Gaza LiveBlog: Israel Forces Attack Freedom Flotilla, Up to 19 Killed (31 May)

0755 GMT, 1 JUNE: Updates continue in our LiveBlog, "The Politics After the Attack", for Tuesday.

2330 GMT: The New York Times reports one administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity concerning the future of Israeli-Palestinian talks mediated by Senator George Mitchell. In terms of the divide between the Israeli Government and the Obama Administration, the official said: “We’re not sure yet where things go from here.”

Mitchell is still expected to attend the Palestine Investment Conference in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Wednesday and Thursday.

2200 GMT: Vice Admiral Eliezer Marom, head of the Israeli Navy, instructs the troops intercepting the Gaza flotilla:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yphfyN0dqi8&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Gaza Flotilla Video: Questions from Last Report Before Israeli Attack
Gaza Video: “If You’re Watching This, The Flotilla Has Been Attacked"

2110 GMT: The first result of the UNSC emergency meeting: Members urged Israel to lift its economic blockade of the Gaza Strip!

Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco said the bloodshed would have been avoided if repeated calls on Israel to end the "counterproductive and unacceptable" blockade of Gaza had been heeded.

Most members of the 15-nation body joined the call for an investigation.

2030 GMT: IDF releases pictures of weapons found on the Mavi Marmara flotilla ship.

1930 GMT: The opposition leader Tzipi Livni gave an interview to the Turkish channel, TRT. She said that "there was a need to stop these ships" which were "not on a humanitarian mission".

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CkBt79S6M0&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

Gaza Flotilla Attack: Israel Line “We Are Sorry but It Was a Life-Threatening Situation!”

1915 GMT: Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu criticized Israel harshly at UNSC emergency meeting. Remarkably, he said:

This assault against 600 civilians from 32 countries can never be justified. We watched a live barbarian show.

Israel committed a crime. It is a crime committed by the state itself. Any state committing this crime will loose its legitimacy in the international arena.

The day when the line between terrorists and states blurred is today, a day leaving a bloody stain on the history of humanity.

1855 GMT: Speaking to Channel 10, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said:

Israel is a sovereign state and cannot accept the undermining of its sovereignty. Israel has stopped ships in international waters before and when ships refuse to accede to warnings and obey instructions, we have the right to board them under international law.

1845 GMT: Israeli President Shimon Peres, who was scheduled to meet with former US Secretary of State George Shultz on Monday, canceled his meeting. He said:

Israel is a democratic country with an obligation to defend its citizens and cannot condone the arrival of Gaza-destined goods and ships without inspecting them. The violent and provocative flotilla was backed by Hamas, whose support was that of terror and opposition to peace.

1830 GMT: IDF released a new statement:

The following is a summary of the number of injuries and casualties in today’s incident in which IDF naval forces were met with extremely violent resistance on board the Mavi Marmara.  According to the most recent reports, a total of seven soldiers were wounded – four soldiers were moderately wounded, of which two were initially in critical condition, as well as an additional three soldiers who were lightly wounded.  Among the violent activists, there were nine casualties as a result of the soldiers defending themselves.

It should be emphasized that both the State of Israel and the IDF made repeated calls to the flotilla, telling them that all goods and humanitarian aid could be transferred according to the secure and approved methods in place today, as is done on a near daily basis.  Unfortunately, this was not the case. IDF naval forces were met with premeditated violence, evident by the activists’ use of clubs, metal rods, and knives, as well as the firing of two weapons stolen from the soldiers, causing for defensive action on behalf of the forces who felt their lives were endangered.

1815 GMT: UN Security Council's emergency meeting started.

1730 GMT: The Mavi Marmara was docked at Ashdod. 500 activists on board will be arrested of deported.

1700 GMT: Finally, pictures of Mavi Marmara reached media after 15 hours. The ship is being escorted by Israeli Navy off the port of Ashdod.

1645 GMT: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he regretted deaths but also added that Israeli troops had right to self-defense.

1630 GMT: CNN correspondent Atia Abawi said: "Israeli government confirms that 25 activists are in stages of deportation and at least 50 are detained after not giving them identification".

1620 GMT: The details of the phone conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama were given by the White House:

This morning between 10:00 and 10:15 AM CDT, the President spoke by phone with Prime Minister Netanyahu. He said he understood the Prime Minister's decision to return immediately to Israel to deal with today's events. They agreed to reschedule their meeting at the first opportunity. The President expressed deep regret at the loss of life in today's incident, and concern for the wounded, many of whom are being treated in Israeli hospitals. The President also expressed the importance of learning all the facts and circumstances around this morning's tragic events as soon as possible.

1605 GMT: Turkish daily Hurriyet reported that NATO's spokesman James Appathurai had stated that the organisation would be gathered extraordinarily, at the request of Turkey.

NATO issued a very short statement earlier today: "NATO is deeply concerned about the loss of life in this incident. We look forward to a further establishment of the facts of what has happened."

1600 GMT: IDF said Defne Y, the 5th ship in Gaza flotilla, cleared of its crew - Mavi Marmara currently being brought into Ashdod Port.

1555 GMT: Al Jazeera English correspondent Sherine Tadros reports, "We're hearing 14 activists have agreed to be deported and on way home;50 taken to prison in southern Israel resisting deportation."

1550 GMT: Pictures of wounded activists were released. Plastic handcuffs during the transport of heavily wounded ones are noteworthy.

1548 GMT: The United Nations Security Council will meet on Monday afternoon for an emergency session that will start at 1 P.M., New York time.

1545 GMT: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Chile: "This is a state terrorism."

1515 GMT: While on his way to Washington, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said: "This is clearly a piracy. Israel must apologize and answer. According to unconfirmed information, we have around 50 wounded and 10 martyries. No country is above the international law."

Meanwhile, tens of thousands people are protesting in front of Israel's Consulate General in Istanbul.

1500 GMT: Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning Israel:

Israel has once again clearly demonstrated that it does not value human lives and peaceful initiatives through targeting innocent civilians. We strongly condemn these inhuman acts of Israel. This grave incident which took place in high seas in gross violation of international law might cause irreversible consequences in our relations.

Besides the initiatives being conducted by our Embassy in Tel Aviv, this unacceptable incident is being strongly protested and explanation is demanded from Israeli Ambassador in Ankara, who has been invited to our Ministry.

Whatsoever the motives might be, such actions against civilians who are involved only in peaceful activities cannot be accepted. Israel will have to bear the consequences of these actions which constitute a violation of international law.

May God bestow His mercy upon those who lost their lives. We wish to express our condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased, and swift recovery to the wounded.

1440 GMT: Israel's Portrayal. Amidst the rush of Israeli depictions of the attack --- with the continuing use of the word "lynching", now from the commandos who carried out the assault --- this story stands out from a "Ron Ben Yishai" in YNet:

Navy commandoes slid down to the vessel one by one, yet then the unexpected occurred: The passengers that awaited them on the deck pulled out bats, clubs, and slingshots with glass marbles, assaulting each soldier as he disembarked. The fighters were nabbed one by one and were beaten up badly, yet they attempted to fight back.



However, to their misfortune, they were only equipped with paintball rifles used to disperse minor protests, such as the ones held in Bilin. The paintballs obviously made no impression on the activists, who kept on beating the troops up and even attempted to wrest away their weapon.

1435 GMT: Washington's Reaction. The US statement, given by White House spokesman Bill Burton, is far more restrained than the UN denunciation of Israel (1330 GMT) and even Britain's expression of concern (1035 GMT). Burton said the Obama administration "deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained" and officials are "currently working to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy".

1430 GMT: The 4th ship in the flotilla is now being brought into port in Ashdod.

1420 GMT: The Israeli Line. The Israeli military has released its version of today's attack on the Freedom Flotilla, complete with an aerial video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU12KW-XyZE&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

1410 GMT: Glenn Greenwald, in a bitter denunciation of the Israeli attack, offers an overview both of the Freedom Flotilla and of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

1400 GMT: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled his trip to Washington. He was due to meet President Obama tomorrow.

1330 GMT: The British Government, via Foreign Secretary William Hague, has issued this statement:

I deplore the loss of life during the interception of the Gaza Flotilla. Our Embassy is in urgent contact with the Israeli Government. We are asking for more information and urgent access to any UK nationals involved.‪ ‪

We have consistently advised against attempting to access Gaza in this way, because of the risks involved. But at the same time, there is a clear need for Israel to act with restraint and in line with international obligations. It will be important to establish the facts about this incident, and especially whether enough was done to prevent deaths and injuries. ‪

This news underlines the need to lift the restrictions on access to Gaza, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1860. The closure is unacceptable and counter-productive. There can be no better response from the international community to this tragedy than to achieve urgently a durable resolution to the Gaza crisis.

1200 GMT: An Al Jazeera correspondent reports from Ashdod: "Israeli hecklers continue to make if hard for us to report the story....They are only heckling Arab media, such as Al Jazeera and Al Arabiyya....While Arab protestors and left-wing Israelis escorted away by police, they don't seem to be doing much to stop the right-wing hecklers."

1105 GMT: The 2nd boat of the flotilla is nearing port in Ashdod.

1045 GMT: Amidst protests in Turkey against the attack on the Freedom Flotilla, the Turkish Ambassador to Israel has been recalled. Israeli authorities have advised citizens not to travel to Turkey.

The Turkish Deputy Prime Minister has condemned Israel: “This operation will leave a bloody stain on the history of humanity.”

1035 GMT: The first ship of the flotilla is now in Ashdod. Al Jazeera English is reporting up to 19 dead.

The United Nations has issued a statement: "Such tragedies are entirely avoidable if Israel heeds the repeated calls of the international community to end its counterproductive and unacceptable blockade of Gaza."

1015 GMT: Justifying the Attack. Back from a break to find more of the same on Israeli side --- Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon has claimed that the deaths resulted from a "provocation" by the passengers of the flotilla: "On the deck we found weapons which were used against the forces. The organizers' intent was violent and the results were unfortunate. Israel regrets the loss of life. We called the organizers once and again the stop the provocations."

Israel Defense Forces are claiming via Twitter, "5 soldiers injured during flotilla mission --- 2 severely and 3 moderately".

0845 GMT: The Arab League has said it will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow over the attack on the Freedom Flotilla.

0830 GMT: More footage of the Israel attack, this time from a Turkish source, complementing the video we have posted, before commandoes boarded the ship. There are graphic images of wounded and a correspondent declaring, "We are under attack from all sides."

0820 GMT: Schools have been closed and shelters opened in the Israeli port of Ashdod, where Israeli forces are towing the Freedom Flotilla.

0815 GMT: We have posted video of the last report from Al Jazeera correspondent Jamal Elshayyal from the lead ship of the Freedom Flotilla, made moments before Israeli commandos boarded. I have asked some questions, in light of Elshayyal's report, about the Israeli account that commandos were merely defending themselves.

0745 GMT: Amidst the presentation by Israeli officials of their version of this morning's events, we post a video --- made before the assault --- by a Free Gaza Movement member: "If You're Watching This, The Flotilla Has Been Attacked". The speaker, Caoimhe Butterly, anticipates the post-attack political contest which is unfolding on this LiveBlog.

0730 GMT: Speaking on Al Jazeera English, Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan counters the Israeli allegations: "None of those [on the ships] was part of Hamas; they were supporters and activists for the human rights of Palestinians."

0725 GMT: As Al Jazeera English tries to assess the Israeli military's press conference, members of the crowd in Ashdod stand behind the reporter with a large Israeli flag.

0720 GMT: Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas has declared three days of mourning for those killed in the Freedom Flotilla.

0715 GMT: The "Lynching" of the Commandos. Israeli military spokeswoman Liebovich responds to a question:

"If you have one soldier and you have a dozen activists attacking that soldier, this is a lynch. When the passengers on this ship are trying to break the soldier's legs and arms, this is what I call a lynch. This is what happened....We had no intention to confront these passengers."

(Liebovich adds that she is "sure" the flotilla's passengers were not human rights activists but were connected with Hamas.)

Readers may compare this "lynch" to the live images aboard the ship when the commandos landed, currently being re-broadcast in the LiveFeed.

0710 GMT: The Israeli Propaganda Push. With communications with the aid ships cut off (CNN rather hopelessly is using vague reports from a correspondent in Cairo and then saying, "We have been unable to contact anyone in the flotilla"), Israeli authorities are trying to fill the space with their case.

Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman Amital Liebovich has given a press briefing that Israeli commandos faced "severe violence" --- a "lynch" --- by the flotilla's passengers with "sharp items" and "knives": "Live fire was used."

Liebovich says six Israeli commandos were injured "as well as" 10 passengers killed.

Liebovich insists, "There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza" and adds, "The passengers of this flotilla...prepared themselves for violence against their soldiers."

Liebovich's press conference is complemented by this Israeli military statement: “During the takeover, the soldiers encountered serious physical violence by the protesters, who attacked them with live fire.” The "lynch" theme had already appeared, before the briefing, in The Jerusalem Post.

0644 GMT: The Israeli Line (cont.). The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pushing a film clip of the Israeli military issuing a warning to the Freedom Flotilla before boarding the Mavi Marmara: "The Israeli government supports delivery of humanitarian supplies to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip and invites you to enter the Ashdod port."

I've already seen the clip on Al Jazeera English.

0642 GMT: Contrary to other reports, Israel authorities say the flotilla ships will be towed to the port of Ashdod.

0640 GMT: Political Reaction. Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas has asked the Palestinian Authority to suspend all negotiations --- direct or indirect --- with Israel.

0635 GMT: Israeli Army says four Israeli naval commandos were injured: 1 seriously, 1 moderately, 2 lightly. It claims "light ammunition" was coming from flotilla ships so their troops "fought back".

0625 GMT: The last blog entry from Abbas Al Lawati from the attacked ships:

I've just heard that Israel is expected send divers to take control of vessels from below.

There were reports of helicopters flying overhead a little while ago but it turns out it was a flase alarm. There was, however, a flashing light hovering above one of the challenger ships. It could be a helicopter, possibly commandos. The Mavi Marmara is massive so I doubt commandos will approach us but both Challengers are just small passenger boats.

0615 GMT: The Israeli Line. David Saranga of the Israeli Consulate in New York gives an early indication of how West Jerusalem will defend the military operation, despite the 16 deaths.

Saranga lifts this line from London's Daily Telegraph, in an article on the Israeli attack: "Marine commandos had opened fire after being attacked with axes and knives by a number of the passengers on board the ships, the [Israeli] private channel 10 said."

(Minutes later, Saranga points readers to a page, "The Jewish Internet Defense Force", which recycles the line about axes/knives.)

In Israel, police have declared a heightened state of emergency, deploying thousands of forces around the country. A crowd in the Israeli port of Ashdod have been heckling the crew of Al Jazeera Arabic.

0605 GMT: The Turkish Government has condemned the Israeli attack. A crowd of demonstrators have surrounded the house of the Israeli Ambassador and asked him to leave the country.

The ship attacked this morning, the Mavi Marmara, is Turkish-registered.

0603 GMT: The Israeli attack was on the Mavi Marmara, one of the six ships in the flotilla. In a report from the ship just before communications were cut during the raid, Jamal Elshayyal of Al Jazeera said two people had been killed and organisers were ordering passengers to go inside the ship's cabin. The ship's white flag had been raised.

Sounds of live fire could be heard as Elshayyal reported, despite the raising of the flag of surrender.

0600 GMT: We are continuing the live feed from Turkish outlets of the Freedom Flotilla. Warning: images may be distressing.

0545 GMT: We wake this morning to find that overnight Israeli forces have attacked the six ships of the "Freedom Flotilla" carrying aid to Gaza.

Israel Army Radio says at least 16 members of the convoy were killed and more than 30 injured when troops boarded the flotilla. The assault took place in international waters, 65 kilometres (40 miles) off the Gazan coast.

The attack by armed Israeli soldiers was accompanied by helicopters. Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal, on board one of the ships, the Mavi Marmara, said Israeli troops used live ammunition.

Israeli Army Radio said soldiers opened fire "after confronting those on board carrying sharp objects".

The Free Gaza Movement, the organisers of the flotilla, say the ships are now being towed to the Israeli town of Haifa, instead of the port of Ashdod, where Israel said members of the flotilla would be held in detention. The Movement claims the step is to avoid waiting journalists.

Comments

[Concerned person]

It is time to stop lying People wake up!!! look around mother earth is acting up , earthquakes, flooding, volcano's, ect... all over the world, our Sun is acting strange, War's in country's, rumours of War, The Gulf of Mexico turned RED. OUR MAKER IS COMING AND YOU CAN'T LIE TO HIM!!!!

[jacque2599]

It is time to stop lying People wake up!!!
look around mother earth is acting up , earthquakes,
flooding, volcano's, ect... all over the world,
our Sun is acting strange, War's in country's,
rumours of War, The Gulf of Mexico turned RED.
OUR MAKER IS COMING AND YOU CAN'T LIE TO HIM!!!!

[Arshama]

Bill,

Thanks for reminding me of the initial reason for unrests in Xinjiang, but as far as I remember Chinese forces crushed down on the Uighurs, many of whom having apparently disappeared after this oppression: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/15/china-sentences-death-urumqi-riots" rel="nofollow">http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/15/chi...
To me it appears similar to Iran, where ethnic minorities are constantly mistreated and suffer much more pressure than the majority society. In any case I regret the dead from both groups.

As to the Israel-Palestine conflict, it is a pity that hardliners have taken over the command on both sides, unwilling to compromise for the benefit of their people. Hamas follows the same deadly politics as the SL and his obedient IRGC servants, abusing of chaos and terror as the only means to survive. And the other Arab states watch this mess contentedly, because it keeps Israel busy, while they continue to built skyscrapers on sand. In reality they give a d... for their Muslim "brothers", starving in Gaza and being fed by the EU. If I were an Arab leader, I would be ashamed to see the children of my neighbour grow up in misery. In Persian there is a saying "baad avardeh ra baad khahad bord" - what the wind has brought, he will take away too. Perhaps they should remember that terrorist groups like Hamas would blow them away as well, when getting to power...

Regards
Arshama

[jacque2599]

Rt Hon William Hague MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
By email to private.office@fco.gov.ukThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

May 31st 2010

Dear William,

I am writing this urgently to express my shock and outrage at Israel’s behavior in attacking, boarding and killing people who are on the humanitarian flotilla to Gaza.

Apparently 20 people have been killed and I am concerned for the fate of all those involved including the British nationals on board. I know two of them very well, Sarah Colborne and Kevin Ovenden.

I hope that the UK Government has already protested in the strongest possible terms to Israel on this attack, in international waters, on a vessels carrying aid to the people of Gaza. I also hope that there will be an immediate suspension of the EU Trade Agreement, reference to the UN Security Council and appropriate and immediate sanctions made against Israel for this clearly illegal acts.

Additionally I hope we will put pressure on the USA to act accordingly and specifically revoke the planned further military aid of $150millions for a missile system.

I visited Gaza earlier this year as part of a pan European Parliamentary delegation and saw for ourselves the continuing destruction from “Operation Cast Lead”, the shortages of medicines and vital supplies and the isolation and imprisonment of the people. The continued blockade and under-supplying of Gaza is appalling and also illegal. Not surprisingly the people look to other countries to recognise their plight and put appropriate pressure on Israel.

I would be obliged if you could tell me what actions have been taken by the British Government in respect of the illegal attack and over the safety of British nationals on the vessels.

With thanks,

I await your response,

Jeremy Corbyn MP

[Arshama]

Scott,

Thank you very much for live-blogging the events, especially for trying to report them from both sides. The only other live-blog I found is from Al Jazeera, but EA is much more detailed and instructive -- as expected :-)

Arshama

[James]

The ‘activists’ knowingly entered a war zone, even after being warned and turned away before. War is a serious business and any fool who knowingly enters a war zone should not expect to be greeted with tea and crumpets.

[jacque2599]

The people of the flottila where in INTERNATIONAL WATERS.
what happened to them was an act of piracy. LOOK around the world every where people are supporting the FREE GAZA FLOTILLA!!!!
Not Israel.

[Adam]

I think this clarifies matters. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/10199862.stm" rel="nofollow">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/10...
It was 100% self defense. Has a single mention been made yet of the fact that an Israeli soldier was immediately stabbed in the abdomen upon boarding the ship and that the people on the ship had taken soldiers guns and started firing?

[jacque2599]

Self defence for who?? The Israeli's invaded the flotilla in International waters. The footage you posted from BBC can be fixed how about the "flotilla footage" that shows something else. THERE footage was LIVE. The Israeli footage came out later after the editing!!!

[Arshama]

Not really my favourite commentator, but George Friedman offers an interesting comparison with the famous "Exodus" story: http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20100531_flotillas_and_wars_public_opinion" rel="nofollow">http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20100531_flotill...

[Mohamad Syukur]

"Israel is the biggest terrorist of the world" they are say,

“We are under attack from all sides.” they are say

PLEASE PEACE,ABSOLUT PEACE.....

[DCl6]

My issue with all this is that they should never have boarded the ship...they're not pirates looking for booty and they're not boarding to save someone's life. It doesn't help that they attacked when it was dark.
It can be understood if they want to defend themselves, but they should never have been in the situation to have to defend themselves.

[DCl6]

Religion: Opiate AND Hemlock for the masses.

[Lia]

Israel is wrong to think they can win.

[Lia]

We pray that your father survived. And God protected all the crew. Amien.

[Kurt]

This lynching meme is beyond tiresome. And offensive to African-Americans.

[sharan]

u must be a son of a bitch

[wdavit]

Arshama,

Thanks for your reply. Of course your right about those missing. Official reports say over 1,000 were arrested and we can only guess at how many vanished. Sadly like Iran China is a "closed" country thus we only here news they want us to.

I also agree regarding the hardliners on both sides. It seems so many just have to many "bones" to grind thus the conflict continues. If only we could all ship them to the moon with of course our favorite muppet Ahmadinejad! Alas we can't thus we have to find away to deal with this madness.

Thx
Bill

[wdavit]

Anne,

We will all pray for your father and hope he is alright. I would only encourage you to watch all the videos. It was clear the activists were armed and attacking when the IDF soilders boarded. These activists knew they were violating an Israeli blockade(disputing the blockade in another issue entirely and open for debate but not applicable here) and thus were going to be met with force if they responded with force. Sadly force was met with force and the videos clearly show the IDF soilders being attacked first. Numerous reports verified the Israeli soilders boarded with paintball guns--yes paintball guns(and a video posted by Ali on another EA page verifys this)--and side arms. As expected much of the Arab media first reported IDF soilders boarded shooting first and even now they are back tracking on that claim except for states like Iran. I would only ask you to confer with your father, and we certaintly hope he was alright, to get the details first hand. We would very much like to hear you account because as we all know the truth is still yet to be fully uncovered regarding this tragic event.

Thx
Bill

[wdavit]

Did you not watch the videos? What is unarmed to you? I would certaintly think bars, chains, chairs, and slingshots constitute armed. Or how about the stun grenade or the firebomb. You really need to watch the videos. For when you do it is quite clear the IDF soilders were attacked the second they dropped onto the ship. The very first soilder who dropped on was stabbed in fact. What in the world do you think the IDF was supposed to do? We can debate the semantics of International maritime law/blockade till we are blue in the face but the fact remains these people were trying to breach it another states blockade. What do think Iran would have done if a aid convoy was sent to help the greens? What do you think North Korea would do if a aid convoy was sent to help the starving? Hint--they would most likely be sunk and both of these parties wouldn't even blink an eye.

Now you might want to ask yourself if the Islamic world will ever put together a aid flotilla for Darfur. Well I doubt it and it shows the selective outrage of the Islamic world as a whole. Involve a Jew and they protest in the Millions. Kill 2 million in Darfur and not one protest in over 20 years for the carnage--and despite the fact many of the victims were black Muslims. Instead Edrogan says their is no genocide in Darfur yet has the audacity to call Israel's actions terrorism--quite cheeky and frankly sick--this guy can ignore the millions dead yet speak up when 10 are killed. Oh almost forgot how about the 100 dead Ahamadis in Pakistan--the Islamic world's response a collective yawn!!! Sadly this type of selective outrage when it involves Israel is endemic across the Islamic world clearly demonstrating why Islamic states occupy 80% of the world's top 20 worst human and religious rights abusers year after year. Sadly the rest of the world will follow this spectacle and promise billions in aid while thousands die elsewhere every month because of this sick facination with the Israeli Arab conflict.

[wdavit]

What do you not get about a blockade? These people intentionally went to break it and tragically they provoked an attack. The videos clearly show they provoked it. They were even told they could off load the supplies in Israeli under the condition the aid be searched yet they refused indicating a predisposition to provoking Israel. Sadly Israel took the bait and now Israel and those who needlessly lost their lives will pay. As for maritime law and international waters provisions do exist to allow states to intercept vessels outside their demarked waters based on the intentions of that vessel. Well that vessel clearly was intending to breach the blockade and for right or wrong they were opening themselves up for a conflict. I would even argue they were looking for a conflict. Well they got a conflict and the actions of the activists clearly showed an intent to provoke much more than I would think the western sponsors of this flotilla had in mind. Even an organizer said "The only resistance that there might be would be passive resistance such as physically blocking the steering room, or blocking the engine room downstairs, so that they couldn't get taken over. But that was just symbolic resistance." Well so much for passive resistance--the videos clearly demonstrated the "passive" resistance was much more involving bars, chains, chair, and a knife! The force some of the blows indicated they wanted to actually kill if you watch the video. I am sure if those soilders didn't have armor and helmets some would have died due to blunt trauma.

[M. Ali]

No surprise that you are defending the Israelis here. When Iran sentences Kurdish terrorists to death after 2 years of trial and additional 2 years of post-sentence, you act like a terrible inhumanity, but when soldiers shoot to kill 14 peace activists who were only taking aid to a caged group of people, you think its a-okay

[jacque2599]

Okay what video are you talking about? The Israeli one that can be fixed at any time, especially beacause they waited to put it out or the Gaza flotilla video that was streaming live, I would believe the live one because they didn't have time to edit it. I also came upon this article maybe it would interest you!!
The Legal Position on the Israeli Attack

I think that anybody with any fairness is bound to admit that the statement William Hague came out with is much better than anything on Israel which New Labour ever came out with, especially this bit:

"This news underlines the need to lift the restrictions on access to Gaza, in line with UNSCR 1860. The closure is unacceptable and counter-productive. There can be no better response from the international community to this tragedy than to achieve urgently a durable resolution to the Gaza crisis.

I call on the Government of Israel to open the crossings to allow unfettered access for aid to Gaza, and address the serious concerns about the deterioration in the humanitarian and economic situation and about the effect on a generation of young Palestinians

‪."
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/news/latest-news/?view=News&id=22300485" rel="nofollow">http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/news/latest-news/?view...

But as I told this afternoon's tremendous spontaneous demonstration on Whitehall, fine words are not enough and we must now see the kind of sanctions regime we saw against apartheid South Africa.

A word on the legal position, which is very plain. To attack a foreign flagged vessel in international waters is illegal. It is not piracy, as the Israeli vessels carried a military commission. It is rather an act of illegal warfare.

Because the incident took place on the high seas does not mean however that international law is the only applicable law. The Law of the Sea is quite plain that, when an incident takes place
on a ship on the high seas (outside anybody's territorial waters) the applicable law is that of the flag state of the ship on which the incident occurred. In legal terms, the Turkish ship was Turkish territory.

There are therefore two clear legal possibilities.

Possibility one is that the Israeli commandos were acting on behalf of the government of Israel in killing the activists on the ships. In that case Israel is in a position of war with Turkey, and the act falls under international jurisdiction as a war crime.

Possibility two is that, if the killings were not authorised Israeli military action, they were acts of murder under Turkish jurisdiction. If Israel does not consider itself in a position of war with Turkey, then it must hand over the commandos involved for trial in Turkey under Turkish law.

In brief, if Israel and Turkey are not at war, then it is Turkish law which is applicable to what happened on the ship. It is for Turkey, not Israel, to carry out any inquiry or investigation into events and to initiate any prosecutions. Israel is obliged to hand over indicted personnel for prosecution

[M. Ali]

It is not a surprise when people identify with their own kind more. If an American child goes missing, the American reports on the child are much more than if an African child goes missing in some African country.

However, most Muslims don't DEFEND the attacks.The Ahmadi attacks were not supported by majority of Muslims nor the government of Pakistan, which has investigated it and arrested people.

When, last year, terrorist attacks against a mosque in Iran kills dozens, did we have much interest among the public around the world? Did any of the attacks you mention have that many grievers in the west? Compare that to 9/11.

[M. Ali]

You are saying the exact opposite of Bill, yet you are agreeing with him and he is agreeing with you...