Ken O'Keefe Calls IDF Closure of Samouni Family Slaughter Investigation 'One of the Great Crimes of this Century'

Israel's final insult in this war crime game, in turn becomes a call to renew efforts to boost trade in Gaza.

Ken O'Keefe and interpreter Noor Ahmed with Samouni family children - survivors of the Israeli attack in Gaza, 2011.

(SALEM) - Our regular readers know about the Samouni family in Gaza and the relationship our writer Ken O'Keefe established with them in the wake of their terrible loss; nearly 30 Samouni family members were killed in the brazen Israeli attack on Gaza known as 'Cast Lead' in 2008/2009.

More than 1400 people were killed in the one-sided rampage conducted against this remote, isolated population who had nowhere to run. When Israel attacks Gaza with its mighty array of weapons, it is akin to shooting fish in a fish barrel.

Israel claimed the attack was in reprisal to rocket attacks carried out by Hamas. Well the truth is that in all time, since unguided rockets first began launching out of Gaza in the early 90's, exactly 28 Israeli people have been killed. Some place the number at 29, but you get the idea. The rocket attacks are the reason 'Cast Lead' was conducted. More than 50 medical facilities and 200 schools were targeted by Israel, in a barbaric and inexcusable act which was a series of war crimes, intentionally carried out, knowing that the U.S. will protect Israel from war crimes and crimes against humanity prosecution in the United Nations.

It is a sad game, and one person who has dedicated his life to exposing this injustice, is Ken O'Keefe. While he had made world news time and time again over the years. Ken's role as a defender of the Gaza Flotilla vessel Mavi Marmara; where this former U.S. Marine battled invading Israeli soldiers who attacked a peace ship like a band of rogue pirates, drove his name into the spotlights and led to endless media attention from a range of groups, but particularly, The BBC.

It was after the 2010 incident and his international tour in the NW US states and Canada, that Ken led an overland convoy to Gaza, and ended up staying for many months through 2011. This is when Ken's for a plan to aid Gaza shifted gears, and the focus on the Samouni family increased when Ken realized that their suffering was compounded by not just the loss of so many family members, but their home, their property.

If you talk to the people from Gaza, you learn that Ken, much like Vittorio Arrigoni, an instrumental activist and journalist in Gaza, that was murdered there just over a year ago, is an incredibly valuable person to the Gazans. Critics; now including Palestinians living in the U.S. and Europe, attack the western activists and charge that they 'aren't wanted by Palestinians', however the actual Palestinians who live in Palestine, almost all disagree. The same holds for our valued friend Gilad Atzmon, who was born an Israeli Jew, and today raises massive awareness of Israel's problems through his new book, The Wandering Who? The attacks are all designed to silence the opposition of Israel. Gilad, Ken and Vittorio are/were all Salem-New.com writers.

We are told Vittorio was killed by the fringe Islamic fundamentalists; the Salafists. They are a threat, though they account for only a small amount of the population of Gaza. The overwhelming number of people in Gaza greatly appreciate Ken O'Keefe as a dedicated human activist willing to walk every step he talks.

As I have written before, at least twice Ken has appeared in videos we have shown you where Israeli bullets are whizzing past the camera. It is a brave and caring role he and others fill by placing themselves in these positions to help Palestinians. Not one of these critics have I ever seen place themselves in harm's way for the benefit of Palestine the way Ken has.

This individual who faces bullets and defies Israeli terrorism, was so vastly moved by the plight of the Samouni family. He stresses that they are only one of hundreds of affected families, but the number of children killed under one name is perverse and sick. Israel needs to always have their national signature next to the graves of the innocents, they truly are martyrs. His project has been heavily criticised but I call foul on those critics, some are merely stooges for Israel, consciously, and others are too dim witted to know the difference.

The value is in the media interest; western media, that will carry Ken in their news, whereas they would never feature a Palestinian in the same position. It is a sad thing this western world; a white man willing to speak out for a battered culture such as this, brings more public awareness than anything else.

It isn't how any of us asked for it to be, the Palestinian voice is the most important of all, and Ken would tell you that, but he will also be the guy that gets interviewed, Israel hates Ken, did I mention that?

It's because he kicks their ass every time he speaks. It isn't just that he is smarter and more experienced, it is that he's right. Nothing about Israeli law is correct, nothing about apartheid is acceptable, nothing about 1400 dead Gazans is acceptable, and 29 deaths in one family... the Samouni clan; this is beyond reprehensible and I fear the moral conscience of anyone who disagrees.

Israeli soldiers did terrible things to their children, shooting them and then using them for target practice, denying ambulance crews the ability to rescue or intervene, and much more, far worse! Absolute ruthless to the hilt - the behavior of Israeli Defence Forces rival any act of the Nazi's. It doesn't take millions of dead to demand change does it?

Watch this video to learn the Samouni family story, and see what Israel is capable of doing to chhildren. VERY GRAPHIC

Ken said today, "The final insult in one of the great crimes of this century. In coming to know the Samouni family you cannot help but be humbled. I have wanted to do so much more for this family, especially the children. But the same forces that intentionally bombed them while packed into a home are behind the characters who are doing everything they can to destroy the Samouni Project/Trade Not Aid."

Ken has contended for a long time, that what Palestine needs, particularly in Gaza, is the opportunity to trade goods once available on the world market, now choked off by Israel's guns.

This is where the 'Trade Not Aid' project idea emerged from, and Ken gleans his knowledge and game plan from being inside of Gaza where he can go right to the business community and learn what is needed.

Israel hates Ken O'Keefe. Ken does not hate anyone, however he has a big problem with Israeli 'apartheid' that defines Zionist politics. If you accept that Jewish people should live by one set of laws, while Christians and Muslims are forced to live by an entirely different set of laws and punishments, much more severe in nature, then you are in agreement with Israel.

Nobody in their right mind should agree with that.

Ken said, "The only justice possible is the one we make so. In the meantime, 'Trade Not Aid' must happen."

Read this article by Amira Hass with Ha'aretz to learn more about the Israeli decision: IDF closes probe into Israeli air strike that killed 21 members of Gaza family

Keep up on what's going on, visit Ken's Facebook page: facebook.com/1worldcitizen

Here is Ken's recent story about the plan to sabotage 'Trade Not Aid' in London: Apr-27-2012: Enemies Within the Gate - Police Corruption - Infiltration & Subversion - Ken O’Keefe Salem-News.com

Tim King in 2008, covering the Iraq War

Tim King has more than twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. Tim is Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. His background includes covering the war in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, and reporting from the Iraq war in 2008. Tim is a former U.S. Marine.

Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing from The Associated Press the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs, Electronic Media Association and The Red Cross In a personal capacity, Tim has written 2,026 articles as of March 2012 for Salem-News.com since the new format designed by Matt Lintz was launched in December, 2005.

Serving readers with news from all over the globe, Tim's life is literally encircled by the endless news flow published by Salem-News.com, where more than 100 writers contribute stories from 20+ countries and regions.

Tim specializes in writing about political and military developments worldwide with an emphasis on Palestine and Sri Lanka, Iraq and Afghanistan, and the U.S. Marines. You can write to Tim at this address: tim@salem-news.com. Visit Tim's Facebook page (facebook.com/TimKing.Reporter)

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