stop their mindless hatred towards a race that has been tried to be wiped off the face of the earth..they are gods true people ..not the muslims(alla is not the real god).
Please read for starters: The
Please read for starters:
The Tent of Abraham: Stories of Hope and Peace for Jews, Christians, and Muslims by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Sister Joan Chittister OSB, and Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti
In regards to your comments
In regards to your comments on Muslims committing all of the atrocities you listed against Jews might be true, but your tirade makes it sound like the Muslims are the agressors. Whereas in reality they are reacting to the inhumane and prison environment under which they are made to exist (in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank). You need to become more educated about the facts instead of spewing the propaganda which the Zionist government wants Americans to believe, without questioning. The Isreali government says that it wants peace, but it cannot have peace without justice. Cutting off people from their human dignity, their ability to have a livelihood, education for their children, medical services, a future for their children, and human contact with their families is not the way to build peace. Also, not all Palestinians are Muslims, and Palestinians are not born terrorists. Those few who have succumb to the fanaticism of certain Muslim clerics and politicians do so because they have run out of hope. However, the majority of the Palestinian people want peace as much as the Israeli people. It is the idea that Israel must exist without its Palestinian people is an imperialist and racists mentality that only leads to more injustice and more violence on the part of that population that loses hope. The Israeli government provokes violent actions in order to justify its increasing draconian policies that create a more stringent apartheid environment BECAUSE IT WANTS THE PALESTINIANS TO LEAVE what they consider to be their land. However, look to scriptures and see how Abraham (the father of all three monotheistic religions) entered the promised land: not as a conqueror but as an immigrant who co-existed with the people who already lived there. Furthermore, we can see in the Old Testament that there were people who already believed in the one true God and worshipped him. These people were led by King Melkizedec and Abraham worked and fought along side with him, and even paid him a tenth of his wealth.
The international community gave the Palestinians the freedom to choose their leaders (this is democracy in action). Just because the Israeli government did not like their choice does not give them the right to stop negotations. This is a constant pattern. Any excuse is used to stop negotiations because the Israeli government is not interested in peace until it has forced out all of its non-Jewish population out of its territory. Check out the video "Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land" that will help you see the control the Israeli government has on our media and why the Holy Land continues to evade peace.
The Israeli society lives in a culture of fear caused by the "what if" mentality. But let's look to history to see what might happen if the Palestinians are recognized as citizens of Israel: will they outnumber their Jewish counterparts? Probably. Will they vote for a Palestinian? I don't know. I believe that they will vote for that individual who is willing to offer them an opportunity to a better life. Look at the example of Nelson Mandela, Lyndon B. Johnson, and other politicians who have been able to bring diverse groups together. Will they go on a killing rampage and destroy the Jews and their possessions? I don't think so, and the main reason is because in order for Israel-Palestine to survive as a country, both groups need each other. Look at South Africa. The minority white population imposed apartheid because of fear. Yet when apartheid ended and elections were held South Africa did not experience violence in the proportions many had forecasted. Yes, like all young nations it is undergoing growing pains, but what country does not go through that? Look at our own U.S. history. We did not have peace until we were able to ALL have justice first.
Inform yourself: there are many websites (sponsored by Jewish organizations looking for peace) that can give you the real situation of the occupation. Such as B'tselem, A witness in Palestine, Rabis for Human Rights, etc. Also, read Jimmy Carter's Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, Israel is Real by Rich Cohen, Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour, We Belong to the Land and Faith Beyond Despair by Archbishop Elias Chacour. You will see that Palestinians want life instead of death. Don't generalize nor lump all Palestinians under the umbrella of fanaticism. Our American experience can teach us what happens when we function solely on generalizations and ignorance of one another.
when the muslims bomb israel,
when the muslims bomb israel, noone says anything, but when israel fights back EVERYONE gets upset...its sad
so, invading a humanitarian
so, invading a humanitarian flotilla on international waters and killing nine unarmed people, you're okay with this?
The Vatican is not . . .
It is sad,
very sad.
Remember Rachel Corry!
My dear sir, your are grossly
My dear sir, your are grossly under informed. Go ack to the newspapers and e-papers and find out just how unarmed they were and what they did to the commandos before they stepped foot on the vessels.
You spew your biased opinions despite the facts.
This is very sad. The "peace"
This is very sad. The "peace" people obviously had planned this and started attacking right away. Another phoney peace group. Humas refused the aid that Israel sent from the flotilla. The popular media CNN reported that many members of the flotilla had ties to radical Muslim groups. The truth of the matter is that everyone is afraid of the radical Muslim groups so they attack Israel and say nothing about the radical violence in the world ie Sudan. Have you forgotten the Taliban and what they do to women? It is really sad. Most violence is Muslim against Muslim. Does the world realize what is happening to Christians in many of the MiddleEastern countries? Sad very day indeed.
Ok,nitwit, the people on the
Ok,nitwit, the people on the ships did not bomb anyone, they were attacked by heavily armed Israeli commandos enforcing a brutal blockade against the people of Gaza.
As to your general proposition, as the United States government irrespective of administration always acts as Israel's big brother and tail gunner, and the western media is nothing but flooded with anti-Muslim propaganda, I would say you must be from another planet--too bad you and your war mongering friends can't all move there.
The article leaves out some
The article leaves out some important information. Israel is required under the Oslo Agreements and International Law to police the shores, to prevent illicit arms traffic. Hamas does this regularly with help from many Islamic nations. The flotilla was warned to turn back and then there would a boarding for inspection, per International Law. They were offered a docking facility so the inspection could be done ensuring no weapons reached Gaza. The available video already shows the Israeli commandos were attacked first and acted with retraint (they could have opened fire whole sale and sunk the ships). That weapons were found (including fire bombs) prepared before the boarding is evident of illicit intent. Interestingly, the so called medical supplies were found to be out of date and unusable showing this flotilla was not really intent on delivering supplies of use to innocent Gazans.
read this here: In a
read this here:
In a statement, the Jerusalem Inter-Church Center condemned "in the strongest language possible the irresponsible actions perpetrated by the Israeli forces against civilian participants of the Freedom Flotilla." It called on people to take action that would see Israel adhere to international norms by ending the siege on Gaza and as well as its military occupation of the Palestinian territories.
The Vatican's Fr. Lombardi
The Vatican's Fr. Lombardi says that "The situation is being followed in the Vatican with great attention and concern." Given the Vatican's impotence in effecting even a scintilla of peace and justice for the Palestinian People during the last sixty years, you would think that Fr.Lombardi would be overwhelmed with embarrassment and shame to spout this utterly vacuous palaver. The Vatican's 'great attention and concern' will drown in a sea of moral cowardice. The audience to whom the Vatican addressed those words should feel insulted and demeaned by the Vatican's 'Sacred Office of Public Relations'. Redeem yourself Fr. Lombardi by announcing that the Vatican is breaking off diplomatic relations with Israel tomorrow, an act that is fifteen years overdue. Until you announce the severing of ties, spare us the bit about the Vatican's attention and concern.
This was not just an
This was not just an unfortunate incident. Reactionary elements in both Israel and Islam plotted to derail the peace process. How else to explain "spontaneous " demonstrations in various world capitals springing up? The Israeli response to the aid ships was well known. Most people won't take on Israeli commandos with clubs and bare hands. Who ordered the intervention while Netanyahu was in DC?
Since I was not there, I will
Since I was not there, I will not comment on what did or did not occur. But there is one point in the article that must be corrected: 'The Israeli of blockade of the Gaza Strip, Father Hernandez said, has produced a situation in which "the lack of nearly any product has made prices soar to the sky. Medicine and other necessary goods are extremely costly. The situation has been getting worse day by day." ' The Gaza strip shares a border with Egypt. I've always wondered why the media, the U.N., and pretty much the entire world always fails to mention that Gaza is also being blockaded by an Arabic nation.
People must also remember
People must also remember that the European mindset and, because the Holy See is made up of many Europeans, the Vatican is that the Palestinians are the victims. Whereas in America we have given a favorable lobby to the Israelies. A lot of it is culture. However, the "peaceful" flotilla sure was violent to the Israelies. I support Israel on this one.
I note that the majority of
I note that the majority of contributors here support the Israelis. I would ask people to look at the details of this affair. Piracy at sea cannot be condoned. Fair minded people should unequivocally condemn Israel.
I support Israel on this one
I support Israel on this one also. The purpose of the boats was to provoke conflict. I have lost all respect for the pretend peace groups that abound today. In the 1960's, it was different. Now all the so called peace people appear to want to provoke conflict. It almost seems as if they do what they do for personal thrills while making the peace process worse. Do you see them in Africa? or in Asia? I used to support these groups financially and have marched. Now I am embarrassed by them.
The first thing that the
The first thing that the Israeli soldiers did was arrest news crews and smash recording equipment. Bare truth is always the enemy of the tyrant.
Many have made much of the way that the aid activists manhandled the crack IDF commandos. The picture of reputedly elite combat troops being literally thrown off of a ship by anyone is a serious blow to Israel's invincible mystique. However, the aid workers acted rightly. Israel's inhuman treatment of the Gaza ghetto has, as Father Hernandez reported, driven the inmates of Gaza to the brink. The suffering is out of Stalin's playbook. As they have done consistently, the Israelis would have confiscated the supplies and the aid workers knew this. They were right to defend the supplies and by extension the innocents in Gaza.
In our Catholic tradition we do not believe that the Jews are God's chosen people. That was the old covenant. Our new covenant makes us all equal children of God. We need to say this. Our church needs to say this. We need to free the Israelis from their right-wing racists. We need to free the Arabs from the despotic puppets (Egypt, Saudis, etc.) that we prop up. We need to free ourselves from AIPAC and the rest of their repugnant, bigoted lobby. We need to talk to Iran and find out if, (as our news channels say), they want to destroy the Israeli people or, (as they say and independent translators confirm), they want to replace a "Jewish Only" state with a democratic state for jews and arabs alike.
Most importantly, we need to take a breath and pray for our enemies. We need to clearly see Jesus in every single one of them. We need to hear His voice in their pleas, their fears, their suffering.
We can't simply condemn
We can't simply condemn Israel for the Gaza ghetto. After all, it was the West who put Israel in this position in the first place. Furthermore, Israel is constantly under threat from many of the Gaza peoples. Furthermore, these people knew the law and the rules regarding the blockade, ergo they dug their own grave. They knew that they were going to be met with military soldiers.
The assault received
The assault received widespread international condemnation. A statement issued by the U.N. Security Council deplored the violence and called for "a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards.
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The state of Israel over
The state of Israel over fifty years has committed human rights violations. This Zionist state is no different in sentiment and mentality than the Nazi state. At present, the Gaza strip is a death camp. Throwing ineffectual rockets is comparable to the uprising in Warsaw during WWII. Palestinians are being starved to death, refused humanitarian aid, and killed for trying to prevent another holocaust. We shall never forget????
We as human beings should say: WE SHALL NEVER REPEAT!!!!!!
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