Gaza Flotilla LiveBlog (6 June): Israel Blames "Islamist Mercenaries"

2030 GMT: Turkey's minister of energy and natural resources, Taner Yildiz, has announced that there will be no new energy or water projects with Israel until relations between the two countries improve: "At a time when we are focused on the humanitarian aspects of what Israel did, we can't talk about commercial and economic matters. We won't start any project with Israel until relations with them have been normalized."

NEW Gaza Flotilla: Israel "Passengers Linked to Hamas, Al Qa'eda, Terrorist Organisations"
Turkey Inside Line: Erdogan Roars at Israel, Extends His Hand to Iraqi Kurdistan
Gaza Flotilla LiveBlog (5 June): Israel Forces Board the Rachel Corrie

1920 GMT: A group of senior Israel Navy officers have publicly called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to establish an independent and external commission of inquiry to investigate the Mavi Marmara raid: "We believe that the operation ended in a disaster on a military and diplomatic level," the reserve officers who served as commanders of Navy ships wrote in the letter.


1845 GMT: We have posted, in a separate entry, the dramatic press release from the Israeli military that five of the passengers of the Mavi Marmara are linked to Hamas, Al Qa'eda, and other "terrorist organisations".

1815 GMT: This Should Be Interesting. Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, not noted for diplomatic subtlety, is reportedly planning to meet "with envoys and representatives of Israel, and Jewish communities in the US and Canada, to explain the Israeli government's position on the flotilla affair".

There are no indications Lieberman will meet US Government or UN officials during the trip.

1650 GMT: It appears that, contrary to earlier reports (1105 GMT), Israel will reject the UN's proposal of an international enquiry into the attack on the Mavi Marmara. Michael Oren, Israel's Ambassador to the US, has told Fox News, "We are rejecting an international commission. We are discussing with the Obama administration a way in which our inquiry will take place."

Mark Regev, the Israeli Government's primary spokesman, has just repeated the line on CNN.

1639 GMT: The Battle of the Photographs. We noted in our initial update (1045 GMT) that defenders of the Israeli military action have been circulating a photograph, taken from the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, that they claim shows passengers attacking an injured Israeli soldier.

Defenders of the Flotilla are now pointing out that the one picture is out of context: the full set of nine photographs from Hurriyet, Turkish newspapers, and other sources show the Flotilla's activists caring for Israeli troops (see inset photograph).

1635 GMT: The Free Gaza Movement reports that the five Irish passengers from the Rachel Corrie have been deported and will return to Ireland tomorrow.

1615 GMT: Israel has deported eight Flotilla activists to Jordan. Seven are from the Rachel Corrie; the eighth is an Indonesian who was injured in the attack on the Mavi Marmara.

No word on the other passengers of the Rachel Corrie.

1545 GMT: Blame Turkey, An illuminating clash in approach between two of America's largest newspapers: while The New York Times has an analysis noting the re-assessment amongst some US insiders of the relationship with Israel, The Washington Post's editorial team directs its fire at Ankara:

Western governments have been right to be concerned about Israel's poor judgment and botched execution in the raid against the Free Gaza flotilla. But they ought to be at least as worried about the Turkish government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which since Monday has shown a sympathy toward Islamic militants and a penchant for grotesque demagoguery toward Israel that ought to be unacceptable for a member of NATO.

1230 GMT: Eyewitness Testimony. Journalist Abbas Al Lawati, who was aboard the Mavi Marmara, has posted the third part of his account, focusing on his interrogation by Israeli authorities.

1210 GMT: Israeli Foreign Ministry officials have said that West Jerusalem not apologize to Turkey for the deaths of eight Turkish and 1 Turkish-American activists on the Mavi Marmara.

A "top official"laimed that the Turkish demand for an official apology was mainly an excuse to allow Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to cut diplomatic ties with Israel.

The Foreign Ministry officials said they were surprised by the request for an apology from Turkey's Ambassador to the US, Namik Tan, who "was known to be a supporter of Israel".

(Hmm.... If a "supporter of Israel" is calling for the apology, I would think that Israeli officials might consider how serious the diplomatic situation has become.)

1130 GMT: The New Israeli Line. Speaking at the opening of a Cabinet meeting,Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced, ""Evidence shows separate group of violent Islamists boarded flotilla....[They] boarded the ship at a separate port, did their own provisioning, and were not subject to the same security check of their luggage as all the other passengers.”

The Israeli Defense Forces are briefing the press that a group of about 50 men of the 700 on board the Mavi Marmara were trained fighters recruited from the northwestern Turkey city of Bursa. None had ID cards or passports; each carried an envelope with $10,000 in cash.

1105 GMT: Ha'aretz reports that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has given Israel a proposal for an international committee of inquiry into the raid on the Mavi Marmara. The newspaper says that senior Israeli officials are recommending a positive response because Turkey will probably oppose it.

The committee would be headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer, an expert on maritime law, and include representatives from the US, Turkey, and Israel. Ban made the proposal in a phone call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

1045 GMT: The immediate tragedy and dramas of two Israeli boardings of Freedom Flotilla ships may be over, but there is still a lot of uncertainty and political tension about today.

Israel's official line is that most of the activists from the MV Rachel Corrie, the ship seized by the Israeli military yesterday and towed to Israel's port of Ashdod, will be deported.

The Free Gaza Movement, however, says, "Nothing from the kidnapped passengers. [Nobel Prize laureate] Mairead [Corrigan]'s husband said no contact with her. Israel refuses to allow lawyers to talk to them."

The battle of words and pictures also continues. There are claims that Israel altered the audio on supposed communications with the Mavi Marmara (see Friday's updates for the Israeli version of the exchange), the ship attacked on Monday, to create the impression of passengers shouting insults such as "Shut up, go back to Auschwitz".

And discussion is heating up over photographs in Hurriyet,  the Turkish newspaper, showing an injured Israeli commando surrounded by passengers of the Mavi Marmara.

Turkey Inside Line: Erdogan Roars at Israel, Extends His Hand to Iraqi Kurdistan

The repercussions continue in Turkish politics from Israel's bloody intervention against the Freedom Flotilla. According to the Turkish daily Radikal, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday:

I do not think that Hamas is a terrorist organization. I said the same thing to the United States. I am still of the same opinion. They are Palestinians in resistance, fighting for their own land.

They [Hamas] won the election. You are always talking about democracy. You’ll never let Hamas rule. What kind of democracy is this?

Gaza Flotilla LiveBlog (5 June): Aboard the Rachel Corrie
Turkey Inside Line: Parliament, President, and People Condemn Israel

Hamas was officially hosted in Ankara in 2006 and Erdogan has continuously urged leaders of other states to recognize and give a chance to Hamas as a legitimate political party. He continued yesterday:

I am calling on the whole Turkey, the whole world once more from here, in Konya; The fate of Jerusalem is not different that of Istanbul. The fate of Gaza is not different than that of Ankara. The fate of Ramallah, Nablus, Refah, Cenin and Beytullahim is ever never different than that of Konya. Even if the world keeps silence, we will not!

They [Israelis] saw innocent babies as a threat. They massacred those innocent babies in their mothers' arms, like those terrorists [PKK] here. They massacred those innocent children on their bicycles. They are saw students, youngsters as a threat. Those children threw stones and they threw phosphorus bombs. And, unfortunately, the world is standing behind the ones who used phosphorus bombs.

It has nothing to do with Hamas, al-Qaeda, anti-Semitism. Do not deceive others. Be honest! Our problem has to do with Israel's tyrannizing state terror method.

Then, Erdogan left made his rhetorical mark:

This is an explicit example of Israel's ill psychology, paranoia and trauma. They say "the world is hypocritical to us". The one who is hypocritical, liar and proud of murderers is you! You know killing well. I am talking to them in their language. The sixth command in Torah says "You shall not kill." Let me say it in your language, I am saying in Hebrew: "Lo Tir'tsach."

Meanwhile, the Turkish Prime Minister's "Kurdish Initiative" continues. Massoud Barzani, president of the Regional Kurdish Administration in Iraq, was in Turkey for the firs time in nine years.

Barzani talked to Erdogan, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, and Selahattin Demirtas, the leader of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).The Iraqi Kurdish leader said that he welcomed and appreciated the "Kurdish Initiative", a government-led project to grant more rights to ethnic Kurds in Turkey. He also told Erdogan he would give support to Turkey's fight against PKK, the separatist/terrorist organisation. Davutoglu called Barzani "Kak Barzani" ("Barzani brother").

Demirtas said:

We expressed to Barzani our satisfaction with developing peaceful relations between Turkey and the [Iraqi] Kurdistan region. Barzani underlined how important his visit is and he said their relations with Turkey would be more robust.

BDP believes that, with good relations between neighbors and the Kurdistan region, Turkey must provide peace in the region. We hope this visit will contribute to peace in the region."

We do politics as an opposition party. We say this initiative does not lead to democratization and radical reforms. Barzani has his own views but we stand at the same point.

As Barzani was holding talks with politicians, his representatives met with Zafer Caglayan, state minister responsible for foreign trade. Caglayan said a delegation of businessmen would pay a visit to Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan to seek trade and investment possibilities.

Sinan Celebi, trade and industry authority for the regional administration, added, “Everything is ready and there is potential. Let’s cooperate. We expect Turkish companies to invest as soon as possible. The doors are wide open." The visit is expected to take place in July.

So Davutoglu's "zero-problem" strategy is still on track. Indeed, Erdogan might be interested in boosting northern Iraq's economy in returnfor political and military support against PKK. This would diminish the dominance of BDP amongst Kurdish people inside Turkey. if not the party itself can be "tamed".

Still, the ripples of Israel and Gaza affect even this issue. When asked ababout Erdogan's words accusing Israel of "state terrorism", the deputy chairman of BDP, Bengi Yildiz, said: "That is true, Turkey is applying to state terrorism to Kurds too".

Gaza Flotilla LiveBlog (4 June): "One Passenger Shot Every Minute"

2010 GMT: Gaza Under Siege reports that the MV Rachel Corrie is 80 miles from the coast.

1745 GMT: Information or Desperation? Israel Defense Forces have released an extract from claimed communication between the Israeli navy and the Freedom Flotilla. Flotilla passengers allegedly respond to calls to observe the blockade, "Shut up, go back to Auschwitz" and "We're helping Arabs go against the US. Don't forget 9-11, guys."

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxY7Q7CvQPQ&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

NEW Gaza Flotilla: Haaretz’s Gideon Levy “Netanyahu Was Right”
Turkey Inside Line: Parliament, President, and People Condemn Israel
Gaza Flotilla Analysis: US Official Position “My Israel, Right or Wrong” (Yenidunya)
Gaza Flotilla Video: Netanyahu’s Speech “Iran’s Master Plan and the Hate Boat” (2 June)
Gaza Flotilla Video: Member of Israel Parliament Accused of Supporting “Terrorists”
Gaza Flotilla LiveBlog (3 June): Pressure on Israel Grows

1740 GMT: An Israeli Move to Avoid Confrontation? Israel's Foreign Ministry has issued a statement about the sailing of the MV Rachel Corrie for Gaza, "We have no desire for a confrontation. We have no desire to board the ship. If the ship decides to sail the port of Ashdod, then we will ensure its safe arrival and will not board it.


"Israel is prepared to receive the ship and to offload its contents. After an inspection to ensure that no weapons and war materials are on board, we are prepared to deliver all of the goods to Gaza. Representative of the people on board and relevant NGOs are welcome to accompany the goods to the crossings."

1720 GMT: The Committee to Protect Journalists has denounced Israel's editing and distribution of footage confiscated from foreign journalists aboard the Flotilla in support of West Jerusalem's public-relations effort.

Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator, Mohamed Abdel Dayem, said: "Israel has confiscated journalistic material and then manipulated it to serve its interests. It must cease this practice without delay, and return all property seized from journalists who were covering this legitimate news event."

1716 GMT: Witness Testimony. Ismail Patel of Britain,a passenger on the Mavi Marmara has claimed Israeli commandos had a "shoot to kill" policy: "We now can calculate that they shot one person every minute. One person was shot every minute. There were nine fatalities, over 48 people with gunshot wounds, six are unaccounted for."

Patel, echoing other accounts, said the initial assault was mounted from the water, with sound bombs, tear gas and stun grenades fired against the Mavi Marmara, but people on the vessel threw items overboard to repel the attack. Then an Israeli helicopter appeared overhead "and started using immediately live ammunition" without any warning being issued. After the first victim fell the white flag was raised,but Israeli forces continued firing and soldiers rappelled to the deck on ropes.

Patel said he used the ship's public address system, "I spoke in English very calmly and said 'we are only civilians, we surrender' and requested my colleagues to sit down in their chairs, put their hands and legs on the tables and not to make any movement....Despite our repeated calls the firing continued."."

1230 GMT: Israel Keeps Pressing Its Line. The latest spin from the Israeli military is that a "navy investigation" has found "some passengers tried to take captive three commandos who lost consciousness as a result of the activists' blows".

The Israelis may have to maintain their effort --- even CNN, far from hostile to West Jerusalem's publicity, is now featuring the story that the nine slain passengers were shot, five of them in the head, by Israeli commandos.

1225 GMT: The Free Gaza Movement writes that the MV Rachel Corrie is 150 miles from the coast and should arrive Saturday morning. Passengers include Nobel Prize laureate Mairead Maguire, former UN Assistant Secretary-General Denis Halliday, barrister Matthias Chang Wen Chieh, and Malaysian MP Mohd Nizar bin Zakaria. There is also a three-member camera crew from Malaysia TV3.

1215 GMT: Turkey has repeated its warning that it may reduce economic and defence ties with Israel. Deputy PM Bulent Arinc said Ankara was "assessing deals" with West Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, an interesting article in The Washington Post on (Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), the Turkish group that financed the Flotilla.

0615 GMT: As the furuor and politics over Monday's attack on the Freedom Flotilla continues, a second act may loom. After stopping in Crete to upgrade video and satellite equipment, the merchant vessel MV Rachel Corrie is heading for Gaza. The ship, which was unable to join the main flotilla earlier this week, has aid and 11 prominent activists, including former Assistant UN Secretary-General Denis Halliday.

Halliday declared, "We have not stopped and have no intention of stopping. We will only stop when Israelis force us to do so."

Gaza Flotilla LiveBlog (3 June): Pressure on Israel Grows

2105 GMT: Details have been released about Furkan Dogan, the Turkish-American killed in the Israeli attack.

Dogan, 19, was born in Troy, New York, but his family moved to Turkey when he was 2. He was a high school student at Kayseri in the centre of the country.

Dogan was shot five times at close range --- four bullets in the head and one in the chest.

NEW Turkey Inside Line: Parliament, President, and People Condemn Israel
NEW Gaza Flotilla Analysis: US Official Position “My Israel, Right or Wrong” (Yenidunya)
NEW Gaza Flotilla Video: Netanyahu’s Speech “Iran’s Master Plan and the Hate Boat” (2 June)
NEW Gaza Flotilla Video: Member of Israel Parliament Accused of Supporting “Terrorists”
Gaza Flotilla: A Legal Opinion “The Occupying Power Had to Facilitate the Passage”
Gaza Flotilla Video & Transcript: Hillary Clinton’s Statement (1 June)
Gaza Flotilla LiveBlog: Limiting an Enquiry, Maintaining a Blockade? (2 June)

1805 GMT: More Testimony. Briton Sarah Colborne, the director of campaigns and operations at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, has given an account of the attack on the Mavi Marmara that complements the testimony of other passengers (see 1435 GMT).


Colborne, like others, said Israeli firing began before commandos boarded the ship: "There was live ammunition flying around and I could hear the sounds of the bullets flying and the whirr of the helicopter blades as people were dropped down onto the roof. What I saw was guns being used by the Israelis on unarmed civilians. I saw a bullet wound in someone's head. It was very clear it was live ammunition." She also said that the Israelis ignored white flags, calls for surrenders, and pleas to treat the critically injured.

1750 GMT: We've published a special feature on the changing Turkish position on Israel in the aftermath of the attack on the Freedom Flotilla.

1745 GMT: Netanyahu Compromising? Despite his most uncompromising speech yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a modified policy on the blockade of Gaza, according to Aluf Benn of Ha'aretz:

Netanyahu is willing to consider easing the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip, as well as possible creative solutions for monitoring the goods that are allowed to enter the Hamas-ruled territory. According to Netanyahu, the siege should focus on preventing the smuggling of rockets and weapons in order to avoid what he termed an "Iranian port in Gaza" in a speech he gave in Canada on Monday.

1525 GMT: The US Position. We've published an analysis by Ali Yenidunya of Washington's political manoeuvres, "My Israel, Right or Wrong".

Meanwhile, in the Cover Your Back Department, The Washington Post reports:

The Obama administration said Wednesday that it had warned Israel's government repeatedly to use "caution and restraint" with half a dozen aid boats bound for the Gaza Strip before Israeli commandos raided the flotilla this week in an operation that killed nine people.

"We communicated with Israel through multiple channels many times regarding the flotilla," P.J. Crowley, a State Department spokesman, said...."We emphasized caution and restraint given the anticipated presence of civilians, including American citizens."

1445 GMT: Max Blumenthal reveals how Israel Defense Forces, when pressed for evidence, retracted a headline linking Flotilla passengers to Al Qa'eda.

Deputy Foreign Danny Ayalon had made the claim of a link in his press conference on Tuesday, the day after the Israeli attack.

1435 GMT: More Testimonies. Hassan Ghani of Iran's Press TV, who was on board the Mavi Marmara when it was attacked, has given his account of the assault and his detention in Israel.

Canadian Farooq Burney, who runs a Qatari educational initiative, says an elderly man was shot and bled to death. He claimed Israeli commandos waited more than an hour before treating the wounded, even though activists made a makeshift sign reading: "S.O.S. .. Please provide medical assistance".

Burney also claimed activists who snatched pistols from the commandos removed the cartridges and threw them away, contradicting Israeli assertions that passengers used weapons.

1100 GMT: Edward Peck, a former US Ambassador who was on the Freedom Flotilla, in a wide-ranging, provocative interview on Democracy Now!:

Gaza does not belong to Israel. It is illegally occupied by international law, so you can’t really stop ships from going there. Well, you can, and they did, but if people try to resist what you’re trying to do, you cannot really accuse them of attacking your heavily armed soldiers. And they [the commandos] were heavily armed. On our little boat, a couple of them had paint guns attached to their submachine guns, along with stun grenades and the pepper spray and the handcuffs and the pistols....

I was expelled from Israel]. I was deported for having violated Israeli law. And I said to the gentleman, "What law have I violated?" He said, "You have illegally entered Israel." I said, "Well, now, wait. Our ship was taken over by armed commandos. I was brought here at gunpoint against my will, and you call that illegally entering Israel? You and I went to different law schools, guy." It’s kind of a --- it’s a fiasco. It would be amusing if it weren’t so damned sad, because, unfortunately --- and I speak with total sincerity here --- I think Israel has done itself some serious damage. And in addition to just what they did, it was the way they did it and the way they’re presenting it. Nobody regrets what happened on the Israeli side, because those were all terrorists, you know, violating our laws. Guys, get a grip. This isn’t going to work.

1040 GMT: When Did the Israelis Shoot? Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal, who was reporting from the Mavi Marmara, the lead ship of the Flotilla, said he witnessed some of the killings and at least "one person was shot through the top of the head from [the helicopter] above".

Significantly, Elshayyal says the Israelis fired first and before any commandos boarded: within a few minutes of seeing the Israeli helicopters, shots were fired from above and from Israeli boat at seas: "The first shots were tear gas, sound grenades, and rubber-coated steel bullets. Live shots came five minutes after that. There was definitely live fire from the air and from the sea as well."

He confirmed that some passengers took apart some of the ship's railing bars to defend themselves as they saw the Israeli soldiers approaching. He added, however, "After the shooting and the first deaths, people put up white flags and signs in English and Hebrew. An Israeli [on the ship] asked the soldiers to take away the injured, but they did not and the injured died on the ship."

1030 GMT:  Eight of the nine slain passengers were Turkish. Four names have been released: İbrahim Bilgen, Ali Haydar Bengi, Ali Ekber Yaratılmış, and Muharrem Koçak. Funerals are being held in Turkey today.

The ninth fatality was an American of Turkish origin.

0745 GMT: The flurry of political statements around Monday's attack on the Freedom Flotilla and the Israeli blockade of Gaza continues.

We've posted a video of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's defence of the assault, based on a link between the Flotilla and alleged Iranian schemes, including a plan for a militarised port in Gaza.

Within Israel, however, there has been dissent over the military operation. We have posted video of the clash in the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, between Haneen Zoabi, who was on board the Flotilla, and legislators who claimed she supported "terrorists".

And on the international front, the Israeli Government is facing more pressure, even from allies. The British Government's denunciations of the attack and call for an alternative to the blockade--- noted in our updates yesterday --- have been followed this morning by American signals. Using Ethan Bronner of The New York Times, US officials put out the message:

The Obama administration considers Israel’s blockade of Gaza to be untenable and plans to press for another approach to ensure Israel’s security while allowing more supplies into the impoverished Palestinian area....The officials say that Israel’s deadly attack on a flotilla trying to break the siege and the resulting international condemnation create a new opportunity to push for increased engagement with the Palestinian Authority and a less harsh policy toward Gaza.

The Jerusalem Post adds that Washington has suggested that Israel establish an inquiry team led by an internationally-recognized judge and including an American representative.

Janine Zacharia of The Washington Post, in a sharp break from US coverage which has often featured defences by Israeli officials, takes readers inside Gaza:

The ill-fated aid flotilla bound for Gaza this week bore food, medicine and toys.

What it didn't have on board were the things that Gazans say they need most: jobs, reliable electricity and a ticket out.

It has been five years since Israel pulled its soldiers and settlers from the coastal strip, and largely closed Gaza off from the world. Israel's critics say what's left is a devastated land in need of emergency assistance. Israeli officials insist Gaza's people are getting what they need to live. Neither narrative reflects the complex and dysfunctional way of life that has emerged here.

UPDATED Turkey Inside Line: Parliament, President, and People Condemn Israel

UPDATE 1755 GMT: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan joins in: "Erdogan has told U.S. President Barack Obama that Israel is on the verge of losing its best friend in the Middle East due to its deadly raid on a humanitarian aid headed to the Gaza Strip earlier this week, according to a statement from Erdogan's office."

UPDATE 1635 GMT: Turkish President Abdullah Gul has said in a televised speech, "From now on, Turkish-Israeli ties will never be the same. This incident has left an irreparable and deep scar....[The raid] is not an issue that can be forgotten...or be covered up....Turkey will never forgive this attack."

Gul spoke as thousands gathered in the streets of Istanbul to pay their respects to the eight Turks and one Turkish-American killed in the Israeli assault.

Gaza Flotilla LiveBlog (3 June): Pressure on Israel Grows

The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), released a joint declaration on Wednesday condemning Israel and calling on the government to reconsider its relations with West Jerusalem:

TBMM condemns fiercely and vehemently Israeli Defense Forces’ inhumane assault, on 31 May 2010, on the flotilla carrying humanitarian aid with citizens of 32 nations many of whom were Turkish; which led to the death and wounding of many innocent people. It offers its condolences to relatives of the ones who lost their lives and quick recovery wishes to the wounded people.

This attack is an explicit violation of international law.

TBMM expects UNSC to accept a resolution condemning Israel and considering sanctions against it. An independent international investigation committee should be formed in order to ascertain the full dimensions of this reprehensible attack.

Israeli government should officially apologize, make sure that the ones who are responsible are judged and pay compensation to the victims of this attack.

Turkey should apply to national and international judicial remedies. TBMM expects from the Turkish government to reconsider our political, military and economic relations with Israel and to take the necessary measures.

TBMM welcomes the righteous reactions of our people with respect against this attack.

TBMM believes that these reactions will not turn into a violence that can hurt our Jewish citizens.

TBMM, as always, is in solidarity with the Palestinian people and expects the inhumane blockade against Gaza to be lifted.