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- "End the occupation !" PAJU Vigil # 489, June 25, 2010: Piracy, murders ... and thefts
"End the occupation !" PAJU Vigil # 489, June 25, 2010: Piracy, murders ... and thefts
Publication date : 2010-06-25
When Israeli commandos attacked the Gaza relief flotilla, they hijacked the ships, murdered unarmed relief workers, illegally arrested hundreds and stole their possessions. Now, to add insult to injury, Israeli soldiers are using debit cards stolen during the attack.
Musaji and Sheetz were on board two separate boats – one the Mavi Marmara, on which nine Turkish activists were killed, the other on the Challenger 1. Both activists only entered Israel when arrested, and were in custody for their entire time on Israeli soil. "They’ve obviously taken my card and used it," Musaji told the Guardian.
Piracy, murders ... and thefts
When Israeli commandos attacked the Gaza relief flotilla, they hijacked the ships, murdered unarmed relief workers, illegally arrested hundreds and stole their possessions. Now, to add insult to injury, Israeli soldiers are using debit cards stolen during the attack.
Musaji and Sheetz were on board two separate boats – one the Mavi Marmara, on which nine Turkish activists were killed, the other on the Challenger 1. Both activists only entered Israel when arrested, and were in custody for their entire time on Israeli soil. "They’ve obviously taken my card and used it," Musaji told the Guardian.
"When they take things like people’s videos and debit cards and use them, and their mobile phones, it becomes a bit of a joke.
"We were held hostage, we were attacked, and now there’s been theft. If the police confiscate your goods in the UK, they’re not going to use your goods and think they can get away with it."
Musaji cancelled his card on 7 June, after he returned to Britain, where he is a support worker for adults with learning difficulties. His bank has agreed to treat the transactions as fraudulent and he will not be charged for them.
An American activist, David Schermerhorn, 80, from Washington state, claims his iPhone was used, while Manolo Luppichini, an Italian journalist, said his card was debited with the equivalent of €54 after it was confiscated. A Californian activist, Kathy Sheetz, has alleged that she has been charged more than $1,000 in transactions in Israel since 6 June.
Activists say Israel still has possession of at least £1m of goods and cash, comprising aid and personal possessions, including laptops and cameras. Some passports, three of them belonging to British citizens, have still not been returned. On Thursday, delegations in 12 countries, including the UK, held meetings with their respective governments to exert pressure on Israel to return the seized property.
Adapted from “Gaza convoy activists claim Israeli soldiers using debit cards stolen in raid”, written by Haroon Siddique and published June 18, 2010 in Britain’s prestigious newspaper The Guardian.
See full text on line at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/18/gaza-convoy-activists-debit-card-fraud
Distributed by PAJU (Palestinian and Jewish Unity)
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