U.S. arms shipment to Israel canceled due to Gaza conflict

[kpete]

Source: Haaretz

Last update - 08:51 13/01/2009
U.S. arms shipment to Israel canceled due to Gaza conflict
By Reuters

A U.S. military plan to ship munitions from a Greek port to a U.S. stockpile in Israel has been canceled due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The United States Navy's Military Sealift Command issued a tender on December 31st for a ship to deliver 325 standard 20-foot containers of ammunition on two separate journeys from the Greek port of Astakos to the Israeli port of Ashdod in mid-to-late January.

Air Force Lt. Col. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Greek port had been considered as a possible location from which to transfer ammunition from a larger ship coming from the U.S.

But the request to shippers had now been canceled due to safety concerns at the final destination related to the conflict in Gaza, Ryder said. Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip seeks to halt rocket fire by Hamas militants aimed at southern Israel.

Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1055098.html

[ensho]

1. good

nt

[subsuelo]

5. actually, it's disappointing

The cancellation should be due to humanitarian concerns for the victims of the attacks, not because of an issue accessing the port.

[Christa]

2. Excellent

Pity about all the arms they have from us and are using in Gaza to commit atrocities.

[BunkerHill24]

3. about time...n/t

[madrchsod]

4. they got caught.....

[razors edge]

6. Over two years ago

I was assured by someone on this board that this base didn't even exist.

My links to it were fundamentalist swill and proved nothing.

Crow can be delectable with a fine Chianti.

Bon Appétit M.

[FiveGoodMen]

7. Re-routed seems more likely.

[Ichingcarpenter]

9. Agreed and through another country.

Greece and Turkey wouldn't want the political blowback right now.

I bet it goes through Bulgaria or Albania now

[bdamomma]

8. good it won't be going to Turkey cause the Turkish PM

is not cooperating with Israel.

[Hardrada]

10. Confiscate all the other weaponry going there too!

And stop the financial subsidies.

[DiamondFrank]

11. Actually

Actually, Israeli newspapers are under extreme pressure by the Israeli government and military. They have been obfuscating the truth and spreading propaganda, particularly in the last two weeks


The reason the shipment was canceled was because the Greek government refused to allow the U.S. to use its territory to ship a criminal state like Israel more ammunition. Greece has been very critical of Israel's use of cluster bombs and white phosphorous on civilians.

So, two versions of the real story were then spread, one for the U.S. public, the other for the Israeli public.

The U.S., in an attempt to save face, claimed that they have canceled the shipment themselves after some objections were voiced by the Greek government. A Pentagon spokesperson said that the Greek government did not explain why they refused to do so. So, as if in an effort to cooperate with the Greek and please them, the U.S. simply backed out.

Then, Israeli newspapers lied and claimed that the shipment was canceled due to safety concerns over the ongoing assault on Gaza. That claim is good for Israel's domestic consumption so as to tell the Israeli public "The Greek still like us. They didn't cancel the shipment because we are criminals, but because they're looking after our interests".


By the way, the U.S. still plans on shipping the ammunition, but through a different country instead.

[Joanne98]

12. Greece hinders US arms delivery to Israel

Source: Press tv


The US has to re-route arms shipment to Israel as Athens declined to allow a Greek port be used as a transit point, fearing nationwide protests.

The transit was called off by the Greek government on Tuesday, after the issue provoked a media outcry in Greece, where Israel's 19-day-old offensive in Gaza is deeply unpopular.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell, however, painted a different picture, saying that the route had been changed to avoid Greece, "because the Greek government had some issue with the off-loading of some of that shipment in their country."

Morrell declined to say what type of arms were included in the shipment.

This is while the US military claimed that the shipment of 325 containers of ammunition from the Greek port of Astakos to a US stockpile in Israel was canceled in light of the proximity of the Israeli port of Ashdod - the shipment's destination - to the conflict in the Gaza Strip.


Anti-Israeli protester in Athens
Opposition parties in Greece have called for public demonstrations in Astakos on Wednesday and Thursday, raising fears of fresh nationwide protests, only weeks after violent anti-government riots were subdued.


Read more: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=82263§ionid=351020202

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

13. Good on Greece.

I hope more countries decide not to play party to this massacre.

[Robbien]

14. "A US stockpile in Israel" . . .The stuff is ours?

You mean that Israel didn't buy (with money it got from us) the weapons it is using to kill Palestinians?

[eagertolearn]

15. I thought we we not supposed to be selling arms to countries who are using them in war???

I hope every port won't let that ship land. Good job Greece!!! At least one country is listening to their people!

[texastoast]

16. Woo-hoo

Good for Greece and its people and leaders.

[ExPatLeftist]

17. K&R for GREECE! n/t

[No Elephants]

18. Go a piddling few trillion into debt and find out how many friends you really have.

[Obamanaut]

19. I sent an email to my senator last week asking why we continue

to give Israel billions in dollars/weapons? No response yet.

My email was in reply to his request for 'concerns for the economy' in his periodic email newsletter.

Good for Greece!

[harun]

24. I emailed my Senator (Casey, PA) and he responded quickly

only a few days.

Said blah, blah, supported Israel for a long time, blah, blah, blah, Ally, blah, blah.

At least he responded quickly. Wish he would re-think his stance though.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Moderator]

21. Kick

[DogPoundPup]

22. Gaza: Call for full arms embargo as weapons ship heads to Israel

Source: Amnesty.org

Amnesty International has called for a full arms embargo on all parties involved in the Gaza conflict.

The call came as the organisation revealed that a German cargo ship carrying huge amounts of weaponry - possibly including controversial white phosphorous - has been heading for the Israeli port of Ashdod.

In a letter to Foreign Secretary David Miliband today, Amnesty is urging the UK government to make international representations to help prevent the ship with its 'vast consignment' of weapons docking in Israel. The letter also seeks assurances that no UK licences have been granted for arms, components or related technology that could be or have been used in the conflict in Gaza. Last week Amnesty pointed to evidence that specially-designed engines for pilotless military aerial vehicles (UAVs) used by Israeli forces to target air strikes may be of UK origin.

Amnesty is asking the UN Security Council to act to impose an immediate, comprehensive arms embargo on all parties to the conflict in Gaza to prevent any further flow of arms to the warring parties.

Read more: http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=18014

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more from article...
The US Department of Defense says it is now looking at other means to deliver the munitions to a US stockpile in Israel. A US-Israel agreement has allowed US munitions stockpiled in Israel to be transferred to the Israeli Defence Force in "an emergency."

[uppityperson]

23. That would be a start. k&r