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Cynthia McKinney, 20 Others, Held by Israel
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Candidate
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| Contributor | Craverguy |
| Last Edited | Craverguy Jul 02, 2009 02:32am |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Tuesday, June 30, 2009 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | A boat carrying aid to pro-Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip was surrounded and boarded by Israeli forces off the coast of the Gaza Strip Tuesday. Former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney was one of the 21 people on board who were taken into Israeli custody and held at the port of Ashrod in Israel.
McKinney is quoted as saying that the confrontation was "an outrageous violation of international law," and she claimed the boat was on a humanitarian mission and was not in Israeli waters.
The Israeli military said the boat tried to violate Israel's security blockade and enter Gaza illegally.
The 21 passengers and crew on the Greek-registered ship "Arion" was working for the U.S.-based "Free Gaza Movement." Among them, besides McKinney, was 1977 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Mairead Maguire.
Israeli forces have maintained a blockade on the Palestinian territory since 2007, partly to prevent smugglers from delivering weapons and munitions to Gaza.
McKinney was involved in a similar incident exactly six months earlier, on December 30, 2008. She was on the S.S. Dignity, and it collided with an Israeli navy craft that was part of the same blockade as she and her group claimed they were attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Said McKinney then, "Our mission was a peaceful mission, to deliver medical supplies. And our mission was thwarted by the Israelis, the aggressiveness of the Israeli military." |
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