New Book Assembles Eyewitness Accounts from Mavi Marmara

[ConsAreLiars]

By Kumari Karandawala

NEW YORK, Aug 19, 2010 (IPS) - A growing number of activists is contradicting the claims of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) regarding the Gaza Freedom Flotilla debacle in May, including a large faction of both Israeli and U.S. Jews.

This faction was evidenced by the distinguished array of Jewish scholars, journalists and professionals who contributed to Moustafa Bayoumi's new book, "Midnight on the Mavi Marmara: The Attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and How It Changed the Course of the Israel/Palestine Conflict." Amongst a host of 'who's who' of the literary world, the well-loved Jewish scholars and journalists who contributed included Noam Chomsky, Marsha B. Cohen, Norman Finkelstein, Glenn Greenwald and Gideon Levy, to name a few.

At a teleconference Thursday hosted by the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), well-known author and journalist Max Blumenthal, who spoke from Israel, said he knew for a fact that the IDF had confiscated all recording equipment from the Mavi Marmara and contrived media footage to make it appear that Israeli forces were attacked by activists on board the Freedom flotilla.

A stray recording, however, proved otherwise to the world at large.

More at: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52542

[Hardrada]

1. Excellent and to be commended.

[ConsAreLiars]

2. Agreed. For those interested, there is an interview with the author at grittv.org

http://www.grittv.org/2010/08/20/midnight-on-the-mavi-marmara-the-peoples-record/

From that link to the video page:

"Less than four months ago, Israeli commandoes boarded the boats in the Freedom Flotilla headed for Gaza and killed nine peace activists. Investigations are underway into just what happened the night of May 31st, but just a few months after the attacks, a new anthology collects eyewitness testimony, analyses and thought pieces, and responses from artists and poets into a "people's record" of what happened that night--and how it just might be a turning point for the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

"Moustafa Bayoumi is the editor of Midnight on the Mavi Marmara, available now from OR Books, and Huwaida Arraf was on the flotilla that night. They join us to discuss what happened, what role the book can play, and how it was able to come about so quickly."

Edit to add, previous GritTV reports include:

http://www.grittv.org/2010/08/19/marleine-bastien-midnight-on-the-mavi-marmara-and-green-for-buffalo/

http://www.grittv.org/2010/06/01/richard-falk-huwaida-arraf-norman-finkelstein-freedom-flotilla/

http://www.grittv.org/2010/06/01/norman-finkelstein-huwaida-arraf-israel-gaza-flotilla/