An interview with Al Jazeera‘s Jamal Elshayyal, who was on board the Mavi Marmara and filed his last report as IDF commandos were descending onto to the deck of the ship, launching their murderous attack. Elshayyal debunks some of the falsehoods of the Israeli propaganda machine and recounts his (mis)treatment by IDF forces.
See also Mel Frykberg’s article about the censorship imposed by the IDF on journalists covering this story, who were systematically denied access to the passangers of the flotilla. Furthermore, many journalists who were on board the ships were subjected to inhumane treatment and denied consular access and legal representation, in clear violation of international law.
It is interesting to note that viewers are regularly informed about restrictions on media freedoms whenever the BBC and other western outlets report from countries such as Zimbabwe, Iran and other official enemies. Not so in the case of Israel, ‘the only democracy in the Middle East‘.
Thank you Jamal EdShayyal for your honest remarks and courage. I am ashamed of the US tepid response to Israel’s attack on the humanitarian flotilla. The rest of the world will not listen to the lies that Israel is sputtering. We are out in the streets in Boston, demanding of the Obama administration to hold Israel accountable. I am glad that you are safe and mourn with you the loss of the brave activists.