IDF Terrorists killed Activists

[uncleyap]

:oIo::oIo:

http://www.todayonline.com/World/ED...led-after-Israeli-commandos-raid-aid-flotilla

Activists killed after Israeli commandos raid aid flotilla


05:55 AM Jun 01, 2010
<script type="text/javascript"> var fontIndex = 2; var fontSize = new Array('0.63em', '0.69em', '0.75em', '0.88em', '1em', '1.13em'); </script> JERUSALEM - At least 10 pro-Palestinian activists in a flotilla of ships carrying aid to Gaza Strip were killed in a battle at sea with Israeli naval commandos yesterday, sparking a diplomatic crisis.

Dozens of activists and at least 10 Israeli soldiers were also wounded in the pre-dawn raid. Most of the dead were believed to be Turks.

Officials said three Israeli helicopters and several commando boats had approached the flotilla of six ships carrying 10,000 tonnes of aid and 700 activists.

According to a spokeswoman for Israel Defence Forces, Ms Avital Leibovich, officers warned the activists several times before they boarded the Turkish ferry, the Mavi Marmara.

"We found ourselves in the middle of a lynching," she told reporters. Around 10 activists attacked commandos, relieving them of their pistols, she added.

"We didn't look for confrontation but it was a massive attack," she said. "What happened was a last resort."

But the pro-Palestinian Free Gaza Movement disputed that account, saying the Israeli forces had started the violence, firing as soon as they boarded the ship.

"How could the Israeli military attack civilians like this?" said Ms Greta Berlin, a leader of the group, adding they "never thought there would be any violence".

An Al Jazeera correspondent on board the ship reported that the Israeli soldiers continued shooting even though a white flag of surrender had been raised.

Many in the international community condemned the Israeli military action.

Thousands marched in protest in Turkey, Israel's long-time Muslim ally, which unofficially supported the mission. Some protesters set Israeli flags on fire after trying to storm the Israeli consulate.

Ankara announced it would recall its Ambassador and call off military exercises with Israel. It also urged the United Nations Security Council to convene in an emergency session about Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the storming of the aid flotilla as a "massacre", declared three days of mourning across the West Bank and called on the UN Security Council and Arab League to hold emergency sessions on the incident.

The European Union also deplored what it called excessive use of force and demanded an investigation by Israel. It said the blockade of Gaza - imposed after the militant Hamas group seized the territory of 1.5 million Palestinians in 2007 - is "politically unacceptable".

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak expressed regret for the loss of life, but called IHH, a Turkish group organising the sea convoy, a violent organisation "operating under cover of humanitarian activity".

The incident came on the eve of talks in Washington between United States President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Last night, Mr Netanyahu decided to call off the meeting and cut short his visit to Canada.

In a news conference in Tel Aviv, Israel's military chief of staff said the troops were able to take over the five other boats without incident and the wounded were evacuated by helicopter to Israeli hospitals. AGENCIES

 

[uncleyap]

12 M'sians on ship attacked by Israelis
<!-- 2010-05-31 15:42:16 -->Joseph Sipalan | May 31, 10 3:42PM
UPDATED 6.21PM They are volunteers and members of the media on a humanitarian mission to bring aid and supplies to Gaza.

Up to 19 dead, mostly Turkish nationals

UN Security Council urged to censure Israel

An attack against humanity, says envoy

 

[uncleyap]

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/05/31/netanyahu.obama/?hpt=T2

Netanyahu cancels upcoming meeting with Obama

By the CNN Wire Staff<script type="text/javascript">cnnAuthor = "By the CNN Wire Staff";</script>
<script type="text/javascript">if(location.hostname.indexOf( 'edition.' ) > -1) {document.write('May 31, 2010 -- Updated 2349 GMT (0749 HKT)');} else {document.write('May 31, 2010 7:49 p.m. EDT');}</script>May 31, 2010 -- Updated 2349 GMT (0749 HKT)

<!--endclickprintinclude--><!-- google_ad_section_end --><!--startclickprintexclude--> <!--endclickprintexclude--><!-- google_ad_section_start --><!-- CONTENT --><!--startclickprintinclude--> <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">var clickExpire = "-1";</script> <!-- REAP --><!--startclickprintexclude--> <!--===========IMAGE============-->

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<!--===========CAPTION==========-->Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to meet with President Obama on Tuesday.
<!--===========/CAPTION=========-->

<!--endclickprintexclude--><!-- /REAP -->STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• <!-- google_ad_section_start -->
• NEW: Obama spoke by phone with Netanyahu, saying he understands the decision to cancel the meeting
• Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to meet Tuesday with U.S. president
• Meeting canceled amid controversy over flotilla of ships carrying aid for Palestinians in Gaza
• Netanyahu and Obama were to discuss recent U.N. nuclear conference<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

<script type="text/javascript"> var cnnRelatedTopicKeys = []; </script> RELATED TOPICS

• <script type="text/javascript"> cnnRelatedTopicKeys.push('Israel'); </script>Israel
• <script type="text/javascript"> cnnRelatedTopicKeys.push('Benjamin_Netanyahu'); </script>Benjamin Netanyahu
• <script type="text/javascript"> cnnRelatedTopicKeys.push('Barack_Obama'); </script>Barack Obama
• <script type="text/javascript"> cnnRelatedTopicKeys.push('Nuclear_Weapons'); </script>Nuclear Weapons

(CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled this week's scheduled meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, Israeli government officials said Monday. The two leaders were slated to meet Tuesday during a visit by Netanyahu to Washington.
Netanyahu also decided to cut short a visit to Canada and return to Israel, according to an e-mail statement from his media adviser.
Netanyahu's cancellation of the meeting came in the wake of international condemnation of Israel after Israeli soldiers stormed a flotilla of ships carrying aid intended for Palestinians in Gaza, leaving at least nine people dead in the resulting violence.
Israel claimed it was defending itself, with the Israel Defense Forces saying the soldiers' lives were in danger after they were attacked with "severe physical violence, including live fire, weapons, knives and clubs."
Several nations, however, have condemned the military action and called for an investigation.
Q&A on Israel's Gaza blockade
Obama spoke on the phone with Netanyahu Monday morning, according to a statement from the White House press office. He "said he understood the prime minister's decision to return immediately to Israel to deal with today's events ... (and) agreed to reschedule their meeting at the first opportunity."
Obama "expressed deep regret at the loss of life in today's incident, and concern for the wounded," the statement noted. He "also expressed the importance of learning all the facts and circumstances around this morning's tragic events as soon as possible."
Netanyahu and Obama were set to discuss, among other things, the recently completed U.N. conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, according to an earlier statement from the Israeli government.
The final document released by participants in the month-long conference, which ended Friday, called for a 2012 conference of all Middle Eastern states to move forward on a 1995 proposal for a nuclear-free Mideast. The document also called on Israel to sign the treaty and place "all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] safeguards."
Israel is not a member of the NPT and has neither confirmed nor denied that it has a nuclear weapons stockpile.
The Israeli government said in a statement the conference's document is "deeply flawed and hypocritical" and said it "ignores the realities of the Middle East and the real threats facing the region and the entire world." The statement also complained that Israel is singled out in the document and Iran, which is a signatory to the NPT, is not mentioned.
The United States signed onto the document, but Obama National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones said the U.S. government has "serious reservations."

 

[whoami]

As usual, Uncle Sam not going to do anything. But he expect China to condemn and take action against N Korea? :oIo:

 

[uncleyap]

WSJ speaks for Israeli terrorists! Israel have no rights to deprive free access to Gaza. It is not their land! Fucking arrogant THUGS!
:oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704366504575278621338138694.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Israel's Gaza Flotilla Fiasco

Israel had no obligation to allow the ships to reach Gaza, but surely there was a smarter way to stop them.

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By MAX BOOT

Israel's actions in boarding the flotilla of ships bound for the Gaza Strip were entirely justified and perhaps even unavoidable. Unfortunately they turned into a tactical and strategic fiasco that does further damage to the Jewish State's tattered international reputation.
The so-called Gaza flotilla, comprising eight ships and roughly 800 participants, was not put together by peace-loving humanitarians primarily worried about relieving the suffering of Gaza residents. The people of Gaza already have access to food, medicine and other relief supplies provided by both Egypt and Israel. But both countries have sought to limit the importation of military equipment or dual-use materiel that can be employed for military purposes by Hamas. That terrorist organization controls the Gaza Strip and is unabashedly dedicated to Israel's eradication. It is also closely linked with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is dedicated to the overthrow of secular dictator Hosni Mubarak and the creation of a theocratic regime in Egypt.
The flotilla was organized by the Turkish group Insani Yardim Vakfi (Humanitarian Relief Foundation), which bills itself as a philanthropic organization. But both the Danish Institute for International Studies and the Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center have documented copious links between Insani Yardim Vakfi and the global jihadist terrorist movements including al Qaeda. One of Insani Yardom Vakfi's activists, Izza Shahin, was arrested by Israeli forces in the West Bank recently and expelled on charges of transferring tens of thousands of dollars to Hamas-controlled "charities."
Other members of the flotilla came from such organizations as the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Al Jazeera quoted one woman aboard the flotilla saying "Right now we face one of two happy endings: either Martyrdom or reaching Gaza."
From Israel's vantage point this was a no-win situation. Allow the ships to dock in Gaza and they would unload supplies that might be used to arm Hamas. Stop the ships and you risk a public relations disaster, which is exactly what happened.
First the ships ignored repeated warnings from the Israeli navy to turn back or to put into the Israeli port of Ashdod where the supplies could be off-loaded, inspected, and, if purely humanitarian, sent on to the Gaza Strip. They kept on sailing even after Israel publicly warned that its commandos would board the vessels.
Most of the boardings, with commandos rappelling down ropes from helicopters, went smoothly. But aboard the largest vessel, the Turkish-flagged ferry Mavi Marmara, the passengers and crew put up a violent resistance. The Israeli Defense Forces have released video showing a commando being hurled from the top deck. Other commandos were confronted by an angry crowd armed with metal poles, knives, even reportedly firearms and firebombs.
The details are still confusing, but it's clear Israeli commandos were wounded in the melee and were in danger of being killed. They had hoped to avoid violence and were armed with paintball guns, but the boarding team felt compelled to open fire to prevent themselves from being overrun.
It is hard to second-guess the actions of men in combat who feel their lives are in danger, but that won't prevent the whole world from trying. Turkey's Islamist prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, described the incident as "state terrorism" and called his ambassador home from Israel. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the incident "a massacre."
Non-Arab leaders didn't go that far but French President Nicolas Sarkozy did call the use of force "disproportionate"—the favorite epithet applied nowadays to all Israeli military actions, even those (like the assassination in Dubai of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh) that only kill well-known terrorists.
Israeli officials are right to say the operation was justified and that the blood was on the hands of the pro-Hamas activists. Right, but irrelevant.
As it does too often, Israel took a narrow military operational approach to what is a broader strategic problem. Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups are conducting a skillful "information war" that is making Israel a pariah state in the international community. Israel, like the United States and other democratic nations, is at a severe disadvantage trying to combat a ruthless foe willing to sacrifice its own people to score propaganda points.
There are no perfect counter-tactics available, but whenever Israel does use military force it needs to be more aware of the political ramifications. That awareness appeared to be lacking during the botched 2006 war against Hezbollah—and in the boarding of the Gaza flotilla.
One wonders if it wouldn't have been possible for Israeli agents to sabotage the ships before they left port so that this incident would never have occurred? Or failing that, to allow the ships to be off-loaded in Gaza and then disable them so as to prevent any further trips.
That is only speculation from afar. Neither I nor any other outsider can know all the factors that went into Israeli planning. But, whatever the intent, the outcome was a fiasco that Israel doesn't need when its relations with the United States, its most important (and virtually sole) ally, are already at a low point.
Mr. Boot is a senior fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

 

[whoami]

And who own WSJ?

 

[uncleyap]

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2010-06/01/c_12163980.htm

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="660"><tbody><tr><td class="txt18" height="66" width="644" align="center">中国支持安理会就以军袭击国际救援船队事件采取行动<!-- end_t -->
</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="22" align="center"> 2010年06月01日 05:13:23 　来源： <!-- begin_so -->新华网<!-- end_so --> 【字号 大小】【留言】【打印】【关闭】 </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#000000"> <td align="center">

</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"> <td height="2" align="center">

</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td height="18" width="100%">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table id="myTable" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="650" align="center"> <tbody><tr> <td class="p1"> <!-- begin_ct --> 　　新华网联合国５月３１日电（记者王湘江　顾震球）中国常驻联合国代表团参赞杨涛３１日在安理会关于以军袭击国际救援船队问题紧急会议上发言时说，中国支持安理会尽快就这一事件采取行动。
　　杨涛说，中方对以色列攻击向加沙地带运送人道主义物资的国际援助船队并造成严重人员伤亡感到震惊。中国谴责这一针对人道救援和平民的行径。
　　他说，中国对土耳其等国公民遇难表示哀悼。中国支持安理会尽快采取行动，作出必要反应。
　　他还强调，当前，巴勒斯坦被占领土特别是加沙地带的人道主义局势依然严峻。中国对此严重关切，敦促以色列全面、认真执行安理会第 １８６０号决议，立即解除对加沙的封锁，全面开放加沙地带过境口岸，允许国际人道援助物资顺利进入加沙地带，使当地人民早日实现重建，恢复正常生活。

</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

[uncleyap]

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2010-06/01/c_12163977.htm

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="660"><tbody><tr><td class="txt18" height="66" width="644" align="center">综述：巴方强烈谴责以军袭击国际救援船队<!-- end_t -->
</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="22" align="center"> 2010年06月01日 04:49:59 　来源： <!-- begin_so -->新华网<!-- end_so --> 【字号 大小】【留言】【打印】【关闭】 </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#000000"> <td align="center">

</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"> <td height="2" align="center">

</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td height="18" width="100%">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table id="myTable" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="650" align="center"> <tbody><tr> <td class="p1"> <!-- begin_ct -->

[FONT=仿宋_GB2312] [FONT=宋体] 5月31日，一艘国际救援加沙人道主义船队中的船只(右)在以色列士兵押送下驶往以南部港口阿什杜德。 新华社记者殷博古摄[/FONT][/FONT]
　　新华网加沙５月３１日电（记者赵悦　杨媛媛）当地时间３１日清晨，以色列军舰向驶入加沙地带沿海的国际人道主义救援船队开火，造成数十人伤亡。事发后，巴勒斯坦各方强烈反应，加沙地带、约旦河西岸等地的巴勒斯坦人纷纷组织大规模游行集会活动，对以色列的行径表示抗议。
　　巴勒斯坦领导层当晚在约旦河西岸城市拉姆安拉召开紧急会议，呼吁国际和地区有关方面对以色列向国际人道主义救援船队开火立即采取行动。
　　巴领导层在由巴民族权力机构主席阿巴斯主持召开的这次会议后发表声明说，以色列对国际救援船队的袭击是“粗暴的海盗行径”，超越了法律范畴，“前所未有”地威胁到地区安全和稳定，国际社会应该在此事件面前承担起相应的责任。
　　声明指出，巴方将密切关注事件进展，并将向联合国安理会、阿拉伯国家联盟（阿盟）、伊斯兰会议组织等有关国际方面提交倡议，共同谴 责以色列的“血腥罪行”，并呼吁中东问题有关四方和国际社会采取明确和切实的措施，尽快解除对加沙地带的封锁。声明还呼吁巴勒斯坦各派放弃派别“小利 益”，尽快达成和解，结束巴勒斯坦内部分裂状态，共同应对以色列的侵犯。
　　巴勒斯坦民族权力机构还致信联合国安理会，要求安理会召开紧急会议商讨对策，并呼吁安理会通过决议，要求以色列对犯下的罪行负全责。
　　在加沙地带，巴伊斯兰抵抗运动（哈马斯）召开紧急会议，对这一事件表示谴责。哈马斯高级领导人哈尼亚说，以色列的做法是“海盗行为”，他呼吁国际社会广泛行动，制裁以色列政府。
　　在加沙、拉姆安拉、纳布卢斯等地，数万名愤怒的巴勒斯坦人涌上街头进行示威游行，群众挥舞旗帜和标语，高喊反以口号。游行者在拉姆安拉一检查站附近与以军发生冲突，造成数名巴勒斯坦人受伤。
　　在以军袭击救援船队事件发生后不久，阿巴斯宣布，巴勒斯坦从３１日起进行为期３天的全国哀悼，纪念在以色列开火事件中的遇难人员。阿巴斯还与联合国秘书长潘基文及美国、土耳其领导人通电话，要求国际社会对以色列袭击救援船队进行彻底清算。
　　巴勒斯坦民族权力机构主席府发言人纳比勒·阿布·鲁代纳发表声明说，以色列袭击声援加沙国际救援船队犯下了“人道主义罪行”，他呼吁国际社会和人道主义组织立即介入，拯救受伤人员。而巴勒斯坦过渡政府总理法耶兹形容以色列的做法是完全出乎意料。
　　土耳其、约旦、埃及、瑞典等国家先后宣布召回驻以色列大使，以示谴责。与此同时，所有关押巴勒斯坦囚犯的以色列监狱进入最高警戒级别，防止巴囚犯采取极端行动。正在加拿大访问的以色列总理内塔尼亚胡决定取消６月１日的美国之行，回国应对事态发展。
　　国际人道主义救援船队计划当地时间３１日中午抵达加沙地带沿海地区。船队共装载由４０多个国家资助的一万多吨医疗用品、建筑材料、帐篷、食品等物资，这是自２００７年以色列对加沙地带实施封锁以来，规模最大、人数最多的国际声援加沙行动。

</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

[uncleyap]

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2010-05/31/c_12163844.htm

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="660"><tbody><tr><td class="txt18" height="66" width="644" align="center">以军向国际救援船队开火致多人死伤 一些国家予以谴责<!-- end_t -->
</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="22" align="center"> 2010年05月31日 21:50:51 　来源： <!-- begin_so -->新华网<!-- end_so --> 【字号 大小】【留言】【打印】【关闭】 </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#000000"> <td align="center">

</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"> <td height="2" align="center">

</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td height="18" width="100%">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table id="myTable" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="650" align="center"> <tbody><tr> <td class="p1"> <!-- begin_ct -->

[FONT=仿宋_GB2312] 5月31日，一艘国际救援加沙人道主义船队中的船只(右)在以色列士兵押送下驶往以南部港口阿什杜德。以色列军方的消息说，以军目前已控制了国际救援加沙 的人道主义船队的船只，正将它们拖向以色列南部港口阿什杜德。另据以媒体31日报道，以军舰拦截国际救援船队的行动已造成19人死亡。 新华社记者殷博古摄[/FONT]

[FONT=仿宋_GB2312] 5月31日，在土耳其首都安卡拉的以色列驻土大使官邸外，民众抗议以色列军舰向国际加沙救援船队开火。新华社/阿纳多卢通讯社[/FONT]
　　新华网北京５月３１日电 综合新华社驻外记者报道：以色列军舰当地时间３１日晨向试图驶入加沙地带沿海地区的国际人道主义救援船队开火。据以色列电视台“第１０频道”报道，开火事 件造成１９人死亡，２６人受伤。但以方发布的初步报告称，开火造成１０人死亡。联合国、阿拉伯国家联盟（阿盟），以及巴勒斯坦、土耳其、西班牙等国对开火 行为予以谴责。
　　以色列军方当天上午发表声明称，以色列海军采取行动拦截了６艘试图驶往加沙的船只，以军人员登船时遭到攻击，袭击者使用了枪支和其他工具，并抢夺以军枪支射击，以军因此开火还击。冲突还造成多人受伤，其中包括４名以军士兵。
　　目前，以军已控制这些船只，正将它们拖向以色列南部港口阿什杜德，并将在那里对船只、船上人员和货物展开全面检查。
　　来自声援巴勒斯坦人、反对以色列封锁加沙地带的国际和平组织“自由加沙运动”的消息说，以军人员趁着夜色从直升机上降落到国际救援船队一艘土耳其船只上，登船后立即开火，造成人员伤亡。
联合国秘书长潘基文３１日发表声明谴责以色列向加沙地带运送援助物资的船只开火，并呼吁对这起事件展开彻底调查。他说：“对事件展开彻查至关重要。我认 为，以色列方面亟须就事件进行详细说明。”潘基文还表示，他已指示特别协调员积极展开斡旋，敦促巴以双方保持克制，并与各方保持接触，以防事态进一步恶 化。
　　阿盟发表声明，“强烈谴责”以军向国际人道主义救援船队开火。声明认为，这一“恐怖主义行为”是对国际法和人道主义的藐视。阿盟将就此召开紧急会议。
巴勒斯坦民族权力机构主席府发言人纳比勒·阿布·鲁代纳发表声明说，以色列袭击声援加沙国际救援船队的行为犯下了“人道主义罪行”，他呼吁国际社会和人道主义组织立即介入，拯救受伤人员。
土耳其外交部将召回土耳其驻以色列大使
<li style="color: blue;"> 以军已控制国际加沙救援船队 拦截中死亡平民19人 <center> <!-- end_ct -->
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[zuoom]

wow, what happened?

doesn't make sense for the IDF to do what they did. it would be a PR nightmare, and one can expect backlash to come swift n plenty.

chaos, moment of maddness.

 

[shOUTloud]

I think Netanyahu is a goner. This time he is shit. Idiot.

 

[uncleyap]

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[johnny333]

I think Netanyahu is a goner. This time he is shit. Idiot.

He'll probably be re-elected

 

[red amoeba]

nah nethanyahoo will be okay...the israelis support him one..no worries.

moreover, US sure support his kaching all the way...now US embarassed lol...at this time when they need China to keep N Korea on leash, their sidekick went to mess things up ho ho...

but with US content to play with their dicks...nothing will happen to Israel...the vote will be vetoed.

 

[knightriderz]

bloody anti semetic uncle yap.
ObviouslY e israelis r hitting since e enemy vessel failed to stop.
People r quick to condemn e israelis when they hit palestinians but r slow to respond when israelis r killed by palestinian terrorists...

 

[gbomega]

Pls lah, Mr Yap the land does not belongs to the Palestinians, they are wanderers and "rejected" by their own "race" for the longest time. They should be glad that the Israeli govt offered them a piece of land as home.

WSJ speaks for Israeli terrorists! Israel have no rights to deprive free access to Gaza. It is not their land! Fucking arrogant THUGS!
:oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704366504575278621338138694.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Israel's Gaza Flotilla Fiasco

Israel had no obligation to allow the ships to reach Gaza, but surely there was a smarter way to stop them.

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By MAX BOOT

Israel's actions in boarding the flotilla of ships bound for the Gaza Strip were entirely justified and perhaps even unavoidable. Unfortunately they turned into a tactical and strategic fiasco that does further damage to the Jewish State's tattered international reputation.
The so-called Gaza flotilla, comprising eight ships and roughly 800 participants, was not put together by peace-loving humanitarians primarily worried about relieving the suffering of Gaza residents. The people of Gaza already have access to food, medicine and other relief supplies provided by both Egypt and Israel. But both countries have sought to limit the importation of military equipment or dual-use materiel that can be employed for military purposes by Hamas. That terrorist organization controls the Gaza Strip and is unabashedly dedicated to Israel's eradication. It is also closely linked with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is dedicated to the overthrow of secular dictator Hosni Mubarak and the creation of a theocratic regime in Egypt.
The flotilla was organized by the Turkish group Insani Yardim Vakfi (Humanitarian Relief Foundation), which bills itself as a philanthropic organization. But both the Danish Institute for International Studies and the Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center have documented copious links between Insani Yardim Vakfi and the global jihadist terrorist movements including al Qaeda. One of Insani Yardom Vakfi's activists, Izza Shahin, was arrested by Israeli forces in the West Bank recently and expelled on charges of transferring tens of thousands of dollars to Hamas-controlled "charities."
Other members of the flotilla came from such organizations as the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Al Jazeera quoted one woman aboard the flotilla saying "Right now we face one of two happy endings: either Martyrdom or reaching Gaza."
From Israel's vantage point this was a no-win situation. Allow the ships to dock in Gaza and they would unload supplies that might be used to arm Hamas. Stop the ships and you risk a public relations disaster, which is exactly what happened.
First the ships ignored repeated warnings from the Israeli navy to turn back or to put into the Israeli port of Ashdod where the supplies could be off-loaded, inspected, and, if purely humanitarian, sent on to the Gaza Strip. They kept on sailing even after Israel publicly warned that its commandos would board the vessels.
Most of the boardings, with commandos rappelling down ropes from helicopters, went smoothly. But aboard the largest vessel, the Turkish-flagged ferry Mavi Marmara, the passengers and crew put up a violent resistance. The Israeli Defense Forces have released video showing a commando being hurled from the top deck. Other commandos were confronted by an angry crowd armed with metal poles, knives, even reportedly firearms and firebombs.
The details are still confusing, but it's clear Israeli commandos were wounded in the melee and were in danger of being killed. They had hoped to avoid violence and were armed with paintball guns, but the boarding team felt compelled to open fire to prevent themselves from being overrun.
It is hard to second-guess the actions of men in combat who feel their lives are in danger, but that won't prevent the whole world from trying. Turkey's Islamist prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, described the incident as "state terrorism" and called his ambassador home from Israel. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the incident "a massacre."
Non-Arab leaders didn't go that far but French President Nicolas Sarkozy did call the use of force "disproportionate"—the favorite epithet applied nowadays to all Israeli military actions, even those (like the assassination in Dubai of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh) that only kill well-known terrorists.
Israeli officials are right to say the operation was justified and that the blood was on the hands of the pro-Hamas activists. Right, but irrelevant.
As it does too often, Israel took a narrow military operational approach to what is a broader strategic problem. Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups are conducting a skillful "information war" that is making Israel a pariah state in the international community. Israel, like the United States and other democratic nations, is at a severe disadvantage trying to combat a ruthless foe willing to sacrifice its own people to score propaganda points.
There are no perfect counter-tactics available, but whenever Israel does use military force it needs to be more aware of the political ramifications. That awareness appeared to be lacking during the botched 2006 war against Hezbollah—and in the boarding of the Gaza flotilla.
One wonders if it wouldn't have been possible for Israeli agents to sabotage the ships before they left port so that this incident would never have occurred? Or failing that, to allow the ships to be off-loaded in Gaza and then disable them so as to prevent any further trips.
That is only speculation from afar. Neither I nor any other outsider can know all the factors that went into Israeli planning. But, whatever the intent, the outcome was a fiasco that Israel doesn't need when its relations with the United States, its most important (and virtually sole) ally, are already at a low point.
Mr. Boot is a senior fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

 

[johnny333]

bloody anti semetic uncle yap.
ObviouslY e israelis r hitting since e enemy vessel failed to stop.
People r quick to condemn e israelis when they hit palestinians but r slow to respond when israelis r killed by palestinian terrorists...

Why is it that when someone criticises Israel they are labeled as being anti-semitic

When a state like Israel kills people in international waters they should be condemned. What the Israel are doing to Gaza is shameful.

 

[zuoom]

was the ship in international waters when the ship was boarded?

 

[Ramseth]

The Israelis claimed that the ship was smuggling weapons and firearms under the guise of transporting aids. Some on board even had firearms not in cartons but personally armed to return fire. Recover the wreckage and we shall see. Let the evidence speaks for itself. No use jumping into prejudicial conclusion.

 

[uncleyap]

My words to IDF Naval Cowboys: Don't be bullies! Go and take on the Somalian Pirates if you want to fight. There will be international appreciation for that at least. Now there is international condemnations flying at you. Peasants want to throw shoes at you.