URGENT! Israeli Navy Firing On Unarmed Civilians

ISRAELI NAVAL VESSELS FIRING ON UNARMED FISHING BOATS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
WORKERS

(OFF THE COAST OF GAZA) 1 September 2008 - Israeli Naval vessels are
currently firing on unarmed Palestinian fishing boats and international
human rights workers off the coast of the Gaza Strip. The fishing boats
are several miles off the coast of Gaza City, in Palestinian territorial
waters. As of 11am (4am EST, 1am PDT) no one had been injured, but live ammunition
is still being fired in the direction of the civilian boats.

The unarmed boats went to sea at dawn this morning, in an attempt to fish
in their own water. Six international human rights workers from five
different countries accompanied the fishermen in the hopes that their
presence would deter the Israeli military from firing on the fishermen. In
the past the Israeli military has shot and killed unarmed Palestinian
fishermen for trying to fish in their own waters.

Accompanying the fishermen are:

Vittorio Arrigoni, Italy
Georgios Karatzas, Greece
Adam Qvist, Denmark
Andrew Muncie, Scotland
Donna Wallach, USA
Darlene Wallach, USA

PLEASE INFORM THE MEDIA IMMEDIATELY, CALL YOUR EMBASSIES IN TEL AVIV, AND
CALL THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT. TELL THEM TO STOP FIRING UPON UNARMED
FISHERMEN AND UNARMED HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORS.

CALL:

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Tel. +972 2 530 3111

The British Embassy in Tel Aviv
+972 3 725 1222

The US Embassy in Tel Aviv
+972 2 625 5755
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