Flotilla Activists: Israeli Soldiers Used Our Credit Cards to Steal Us

19/06/2010 Activists who were detained during the raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla blamed Israeli occupation troops on Friday of stealing after confiscated credit cards belonging to them were subsequently used, the British Guardian newspaper reported.

According to the report, Israeli soldiers appear to have used confiscated credit cards to buy items such as iPod accessories, while mobile phones seized from activists have been used for calls.

The paper noted that Ebrahim Musaji, 23, of Gloucester, has a bank statement showing his credit card was used in an Israeli vending machine for a purchase costing him 82 pennies on June 9.

He further said that his card had been used on a Dutch website, twice on June 10: once for amounts equivalent to £42.42 and then for £37.83.

Kathy Sheetz from California said that she has been charged more than $1,000 in transactions from vending machines in the Zionist entity since June 6.

According to the Guardian, the two activists were on board two separate boats - the Marmara, on which nine Turkish activists were killed, and the Challenger 1. Both only entered the Zionist entity when arrested, and were in custody for their entire time on Israeli soil.

"They've obviously taken my card and used it," Musaji told the Guardian, adding “When they take things like people's videos and debit cards and use them, and their mobile phones, it becomes a bit of a joke.”

Musaji canceled his card on June 7, a day after returning to Britain and was promised by his bank that the transactions would be treated as fraudulent and that he would not be charged for them.

He also said that his mobile phone had been used for two calls after it had been confiscated.

The Guardian report noted that an 80-year-old American activist says his iPhone was used, while an Italian journalist said his card was charged with the equivalent of €54 after it was confiscated.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy in London told Musaji he is welcome to file an official complaint.

"We regard any misconduct as described in Mr. Musaji's allegations to be utterly unacceptable and intolerable, and suggest waiting until this subject matter is clarified," she said. "As had happened previously, an Israeli soldier was found guilty of illegal use of a credit card for which he was indicted and sentenced to seven months' imprisonment."


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