25 dec 2012
South Africa launches investigation into the attack on the Mavi Marmara
ISTANBUL, (PIC)-- The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation announced that the Republic of South Africa has launched an investigation into the case of the Mavi Marmara ship, attacked by Israeli forces in 2010.
The investigation is to be launched at the request submitted in 2011 by lawyers of journalist Davids Gadeja, 27, who participated in the Freedom Flotilla which was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza.
According to the Turkish Foundation's statement, the South African Police Service and the National Attorney General of the Republic has announced the decision to accept Gadeja's request for a criminal investigation and review and investigate the attack.
Ziyaad Patel, one of the journalist's lawyers, said that his client and her companions have been subjected to inhuman treatment by the Israeli commandos, which is considered a crime against humanity and a war crime according to Sections 1 and 3 of the Charter of Rome.
The Israeli Commandos attacked the Mavi Marmara ship, on the 31st of May 2010 in the international waters, while heading to the Gaza Strip within the Freedom Flotilla, in a move that aimed to break the Gaza siege.
The attack had resulted in killing nine people and wounding 50 others.
The investigation is to be launched at the request submitted in 2011 by lawyers of journalist Davids Gadeja, 27, who participated in the Freedom Flotilla which was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza.
According to the Turkish Foundation's statement, the South African Police Service and the National Attorney General of the Republic has announced the decision to accept Gadeja's request for a criminal investigation and review and investigate the attack.
Ziyaad Patel, one of the journalist's lawyers, said that his client and her companions have been subjected to inhuman treatment by the Israeli commandos, which is considered a crime against humanity and a war crime according to Sections 1 and 3 of the Charter of Rome.
The Israeli Commandos attacked the Mavi Marmara ship, on the 31st of May 2010 in the international waters, while heading to the Gaza Strip within the Freedom Flotilla, in a move that aimed to break the Gaza siege.
The attack had resulted in killing nine people and wounding 50 others.
20 dec 2012
Freedom Flotilla activists reject Israeli compensation for their taken belongins
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- Some activists who participated in the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy refused the renewed Israeli offer to compensate them financially instead of giving their confiscated belongings back.
Their belongings were stolen by the Israeli naval forces during their raid on the Mavi Marmara boat, one of the Freedom Flotilla ships that were attacked in international waters by the navy in May 31, 2010.
The information office of the 1948 Palestinians said on Wednesday that the lawyer for Mizan center for human rights Omar Khamaisi filed a request in this regard with the Israeli occupation army on behalf of four activists, namely, Sheikh Ra'ed Salah, Mohamed Zeidan, Hammad Abu Da'abis and Lubna Masarwa.
Lawyer Khamaisi added that he had exchanged many letters with the Israeli army stating clearly the refusal of the four activists of any compensation for their stolen belongings and their insistence on getting everything back.
For his part, Sheikh Ra'ed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement in the 1948 occupied lands and one of the activists, expressed his belief that all their belongings are still in Israel's possession.
"I assert without hesitation that their offer is ugly and completely unacceptable, and I assure at the same time that all our luggage are still in the possession of the Zionist apparatuses, especially the notebook in which I wrote in detail the Freedom Flotilla trip including the deadly attack that was carried out by the Zionist pirates," Sheikh Salah stated.
Their belongings were stolen by the Israeli naval forces during their raid on the Mavi Marmara boat, one of the Freedom Flotilla ships that were attacked in international waters by the navy in May 31, 2010.
The information office of the 1948 Palestinians said on Wednesday that the lawyer for Mizan center for human rights Omar Khamaisi filed a request in this regard with the Israeli occupation army on behalf of four activists, namely, Sheikh Ra'ed Salah, Mohamed Zeidan, Hammad Abu Da'abis and Lubna Masarwa.
Lawyer Khamaisi added that he had exchanged many letters with the Israeli army stating clearly the refusal of the four activists of any compensation for their stolen belongings and their insistence on getting everything back.
For his part, Sheikh Ra'ed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement in the 1948 occupied lands and one of the activists, expressed his belief that all their belongings are still in Israel's possession.
"I assert without hesitation that their offer is ugly and completely unacceptable, and I assure at the same time that all our luggage are still in the possession of the Zionist apparatuses, especially the notebook in which I wrote in detail the Freedom Flotilla trip including the deadly attack that was carried out by the Zionist pirates," Sheikh Salah stated.
14 nov 2012
Top Israeli officials accused of deadly attack on Mavi Marmara tried in Gaza
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Turkish relief foundation IHH held on Tuesday a mock trial against top Israeli officials charged with being responsible for the deadly attack on Mavi Marmara aid ship in May 2010.
A replica of the international court of justice was held in Rashad Shawa cultural center in Gaza city where a judicial panel of jurists issued prison sentences in absentia against Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and three other military officials.
The judges issued 10 life sentences against Netanyahu and his war minister Ehud Barak, while their former army chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi was condemned to life eight times and former commander of the Israeli navy Eliezer Marom was given six life terms.
For his part, IHH director in Gaza Mohamed Kaya said this mock trial was intended to keep the Freedom Flotilla massacre alive in the world's memory as long as possible.
"We are trying to convey the image of the Zionist crime and all information about it through this trial to the whole world," he added.
A replica of the international court of justice was held in Rashad Shawa cultural center in Gaza city where a judicial panel of jurists issued prison sentences in absentia against Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and three other military officials.
The judges issued 10 life sentences against Netanyahu and his war minister Ehud Barak, while their former army chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi was condemned to life eight times and former commander of the Israeli navy Eliezer Marom was given six life terms.
For his part, IHH director in Gaza Mohamed Kaya said this mock trial was intended to keep the Freedom Flotilla massacre alive in the world's memory as long as possible.
"We are trying to convey the image of the Zionist crime and all information about it through this trial to the whole world," he added.
9 nov 2012
Families of Marmara victims: We will continue to pursue Israeli war criminals
ISTANBUL, (PIC)-- The families of the Turkish martyrs, killed in the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara ship which was on its way to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, confirmed they will continue to pursue the Israeli officials for their crime.
One of the passengers on the ship, Noor Ahmed Saleh, said, in front of the Criminal Court in Istanbul, that Marmara's passengers had been subjected to a brutal attack by the Israeli army while performing prayers.
He stressed that the attackers had harshly abused the passengers, including the elderly people and the women who were on board the ship, adding that they had been shot at even during the evacuation of the wounded.
For his part; Mohamed Nasser al-Hazami, one of the victims, pointed out that the attacking force had attacked all the passengers in the ship while in international waters, although there was patients among them.
Akyuz Nemat, the wife of the martyr Genghis Akyuz, who was killed in the attack, asserted that she will not give up the complaint she had submitted against the Israeli officers responsible for the crime, and added that she will continue the lawsuit on behalf of her children, until the aggressors are brought to book.
One of the passengers on the ship, Noor Ahmed Saleh, said, in front of the Criminal Court in Istanbul, that Marmara's passengers had been subjected to a brutal attack by the Israeli army while performing prayers.
He stressed that the attackers had harshly abused the passengers, including the elderly people and the women who were on board the ship, adding that they had been shot at even during the evacuation of the wounded.
For his part; Mohamed Nasser al-Hazami, one of the victims, pointed out that the attacking force had attacked all the passengers in the ship while in international waters, although there was patients among them.
Akyuz Nemat, the wife of the martyr Genghis Akyuz, who was killed in the attack, asserted that she will not give up the complaint she had submitted against the Israeli officers responsible for the crime, and added that she will continue the lawsuit on behalf of her children, until the aggressors are brought to book.
8 nov 2012
American activist praises the trial of Israeli leaders in Turkey
ISTANBUL, (PIC)-- An American solidarity activist praised the prosecution of Israeli military leaders in Turkish courts, saying it was the first time Israeli leaders were prosecuted for their actions.
The solidarity activist Joe Meadors, who was on the Gaza bound Turkish aid flotilla during the Israeli attack, explained that "the Israeli commandos who boarded the ship forced the activists to sit on chairs, and took everything they have, but passports, and nothing they stole was returned."
He pointed out that the United States had only opened an investigation when the Israeli forces attacked the "USS Liberty". He was a signalman on the ship which was attacked in 1967 by Israeli aircraft.
The Israeli attack left 34 crewmen dead and 173 wounded.
This is the first time in which Israel is prosecuted for its actions, while the United States refused to sue it decades ago for attacking the USS Liberty, he added.
The Turkish journalist Hakan Albayrak congratulated his people and his country's government in an article in the Turkish popular daily the "Star" for holding the trial.
"The Turkish intelligence agency was working previously as one of the Israeli intelligence branches", he said in his article, welcoming the new Turkey which was able to prosecute Israel.
"We have met today the new Turkey outside the Istanbul Criminal Court, which is suing Israeli for attack on the Mavi Marmara," he added.
The solidarity activist Joe Meadors, who was on the Gaza bound Turkish aid flotilla during the Israeli attack, explained that "the Israeli commandos who boarded the ship forced the activists to sit on chairs, and took everything they have, but passports, and nothing they stole was returned."
He pointed out that the United States had only opened an investigation when the Israeli forces attacked the "USS Liberty". He was a signalman on the ship which was attacked in 1967 by Israeli aircraft.
The Israeli attack left 34 crewmen dead and 173 wounded.
This is the first time in which Israel is prosecuted for its actions, while the United States refused to sue it decades ago for attacking the USS Liberty, he added.
The Turkish journalist Hakan Albayrak congratulated his people and his country's government in an article in the Turkish popular daily the "Star" for holding the trial.
"The Turkish intelligence agency was working previously as one of the Israeli intelligence branches", he said in his article, welcoming the new Turkey which was able to prosecute Israel.
"We have met today the new Turkey outside the Istanbul Criminal Court, which is suing Israeli for attack on the Mavi Marmara," he added.
6 nov 2012
Istanbul: Trial of Israeli officers over Freedom Flotilla attack
ISTANBUL, (PIC)-- A court in Turkey started, on Tuesday, the trial of four former Israeli military commanders over their role in the murder of nine Turkish activists on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in 2010 which was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The first hearing of the Mavi Marmara trial will begin at Çaglayan Courthouse at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 6 and it will continue for three days with breaks. The Criminal Court in Istanbul is considered the largest Turkish court in criminal matters.
Flotilla passengers from Turkey and other parts of the world, relatives of the Mavi Marmara martyrs and their lawyers will be attending the trial, in addition to Arab communities in Istanbul, and Hikma association that is concerned with the affairs of Arab communities, PIC reporter stated.
The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) defined the case against four Israeli military officials as the largest international case in which representatives from 37 countries had been attacked.
The Mavi Marmara case is the common case of the human family which has diverse religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds just like the colorful group that met onboard the Mavi Marmara, IHH added.
Judicial efforts have been made concerning the Israeli attack at the national level, IHH explained, adding that 40 countries in the United Nations Human Rights Council condemned the Israeli attack and found out after an investigation that Israel violated human rights and international law by committing the crimes of
--willful killing;
--torture or inhumane treatment;
--willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, arbitrary detention and arrest.
The report, approved by the UN Human Rights Council, confirmed that the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip is illegal, and that attempts to break the siege are legitimate.
The case was filed at the Istanbul 7th High Criminal Court on May 28, 2012 against Israeli commanders who took part in the Mavi Marmara attack after an investigation by Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The trial will continue for three days, and it will be closely followed by human rights observers from Turkey and abroad, media members, jurists and representatives of non-governmental organizations.
The suspects in the trial include
--former Israeli Defense Forces Chief of General Staff Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi,
--Naval Forces commander Vice Adm. Eliezer Marom,
--Israel's military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin and
--Air Forces Intelligence head Brig. Gen. Avishai Levi.
The first hearing of the Mavi Marmara trial will begin at Çaglayan Courthouse at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 6 and it will continue for three days with breaks. The Criminal Court in Istanbul is considered the largest Turkish court in criminal matters.
Flotilla passengers from Turkey and other parts of the world, relatives of the Mavi Marmara martyrs and their lawyers will be attending the trial, in addition to Arab communities in Istanbul, and Hikma association that is concerned with the affairs of Arab communities, PIC reporter stated.
The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) defined the case against four Israeli military officials as the largest international case in which representatives from 37 countries had been attacked.
The Mavi Marmara case is the common case of the human family which has diverse religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds just like the colorful group that met onboard the Mavi Marmara, IHH added.
Judicial efforts have been made concerning the Israeli attack at the national level, IHH explained, adding that 40 countries in the United Nations Human Rights Council condemned the Israeli attack and found out after an investigation that Israel violated human rights and international law by committing the crimes of
--willful killing;
--torture or inhumane treatment;
--willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, arbitrary detention and arrest.
The report, approved by the UN Human Rights Council, confirmed that the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip is illegal, and that attempts to break the siege are legitimate.
The case was filed at the Istanbul 7th High Criminal Court on May 28, 2012 against Israeli commanders who took part in the Mavi Marmara attack after an investigation by Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The trial will continue for three days, and it will be closely followed by human rights observers from Turkey and abroad, media members, jurists and representatives of non-governmental organizations.
The suspects in the trial include
--former Israeli Defense Forces Chief of General Staff Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi,
--Naval Forces commander Vice Adm. Eliezer Marom,
--Israel's military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin and
--Air Forces Intelligence head Brig. Gen. Avishai Levi.
5 nov 2012
Turkey tries Israeli military over flotilla killings
Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi will be tried in absentia for the killing of nine Turks on a Gaza-bound aid ship
By Jonathon Burch
ANKARA (Reuters) -- Turkey puts four former Israeli military commanders, including the head of the army, on trial in absentia this week for the 2010 killing of nine Turks on a Gaza-bound aid ship.
The trial, which begins in Istanbul on Tuesday, will further test relations between the one-time strategic allies and has been dismissed by Israel as a "show trial" and "political theater".
Relations between Israel and what was once its only Muslim ally, crumbled after Israeli marines stormed the Mavi Marmara aid ship in May 2010 to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and killed nine Turkish activists on board.
The rift has continued despite US efforts to encourage a rapprochement between the two regional powers whose cooperation it needs to address changes sweeping the Middle East.
Israel and NATO member Turkey, which both border Syria, once shared intelligence information and conducted joint military exercises, cooperation which has since been cancelled.
A Turkish state prosecutor is seek multiple life sentences for the now retired Israeli officers over their involvement in the nine killings and the wounding of more than 50 others.
The indictment names Israel's former Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former Navy Commander Eliezer Marom, former Air Force Commander Amos Yadlin and former head of Air Force intelligence Avishay Levi, seeking prison sentences of more than 18,000 years for each of them.
Among the charges listed in the 144-page indictment are "inciting murder through cruelty or torture" and "inciting injury with firearms".
A total of 490 people aboard the ship during the raid, including activists and journalists, are expected to give evidence. Normally barred from courtrooms, the trial will be officially recorded by television cameras, although proceedings are not expected to be broadcast.
"The 'Blue Marmara Trial' due to commence on November 6th in Istanbul, clearly falls under the category of a Show Trial; an act which has nothing to do with either law or justice," Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"This "Trial" does not qualify under any facet or foundation of a lawful judicial system, and is merely a propaganda display. It would be in Turkey's interest to deal with this issue through bilateral dialogue," it said.
A Turkish foreign ministry official declined comment, saying the incident was now a matter for the judiciary.
By Jonathon Burch
ANKARA (Reuters) -- Turkey puts four former Israeli military commanders, including the head of the army, on trial in absentia this week for the 2010 killing of nine Turks on a Gaza-bound aid ship.
The trial, which begins in Istanbul on Tuesday, will further test relations between the one-time strategic allies and has been dismissed by Israel as a "show trial" and "political theater".
Relations between Israel and what was once its only Muslim ally, crumbled after Israeli marines stormed the Mavi Marmara aid ship in May 2010 to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and killed nine Turkish activists on board.
The rift has continued despite US efforts to encourage a rapprochement between the two regional powers whose cooperation it needs to address changes sweeping the Middle East.
Israel and NATO member Turkey, which both border Syria, once shared intelligence information and conducted joint military exercises, cooperation which has since been cancelled.
A Turkish state prosecutor is seek multiple life sentences for the now retired Israeli officers over their involvement in the nine killings and the wounding of more than 50 others.
The indictment names Israel's former Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former Navy Commander Eliezer Marom, former Air Force Commander Amos Yadlin and former head of Air Force intelligence Avishay Levi, seeking prison sentences of more than 18,000 years for each of them.
Among the charges listed in the 144-page indictment are "inciting murder through cruelty or torture" and "inciting injury with firearms".
A total of 490 people aboard the ship during the raid, including activists and journalists, are expected to give evidence. Normally barred from courtrooms, the trial will be officially recorded by television cameras, although proceedings are not expected to be broadcast.
"The 'Blue Marmara Trial' due to commence on November 6th in Istanbul, clearly falls under the category of a Show Trial; an act which has nothing to do with either law or justice," Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"This "Trial" does not qualify under any facet or foundation of a lawful judicial system, and is merely a propaganda display. It would be in Turkey's interest to deal with this issue through bilateral dialogue," it said.
A Turkish foreign ministry official declined comment, saying the incident was now a matter for the judiciary.
|
Regret
Ties between the two states began to unravel even before the Mavi Marmara raid after Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan stormed off a stage he was sharing with Shimon Peres at a World Economic Forum in 2009, saying the Israeli President knew "how to kill", a reference to the December 2008-January 2009 Gaza offensive. But relations hit a new low when Turkey expelled Israel's ambassador and froze military cooperation after a UN report into the Mavi Marmara incident released in September last year largely exonerated Israel. |
That report was meant to encourage a rapprochement between the two countries but ultimately deepened the rift when it concluded Israel had used unreasonable force but that the blockade on Gaza was legal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in July Israel and Turkey needed to repair their relationship, but attempts to rekindle the strategic relationship have failed.
Turkey has demanded a formal apology, compensation for victims and the families of the dead and for the Gaza blockade to be lifted.
Israel has voiced "regret", short of the full apology demanded, and has offered to pay into what it called a "humanitarian fund" through which casualties and relatives could be compensated.
IHH, the Turkish Islamic humanitarian agency which owns the Mavi Marmara, has said it expects the Turkish court to issue arrest warrants for the retired officers who would be obliged to be extradited to Turkey, a claim dismissed by Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in July Israel and Turkey needed to repair their relationship, but attempts to rekindle the strategic relationship have failed.
Turkey has demanded a formal apology, compensation for victims and the families of the dead and for the Gaza blockade to be lifted.
Israel has voiced "regret", short of the full apology demanded, and has offered to pay into what it called a "humanitarian fund" through which casualties and relatives could be compensated.
IHH, the Turkish Islamic humanitarian agency which owns the Mavi Marmara, has said it expects the Turkish court to issue arrest warrants for the retired officers who would be obliged to be extradited to Turkey, a claim dismissed by Israel.
7 oct 2012
Turkish families of Mavi Marmara victims sue Israel
ISTANBUL, (PIC)-- The families of nine Turkish citizens who were killed in an Israeli commando attack on the aid ship Mavi Marmara in 2010 have filed lawsuits with a civil court in their country demanding Israel to compensate them for their losses.
According to a Hebrew radio station, a Turkish lawyer told the Anatolia news agency that 33 relatives of the slain victims filed legal complaints to receive compensations for the psychological and material damages they have suffered following the incident.
In this regard, a court hearing will be held next month in absentia against four former Israeli military officials accused by the Turkish prosecutor of being directly responsible for the deadly attack on the ship Mavi Marmara in international waters.
Meanwhile, the Jordanian aid convoy "Ansar 3" left Amman Saturday morning on its way to the besieged Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian and medical aid.
A number of unionists, politicians, journalists and national figures in addition to 10 women are members of this convoy which is aimed at helping Gaza people with vital medical needs worth about $700, 000 and supporting some 30 small and medium civilian projects.
The projects include different types of business activities such as a foundry, a carpentry store and a fishing boat.
These businesses were previously studied and approved by the organizers of the aid campaign and the names of those who had applied for these projects will be announced later after the convoy arrives in Gaza.
The Egyptian authorities, for their part, officially agreed on allowing the convoy and its members to use its territory to cross into Gaza.
According to a Hebrew radio station, a Turkish lawyer told the Anatolia news agency that 33 relatives of the slain victims filed legal complaints to receive compensations for the psychological and material damages they have suffered following the incident.
In this regard, a court hearing will be held next month in absentia against four former Israeli military officials accused by the Turkish prosecutor of being directly responsible for the deadly attack on the ship Mavi Marmara in international waters.
Meanwhile, the Jordanian aid convoy "Ansar 3" left Amman Saturday morning on its way to the besieged Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian and medical aid.
A number of unionists, politicians, journalists and national figures in addition to 10 women are members of this convoy which is aimed at helping Gaza people with vital medical needs worth about $700, 000 and supporting some 30 small and medium civilian projects.
The projects include different types of business activities such as a foundry, a carpentry store and a fishing boat.
These businesses were previously studied and approved by the organizers of the aid campaign and the names of those who had applied for these projects will be announced later after the convoy arrives in Gaza.
The Egyptian authorities, for their part, officially agreed on allowing the convoy and its members to use its territory to cross into Gaza.
18 sept 2012
Erdogan renews his rejection to restore relations with Israel
ISTANBUL, (PIC)-- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed his rejection to restore his country's relations with the Zionist entity, refusing mediation by a U.S. businessman in this regard.
Turkish newspaper "al-Shafak al-Jadid" reported that Erdogan met, in the capital Ankara, Ronald Lauder, a Jewish-American businessman who offered "to defuse the crisis between Turkey and the Zionist entity."
The paper stated that Erdogan said Turkey had three conditions for restoring ties with Israel, namely, that it apologizes for the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid that killed nine Turkish activists, pays compensation to the families of the victims and lifts the blockade on Gaza.
“They sent the richest Jewish man in the world [to us] a couple of months ago. What was the reason? He was supposed to be intercessor,” said Erdogan, stressing that simply apologizing is not enough for normalization with Israel.
The Turkish Prime Minister noted that Israeli occupation is currently feeling isolated. He stated that he had emphasized on the three conditions while speaking to leaders of America, Russia and United Kingdom, who tried to mediate to resolve the issue, mentioning that the former Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi was the first to intervene in this regard.
Turkish newspaper "al-Shafak al-Jadid" reported that Erdogan met, in the capital Ankara, Ronald Lauder, a Jewish-American businessman who offered "to defuse the crisis between Turkey and the Zionist entity."
The paper stated that Erdogan said Turkey had three conditions for restoring ties with Israel, namely, that it apologizes for the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid that killed nine Turkish activists, pays compensation to the families of the victims and lifts the blockade on Gaza.
“They sent the richest Jewish man in the world [to us] a couple of months ago. What was the reason? He was supposed to be intercessor,” said Erdogan, stressing that simply apologizing is not enough for normalization with Israel.
The Turkish Prime Minister noted that Israeli occupation is currently feeling isolated. He stated that he had emphasized on the three conditions while speaking to leaders of America, Russia and United Kingdom, who tried to mediate to resolve the issue, mentioning that the former Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi was the first to intervene in this regard.
15 sept 2012
Israeli PM calls for revival of ties with Turkey
Click to enlarge
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a stab at mending strained relations with Turkey by saying that the duo are fighting for the same objective in Syria.
“We both have a border with Syria, and I am sure we both want to see a stable and peaceful Syria,” Netanyahu said of Ankara in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Friday.
Netanyahu’s attempt at reconciliation with Turkey comes more than two years after an Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in which nine Turkish activists were killed, prompting the Turkish government to cut all diplomatic relations with its former ally.
“There are other common interests that come to mind. I think it is in our common interest to find a way to be able to stop, to arrest, the slide in our relationship and resume a fruitful dialogue,” the Israeli premier added.
Turkey has demanded an official apology from the Israeli regime for the deadly attack on the flotilla, compensation to the families of the victims and an end to the blockade of Gaza as preconditions for the normalization of the mutual relations, demands that Tel Aviv has so far refused to fulfill.
However, as dramatic changes continue to sweep the Arab world and people in the Middle East region can express their anti-Israeli and anti-American sentiments freely in the absence of autocratic regimes closely aligned with Washington and Tel Aviv, Netanyahu is clutching at straws to avert further isolation of his regime in a region that is being homogenized more than ever.
Even the Israeli public has come to this understanding that rekindling the friendship with Turkey can salvage their standing in the region.
A recent poll conducted by The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies indicates that 54 percent of Israelis would back the idea of fixing ties with Turkey as well as an apology from Tel Aviv for the killing of the nine Turkish activists in the 2010 attack.
This comes as the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Western powers-allies of the Israeli regime-have joined hands to bring about the downfall of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by providing the insurgents in the Arab country with weapons and communications equipment to escalate the crisis in Syria and block any chances of dialogue between the Syrian government and opposition groups.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a stab at mending strained relations with Turkey by saying that the duo are fighting for the same objective in Syria.
“We both have a border with Syria, and I am sure we both want to see a stable and peaceful Syria,” Netanyahu said of Ankara in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Friday.
Netanyahu’s attempt at reconciliation with Turkey comes more than two years after an Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in which nine Turkish activists were killed, prompting the Turkish government to cut all diplomatic relations with its former ally.
“There are other common interests that come to mind. I think it is in our common interest to find a way to be able to stop, to arrest, the slide in our relationship and resume a fruitful dialogue,” the Israeli premier added.
Turkey has demanded an official apology from the Israeli regime for the deadly attack on the flotilla, compensation to the families of the victims and an end to the blockade of Gaza as preconditions for the normalization of the mutual relations, demands that Tel Aviv has so far refused to fulfill.
However, as dramatic changes continue to sweep the Arab world and people in the Middle East region can express their anti-Israeli and anti-American sentiments freely in the absence of autocratic regimes closely aligned with Washington and Tel Aviv, Netanyahu is clutching at straws to avert further isolation of his regime in a region that is being homogenized more than ever.
Even the Israeli public has come to this understanding that rekindling the friendship with Turkey can salvage their standing in the region.
A recent poll conducted by The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies indicates that 54 percent of Israelis would back the idea of fixing ties with Turkey as well as an apology from Tel Aviv for the killing of the nine Turkish activists in the 2010 attack.
This comes as the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Western powers-allies of the Israeli regime-have joined hands to bring about the downfall of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by providing the insurgents in the Arab country with weapons and communications equipment to escalate the crisis in Syria and block any chances of dialogue between the Syrian government and opposition groups.
13 sept 2012
Turkey reiterates terms for ending Israeli rift
KIEV (Reuters) -- Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday anyone wishing to mediate an end to a two-year rift between Turkey and Israel should not waste their time unless they could guarantee all of Ankara's demands would be met.
Turkish and Israeli media have said the United States is trying to mediate an end to the dispute but Israeli and Turkish officials have not commented on the reports.
Relations between the Muslim NATO power and Israel fell apart in May 2010 after Israeli commandos raided a Turkish aid ship to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and killed nine Turks in clashes with activists on board.
Relations between the two countries, both vital allies of Washington in an unstable region, have been deadlocked since.
Turkey says for ties to be normalized Israel must apologize, pay compensation to the families of the dead and lift the Gaza blockade. Israel, which denies wrongdoing, has offered statements of regret, rather than contrition.
"Our response to those who have called us to talk about Israel has been clear. As long as Israel fails to meet any of these conditions, normalization is not possible," Erdogan told reporters during a visit to the Ukrainian capital.
"If there is a mediator who can guarantee, ensure all three of these, we will say 'yes'. Otherwise, mediators should not waste their time," he said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said last week he was open to issuing an "expression of regret on the killing of innocents", similar to a statement from the United States after it mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani troops last November.
Turkish officials have made no direct comment on Lieberman's remarks but Erdogan's comments on Thursday suggested Ankara would not accept such a statement, which Lieberman said would not amount to an apology.
Turkish and Israeli media have said the United States is trying to mediate an end to the dispute but Israeli and Turkish officials have not commented on the reports.
Relations between the Muslim NATO power and Israel fell apart in May 2010 after Israeli commandos raided a Turkish aid ship to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and killed nine Turks in clashes with activists on board.
Relations between the two countries, both vital allies of Washington in an unstable region, have been deadlocked since.
Turkey says for ties to be normalized Israel must apologize, pay compensation to the families of the dead and lift the Gaza blockade. Israel, which denies wrongdoing, has offered statements of regret, rather than contrition.
"Our response to those who have called us to talk about Israel has been clear. As long as Israel fails to meet any of these conditions, normalization is not possible," Erdogan told reporters during a visit to the Ukrainian capital.
"If there is a mediator who can guarantee, ensure all three of these, we will say 'yes'. Otherwise, mediators should not waste their time," he said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said last week he was open to issuing an "expression of regret on the killing of innocents", similar to a statement from the United States after it mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani troops last November.
Turkish officials have made no direct comment on Lieberman's remarks but Erdogan's comments on Thursday suggested Ankara would not accept such a statement, which Lieberman said would not amount to an apology.
17 july 2012
Obama is being targeted by the US Israel lobby
Following Turkish ship "Mavi Marmara" events Presidential candidate Barack Obama is being targeted by the US Israel lobby to guarantee its support next election.
AIPAC, The US Pro-Israel Lobby, called on president Obama to pressure the government of Turkey to cancel the 28 May 2012 indictment of four senior Israeli military commanders as a condition to support his next re-election campaign.
According to Turkish press, the Jewish organization stipulated on US president Obama in exchange for his support in the presidential election to exercise pressure on Ankara to withdraw prosecution charges against four senior Israeli military commanders, who have been charged in a Turkish court in connection with the killing of nine Turkish citizens in 2010 on broad the Mavi Marmara, one of the ships of the Freedom Flotilla.
Warrants have been issued for the arrest of former Israeli military chief of staff, Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi, the former head of military intelligence, Major General Amos Yadlin, head of the navy, Vice Admiral Eliezer Marom, and head of the air force, Brigadier General Avishai Lev.
The Turkish judicial authorities have formally pressed charges against four senior Israeli military commanders according to the testimony of 600 people, including relatives of the victims and over 490 activists on the six boats.
The UN Palmer report has found that Israeli had used “excessive and unreasonable” force to stop the Turkish ship, however it considered the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza as legitimate. The report has created a serious diplomatic crisis between Ankara and Tel Aviv.
It is noted that Israel has not prosecuted anyone who killed those on board the Mavi Marmara.
AIPAC, The US Pro-Israel Lobby, called on president Obama to pressure the government of Turkey to cancel the 28 May 2012 indictment of four senior Israeli military commanders as a condition to support his next re-election campaign.
According to Turkish press, the Jewish organization stipulated on US president Obama in exchange for his support in the presidential election to exercise pressure on Ankara to withdraw prosecution charges against four senior Israeli military commanders, who have been charged in a Turkish court in connection with the killing of nine Turkish citizens in 2010 on broad the Mavi Marmara, one of the ships of the Freedom Flotilla.
Warrants have been issued for the arrest of former Israeli military chief of staff, Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi, the former head of military intelligence, Major General Amos Yadlin, head of the navy, Vice Admiral Eliezer Marom, and head of the air force, Brigadier General Avishai Lev.
The Turkish judicial authorities have formally pressed charges against four senior Israeli military commanders according to the testimony of 600 people, including relatives of the victims and over 490 activists on the six boats.
The UN Palmer report has found that Israeli had used “excessive and unreasonable” force to stop the Turkish ship, however it considered the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza as legitimate. The report has created a serious diplomatic crisis between Ankara and Tel Aviv.
It is noted that Israel has not prosecuted anyone who killed those on board the Mavi Marmara.
1 july 2012
Haneyya to Turkish delegation: Marmara massacre changed the siege conditions
Gaza premier Ismail Haneyya has said that the blood of martyrs aboard the Turkish Marmara aid ship had changed the conditions of the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.
He said during a reception of a Turkish delegation on Sunday that the Israeli attack on Marmara and the Turkish nationals who fell as a result led to positive changes in the siege saga.
Haneyya praised the Turkish positions toward the Palestine cause especially in recent years and lauded Turkish premier Recep Erdogan for his “great stands” toward the Palestinian people in various platforms.
The premier hailed the Turkish aid in the field of education in Gaza, pointing to the building of a teaching hospital affiliated with the Islamic University in Gaza.
For his part, the head of the Turkish delegation the deputy chairman of the Turkish council for higher education said that his country would always remain supportive of the Palestinian people.
He said during a reception of a Turkish delegation on Sunday that the Israeli attack on Marmara and the Turkish nationals who fell as a result led to positive changes in the siege saga.
Haneyya praised the Turkish positions toward the Palestine cause especially in recent years and lauded Turkish premier Recep Erdogan for his “great stands” toward the Palestinian people in various platforms.
The premier hailed the Turkish aid in the field of education in Gaza, pointing to the building of a teaching hospital affiliated with the Islamic University in Gaza.
For his part, the head of the Turkish delegation the deputy chairman of the Turkish council for higher education said that his country would always remain supportive of the Palestinian people.
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A recent report on the 2010 deadly attack by Israeli forces on a Gaza-bound flotilla found “substantive and significant shortcomings” in Tel Aviv’s handling of the assault.
The latest inquiry by an Israeli watchdog highlights the poor assessment made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who oversaw the onslaught at the time. Netanyahu failed to “internalize that the forcible stopping of the flotilla was liable to spark a violent confrontation on the decks of the Mavi Marmara,” the report added, referring to the Turkish ship where the nine deaths occurred. The findings come in contrast with the stance adopted by Israel’s hawkish premier, who defended his handling of the affair and praised the performance of his troops. Press TV has conducted an interview with Dr. Paul Larudee, co-founder of Free Palestine Movement, to further discuss the issue. The following is a rough transcription of the interview. |
Press TV: Netanyahu stood by his actions on the day the flotilla was attacked. Even now his office’s response to the Israel report is that the Israeli’s appreciate their prime minister keeping them safe. How do you think this will play out in Israelis’ minds, that Netanyahu ignored his own official sentiments, went at it alone, all supposedly for their safety?
Larudee: I’m not entirely certain that you have the right person to be speaking about the Israeli mind. However, my interpretation of the report is that the Israeli state controller is criticizing Netanyahu for not following the proper procedure. It’s not about ethnic cleansing or murder or an attack on a humanitarian flotilla or about denying the people of Gaza their rights to access to the sea and to humanitarian supplies. It’s not about any of that.
It’s about following proper procedure. They just want to make sure that when ethnic cleansing is performed, and murder, that they abide by the procedure for such things.
Press TV: Turkey has said that even with the publication of this report that an apology is still necessary for relations to normalize. With so many voice both internal and external criticizing Israel’s actions, should we expect a change of heart maybe on the part of the Israeli leadership?
Larudee: Maybe not a change of heart but maybe a change of mind because if it’s in their…to do business with Turkey, and if it’s in their mutual interests, then I’m sure that it will happen, but I don’t think that indicates a change of heart. It’s merely a change of strategy or change of mind.
Press TV: Looking at the Israeli strategy through all these years, it’s always been a strategy of violence. Do you believe that at some point the Israeli leadership will realize that this strategy of violence simply does not work?
Larudee: Until now I have to say that from their viewpoint it actually does work. Now the criticism that had taken place within Israel and is not limited just to the controller’s report has been largely on the basis that, ‘well, we want to be criminal but we don’t want to look criminals and, therefore, please, when you perform your criminal act, do it in such a way that we can find a way to justify it.’
In the West, this is known as putting lipstick on a pig. A pig is a disgusting animal and putting lipstick on it is not going to fool anyone.
Groups like the … [Israeli] institute [preparing the report] have, as I said shortly after the attack in an article that was published on Counterpunch, I said this institute is asking the Israeli government, ‘please, please give us the opportunity to perform cosmetic surgery on this pig so that people won’t recognize that it’s a disgusting animal quite so soon’.
Larudee: I’m not entirely certain that you have the right person to be speaking about the Israeli mind. However, my interpretation of the report is that the Israeli state controller is criticizing Netanyahu for not following the proper procedure. It’s not about ethnic cleansing or murder or an attack on a humanitarian flotilla or about denying the people of Gaza their rights to access to the sea and to humanitarian supplies. It’s not about any of that.
It’s about following proper procedure. They just want to make sure that when ethnic cleansing is performed, and murder, that they abide by the procedure for such things.
Press TV: Turkey has said that even with the publication of this report that an apology is still necessary for relations to normalize. With so many voice both internal and external criticizing Israel’s actions, should we expect a change of heart maybe on the part of the Israeli leadership?
Larudee: Maybe not a change of heart but maybe a change of mind because if it’s in their…to do business with Turkey, and if it’s in their mutual interests, then I’m sure that it will happen, but I don’t think that indicates a change of heart. It’s merely a change of strategy or change of mind.
Press TV: Looking at the Israeli strategy through all these years, it’s always been a strategy of violence. Do you believe that at some point the Israeli leadership will realize that this strategy of violence simply does not work?
Larudee: Until now I have to say that from their viewpoint it actually does work. Now the criticism that had taken place within Israel and is not limited just to the controller’s report has been largely on the basis that, ‘well, we want to be criminal but we don’t want to look criminals and, therefore, please, when you perform your criminal act, do it in such a way that we can find a way to justify it.’
In the West, this is known as putting lipstick on a pig. A pig is a disgusting animal and putting lipstick on it is not going to fool anyone.
Groups like the … [Israeli] institute [preparing the report] have, as I said shortly after the attack in an article that was published on Counterpunch, I said this institute is asking the Israeli government, ‘please, please give us the opportunity to perform cosmetic surgery on this pig so that people won’t recognize that it’s a disgusting animal quite so soon’.
Begin: We made mistakes with flotilla
Begin with national security adviser Yaakov Amidror on Thursday
Likud minister says that in retrospect, it's obvious that government made mistakes in planning for Gaza-bound flotilla in 2010.
Minister Benny Begin on Thursday dismissed the state comptroller's criticism of the government's handling of the 2010 flotilla raid, branding the censuring report as "wisdom of the hindsight."
In retrospect, he conceded, it's easy to point out mistakes made in dealing with the incident.
The Knesset's State Control Committee convened Thursday to discuss State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss' report – a first step on the lengthy road towards putting the proffered conclusions into action.
Lindenstrauss claimed in his review of the government's decision-making process before and during the deadly flotilla incident that Israel's leaders, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, did not follow protocol and did not hold orderly discussions of the ideal strategy for dealing with the development.
During Thursday's session, Minister Begin expressed surprise at Lindenstrauss' assertion that Netanyahu failed to convene the appropriate ministers to discuss strategy.
"The prime minister held 300 sessions on security and foreign affairs," he said. "He holds three meetings a week on average… during which intelligence and National Security Council officials have the opportunity to voice their opinions."
The Turkish flotilla, aiming to break the Israeli maritime blockade on Gaza, neared the Strip's shores on May 31, 2010. When the IDF's repeated calls to halt went unheeded by the Mavi Marmara and the five other vessels in the fleet, Navy commandos descended onto the ship from a helicopter.
Met with violent resistance by its passengers, the commandos killed nine men.
Begin confirmed that the leaders were aware beforehand that the troops could be confronted with violence if they raided the approaching ships. Recalling one meeting held prior to the raid, Begin quoted then-IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi as voicing concern that force might have to be used to take over the flotilla vessels.
"We took into account that they might have a gun or something," Begin said, referring to the ships' passengers. "The IDF chief said... 'It should be clear that some people could get beaten up… there might be someone there with a knife or a signal pistol.'"
Likud minister says that in retrospect, it's obvious that government made mistakes in planning for Gaza-bound flotilla in 2010.
Minister Benny Begin on Thursday dismissed the state comptroller's criticism of the government's handling of the 2010 flotilla raid, branding the censuring report as "wisdom of the hindsight."
In retrospect, he conceded, it's easy to point out mistakes made in dealing with the incident.
The Knesset's State Control Committee convened Thursday to discuss State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss' report – a first step on the lengthy road towards putting the proffered conclusions into action.
Lindenstrauss claimed in his review of the government's decision-making process before and during the deadly flotilla incident that Israel's leaders, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, did not follow protocol and did not hold orderly discussions of the ideal strategy for dealing with the development.
During Thursday's session, Minister Begin expressed surprise at Lindenstrauss' assertion that Netanyahu failed to convene the appropriate ministers to discuss strategy.
"The prime minister held 300 sessions on security and foreign affairs," he said. "He holds three meetings a week on average… during which intelligence and National Security Council officials have the opportunity to voice their opinions."
The Turkish flotilla, aiming to break the Israeli maritime blockade on Gaza, neared the Strip's shores on May 31, 2010. When the IDF's repeated calls to halt went unheeded by the Mavi Marmara and the five other vessels in the fleet, Navy commandos descended onto the ship from a helicopter.
Met with violent resistance by its passengers, the commandos killed nine men.
Begin confirmed that the leaders were aware beforehand that the troops could be confronted with violence if they raided the approaching ships. Recalling one meeting held prior to the raid, Begin quoted then-IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi as voicing concern that force might have to be used to take over the flotilla vessels.
"We took into account that they might have a gun or something," Begin said, referring to the ships' passengers. "The IDF chief said... 'It should be clear that some people could get beaten up… there might be someone there with a knife or a signal pistol.'"
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'Leaders not immune to mistakes'
Begin claimed that while Lindenstrauss' report raised important questions for future incidents, even the most orderly government conduct does not make the decision-makers immune to mistakes. "I've learned from my father that wisdom in hindsight is still wisdom, but it should be qualified as such," he said. "After all, it's obvious that we made mistakes in planning the operation… I don't think that we should draw conclusions from the report about the government's conduct in general. "If we had anticipated the resistance on the part of the passengers, we would have prepared differently. The operational orders would have been different," he added. In his report, Lindenstrauss also slammed the government for mishandling the public diplomacy that touched upon the flotilla raid. Officials from the State Comptroller's Office claimed during Thursday's session that the failures listed in the report were pointed out years ago, but went unaddressed. |
"The Defense Ministry's management of the hasbara issue was not done in an institutionalized or systematic manner," one official, Shlomo Kotik, said. "There is a growing gap between the resources invested in diplomacy and the need for them – especially considering the resources invested by the opponent."
The report stated that the public diplomacy bureau in the Prime Minister's Office did not distinguish between Israel's domestic messages and those directed to the international community. This, the report stated, was manifested in negative coverage overseas, largely due to the severe delay in response.
The report stated that the public diplomacy bureau in the Prime Minister's Office did not distinguish between Israel's domestic messages and those directed to the international community. This, the report stated, was manifested in negative coverage overseas, largely due to the severe delay in response.
Haneyya calls for trying Israeli officials for Mavi Marmara massacre
A banner shows the pictures of the nine activists killed by Israeli forces on the Turkish-flagged vessel Mavi Marmara while it was heading toward the Gaza strip in international waters in May 2010.
GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya called on the international community to bring Israeli war criminals to justice following the new Israeli report on the deadly attack on Mavi Marmara ship.
This report, issued by the Israeli state comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, stated that the decision-making process that was led by premier Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the military operation against the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara in 2010 were wrong and inadequate.
Lindenstrauss held Netanyahu and his war minister Ehud Barak responsible for what happened and acquitted the army chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
In a press statement to a group of journalists during the opening of new sections in the European hospital in Gaza on Wednesday, Haneyya said this Israeli report is clear evidence that what happened to the Turkish activists was a crime against humanity.
On the same day, premier Haneyya also gave a speech at the graduation ceremony of the first batch of Palestinian police officers who obtained a bachelor's degree from Gaza police academy.
The premier in his speech affirmed that his government would never allow the return of security chaos to the Gaza Strip.
He stressed that his government, since its emergence, has successfully worked on building a new national security institution defending and protecting the Palestinian individual and the resistance, and not recognizing any form of cooperation with the Israeli occupation.
Israel committed 'crime against humanity' in 2010 fatal raid: Hamas
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh says a recent report on the 2010 deadly attack by Israeli forces on a Gaza-bound flotilla proves the act was a “crime against humanity.”
“This report proves that what the world said regarding what happened on the [Mavi] Marmara ship is a crime against humanity and a piracy of the Israeli occupation,” Haniyeh told reporters on Wednesday.
An inquiry of the attack published in a report on June 13 found “substantive and significant shortcomings” in the Israeli leadership’s handling of the 2010 assault.
On May 31, 2010, Israeli navy commandos attacked the Gaza Freedom Flotilla from dinghies and helicopters while the six-ship fleet, aimed to break Tel Aviv’s years-long siege of the Gaza strip, was still in international waters.
Nine Turkish nationals were killed in the attack, which drew condemnation from the UN Security Council and mounted pressure on Israel to slightly ease its blockade of the Palestinian territory.
But the latest inquiry by an Israeli watchdog highlights the poor assessment made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who oversaw the onslaught at the time.
“Substantive and significant deficiencies were discovered in the decision-making process… that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led and oversaw,” Israeli Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss wrote in the 153-page report.
“The prime minister’s decision-making process took place without orderly, coordinated and documented team work, even though the senior political, military and intelligence ranks were aware that the Turkish flotilla was different from other flotillas,” it said.
Netanyahu failed to “internalize that the forcible stopping of the flotilla was liable to spark a violent confrontation on the decks of the Mavi Marmara,” the report added, referring to the Turkish ship where the nine deaths occurred.
The findings come in contrast with the stance adopted by Israel’s hawkish premier, who defended his handling of the affair and praised the performance of his troops.
Israel has experienced a serious strain in ties with Turkey since the bloody offensive in 2010. Tel Aviv has refused to meet Ankara’s demands for a formal apology and compensation for the families of the victims.
GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya called on the international community to bring Israeli war criminals to justice following the new Israeli report on the deadly attack on Mavi Marmara ship.
This report, issued by the Israeli state comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, stated that the decision-making process that was led by premier Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the military operation against the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara in 2010 were wrong and inadequate.
Lindenstrauss held Netanyahu and his war minister Ehud Barak responsible for what happened and acquitted the army chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
In a press statement to a group of journalists during the opening of new sections in the European hospital in Gaza on Wednesday, Haneyya said this Israeli report is clear evidence that what happened to the Turkish activists was a crime against humanity.
On the same day, premier Haneyya also gave a speech at the graduation ceremony of the first batch of Palestinian police officers who obtained a bachelor's degree from Gaza police academy.
The premier in his speech affirmed that his government would never allow the return of security chaos to the Gaza Strip.
He stressed that his government, since its emergence, has successfully worked on building a new national security institution defending and protecting the Palestinian individual and the resistance, and not recognizing any form of cooperation with the Israeli occupation.
Israel committed 'crime against humanity' in 2010 fatal raid: Hamas
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh says a recent report on the 2010 deadly attack by Israeli forces on a Gaza-bound flotilla proves the act was a “crime against humanity.”
“This report proves that what the world said regarding what happened on the [Mavi] Marmara ship is a crime against humanity and a piracy of the Israeli occupation,” Haniyeh told reporters on Wednesday.
An inquiry of the attack published in a report on June 13 found “substantive and significant shortcomings” in the Israeli leadership’s handling of the 2010 assault.
On May 31, 2010, Israeli navy commandos attacked the Gaza Freedom Flotilla from dinghies and helicopters while the six-ship fleet, aimed to break Tel Aviv’s years-long siege of the Gaza strip, was still in international waters.
Nine Turkish nationals were killed in the attack, which drew condemnation from the UN Security Council and mounted pressure on Israel to slightly ease its blockade of the Palestinian territory.
But the latest inquiry by an Israeli watchdog highlights the poor assessment made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who oversaw the onslaught at the time.
“Substantive and significant deficiencies were discovered in the decision-making process… that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led and oversaw,” Israeli Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss wrote in the 153-page report.
“The prime minister’s decision-making process took place without orderly, coordinated and documented team work, even though the senior political, military and intelligence ranks were aware that the Turkish flotilla was different from other flotillas,” it said.
Netanyahu failed to “internalize that the forcible stopping of the flotilla was liable to spark a violent confrontation on the decks of the Mavi Marmara,” the report added, referring to the Turkish ship where the nine deaths occurred.
The findings come in contrast with the stance adopted by Israel’s hawkish premier, who defended his handling of the affair and praised the performance of his troops.
Israel has experienced a serious strain in ties with Turkey since the bloody offensive in 2010. Tel Aviv has refused to meet Ankara’s demands for a formal apology and compensation for the families of the victims.
Israelis, be concerned
Op-ed: Comptroller’s damning report on flotilla raid highlights Israel’s flawed decision-making model.
It is very possible that in the coming months, Israel’s top brass will have to decide whether to strike Iran’s nuclear sites or avoid such operation for the time being. It is also possible that in the near future, the leadership in Jerusalem will have to make another strategic decision: Whether to launch military operations in Syria or in Lebanon (or in both, simultaneously,) in order to thwart the possibility that the Assad regime’s chemical and biological arsenal, as well as advanced missile systems, will fall into irresponsible hands: Hezbollah, or Sunni terror groups that are already active in Syria in the framework of what is known as “the opposition.”
Will Israel order the IDF to launch a pre-emptive strike in Syria in order to prevent such scenarios from materializing? Or will it decided to address the problem in cooperation with the United States and members of NATO, including Turkey? In any case, both the Iranian and Syrian decisions are ones that may draw Israel into an ongoing conflict, and possibly ignite an all-out war.
This is precisely the reason why every citizen should be reading, with great attention and concern, the state comptroller’s report on the decision-making process involved in the Turkish flotilla raid, and on the functioning of Israel’s National Security Agency (NSA.) These two issues are inseparable, and addressing them together demonstrates that the damage suffered by Israel and its global stature in the Marmara affair stemmed mostly from flawed decision-making processes, and from the fact that the defense establishment maintains a monopoly on information and operational proposals.
‘It’s not the system, stupid’
The comptroller did not make do with pointing to the flaws he exposed in the flotilla affair and the NSA’s work in general. He also offered an explicit warning about the future. “Overall, an optimal decision-making process is lacking among the State of Israel’s top brass in respect to vital issues that are usually hidden from the public eye.” These are explicit words that contradict the reassuring messages issued by Defense Minister Ehud Barak on the possibility of an Iran strike. Barak claims that decisions on this front should be taken far away from the public eye, but says that they are being made responsibly through orderly, multi-participant processes.
The comptroller also undermined the criticism of Israel’s system of government. It’s as though the report cries out: “It’s not the system, stupid, but rather, the leaders and the manner in which they make decisions.”
In 2008, the Knesset passed the NSA Law, which set explicit rules whereby the NSA will determine the agenda for government and cabinet meetings on major security and diplomatic issues. The NSA is also tasked with presenting ministers operational alternatives, among other things. The aim was to put an end to a phenomenon that proved painfully harmful in the Second Lebanon War, whereby decisions made by our leaders on almost every major and strategic issue are a “captive” to the defense establishment.
Even before the NSA Law was legislated, the Knesset asserted through a Basic Law that the Cabinet is the limited body authorized by the government to make strategic decisions under circumstances that prevent the issues from being presented to the entire government. Moreover, the prime minister must convene the security cabinet every two weeks.
Yet in the flotilla affair, these two laws became a laughing stock. Meetings to discuss preparations for coping with the flotilla were held by Netanyahu in the forum of top seven government ministers, which has no legal or binding standing. The decisions were in fact taken by the IDF and defense minister; the forum of ministers served, at best, as a rubber stamp. Moreover, not only did the PM fail to convene the cabinet to discuss the flotilla, he did not bother to convene it at all for a long period of time.
Barak’s refusal
And that’s not all. Instead of having the NSA present possible operational alternatives to the PM and ministers, this work was coordinated by the prime minister’s military secretary, who does not have his own staff and in fact served as the long arm of the IDF and defense minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. NSA Chief Dr. Uzi Arad and his deputy (a senior Navy officer) in fact convened discussions and made an effort to prepare military and non-military alternatives to thwart the flotilla. Yet the defense minister refused to send IDF representatives to take part in NSA meetings.
Meanwhile, the failure of Israel’s PR effort following the clash on the Marmara stemmed from the fact that the IDF was mostly concerned with presenting the operation’s outcome to the Israeli public. Hence, the army delayed the dissemination of its version of the events to the global media and lost precious hours where Turkey’s version took front stage.
However, there is some good news here as well. It appears that the media and public scandal initiated by Arad and the comptroller’s report prompted the desired results. The comptroller clearly notes that ever since Arad took up his post in 2009, there has been an improvement not only in the way the NSA functions, but also in the way the government makes use of its services. Recently, the NSA also participated in dozens of strategic discussions with the US, that is, on the Iran issue.
It’s good to end on an optimistic note, but we must not fall prey to delusions. The defense establishment and IDF, whose conduct indirectly prompted the resignation of almost all NSA chiefs in the past, is still fighting to maintain its monopoly on intelligence information and on strategic decision-making. As long as this war has not been unequivocally decided by the prime minister, decision-making processes that are “not optimal” will continue to characterize the Israeli government, also on issues where human life is hanging in the balance.
It is very possible that in the coming months, Israel’s top brass will have to decide whether to strike Iran’s nuclear sites or avoid such operation for the time being. It is also possible that in the near future, the leadership in Jerusalem will have to make another strategic decision: Whether to launch military operations in Syria or in Lebanon (or in both, simultaneously,) in order to thwart the possibility that the Assad regime’s chemical and biological arsenal, as well as advanced missile systems, will fall into irresponsible hands: Hezbollah, or Sunni terror groups that are already active in Syria in the framework of what is known as “the opposition.”
Will Israel order the IDF to launch a pre-emptive strike in Syria in order to prevent such scenarios from materializing? Or will it decided to address the problem in cooperation with the United States and members of NATO, including Turkey? In any case, both the Iranian and Syrian decisions are ones that may draw Israel into an ongoing conflict, and possibly ignite an all-out war.
This is precisely the reason why every citizen should be reading, with great attention and concern, the state comptroller’s report on the decision-making process involved in the Turkish flotilla raid, and on the functioning of Israel’s National Security Agency (NSA.) These two issues are inseparable, and addressing them together demonstrates that the damage suffered by Israel and its global stature in the Marmara affair stemmed mostly from flawed decision-making processes, and from the fact that the defense establishment maintains a monopoly on information and operational proposals.
‘It’s not the system, stupid’
The comptroller did not make do with pointing to the flaws he exposed in the flotilla affair and the NSA’s work in general. He also offered an explicit warning about the future. “Overall, an optimal decision-making process is lacking among the State of Israel’s top brass in respect to vital issues that are usually hidden from the public eye.” These are explicit words that contradict the reassuring messages issued by Defense Minister Ehud Barak on the possibility of an Iran strike. Barak claims that decisions on this front should be taken far away from the public eye, but says that they are being made responsibly through orderly, multi-participant processes.
The comptroller also undermined the criticism of Israel’s system of government. It’s as though the report cries out: “It’s not the system, stupid, but rather, the leaders and the manner in which they make decisions.”
In 2008, the Knesset passed the NSA Law, which set explicit rules whereby the NSA will determine the agenda for government and cabinet meetings on major security and diplomatic issues. The NSA is also tasked with presenting ministers operational alternatives, among other things. The aim was to put an end to a phenomenon that proved painfully harmful in the Second Lebanon War, whereby decisions made by our leaders on almost every major and strategic issue are a “captive” to the defense establishment.
Even before the NSA Law was legislated, the Knesset asserted through a Basic Law that the Cabinet is the limited body authorized by the government to make strategic decisions under circumstances that prevent the issues from being presented to the entire government. Moreover, the prime minister must convene the security cabinet every two weeks.
Yet in the flotilla affair, these two laws became a laughing stock. Meetings to discuss preparations for coping with the flotilla were held by Netanyahu in the forum of top seven government ministers, which has no legal or binding standing. The decisions were in fact taken by the IDF and defense minister; the forum of ministers served, at best, as a rubber stamp. Moreover, not only did the PM fail to convene the cabinet to discuss the flotilla, he did not bother to convene it at all for a long period of time.
Barak’s refusal
And that’s not all. Instead of having the NSA present possible operational alternatives to the PM and ministers, this work was coordinated by the prime minister’s military secretary, who does not have his own staff and in fact served as the long arm of the IDF and defense minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. NSA Chief Dr. Uzi Arad and his deputy (a senior Navy officer) in fact convened discussions and made an effort to prepare military and non-military alternatives to thwart the flotilla. Yet the defense minister refused to send IDF representatives to take part in NSA meetings.
Meanwhile, the failure of Israel’s PR effort following the clash on the Marmara stemmed from the fact that the IDF was mostly concerned with presenting the operation’s outcome to the Israeli public. Hence, the army delayed the dissemination of its version of the events to the global media and lost precious hours where Turkey’s version took front stage.
However, there is some good news here as well. It appears that the media and public scandal initiated by Arad and the comptroller’s report prompted the desired results. The comptroller clearly notes that ever since Arad took up his post in 2009, there has been an improvement not only in the way the NSA functions, but also in the way the government makes use of its services. Recently, the NSA also participated in dozens of strategic discussions with the US, that is, on the Iran issue.
It’s good to end on an optimistic note, but we must not fall prey to delusions. The defense establishment and IDF, whose conduct indirectly prompted the resignation of almost all NSA chiefs in the past, is still fighting to maintain its monopoly on intelligence information and on strategic decision-making. As long as this war has not been unequivocally decided by the prime minister, decision-making processes that are “not optimal” will continue to characterize the Israeli government, also on issues where human life is hanging in the balance.
16 june 2012
State Comptroller set to slam key decision-makers in Gaza flotilla report Wednesday
by Micha Lindenstrauss
Lindenstrauss likely to highlight lamentable preparation for the raid on the Mavi Marmara, and inadequate PR after it.
State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss will submit his report on the 2010 commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara to the Knesset State Control Committee on Wednesday, and is expected to heavily criticize key decision-makers involved in the affair.
The report, which is one of the last of Lindenstrauss’s tenure, examines the government’s decision-making process in regards to the raid, cooperation between the government and the military, and Israel’s public relations response to the incident, which ended with the death of nine Turkish citizens aboard the Gaza-bound vessel.
In May 2010, naval commandos intercepted a flotilla designed to breach the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. On the Mavi Marmara, the troops who rappelled down ropes from hovering helicopters onto the deck, were attacked by a group of radical activists armed with clubs, knives and iron rods. The soldiers, whose primary weapons were paintball guns, intended to stun and mark anticipated unruly activists, drew their side arms, and the ensuing battle resulted in injuries to several soldiers and the death of nine Turkish citizens. The incident led to a drastic deterioration in relations between Turkey and Israel.
Lindenstrauss based his report on the findings of an investigative commission led by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, which found deficiencies in the army’s preparedness for violent scenarios aboard the flotilla ships and failures in intelligence gathering and communications with the navy.
The State Comptroller’s report will not deal with the operational aspects of the raid, but rather with the procedural aspects and is expected to issue harsh criticism of the senior decision makers for failures in both the preparation for the flotilla and the public relations response to the events aboard the Mavi Marmara.
Much criticism was directed at the IDF following the raid for failing to quickly release video footage of the activists pouncing on the rappelling soldiers. The footage, which showed the activists aboard the boat grabbing the soldiers as they descended, was only released hours after news of the event reached the press, too late to influence some initial reports that commandos had, ostensibly, inexplicably killed unarmed activists.
Lindenstrauss will also submit a second report on the workings of the National Security Council, which is expected to raise criticism of the committee’s involvement, or lack thereof, in security related decision-making processes. The report is expected to find that the government did not make use of information provided by the NSC during its preparations for dealing with the flotilla.
Last week Turkey indicted, in absentia, four IDF officers, including former army chief Gabi Ashkenazi, for their alleged role in the deaths of the nine Turkish citizens. The men face 18,000 years in jail for the nine deaths and for “torturing” 104 others aboard.
Comptroller: Israel lost flotilla hasbara battle
State Comptroller report points to severe impairments that crippled Israel's public response to flotilla raid.
After the IDF raided the Marmara ship and the rest of the Turkish flotilla vessels in May 2010, Israel went into effective radio silence mode. While the flotilla's organizers flooded the media with reports placing Israel in an extremely bad light, nothing was said in Israel until noon.
The State Comptroller's report on the flotilla raid pointed to severe impairments in the execution of Israel's public diplomacy policy.
State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss noted the significant delay in Israel's public response to the IDF raid and the public diplomacy bureau's last ditch effort to contain the media disaster and minimize the event's negative effect on Israel's global image.
The report stated that the public diplomacy bureau in the Prime Minister's Office did not distinguish between Israel's domestic messages and those directed to the international community. This, the report stated, was manifested in negative coverage overseas, largely due to the severe delay in response.
The comptroller also found that the public diplomacy bureau is not equipped to operate on a 24/7 capacity.
IDF as public diplomacy body
The report points to impairments in the division of responsibility between the Foreign Ministry and the IDF. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit, the report said, acted as Israel's public diplomacy bureau by default and operated in areas which exceed its responsibility, due to the weakness of other state advocacy bodies.
The comptroller explained that the delay in the transfer of photographic material critical for Israel's public response to the raid was largely due to the IDF's sensitivities in domestic hasbara.
Addressing the handling of foreign press in Israel, the report stated that no element was tasked with overseeing overall communication with foreign press.
Impairments were also found in Israel's hasbara vis-à-vis Arab states. The report states that there was hardly any Arabic-language hasbara in the period preceding and following the Marmara raid.
He noted that this falls under the full jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry.
He also criticized the fact that the head of Israel's public diplomacy bureau acted as the prime minister's spokesman.
Lindenstrauss concluded this part of his report by recommending a comprehensive plan to improve Israel's public diplomacy under the prime minister's guidance.
Comptroller slams PM in flotilla report
Despite being aware of risks posed by Gaza-bound flotilla ahead of time, Israel's leaders failed to follow decision-making protocols, state comptroller writes.
Israel's leaders were well aware that the May 2010 Turkish flotilla was unlike any previous attempt to breach the blockade on the Gaza Strip, but failed to follow protocol in dealing with the unwonted incident, according to a report released by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss on Wednesday.
In a document published on the eve of his resignation, Lindenstrauss claims that he had found major fault with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision-making process amid the flotilla events. The leader failed to orchestrate a coordinated, orderly discussion over the impending course of action; instead, he held private meetings with the defense and foreign ministers – meetings that were not documented.
In fact, aside from a discussion held by the so-called forum of seven a few days before Netanyahu left for his north America visit, no Cabinet meeting was called to discuss the impending flotilla. The forum of seven, a group of senior Cabinet members headed by the prime minister, has no constitutional basis.
The strategy, Lindenstrauss writes, was put together hastily and in a manner that did not follow the recommendations made by the Winograd and Lipkin-Shahak commissions, which were formed following the Second Lebanon War to examine the government's decision-making process.
Intelligence amassed early
According to the report, intelligence about the flotilla began to amass in early 2010, prompting then-IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon to urge Netanyahu to convene an integrative Cabinet meeting on the matter. But despite the warning signs, the appropriate bodies were not activated and no structured discussion was held prior to the flotilla's departure.
Moreover, the prime minister failed to hold a discussion that included both the defense and the foreign minister – a dialogue that could have yielded both a diplomatic and a political effort to prevent the flotilla from leaving in the first place or bar it from getting as far as it did.
Only on May 26, five days before the violent raid on the ship, did the prime minister convene the forum of seven. Relevant officials, including the justice and internal security ministers, were not invited. The discussion generally was not in line with national security decision-making protocols proffered by the abovementioned commissions.
The comptroller also found that the prime minister did not activate the National Security Council to deal with the Gaza-bound flotilla; the NSC, a subdivision of the Prime Minister's Office, held its first meeting on the matter as late as May 12. Requests by NSC officials to be involved in the strategy discussions were shut down by the Defense Ministry and the IDF.
Lindenstrauss asserts that the failure of IDF officials to attend a meeting called by the NSC is a blatant disregard of the procedure dictated by the Wingorad Commission. He branded the faulty conduct as illegal and said it compromised the council's ability to aid leaders to make decisions.
'Force will certainly be used'
Lindernstrauss levels criticism at the defense minister as well, claiming that he never examined the army's preparedness to deal with a violent response on the part of the ship's passengers, despite being aware that such a scenario could occur.
Over two weeks prior to the raid, Ashkenazi warned that a flotilla debacle won't be over quickly and advised Netanyahu to choose a course of action that would prevent the flotilla from embarking on its journey.
"I have no doubt that force will be used," he said. "The people will confront us. We would be deluded to think that if 20 people parachute onto a ship of 400 passengers, they will get applause. The (passengers) will fight."
According to the report, Netanyahu met with a top Egyptian official on May 24 in an attempt to launch a diplomatic effort to stop the flotilla from leaving. A day later, talks between Israeli leaders and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan were held, mediated by a third party.
The comptroller noted that while his assertions are not enough to conclusively indicate that the unfortunate outcome of the flotilla could have been prevented had the decision-making protocols were followed, the incident should serve as a lesson for the future.
Responding to the state comptroller's findings, the Prime Minister's Office said that the defense establishment was not aware of the magnitude of risks posed by the ship's passengers.
"The defense establishment was not aware and could not have been aware of how dangerous the flotilla passengers could be," the office said. "It's safe to assume that if the military echelon knew how dangerous the participants would be, it would have prepared differently and the flotilla's outcome would have been different."
Lindenstrauss likely to highlight lamentable preparation for the raid on the Mavi Marmara, and inadequate PR after it.
State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss will submit his report on the 2010 commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara to the Knesset State Control Committee on Wednesday, and is expected to heavily criticize key decision-makers involved in the affair.
The report, which is one of the last of Lindenstrauss’s tenure, examines the government’s decision-making process in regards to the raid, cooperation between the government and the military, and Israel’s public relations response to the incident, which ended with the death of nine Turkish citizens aboard the Gaza-bound vessel.
In May 2010, naval commandos intercepted a flotilla designed to breach the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. On the Mavi Marmara, the troops who rappelled down ropes from hovering helicopters onto the deck, were attacked by a group of radical activists armed with clubs, knives and iron rods. The soldiers, whose primary weapons were paintball guns, intended to stun and mark anticipated unruly activists, drew their side arms, and the ensuing battle resulted in injuries to several soldiers and the death of nine Turkish citizens. The incident led to a drastic deterioration in relations between Turkey and Israel.
Lindenstrauss based his report on the findings of an investigative commission led by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, which found deficiencies in the army’s preparedness for violent scenarios aboard the flotilla ships and failures in intelligence gathering and communications with the navy.
The State Comptroller’s report will not deal with the operational aspects of the raid, but rather with the procedural aspects and is expected to issue harsh criticism of the senior decision makers for failures in both the preparation for the flotilla and the public relations response to the events aboard the Mavi Marmara.
Much criticism was directed at the IDF following the raid for failing to quickly release video footage of the activists pouncing on the rappelling soldiers. The footage, which showed the activists aboard the boat grabbing the soldiers as they descended, was only released hours after news of the event reached the press, too late to influence some initial reports that commandos had, ostensibly, inexplicably killed unarmed activists.
Lindenstrauss will also submit a second report on the workings of the National Security Council, which is expected to raise criticism of the committee’s involvement, or lack thereof, in security related decision-making processes. The report is expected to find that the government did not make use of information provided by the NSC during its preparations for dealing with the flotilla.
Last week Turkey indicted, in absentia, four IDF officers, including former army chief Gabi Ashkenazi, for their alleged role in the deaths of the nine Turkish citizens. The men face 18,000 years in jail for the nine deaths and for “torturing” 104 others aboard.
Comptroller: Israel lost flotilla hasbara battle
State Comptroller report points to severe impairments that crippled Israel's public response to flotilla raid.
After the IDF raided the Marmara ship and the rest of the Turkish flotilla vessels in May 2010, Israel went into effective radio silence mode. While the flotilla's organizers flooded the media with reports placing Israel in an extremely bad light, nothing was said in Israel until noon.
The State Comptroller's report on the flotilla raid pointed to severe impairments in the execution of Israel's public diplomacy policy.
State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss noted the significant delay in Israel's public response to the IDF raid and the public diplomacy bureau's last ditch effort to contain the media disaster and minimize the event's negative effect on Israel's global image.
The report stated that the public diplomacy bureau in the Prime Minister's Office did not distinguish between Israel's domestic messages and those directed to the international community. This, the report stated, was manifested in negative coverage overseas, largely due to the severe delay in response.
The comptroller also found that the public diplomacy bureau is not equipped to operate on a 24/7 capacity.
IDF as public diplomacy body
The report points to impairments in the division of responsibility between the Foreign Ministry and the IDF. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit, the report said, acted as Israel's public diplomacy bureau by default and operated in areas which exceed its responsibility, due to the weakness of other state advocacy bodies.
The comptroller explained that the delay in the transfer of photographic material critical for Israel's public response to the raid was largely due to the IDF's sensitivities in domestic hasbara.
Addressing the handling of foreign press in Israel, the report stated that no element was tasked with overseeing overall communication with foreign press.
Impairments were also found in Israel's hasbara vis-à-vis Arab states. The report states that there was hardly any Arabic-language hasbara in the period preceding and following the Marmara raid.
He noted that this falls under the full jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry.
He also criticized the fact that the head of Israel's public diplomacy bureau acted as the prime minister's spokesman.
Lindenstrauss concluded this part of his report by recommending a comprehensive plan to improve Israel's public diplomacy under the prime minister's guidance.
Comptroller slams PM in flotilla report
Despite being aware of risks posed by Gaza-bound flotilla ahead of time, Israel's leaders failed to follow decision-making protocols, state comptroller writes.
Israel's leaders were well aware that the May 2010 Turkish flotilla was unlike any previous attempt to breach the blockade on the Gaza Strip, but failed to follow protocol in dealing with the unwonted incident, according to a report released by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss on Wednesday.
In a document published on the eve of his resignation, Lindenstrauss claims that he had found major fault with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision-making process amid the flotilla events. The leader failed to orchestrate a coordinated, orderly discussion over the impending course of action; instead, he held private meetings with the defense and foreign ministers – meetings that were not documented.
In fact, aside from a discussion held by the so-called forum of seven a few days before Netanyahu left for his north America visit, no Cabinet meeting was called to discuss the impending flotilla. The forum of seven, a group of senior Cabinet members headed by the prime minister, has no constitutional basis.
The strategy, Lindenstrauss writes, was put together hastily and in a manner that did not follow the recommendations made by the Winograd and Lipkin-Shahak commissions, which were formed following the Second Lebanon War to examine the government's decision-making process.
Intelligence amassed early
According to the report, intelligence about the flotilla began to amass in early 2010, prompting then-IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon to urge Netanyahu to convene an integrative Cabinet meeting on the matter. But despite the warning signs, the appropriate bodies were not activated and no structured discussion was held prior to the flotilla's departure.
Moreover, the prime minister failed to hold a discussion that included both the defense and the foreign minister – a dialogue that could have yielded both a diplomatic and a political effort to prevent the flotilla from leaving in the first place or bar it from getting as far as it did.
Only on May 26, five days before the violent raid on the ship, did the prime minister convene the forum of seven. Relevant officials, including the justice and internal security ministers, were not invited. The discussion generally was not in line with national security decision-making protocols proffered by the abovementioned commissions.
The comptroller also found that the prime minister did not activate the National Security Council to deal with the Gaza-bound flotilla; the NSC, a subdivision of the Prime Minister's Office, held its first meeting on the matter as late as May 12. Requests by NSC officials to be involved in the strategy discussions were shut down by the Defense Ministry and the IDF.
Lindenstrauss asserts that the failure of IDF officials to attend a meeting called by the NSC is a blatant disregard of the procedure dictated by the Wingorad Commission. He branded the faulty conduct as illegal and said it compromised the council's ability to aid leaders to make decisions.
'Force will certainly be used'
Lindernstrauss levels criticism at the defense minister as well, claiming that he never examined the army's preparedness to deal with a violent response on the part of the ship's passengers, despite being aware that such a scenario could occur.
Over two weeks prior to the raid, Ashkenazi warned that a flotilla debacle won't be over quickly and advised Netanyahu to choose a course of action that would prevent the flotilla from embarking on its journey.
"I have no doubt that force will be used," he said. "The people will confront us. We would be deluded to think that if 20 people parachute onto a ship of 400 passengers, they will get applause. The (passengers) will fight."
According to the report, Netanyahu met with a top Egyptian official on May 24 in an attempt to launch a diplomatic effort to stop the flotilla from leaving. A day later, talks between Israeli leaders and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan were held, mediated by a third party.
The comptroller noted that while his assertions are not enough to conclusively indicate that the unfortunate outcome of the flotilla could have been prevented had the decision-making protocols were followed, the incident should serve as a lesson for the future.
Responding to the state comptroller's findings, the Prime Minister's Office said that the defense establishment was not aware of the magnitude of risks posed by the ship's passengers.
"The defense establishment was not aware and could not have been aware of how dangerous the flotilla passengers could be," the office said. "It's safe to assume that if the military echelon knew how dangerous the participants would be, it would have prepared differently and the flotilla's outcome would have been different."
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The 2010 Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound flotilla ship Mavi Marmara which led to the death of nine people and the injury of others was a serious “crime against humanity,” an analyst says.
The comment comes as people from different countries gathered in Istanbul on Friday while ceremonies and demonstrations were held to mark the second anniversary of the deadly Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara aid flotilla. On May 31, 2010, the Israeli military attacked the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in international waters killing nine Turkish activists on board the Mavi Marmara, which was part of the six-ship aid convoy. Turkey dismissed Israel's ambassador and halted all military cooperation with Tel Aviv after a United Nations report on the attack released in September 2011 did not condemn the Israeli regime. Meanwhile, a Turkish court has approved an indictment seeking multiple life sentences for four Israeli ex-military commanders over their role in the incident. |
The 144-page indictment called for nine life sentences to be given to each of the four former Israeli commanders, among them Israel's former Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
Press TV has conducted an interview with the Deputy President of the aid charity IHA, Huseyin Oruc, to further discuss the issue.
Press TV: Let’s talk immediately about the seventh criminal court in Turkey finding four former Israeli military leaders guilty of atrocities on the [Turkish ship MV] Mavi Marmara. Can you outline for us what this means please?
Oruc: Of course, two years ago, almost two years ago Israeli soldiers attacked us on the High Seas in the Mediterranean about forty miles from the occupied Palestinian lands and they have killed nine people, they have injured 56 people, one of them is still in coma and it is a very deep crime against humanity.
It was very very dangerous against humanity and the Turkish law opened this case against the Israelis. On initial phase only four people, four high commanders have been attacked by this court and they have been listed by the court but we hope it will be continued whoever is part of this problem, whoever is part of this conflict all of them, they will come in front of this Turkish court.
What does it mean? It means when they come to Turkey, they will be arrested. If they have traveled anywhere in the world they are departed by the Interpol international police system. They will be arrested and they will return to Turkey for their punishment.
Press TV: What does this mean to the further decrease in relations diplomatically between Israel and Turkey and is this of major political concern in Turkey at this time?
Oruc: Only this, the political relation is not good but it is totally different. It is related to the judicial system of Turkey and it is related with war. Where ever, whatever they are equal in front of the law, in front of the courts. It is very clear that there is a crime against the people, they are the killers, they are the people kidnappers of the Turkish people and it is not related with relations.
If Israel is thinking about good relations with Turkey, they need to do something; they need to punish their soldiers and their commander themselves instead of the Turkish court. But we believe that it was against the Turkish nationality, Turkish government, Turkish state and we hope we will fight this case against the Israelis and separate it for all responsible people in Israel.
Press TV has conducted an interview with the Deputy President of the aid charity IHA, Huseyin Oruc, to further discuss the issue.
Press TV: Let’s talk immediately about the seventh criminal court in Turkey finding four former Israeli military leaders guilty of atrocities on the [Turkish ship MV] Mavi Marmara. Can you outline for us what this means please?
Oruc: Of course, two years ago, almost two years ago Israeli soldiers attacked us on the High Seas in the Mediterranean about forty miles from the occupied Palestinian lands and they have killed nine people, they have injured 56 people, one of them is still in coma and it is a very deep crime against humanity.
It was very very dangerous against humanity and the Turkish law opened this case against the Israelis. On initial phase only four people, four high commanders have been attacked by this court and they have been listed by the court but we hope it will be continued whoever is part of this problem, whoever is part of this conflict all of them, they will come in front of this Turkish court.
What does it mean? It means when they come to Turkey, they will be arrested. If they have traveled anywhere in the world they are departed by the Interpol international police system. They will be arrested and they will return to Turkey for their punishment.
Press TV: What does this mean to the further decrease in relations diplomatically between Israel and Turkey and is this of major political concern in Turkey at this time?
Oruc: Only this, the political relation is not good but it is totally different. It is related to the judicial system of Turkey and it is related with war. Where ever, whatever they are equal in front of the law, in front of the courts. It is very clear that there is a crime against the people, they are the killers, they are the people kidnappers of the Turkish people and it is not related with relations.
If Israel is thinking about good relations with Turkey, they need to do something; they need to punish their soldiers and their commander themselves instead of the Turkish court. But we believe that it was against the Turkish nationality, Turkish government, Turkish state and we hope we will fight this case against the Israelis and separate it for all responsible people in Israel.
31 may 2012
El-Khoudary: Marmara anniversary should refocus attention on Gaza siege
GAZA,(PIC)-- Independent MP Jamal El-Khoudary, the head of the Popular Committee Against Siege on Gaza, said that the anniversary of the Turkish ship Marmara's massacre has to pave the way for more intensive efforts to end the siege imposed on the Gaza strip.
El-Khoudary greeted in a statement on Wednesday the Turkish ship's martyrs and their families and the Turkish government and people and the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan particularly for his supportive positions for the Palestinian people.
"Turkey is a model of coherence and integration between governmental and non-governmental institutions, and between the Turkish president and heads of government and Parliament who work in parallel for the support of the Palestinian cause,” he added.
"The Marmara massacre marked a milestone in the Israeli siege of Gaza and showed the Palestinian people that the occupation has partially eased the siege in the face of international pressure,” he said.
Khudary stressed that an end to the siege means opening all borders and allowing all kinds of goods in addition to reopening the Gaza airport and passage between the West Bank and Gaza.
El-Khoudary greeted in a statement on Wednesday the Turkish ship's martyrs and their families and the Turkish government and people and the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan particularly for his supportive positions for the Palestinian people.
"Turkey is a model of coherence and integration between governmental and non-governmental institutions, and between the Turkish president and heads of government and Parliament who work in parallel for the support of the Palestinian cause,” he added.
"The Marmara massacre marked a milestone in the Israeli siege of Gaza and showed the Palestinian people that the occupation has partially eased the siege in the face of international pressure,” he said.
Khudary stressed that an end to the siege means opening all borders and allowing all kinds of goods in addition to reopening the Gaza airport and passage between the West Bank and Gaza.
28 may 2012
Turkish prosecutor presents indictment list against Israeli officials
ISTANBUL, (PIC)-- The Turkish prosecutor has filed an indictment list against four former Israeli officials at an Istanbul court on Monday charging them with killing ten Turkish nationals who were aboard the Freedom Flotilla that was ferrying aid to Palestinians in Gaza two years ago.
The Israeli radio said that the list charged former chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former Israeli Navy head Vice Admiral Eliezer Marom, former Israel Air Force intelligence chief Avishai Levy and former Military Intelligence head Amos Yadlin.
It said that the prosecutor wants ten life sentences imposed on each one of the four former officials.
The Israeli radio said that the list charged former chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former Israeli Navy head Vice Admiral Eliezer Marom, former Israel Air Force intelligence chief Avishai Levy and former Military Intelligence head Amos Yadlin.
It said that the prosecutor wants ten life sentences imposed on each one of the four former officials.
26 may 2012
Turkey rejects Israeli offer to compensate Freedom Flotilla victims
ISTANBUL, (PIC)-- Hebrew press reported that the Turkish government has rejected an Israeli offer of financial compensation to victims of the Freedom Flotilla raid two years ago. The offer was made through a European country.
Haaretz confirmed, on its website on Friday, that Israel had offered to pay six million dollars to victims of Israel's storming of a Gaza-bound Turkish-led aid flotilla to settle lawsuits against the Israeli military.
The Hebrew newspaper quoted the Turkish foreign ministry as saying, "Israel is opposed to declaring publicly that it apologizes and Turkey is not prepared to accept a wording of regret that does not include taking responsibility, which is required in an expression of apology."
Ankara has recently submitted an indictment seeking multiple life sentences against four former Israeli military commanders including the Chief of General Staff at the time, Gabi Ashkenazi, and three other senior officers who supervised the storming of the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship, to enforce a naval blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, in May 2010 where nine Turkish nationals were killed in the raid.
Haaretz confirmed, on its website on Friday, that Israel had offered to pay six million dollars to victims of Israel's storming of a Gaza-bound Turkish-led aid flotilla to settle lawsuits against the Israeli military.
The Hebrew newspaper quoted the Turkish foreign ministry as saying, "Israel is opposed to declaring publicly that it apologizes and Turkey is not prepared to accept a wording of regret that does not include taking responsibility, which is required in an expression of apology."
Ankara has recently submitted an indictment seeking multiple life sentences against four former Israeli military commanders including the Chief of General Staff at the time, Gabi Ashkenazi, and three other senior officers who supervised the storming of the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship, to enforce a naval blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, in May 2010 where nine Turkish nationals were killed in the raid.
24 may 2012
Turkey to prosecute four Israeli officials
ISTANBUL, (PIC)-- The general prosecution in Turkey has prepared indictment lists against four Israeli officials for their role in the navy attack on the Freedom Flotilla in May 2010 that left nine Turkish nationals killed and dozens injured.
Radio Israel said on Wednesday that the Turkish prosecution was leveling charges against former chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi and three others, including former intelligence chief and former navy commander.
It said that the Turkish prosecution demanded ten life sentences against each of the four officials for involvement in the attack on the international convoy that was carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Radio Israel said on Wednesday that the Turkish prosecution was leveling charges against former chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi and three others, including former intelligence chief and former navy commander.
It said that the Turkish prosecution demanded ten life sentences against each of the four officials for involvement in the attack on the international convoy that was carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
15 feb 2012
Israel renews refusal to apologize over flotilla massacre
ANKARA, (PIC)-- Israel’s deputy premier Sylvan Shalom has reiterated his government’s refusal to apologize to Turkey over the killing of nine of its nationals in the Israeli navy attack on the Freedom Flotilla that was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza in May 2010.
He told the semiofficial Turkish news agency Anatolia, “We have said more than once, we want good relations with Turkey,” but if Turkey insisted on its request for an apology no progress would be made in those relations.
Shalom said that Turkey was the one that changed its policy toward Israel.
For his part, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli premier, said that the diplomatic crisis between Ankara and Tel Aviv should be resolved the soonest. He added that a new page has to be turned in their bilateral relations.
He told the semiofficial Turkish news agency Anatolia, “We have said more than once, we want good relations with Turkey,” but if Turkey insisted on its request for an apology no progress would be made in those relations.
Shalom said that Turkey was the one that changed its policy toward Israel.
For his part, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli premier, said that the diplomatic crisis between Ankara and Tel Aviv should be resolved the soonest. He added that a new page has to be turned in their bilateral relations.
3 feb 2012
Was the Gaza Flotilla Massacre a Turkish-Israeli False Flag and Precursor to the War on Syria?
by Martin Iqbal
On 31st May 2010, armed Israeli terrorists committed a heinous act of violence that sent shockwaves around the world. It stunned those not familiar with Israel’s history of terrorism, hatred, bloodshed and murder. Others however, including the Palestinians who are intimately familiar with the usurping Zionist entity’s modus operandi, could only look on unsurprised at this macabre reminder of what ‘Israel’ represents.
After the fact, potentially explosive information has surfaced – the implications of which warrant close consideration. There are indications that the Gaza flotilla massacre of April 2010 could have been far from a routine act of violence on the part of Israel, but instead a long-planned operation carried out with the full cooperation of the Turkish government. The aims of the operation were manyfold, but it is thought that the cold-blooded murder of those nine people in international waters was part and parcel of the ongoing war on Syria.
A December 17, 2011 report by Spanish journalist Daniel Iriarte reveals a number of key facts. (1) While in Syria, Iriarte spoke to three Libyans connected to Abdelhakim Belhaj (precious NATO asset and butcher of Tripoli). Illustrating how instrumental he has been to Western intelligence, Belhaj has been linked to the Madrid false flag bombings by none other than ex Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar.
Furthermore, he has been an indispensable footsoldier of the NATO nexus, shuttling from Libya to Syria (2) in servitude of the nefarious Western-GCC-Israeli nexus now tearing away at both nations. When meeting with Iriarte these Libyans, who apparently made no attempts to conceal their identity or nationality, claimed to be in Syria to “assess the needs of the Syrian revolutionary brothers“.
One of the men was Libyan-Irish citizen Mahdi al-Harati – commander of the Tripoli Brigade and second in command to Abdelhakim Belhaj, who is leader of the Tripoli Military Council. The Tripoli Military Council is a proxy force of NATO, tasked with the job of unifying the mercenaries fighting NATO’s ground war in Libya, essentially performing the occupiers’ dirty work.
In a very revealing disclosure, al-Harati tells Iriarte that he was “wounded in the assault on the Mavi Marmara, and spent nine days in jail in Tel Aviv“.
NSNBC recently posted a very important piece titled “GLADIO, Bin Laden to Erdogan, Belhadj and Hamas: Mossad´s and NATO´s Dirty Underwear 2012“. (3)
Christof Lehmann – editor of NSNBC – revealed to this writer that a well-connected Palestinian source of his informed him with confidence that in addition to al-Harati, NATO darling Abdelhakim Belhaj himself was also on board the Mavi Marmara on that fateful night.
On 31st May 2010, armed Israeli terrorists committed a heinous act of violence that sent shockwaves around the world. It stunned those not familiar with Israel’s history of terrorism, hatred, bloodshed and murder. Others however, including the Palestinians who are intimately familiar with the usurping Zionist entity’s modus operandi, could only look on unsurprised at this macabre reminder of what ‘Israel’ represents.
After the fact, potentially explosive information has surfaced – the implications of which warrant close consideration. There are indications that the Gaza flotilla massacre of April 2010 could have been far from a routine act of violence on the part of Israel, but instead a long-planned operation carried out with the full cooperation of the Turkish government. The aims of the operation were manyfold, but it is thought that the cold-blooded murder of those nine people in international waters was part and parcel of the ongoing war on Syria.
A December 17, 2011 report by Spanish journalist Daniel Iriarte reveals a number of key facts. (1) While in Syria, Iriarte spoke to three Libyans connected to Abdelhakim Belhaj (precious NATO asset and butcher of Tripoli). Illustrating how instrumental he has been to Western intelligence, Belhaj has been linked to the Madrid false flag bombings by none other than ex Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar.
Furthermore, he has been an indispensable footsoldier of the NATO nexus, shuttling from Libya to Syria (2) in servitude of the nefarious Western-GCC-Israeli nexus now tearing away at both nations. When meeting with Iriarte these Libyans, who apparently made no attempts to conceal their identity or nationality, claimed to be in Syria to “assess the needs of the Syrian revolutionary brothers“.
One of the men was Libyan-Irish citizen Mahdi al-Harati – commander of the Tripoli Brigade and second in command to Abdelhakim Belhaj, who is leader of the Tripoli Military Council. The Tripoli Military Council is a proxy force of NATO, tasked with the job of unifying the mercenaries fighting NATO’s ground war in Libya, essentially performing the occupiers’ dirty work.
In a very revealing disclosure, al-Harati tells Iriarte that he was “wounded in the assault on the Mavi Marmara, and spent nine days in jail in Tel Aviv“.
NSNBC recently posted a very important piece titled “GLADIO, Bin Laden to Erdogan, Belhadj and Hamas: Mossad´s and NATO´s Dirty Underwear 2012“. (3)
Christof Lehmann – editor of NSNBC – revealed to this writer that a well-connected Palestinian source of his informed him with confidence that in addition to al-Harati, NATO darling Abdelhakim Belhaj himself was also on board the Mavi Marmara on that fateful night.
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Mahdi al-Harati
Readers should not be surprised that Mahdi al-Harati, who has been living care-free in Ireland with hundreds of thousands of pounds of CIA cash, (1) was released scot-free by the Israeli authorities after the flotilla attack. After all, al-Harati has been dutifully serving the Western-Israeli agenda, returning to Libya from Ireland at the outset of the counterrevolution in February (just like CIA asset Khalifa Haftar), (4) in order to command the NATO-aligned ‘rebel’ forces Readers should instead be asking what these two Western intelligence assets were doing aboard the Mavi Marmara – an aid ship that was sailing to Gaza, commissioned by the conscience of good-hearted humanitarian and Palestine solidarity activists from around the world. |
It is thought that the Gaza flotilla massacre was a huge deception orchestrated by Turkey and Israel in order to facilitate the elimination of certain Turkish figures who had been opposed to Erdogan’s intended war on Syria. These men, thought to be members of the Muslim Brotherhood and other affiliated groups, would have been coaxed into joining the flotilla – not a difficult task considering that they would likely be vehemently opposed to Israel, keeping in mind their opposition to meddling in Syria.
The highly probable presence of NATO assets Belhaj and al-Harati on the ship (to facilitate the murder of the targets by IDF death squads) lends credence to this theory, as does the nature in which the murdered Turkish citizens were killed: summary executions at point blank range.
The report of the fact-finding mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla released in September 2010 found conclusively (5) that six of the victims were murdered ‘execution style’ by the Israeli terrorists.
The report found that not only was Furkan Dogan summarily executed like the other targets of this Israeli violence, but he had been laid on the ground for ‘some time‘, incapacitated, before he was shot in the head at point blank range. This method of execution used by the Israeli operatives suggests that they were under orders to methodically kill certain passengers of the ship.
This idea is strongly corroborated by reports that IDF soldiers were carrying advance target assassination lists (6 ) when they boarded the ship.
Another key strategic aim of this operation was to rally Turkish public support for Erdogan, who immediately took a (completely hollow) aggressive stance towards Israel. This public support, it was intended, was to be channelled into a Turkish campaign against Syria – a campaign in which NATO assets Belhaj and al-Harati were and are intimately involved.
Christof Lehmann described the Gaza flotilla massacre as the “most deceptive false flag in contemporary history“. At a time when Hamas – the main faction of Palestinian resistance to Israeli usurpation – is beginning to align itself with Qatar and Saudi Arabia (7) (who are counted amongst the architects of the wars on Libya & Syria), this possibility seems distinct, compelling, and worthy of close consideration.
Notes
(1) ‘Islamistas Libios se desplazan a Siria para ayudar a la revolucion’ – ABC.es
(2) ‘Free Syrian Army commanded by Military Governor of Tripoli’ by Thierry Meyssan
(3) ‘GLADIO, Bin Laden to Erdogan, Belhadj and Hamas: Mossad´s and NATO´s Dirty Underwear 2012´ by Christof Lehmann
(4) ‘A CIA commander for the Libyan rebels’ by Patrick Martin
(5) ‘UN Fact-Finding Mission Says Israelis “Executed” US Citizen Furkan Dogan’ by Gareth Porter
(6 ) ‘Turkish Sources – Israeli Advance Target Assassination List Found on Flotilla’ – Redacted News
(7) ‘Hamas and al-Jamaa al-Islamiya: The New MB Look’ – Al-Akhbar English
Update: Saturday 4 February, 2012 A June 3, 2010 report by Ali Abunimah is highly relevant to this issue. In his article titled, “Did Israel try to assassinate Sheikh Raed Salah on Mavi Marmara but kill a Turkish engineer instead?“,(8) Abunimah presents some circumstantial evidence that supports the idea that Israel’s boarding of the flotilla was an exercise in targeted murder. Let’s remember – Israel had no real need to board the ship with all guns blazing – its capable navy could have simply disabled the propellers and towed the ship into port.
The information put forward by Abunimah suggests that Israel attempted to assassinate Palestinian citizen of Israel and influential Islamic Movement figure, Sheikh Raed Salah. Turkish citizen Ibrahim Bilgen was murdered by Israeli soldiers who put four bullets into him – in the temple, chest, hip and back. Abunimah theorises that Bilgen was mistaken for Salah by the Israeli death squads due to his extremely close physical likeness. This is apparent when one juxtaposes the images of the two men.(8)
Further, Abunimah’s report references a video of the alleged ‘death list’ found on the flotilla:
The highly probable presence of NATO assets Belhaj and al-Harati on the ship (to facilitate the murder of the targets by IDF death squads) lends credence to this theory, as does the nature in which the murdered Turkish citizens were killed: summary executions at point blank range.
The report of the fact-finding mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla released in September 2010 found conclusively (5) that six of the victims were murdered ‘execution style’ by the Israeli terrorists.
The report found that not only was Furkan Dogan summarily executed like the other targets of this Israeli violence, but he had been laid on the ground for ‘some time‘, incapacitated, before he was shot in the head at point blank range. This method of execution used by the Israeli operatives suggests that they were under orders to methodically kill certain passengers of the ship.
This idea is strongly corroborated by reports that IDF soldiers were carrying advance target assassination lists (6 ) when they boarded the ship.
Another key strategic aim of this operation was to rally Turkish public support for Erdogan, who immediately took a (completely hollow) aggressive stance towards Israel. This public support, it was intended, was to be channelled into a Turkish campaign against Syria – a campaign in which NATO assets Belhaj and al-Harati were and are intimately involved.
Christof Lehmann described the Gaza flotilla massacre as the “most deceptive false flag in contemporary history“. At a time when Hamas – the main faction of Palestinian resistance to Israeli usurpation – is beginning to align itself with Qatar and Saudi Arabia (7) (who are counted amongst the architects of the wars on Libya & Syria), this possibility seems distinct, compelling, and worthy of close consideration.
Notes
(1) ‘Islamistas Libios se desplazan a Siria para ayudar a la revolucion’ – ABC.es
(2) ‘Free Syrian Army commanded by Military Governor of Tripoli’ by Thierry Meyssan
(3) ‘GLADIO, Bin Laden to Erdogan, Belhadj and Hamas: Mossad´s and NATO´s Dirty Underwear 2012´ by Christof Lehmann
(4) ‘A CIA commander for the Libyan rebels’ by Patrick Martin
(5) ‘UN Fact-Finding Mission Says Israelis “Executed” US Citizen Furkan Dogan’ by Gareth Porter
(6 ) ‘Turkish Sources – Israeli Advance Target Assassination List Found on Flotilla’ – Redacted News
(7) ‘Hamas and al-Jamaa al-Islamiya: The New MB Look’ – Al-Akhbar English
Update: Saturday 4 February, 2012 A June 3, 2010 report by Ali Abunimah is highly relevant to this issue. In his article titled, “Did Israel try to assassinate Sheikh Raed Salah on Mavi Marmara but kill a Turkish engineer instead?“,(8) Abunimah presents some circumstantial evidence that supports the idea that Israel’s boarding of the flotilla was an exercise in targeted murder. Let’s remember – Israel had no real need to board the ship with all guns blazing – its capable navy could have simply disabled the propellers and towed the ship into port.
The information put forward by Abunimah suggests that Israel attempted to assassinate Palestinian citizen of Israel and influential Islamic Movement figure, Sheikh Raed Salah. Turkish citizen Ibrahim Bilgen was murdered by Israeli soldiers who put four bullets into him – in the temple, chest, hip and back. Abunimah theorises that Bilgen was mistaken for Salah by the Israeli death squads due to his extremely close physical likeness. This is apparent when one juxtaposes the images of the two men.(8)
Further, Abunimah’s report references a video of the alleged ‘death list’ found on the flotilla:
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The following passage from Abunimah’s report further underscores the notion that the IDF soldiers were there for the express purpose of murdering specific people:
In Friday prayers, according to Aljazeera, Al-Haj Sheikh said that the Israeli soldiers selected which passengers to execute — almost like choosing which livestock to kill. Who were the persons named on the alleged ‘death list’? Were they the same people who Israel successfully murdered? Keeping in mind the likely mistaken killing of Ibrahim Bilgen, and the death of 19 year old Furkan Dogan (a mere child who could scarcely have been a target of such deep geopolitical wrangling), there is a high likelihood that those killed were not all Israel’s intended targets. Since Israel had and has a complete monopoly of the video footage, photo evidence, and all physical evidence that left the ship (most probably all now destroyed), we are largely limited to speculation. Turkey and Israel post-Flotilla: the Myth of Severed Ties A year on from the flotilla massacre, economic and military links between Turkey and the Zionist entity were |
booming, putting paid to the myth that the two nations had severed (or even slightly reduced) their ties.
Two reports – one from Turkey’s Hürriyet Daily News and one from the New York Times – paint a compelling picture of the close military and economic integration that Israel and Turkey have continued to enjoy despite hollow posturing on the part of Erdogan.
Menashe Carmon, an Israeli businessman who was raised in Istanbul told the New York Times(9) mere weeks after the flotilla massacre that “No Israeli companies are leaving Turkey,” and that, “It is business as usual and if anything, investment is growing.”
The NYT report also claims that, according to Turkish officials, close cooperation between Israel the Turkish military was continuing behind the scenes in the wake of the flotilla bloodshed:
Within weeks of the flotilla raid, a Turkish military delegation arrived in Israel to learn how to operate the same pilotless aircraft often used by Israel to hunt Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. The $190 million deal for the drones was not canceled, even as the Israeli instructors in Turkey were called home after the raid.
Doron Abrahami, staffer at the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul even revealed that an important research and development collaboration between Israel and Turkey was being commissioned only weeks after the assault on the Mavi Marmara. This was only one of 20 similar collaborative efforts:
“Business is business,” he said, showing off an invitation dated July 15, co-signed by economic agencies in Turkey and Israel just weeks after the Israeli raid, inviting Israeli and Turkish companies to bid for a jointly financed research and development project, one of more than 20 such efforts he said were under way.
The Export Manager at Turkish company Necat Yuksel (that imported $40 million worth of plastic chemicals from Israel in 2009), revealed that sales from Israel showed no signs of slowing. In fact, not a single contract had been cancelled.(9)
Approximately a year later an executive from Turkey’s Yakupoğlu spoke to Istanbul’s Hürriyet Daily News in May 2011. The executive revealed(10) that Turkey buys high-tech defence hardware from Israel, while Israel’s army is dressed by Turkish products – mainly army boots. Crucially, speaking one year after the flotilla attack, the executive revealed that there had been absolutely no interruption in his company’s business with Israel.
Trade between Israel and Turkey peaked at $3.442 billion at the end of 2010 (the year of the flotilla massacre), up from $2.580 billion in 2009.(10)
Uriel Lynn, president of the Tel Aviv & Central Israeli Chamber of Commerce told Hürriyet, “Turkey and Israel’s business relations are getting stronger despite the political conflicts…Turks and Israelis are not in a fight – the trade boom in both countries proves that…bilateral trade and investments have not been affected by the political situation at all.”
By the second quarter of 2011, Turkey was Israel’s biggest trade partner in the region and its second-biggest in the world, according to Ahmet Reyiz Yılmaz – the head of Yılmazlar Group – which has been involved in large construction projects in Israel for 17 years.
Together, these reports from shortly after the flotilla attack and approximately a year later, clearly demonstrate that there was absolutely no let-up in the intimately close military and economic ties between Israel and Turkey. Any perceived degradation in relations was rhetorical only; the Gaza flotilla massacre had no significant effect on the partnership between the Zionist entity and Turkey.
Notes (1) ‘Islamistas Libios se desplazan a Siria para ayudar a la revolucion’ – ABC.es
(2) ‘Free Syrian Army commanded by Military Governor of Tripoli’ by Thierry Meyssan
(3) ‘GLADIO, Bin Laden to Erdogan, Belhadj and Hamas: Mossad´s and NATO´s Dirty Underwear 2012′ by Christof Lehmann
(4) ‘A CIA commander for the Libyan rebels’ by Patrick Martin
(5) ‘UN Fact-Finding Mission Says Israelis “Executed” US Citizen Furkan Dogan’ by Gareth Porter
(6) ‘Turkish Sources – Israeli Advance Target Assassination List Found on Flotilla’ – Redacted News
(7) ‘Hamas and al-Jamaa al-Islamiya: The New MB Look’ – Al-Akhbar English
(8) ‘Did Israel try to assassinate Sheikh Raed Salah on Mavi Marmara but kill a Turkish engineer instead?’ by Ali Abunimah
(9) ‘Turkey and Israel Do a Brisk Business’ by Dan Bilefsky
(10) ‘Business as usual between Turkey, Israel’ – Hürriyet Daily News, 30 May, 2011
Two reports – one from Turkey’s Hürriyet Daily News and one from the New York Times – paint a compelling picture of the close military and economic integration that Israel and Turkey have continued to enjoy despite hollow posturing on the part of Erdogan.
Menashe Carmon, an Israeli businessman who was raised in Istanbul told the New York Times(9) mere weeks after the flotilla massacre that “No Israeli companies are leaving Turkey,” and that, “It is business as usual and if anything, investment is growing.”
The NYT report also claims that, according to Turkish officials, close cooperation between Israel the Turkish military was continuing behind the scenes in the wake of the flotilla bloodshed:
Within weeks of the flotilla raid, a Turkish military delegation arrived in Israel to learn how to operate the same pilotless aircraft often used by Israel to hunt Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. The $190 million deal for the drones was not canceled, even as the Israeli instructors in Turkey were called home after the raid.
Doron Abrahami, staffer at the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul even revealed that an important research and development collaboration between Israel and Turkey was being commissioned only weeks after the assault on the Mavi Marmara. This was only one of 20 similar collaborative efforts:
“Business is business,” he said, showing off an invitation dated July 15, co-signed by economic agencies in Turkey and Israel just weeks after the Israeli raid, inviting Israeli and Turkish companies to bid for a jointly financed research and development project, one of more than 20 such efforts he said were under way.
The Export Manager at Turkish company Necat Yuksel (that imported $40 million worth of plastic chemicals from Israel in 2009), revealed that sales from Israel showed no signs of slowing. In fact, not a single contract had been cancelled.(9)
Approximately a year later an executive from Turkey’s Yakupoğlu spoke to Istanbul’s Hürriyet Daily News in May 2011. The executive revealed(10) that Turkey buys high-tech defence hardware from Israel, while Israel’s army is dressed by Turkish products – mainly army boots. Crucially, speaking one year after the flotilla attack, the executive revealed that there had been absolutely no interruption in his company’s business with Israel.
Trade between Israel and Turkey peaked at $3.442 billion at the end of 2010 (the year of the flotilla massacre), up from $2.580 billion in 2009.(10)
Uriel Lynn, president of the Tel Aviv & Central Israeli Chamber of Commerce told Hürriyet, “Turkey and Israel’s business relations are getting stronger despite the political conflicts…Turks and Israelis are not in a fight – the trade boom in both countries proves that…bilateral trade and investments have not been affected by the political situation at all.”
By the second quarter of 2011, Turkey was Israel’s biggest trade partner in the region and its second-biggest in the world, according to Ahmet Reyiz Yılmaz – the head of Yılmazlar Group – which has been involved in large construction projects in Israel for 17 years.
Together, these reports from shortly after the flotilla attack and approximately a year later, clearly demonstrate that there was absolutely no let-up in the intimately close military and economic ties between Israel and Turkey. Any perceived degradation in relations was rhetorical only; the Gaza flotilla massacre had no significant effect on the partnership between the Zionist entity and Turkey.
Notes (1) ‘Islamistas Libios se desplazan a Siria para ayudar a la revolucion’ – ABC.es
(2) ‘Free Syrian Army commanded by Military Governor of Tripoli’ by Thierry Meyssan
(3) ‘GLADIO, Bin Laden to Erdogan, Belhadj and Hamas: Mossad´s and NATO´s Dirty Underwear 2012′ by Christof Lehmann
(4) ‘A CIA commander for the Libyan rebels’ by Patrick Martin
(5) ‘UN Fact-Finding Mission Says Israelis “Executed” US Citizen Furkan Dogan’ by Gareth Porter
(6) ‘Turkish Sources – Israeli Advance Target Assassination List Found on Flotilla’ – Redacted News
(7) ‘Hamas and al-Jamaa al-Islamiya: The New MB Look’ – Al-Akhbar English
(8) ‘Did Israel try to assassinate Sheikh Raed Salah on Mavi Marmara but kill a Turkish engineer instead?’ by Ali Abunimah
(9) ‘Turkey and Israel Do a Brisk Business’ by Dan Bilefsky
(10) ‘Business as usual between Turkey, Israel’ – Hürriyet Daily News, 30 May, 2011
2 jan 2012
Haneyya on Marmara: Blood of Turkish martyrs conquered the siege
ISTANBUL, (PIC)-- Gaza premier Ismail Haneyya has said that the blood of Turkish martyrs who fell while en route to break the siege on Gaza aboard the Mavi Marmara ship had conquered the blockade on the coastal enclave.
He said, while touring the Marmara ship on Monday, that Israel had exercised the most brutal form of piracy against the Freedom Flotilla in a bid to terrorize the world away from supporting Gaza.
Haneyya said, “We will never surrender our lands or rights as the least we can do out of loyalty to the blood of martyrs of the Freedom Flotilla.”
The premier said that the Israeli war on Gaza targeted ending resistance and Palestinian steadfastness in addition to toppling the elected government.
He told the Turkish citizens, who gathered in hundreds in front of the ship, that Gaza would not bow before the siege, affirming that Gaza had defeated the conspiracy and that the Israeli occupation’s strategy had failed in Gaza and God willing in all of Palestine.
Haneyya honored the families of the nine Turkish citizens who were killed in the Israeli attack on Mavi Marmara in May 2010 while on its way to break the Gaza siege within the Freedom Flotilla.
He said, while touring the Marmara ship on Monday, that Israel had exercised the most brutal form of piracy against the Freedom Flotilla in a bid to terrorize the world away from supporting Gaza.
Haneyya said, “We will never surrender our lands or rights as the least we can do out of loyalty to the blood of martyrs of the Freedom Flotilla.”
The premier said that the Israeli war on Gaza targeted ending resistance and Palestinian steadfastness in addition to toppling the elected government.
He told the Turkish citizens, who gathered in hundreds in front of the ship, that Gaza would not bow before the siege, affirming that Gaza had defeated the conspiracy and that the Israeli occupation’s strategy had failed in Gaza and God willing in all of Palestine.
Haneyya honored the families of the nine Turkish citizens who were killed in the Israeli attack on Mavi Marmara in May 2010 while on its way to break the Gaza siege within the Freedom Flotilla.
