Ireland blocks U.S. bomb-carrying flights to Israel from landing...

[marmar]

Revealed: Ireland refused to allow bomb flights to land




Protests grow as more planes land at Prestwick en route to Israel
By Torcuil Crichton and Paul Hutcheon



Two US aircraft carrying bombs to Israel landed at Prestwick last night amid growing protests fuelled by the revelation that Ireland had ruled out allowing Shannon Airport to handle similar flights.
Dermot Ahern, the Irish foreign affairs minister, said he would block any attempt by the US to transport arms to Israel through his country.

A spokeswoman for Ahern told the Sunday Herald: 'Minister Ahern did say permission would not be granted if there was an application made to transport munitions of war to the Middle East.' Scottish opposition MPs yesterday described the use of Prestwick Airport to re-arm the Israeli offensive in Lebanon as 'completely unacceptable'.

The arrival of the flights yesterday came less than a day after George Bush apologised to Tony Blair over a procedural slip in the previous use of Prestwick to refuel two planes carrying bombs to Israel.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell said the flights this weekend were 'adding insult to injury'. He

added: 'What price the President¹s apology now? Who can tell if some of this equipment may be used to continue Israel's disproportionate attacks on Lebanon? The British government should be pursuing an active policy of denying weapons of any kind to anyone in the Middle East who may be assisting the conflict in any way.' The SNP¹s deputy Westminster leader, Angus Robertson, called on the Scottish Executive to make a stand ­ although the Executive has no jurisdiction over as aviation matters are a Foreign Office responsibility ­ and a motion expressing 'extreme concern' over the issue was lodged in the Scottish parliament by Glasgow MSP Sandra White.

'If these planes are carrying offensive weapons to be used by Israel it¹s completely unacceptable,' said Robertson. 'This shows Tony Blair has done nothing to stop these shipments in his discussions with President Bush.

The rest of the article is at: http://www.sundayherald.com/57005

[Erika]

1. The western world is finally growing a spine against war

in the mideast.

Good for Ireland.

[marmar]

2. Finally...hopefully.

France is leading the effort for the cease-fire; Ireland is saying "no" to the bomb flights...Hopefully courage will be contagious.

[kurth]

4. Hmmmm... Isn't that a little ANTI-SEMITIC?

How can anyone not allow Israel to defend itself against sleeping babies?

[marmar]

5. LOL...I read the subject line of your post and thought...

This poster cannot be serious. Then I read the rest of your post...:)

[me b zola]

7. "Hopefully courage will be contagious."

This is my hope as well.


Good on Ireland!! :thumbsup:

[marmar]

10. I love that line....

but I must confess, I borrowed it from the documentary "Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train."

[RagingInMiami]

3. I wear my Irish Celtic ring proudly

I've always seen eye to eye with the Irish.

[Palladin]

6. The Scottish Nationalists are against it

too. That's a major party in Scotland these days; Sir Sean Connery's a big backer. A large demonstration at Prestwick organized by the SNP and the Liberal Democrats today forced the US air force to use an RAF base in England instead of Prestwick (near Edinburgh, in Bonnie Scotland)
to transship the bombs. They are bunker busters. The US government is going to have the Israelis try them out on some soft targets. Courtesy of the US taxpayer. The Celts still have honor. More than the serfs of the Israelis and "American" Israelis.

[burythehatchet]

8. Scotland and Ireland ehhh?

maybe, if he words hard enough, george can re-kindle the 100 years war.

[marmar]

9. LOL...

They're already working hard on restarting the Cold War.

[AspenRose]

11. Yay Ireland!

eom