Bill Wilson MSP

Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, today announced that he had lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament congratulating activists aboard SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty who have just broken the Israeli blockade of Gaza.  He also confirmed that he had faxed the Israeli government to demand that charges against one of the activists who broke the blockade, an Israeli citizen, be dropped.

Commenting, Dr Wilson said, “My motion is self-explanatory, as are the letters I wrote to Ms Tzipi Livni, the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Meir Shitreet, the Israeli Minister of Interior, Mr Ehud Barak, the Israeli Minister of Defence and Mr Menachem Mazuz, the Israeli Attorney General.

“All I can add to the letters and the motion is to express the hopes that my fellow MSPs will support my motion and send a clear signal to Israel that it should respect human rights and change its counterproductive and provocative policies.  This would, I believe, be in the long-term interests of Israelis as much as anyone else.”

Notes to Editors

1.  Text of Dr Wilson’s Motion

S3M-02447 Bill Wilson (West of Scotland) (Scottish National Party): Breaking Israel's Blockade of Gaza— That the Parliament, further to motion S3M-2411 in the name of Bashir Ahmad, congratulates the passengers and crew of SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty on breaking the Israeli blockade of Gaza; notes that their effort has had the immediate benefit of enabling Palestinian fishermen to enter fishing waters barred to them by Israel and therefore to land the best catch that they have had in four years; urges Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza entirely and immediately, and believes that such a step, as well as alleviating the terrible suffering of the inhabitants of Gaza, would be in the long-term best interests of both Israelis and Palestinians.

2.  Example of a letter sent to the Israeli government (similar letters sent to other representatives of the government)

27 August 2008

Ehud Barak
Minister of Defense
Israel

Dear Mr Barak

The unconditional release of Mr Jeff Halper

I urge the Israeli Government to drop all charges against Mr Jeff Halper immediately and unconditionally.  I believe you have charged him with:

1) being a public nuisance as he was at risk of being kidnapped;

2) disobeying a Commanding General’s (Tzaf Aluf) order that Israelis are not allowed in “enemy” territory. 

Mr Halper and other peace activists on board SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty were invited by Palestinians to come to Gaza, so there was no real danger of his being kidnapped, and, most importantly, Jeff does not regard the Palestinians as enemies and nor do they him.

By dropping these charges you will improve Israel’s international image and signal that Israel as a state does not automatically regard Palestinians as enemies.  This can only help build bridges and ease the difficult situation in the region.

Aefauldlie

Dr Bill Wilson MSP

3.  Dr Wilson’s previous release re SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty

MSP demands Israel lets ships take children’s hearing aids to Gaza