Cynthia McKinney Interview: Israeli Massacre Of Flotilla Activists Bringing Aid To Gaza (1 of 2)

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsA1fA4diNw

May 31, 2010: The French Connection's Daryl Bradford Smith interviews Former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney about the recent Israeli Massacre of Flotilla activists bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza.

More info at: http://iamthewitness.com/

Cynthia McKinney Mourns the Dead of the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza:
http://www.greenpartywatch.org/2010/05/31/cynthia-mckinney-condemns-israeli-m...

Also see:
Israel's security cannot come at any price
Ben Saul
2 June 2010
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2915343.htm

EXCERPT:
"First, absent any intention by the flotilla to attack Israel, or any suspicion of piracy, it was unlawful for Israel to forcibly board foreign merchant vessels in international waters.

Secondly, such action amounted to an unlawful interference in the enforcement jurisdiction of the "flag-States" (countries of registration) of those vessels, such as Turkey.

Thirdly, it violated the fundamental principle of freedom of navigation on the high seas, codified in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982.

Fourthly, under international human rights law, the apprehension and detention of those on board the vessels likely amounts to arbitrary, unlawful detention, contrary to article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, since there is lawful basis for detention.

Fifthly, if Israeli forces killed people, they may not only have infringed the human right to life, but they may also have committed serious international crimes. Under article 3 of the Rome Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation of 1988, it is an international crime for any person to seize or exercise control over a ship by force, and also a crime to injure or kill any person in the process.

Ironically, that treaty was adopted after Palestinian terrorists hijacked the Italian cruise ship, the Achille Lauro, in 1985, in which a Jewish American was killed.

In such cases, any claim of self-defence by Israeli forces is irrelevant. The treaty necessarily adopts a strict approach. One cannot attack a ship and then claim self-defence if the people on board resist the unlawful use of violence.

Legally speaking, government military forces rappelling onto a ship to illegally capture it are treated no differently than other criminals. The right of self-defence in such situations rests with the passengers on board: a person is legally entitled to resist one's own unlawful capture, abduction and detention."

Associate Professor Ben Saul is Co-Director of the Sydney Centre for International Law at The University of Sydney, a barrister, and a leading international authority on terrorism in international law. Dr Saul teaches the law of armed conflict and has been involved in such cases in The Hague, the Israeli Supreme Court, and in the Balibo coronial inquest.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Israel
• Cynthia
• Mckinney
• Gaza
• Aid
• Flotilla
• War
• Crime
• Peace
• Palestine
• Obama
• Mavi
• Marmara

[lunalas]

where is the original video of this flotilla?

[StevenM818]

@lunalas

Raw Footage: Israeli Attack on the Mavi Marmara as it happened

watch?v=vwsMJmvS0AY

Forward to 10:27 - Live news report on board the Mavi Marmara shortly before Israel's illegal attack on the Freedom Flotilla.

Forward to 35:00 - The illegal Israeli attack of the Mavi Marmara Freedom Flotilla begins.

[jakluk4]

favd and featured.....gawd i love her!

thanks for postin this up!

[StevenM818]

@jakluk4

You're very welcome and thank you!

[InfensusMentis]

Excellent interview with the irrepressible Cynthia McKinney. Thanks for spreading it around.

[citizenintime]

Dead terrorists make me smile.

[accision]

The Israelis are viral scum Cynthia, sorry you had to go through the terrorism of Israeli aggression, we need to stand up to genocide from the Israelis, how can they keep getting away with it? Our four fathers even had said that the downfall Of American Identity will come when the U.S. gets in between countries affairs though now we are dying for Israel from their wars

[TheFlex21]

she should have been the first black president

[nittenichiryu]

I just wish that the China would go along within the ship. If it were them who got killed, Israel would be in a serious problem. China would fucked Israel so bad. lol.

[SedonaHealthCoach]

Iran will be sending aid ships with a military escort in a few days. You can see it on Press TV dot ir.

[RoadlessPath]

Its a pitty the Israeli didn't kill her.. I cannot stand the lying garbage coming from her mouth.