Ray Bergmann (QLD) writes to Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith re human rights activists in Israeli jail 5 July 2009 July 5, 2009

Ray Bergmann  requests Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith to appeal to the State of Israel to adhere to the covenants of international law and human rights

Dear Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith,

I hope that the Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who met last week with Israeli Prime Minister, Defence Minister and President, and with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, learned about the horrific conditions most Palestinians have long suffered under the governing authorities there.

No doubt she and you are aware that thousands of Gazans whose homes were destroyed during Israel’s December/January massacre are still without shelter despite pledges of almost $4.5 billion in aid, because Israel refuses to allow cement and other building material into the Gaza Strip. Hospitals are struggling to meet the needs of their patients due to Israel’s disruption of medical supplies.

President Obama has told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, as Palestinians living in Gaza are “trapped in despair.” The United States State Department has affirmed that they are in touch with the Israeli government appealing for the release of 19 passengers still detained from the impounded boat “Spirit of Humanity” that was pirated in international waters by Israeli military forces while the boat with mainly human rights activists aboard was on a mission of delivering sorely-needed aid to the Gaza Strip.

The United States State Department has stated it would like to see the boat and its crew and passengers released and allowed to safely deliver humanitarian relief and cement to non-governmental organizations in Gaza,

Unfortunately there has been no positive response from the Israeli government on the speedy release of the boat and its crew, passengers and cargo of humanitarian relief and cement for the non-governmental organizations  ready on the ground to distribute aid to the suffering people of Gaza. Neither is there any positive response to the request from governments around the world to appeals to relax the restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the occupied territories due to the matrix of ethnically discriminatory roads and services that roadblock Palestinians from employment, education and collaborative human experience.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith, below is the list of passengers kidnapped in international water from the Spirit of Humanity. (Huwaida Arraf and Lubna Masarwa have now been released, so I have only listed those who remain in detention.

Could you please use your good offices to appeal to the Israeli government to release the 19 passengers in detention and the impounded boat the “Spirit of Humanity” and its crew. Please inform the Prime Minister of Israel that the whole world’s attention has been drawn towards yet another illegal and immoral act in a long series of policies that infringe the human rights of the population of the Palestinian occupied territories causing the State of Israel to appear as a rogue state on the international scene.

Of course Israel is not alone in ignoring appeals from the international community. Abominable human rights continue after decades of disapproval from the international community in countries like Burma, Sudan, Iran, North Korea and many others. Israel differs from these in that it claims to desire to be a democracy under the rule of internationally acceptable humanitarian law and an appeal to this desire may well influence the policies of the government of Israel to extend basic human rights to the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. Furthermore the close mainly military-related economic ties between Israel and the United States, Canada and Australia lend influence to appeals from these countries to observe basic human rights.

Please make an appeal to the Israeli government to respect international covenants in the treatment of the occupied population of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and ask for the release of the following passengers from the Spirit of Humanity still under detention:

Khalad Abdelkader, Bahrain
Khalad is an engineer representing the Islamic Charitable Association of Bahrain.

Othman Abufalah, Jordan
Othman is a world-renowned journalist with al-Jazeera TV.

Khaled Al-Shenoo, Bahrain
Khaled is a lecturer with the University of Bahrain.

Mansour Al-Abi, Yemen
Mansour is a cameraman with Al-Jazeera TV.

Fatima Al-Attawi, Bahrain
Fatima is a relief worker and community activist from Bahrain.

Juhaina Alqaed, Bahrain
Juhaina is a journalist & human rights activist.

Ishmahil Blagrove, UK
Ishmahil is a Jamaican-born journalist, documentary film maker and founder of the Rice & Peas film production company. His documentaries focus on international struggles for social justice.

Kaltham Ghloom, Bahrain
Kaltham is a community activist.

Derek Graham, Ireland
Derek Graham is an electrician, Free Gaza organizer, and first mate aboard the Spirit of Humanity.

Alex Harrison, UK
Alex is a solidarity worker from Britain. She is traveling to Gaza to do long-term human rights monitoring.

Denis Healey, UK
Denis is Captain of the Spirit of Humanity. This will be his fifth voyage to Gaza.

Fathi Jaouadi, UK
Fathi is a British journalist, Free Gaza organizer, and delegation co-coordinator for this voyage.

Mairead Maguire, Ireland
Mairead is a Nobel laureate and renowned peace activist.

Theresa McDermott, Scotland
Theresa is a solidarity worker from Scotland. She is traveling to Gaza to do long-term human rights monitoring.

Cynthia McKinney, US
Cynthia McKinney is an outspoken advocate for human rights and social justice issues, as well as a former U.S. congressperson and presidential candidate.

Adnan Mormesh, UK
Adnan is a solidarity worker from Britain. He is traveling to Gaza to do long-term human rights monitoring.

Adam Qvist, Denmark
Adam is a solidarity worker from Denmark. He is traveling to Gaza to do human rights monitoring.

Adam Shapiro, US
Adam is an American documentary film maker and human rights activist.

Kathy Sheetz, US
Kathy is a nurse and film maker, traveling to Gaza to do human rights monitoring.

Israel should immediately release the boat and its occupants, together with their humanitarian cargo, and allow them to dock in Gaza. Please do whatever you can to help secure their release and to encourage the government of the State of Israel to adhere to the terms of the Declaration of Human Rights, Geneva Conventions and international law.

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