A report from Glyn Secker, Captain of the “Irene”. And an interview with Yonatan and Itamar Shapira, two of the Israelis on-board. They above all were subjected to violence from the Israeli forces who intercepted the boat. These are their words an hour after they returned to their family in Israel…
Plus (added 4 October) reports by Lilian Rosengarten and Nurit Peled-Elhanan…

Yonatan Shapira kept a journal of the voyage as the boat approached Cyprus before its final leg to Gaza…

Diane Mason explores the very different understandings of what a ‘one-state solution’ would be: “The I/P conflict isn’t about one state versus two states; it’s about whether – in a land where many different kinds of people live – only one “kind” of people should have all the benefits of a modern democratic state reserved to it…”

A request for people to contact the FCO and their MPs to ensure the safety and speedy release of the passengers and crew of the Irene.

Plus updates…

Eyad Sarraj writes to Lynne Segal: “I have helped and worked with and received other boats, but this is the most significant one for me, because it carries such an important message. It brings to us and tells the world that those we Palestinians thought we should hate as our enemies can instead arrive as our friends, our brothers and sisters, sharing a love for humanity and for our struggle for justice and peace…”

Israeli naval commandos have peacefully boarded a Jewish aid boat attempting to break a naval blockade on Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said at 11:30 A.M. Tuesday…
Later flotilla participants report that “IDF soldiers used excessive force during raid…”

An unnamed ministry official said, of the four Israeli activists on the boat, “They poured fuel into the bonfire of hatred against Israel worldwide. We don’t expect Israelis to be patriotic, but they should definitely not act as Hamas followers.”

The official suggested that one of the activists, Yonatan Shapira, a former pilot in Israel’s air force, “has joined the ranks of Hamas.” The official also said the 82-year-old Holocaust survivor on board “has probably not learned anything from the terrible past.”

A Supreme Court ruling Sunday may allow settler groups to move into dozens more homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
We trust that on the same basis Palestinians will soon find their former homes in Israel restored to them…

Daily Cartoon, Haaretz 28 September

The latest news is that the Jewish boat to Gaza is on its way! See the Jewish Boat to Gaza website – http://jewishboattogaza.org/ – to keep abreast of developments.

Big news of the week was the delivery of two separate reports to the United Nations Human Rights Council about the situation in Gaza, one dealing with the follow-up to the Goldstone Report, the other about the assault on the Gaza flotilla at the end of May. We also carried postings exposing the failure of the Israeli government to come clean on the economic realities of Gaza today; detailing Israeli government support for the settlement enterprise as a whole; on the drift towards fascism represented by the Im Tirtzu organisation; the weaknesses of Obama’s speech to the General Assembly, on Iran-Israel and more. For a detailed guide to these postings, click on the heading above.

The Jewish Boat to Gaza has been boarded by Israeli forces…

You can follow the story on the dedicated Jewish Boat to Gaza website (http://jewishboattogaza.org/ – there is a live link if you click on the heading above and go through to the full posting) – and on Twitter @jewishboat2gaza

Rachel Shabi investigates Israeli government involvement in the construction of settlements on occupied Palestinian land. “In Jerusalem – just as in the rest of Israel – decades of state planning has priced people out of the city and into settlements in Palestinian East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Meanwhile, ideologically-motivated budgeting has resulted in enticements and benefits for Israelis who live on occupied Palestinian land… Peace Now estimates that settlements cost Israel $556m (around £355m) a year – and it is clear that this cost is keenly felt by those living within Israel, since the state seems to prioritise settlements at their expense.”

Phyllis Bennis takes a look at Obama’s current position on the conflict and hopes of resolving it via the current peace talks. She finds nothing to be optimistic about: “[Obama] called on the Palestinians to “reconcile with a secure Israel” and waxed eloquent on the illegality of killing Israeli civilians. He called on the Palestinians’ friends to implement the Arab Peace Plan’s proposed normalization with Israel without ever mentioning the plan’s clear understanding that ending Israel’s 1967 occupation must come first. And he called on Israel to – talk nicely.”

David Shulman writes: “It may sound unlikely, but we’re in ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan Street in Sheikh Jarrah and, together with Salah and other Palestinian friends from the neighborhood, we’re building a sukkah…”

A Panel of Independent Experts established by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council to monitor and assess domestic investigation by both parties during Operation Cast Lead has concluded that these investigations “remain incomplete in some cases or fall significantly short of meeting international standards in others.” These events cry out for further investigation. According to the International Commission of Jurists: “The Human Rights Council must therefore assess these domestic proceedings and report accordingly to the UN General Assembly and Security Council.” Plus a statement by Amnesty International…

A devastatingly critical report on Israel’s handling of the flotilla at the end of May has been tabled at the Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva. It concluldes:
“The Mission sincerely hopes that no impediment will be put in the way of those who suffered loss as a result of the unlawful actions of the Israeli military to be compensated adequately and promptly. It is hoped that there will be swift action by the Government of Israel. This will go a long way to reversing the regrettable reputation which that country has for impunity and intransigence in international affairs. It will also assist those who genuinely sympathise with their situation to support them without being stigmatised.”

On 10 September we posted Jeffrey Goldberg’s long insider analysis of US and Israeli attitudes to Iran without comment, under the heading”Iran and Israel – will it be war?” A number of writers have said that “rather than constituting neutral journalism” Goldberg’s article was “a piece of advocacy, if not outright propaganda”. Joe Klein rose to its defence. In this posting Jerome Slater evaluates the argument, and supports Goldberg’s critics.

Gisha’s Gaza Gateway provides information about the reality of the situation in Gaza, in answer to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ claim that the economic situation there is improving rapidly…

Eight leftist activists who established the Facebook group “Im Tirzu – a fascist movement” are being sued. They have filed their defence which is to say that say Im Tirzu is indeed fascist and chauvinist…

This week’s postings are largely analytical, taking a longer view of the conflict and the region: the domestication of Hizbullah, as it enters its second term in the Lebanese government; the IDF’s new ‘ethical code’ in its battle against ‘terror’; the alarming drift towards McCarthyism/fascism in Israel; international corporate complicity in Israel’s violations of international human rights law; a debate about the strategy of BDS triggered by Israeli actors’ and others’ refusal to perform in Ariel; trends in the British Jewish community; a year after Goldstone; and more besides. For a detailed guide to these postings, click on the heading above.

The Netherlands on Sunday cancelled a tour of the country by a forum of Israeli mayors because their group included representatives of West Bank settlements…