UPDATE AUG. 21 The Zim container ship Piraeus finally had its Oakland-bnound containers off-loaded at the Port of Oakland CA.
CAVEAT:I am a dual-national (US, Israel) and I once worked for Zim. I have worked around the U.S. as a reporter covering, among other things, the military, police, and courts.
American dock workers have been cowed by "Palestinian" protesters on the U.S. west coast. Longshoremen who have - make that "had" - a reputation of toughness have caved to a relative handful of people who know nothing about "Palestine" or the middle east, whose only source of information is controlled by Hamas.
The local, state, and federal constabulary likewise proved to be pantywaists who allow a few people to initiate restraint of trade as well as showing what the U.S. is made of regarding international relations.
It's embarrassing.
With a Muslim and Hamas sympathizer in the White House, the federal agencies - FBI, Homeland Security, DoD - are left hiding behind their desks far from the action.
California's governor, Democrat (read Obama pal) Jerry Brown can watch the law being trampled from the safety of his office in Sacramento, a pretty town, but one sans a port so he can continue to hide his head in the sands of "political correctness that isn't."
It will be interesting to see how the police and governments react to similar demonstrations at Oregon and Washington State ports. The protesters may not fare as well in the more conservative states.
Counter-productive What the "Palestinian" protesters apparently don't know is that Zim carries cargo booked by its representatives in Gaza, the so-called West Bank, and Jordan; in other words, it carries "Palestinian" cargo along with cargo from other countries around the world. So while the demonstrators are preventing Zim vessels from docking, they also may be preventing trade with their "Palestinian" friends. See end of article for "Palestinian" offices.
Excerpts from the media follow. Follow the link in the "SOURCE" line to read the entire article.
SOURCE: Aljazeera America
Protesters block Israeli ship from docking at California port
By Renee Lewis
Thousands of protesters successfully blocked a commercial Israeli cargo vessel from docking and unloading goods in Oakland, California, late Saturday. The protest was staged in response to a call from Palestinian and South African unions to hold Israel accountable for what they allege are violations of Palestinians’ human rights — particularly during Israel’s latest offensive in the Gaza Strip, an operation that killed more than 1,900 Palestinians.
“Palestine is calling us to action! Palestinian laborers [and the] Palestinian General Federation Trade Union have called on workers around the world to refuse to handle Israeli goods.”
Similar protests are to take place in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, on Wednesday, and later in Vancouver.
SOURCE: Washington (D.C.) Times
Calif. protesters block Israel-owned ship at Port of Oakland
By Jessica Chasmar
Pro-Palestinian activists for the second day blocked an Israeli-owned ship from docking at the Port of Oakland in a protest against Israel’s military action in Gaza.
Dockworkers at the Port of Oakland honored a picket line for the second day in a row Sunday as San Francisco Bay Area protesters gathered to stop a Zim Integrated Shipping Services vessel from docking and unloading, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
Several dozen police officers monitored the situation but no arrests were reported.
Mohamed Shehk, a director at the organization Critical Resistance who attended the protests both days, said the purpose was to send a message to Israel that “we will not stand for the murdering of Gazans” nor “the ongoing occupation of Palestine,” the San Jose (CA) Mercury News reported. (The Mercury-News article is below.)
SOURCE: Electronic Intifada
Activists declare first victory as Israeli ship delays docking at Oakland
San Francisco Bay Area Palestine activists have declared their first victory in attempting to prevent the offloading of an Israeli cargo vessel at the Oakland Port.
Activist Mohamed Shehk told The Electronic Intifada that the organizers have been tracking the vessel Zim Piraeus and realized last night that it had stopped before reaching its Oakland destination, spending the night at sea.
“This delay is seen as a victory for us. It shows how much Zim is trying to avoid our protest, and it shows how effective we can be when we can organize these types of actions,” Shehk said.
SOURCE: San Jose (CA) Mercury-News
Oakland protesters block Israeli ship from unloading again
By Harry Harris and Kathleen Kirkwood, Oakland Tribune
OAKLAND -- For the third day in a row, protesters have apparently prevented a cargo ship operated by an Israeli company from unloading at the Port of Oakland, officials said.
A small group of about 15 people who came out Monday morning were not part of the official Block the Boat protest but were an autonomous rally supported by the movement.
The Zim Integrated Shipping Lines vessel Piraeus had docked Saturday at the port's Oakland International Container Terminal, which encompasses berths 55 to 59, but dockworkers would not cross protesters' picket lines to offload its cargo.
Port spokesman Robert Bernardo said that as of mid-afternoon on Monday, the ship still had not been unloaded due to an "unavailability of labor." It was not known if work would resume later in the day.
He said no other port operations were affected.
Representatives for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union said Monday that the union had not taken an official stand on the issue, but that individual dockworkers had decided not to cross the pickets for safety reasons.
Gaza (ELAWA for Shipping and Trading Company)
Jordan (Petra Navigation Co. in Jordan)
West Bank (Petra Navigation Co. in West Bank with offices in Ramallah, Hebron and Nablus)
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