JERUSALEM - Israel's storming of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla set off a diplomatic furor, drawing criticism from friends and foes alike and straining ties with regional ally Turkey, which called off planned joint military exercises.
The United Nations Security Council called an emergency session for later on Monday following the killing of 10 of the mostly international activists aboard a six-ship convoy that tried to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.
Washington said it deeply regretted the loss of life and was examining the circumstances that led to the bloodshed while Turkey, Israel's strongest Muslim friend in the region, summoned the Jewish state's ambassador and said it would recall its own.
"This attack is another sign of the reckless levels that the Israeli government's violent policies have reached," Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said in a televised speech.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled plans to meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on Tuesday, an Israeli statement said, in the wake of the raid.
"Netanyahu decided to cut short his visit to Canada and return to Israel early," the statement said. Netanyahu has been in Canada since Friday for talks with government leaders.
Israeli commandos intercepted the flotilla carrying 700 people and 10,000 tons of supplies for Gaza before dawn on Monday. Officials said they were met with knives when they boarded the ships, including a ferry flying the Turkish flag.
NBC News reported that 11 Americans were among the civilians aboard the ships. They include a former ambassador and a former State Department official.
The Middle East hijinks just got even more interesting... I really don't know what to say ... World War 3 in the Middle East + Korea ?
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"That means that almost 600 people, from several countries, are still being held in detention centres across Israel and are being questioned by the authorities.
Israel has imposed an information blackout, making it difficult to gather first-hand accounts from the campaigners. "
Two of the swedish people got home yesterday as they where released...
They say the soldiers who attacked killed those who where asleep and saying that they had weapons on the ships. One of the two peoples in question razor was good enough to count for a weapon apparently, as that's what they said it where during the attack...
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Originally posted by Nightbladefrom what I read in the newspaper this morning the Israelian troops are claiming the people on board attcked them first
This is more or less inherantly false simply because the Israeli military forcibly boarded the ship. That's like saying that fighting someone who broke into your car and is trying to steal it would be "attacking first".
Total bullshit any way you look at it.
This just shows that Israel is every bit as fucked up as the rest of the middle east.
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Posted on 06-04-10 01:11:41 AM (last edited by FieryIce at 06-03-10 10:12 PM)
"One of the nine people killed in the Israeli raid on an aid flotilla Monday was a 19-year-old man with dual U.S.-Turkish citizenship, a U.S. State Department official said," CBS News reports.
The official identified the victim as Furkan Dogan, who was believed to have been residing in Turkey.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter has not been officially confirmed by the U.S. government.
The official said the victim had been shot but it was not clear who shot him. He was among eight of the dead being mourned at a funeral in Istanbul Thursday.
ABC NEWS adds, "A forensic report said he was shot at close range, with four bullets in his head and one in his chest, according to the Anatolian news agency."
I honestly think our government is far too soft on Israel. (we're pulling a China, refusing to condemn our "ally" but quickly condemn and seek action against our "enemy" [North Korea])
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Time/Date 06-04-10 01:13:09 AM
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Metal_Man88's Post
Well of course. That's where a lot of the terrorism has rooted from--Israel doing stuff like this, rather than sharing what they have and being peaceful, while we protect them from the rest of the world's wrath with our support.
Although it's too late now--they have force fielded tanks and another nutty things, if not nukes as well.
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Yeah, I think it's dumb how the USA tends to back Israel with everything and thinks Israel can do no wrong. I read up on the situation about a year ago and it seems to be that both the Israelis and the Palestinians are being villains here.
I'd say just split the area into separate Israel and Palestine, but who knows if they'll ever agree to that.
Originally posted by Nightbladefrom what I read in the newspaper this morning the Israelian troops are claiming the people on board attcked them first
This is more or less inherantly false simply because the Israeli military forcibly boarded the ship. That's like saying that fighting someone who broke into your car and is trying to steal it would be "attacking first".
Total bullshit any way you look at it.
This just shows that Israel is every bit as fucked up as the rest of the middle east.
As I understand it, under international law Israel had every right to board the ship, because the people on the ship made clear they intended to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. This assumes that, of course, Israel had a right to blockade Gaza in the first place, but if they did then the boarding was legitimate.
EDIT: Both Israel and Egypt are blockading Gaza.
EDIT: Well, Egypt has stopped its blockade, sorta.
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Originally posted by Nightbladefrom what I read in the newspaper this morning the Israelian troops are claiming the people on board attcked them first
This is more or less inherantly false simply because the Israeli military forcibly boarded the ship. That's like saying that fighting someone who broke into your car and is trying to steal it would be "attacking first".
Total bullshit any way you look at it.
This just shows that Israel is every bit as fucked up as the rest of the middle east.
As I understand it, under international law Israel had every right to board the ship, because the people on the ship made clear they intended to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. This assumes that, of course, Israel had a right to blockade Gaza in the first place, but if they did then the boarding was legitimate.
EDIT: Both Israel and Egypt are blockading Gaza.
EDIT: Well, Egypt has stopped its blockade, sorta.
The attack was in international waters and on a humanitarian fleet, I seriously don't think that's legal...
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Originally posted by Nightbladefrom what I read in the newspaper this morning the Israelian troops are claiming the people on board attcked them first
This is more or less inherantly false simply because the Israeli military forcibly boarded the ship. That's like saying that fighting someone who broke into your car and is trying to steal it would be "attacking first".
Total bullshit any way you look at it.
This just shows that Israel is every bit as fucked up as the rest of the middle east.
As I understand it, under international law Israel had every right to board the ship, because the people on the ship made clear they intended to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. This assumes that, of course, Israel had a right to blockade Gaza in the first place, but if they did then the boarding was legitimate.
EDIT: Both Israel and Egypt are blockading Gaza.
EDIT: Well, Egypt has stopped its blockade, sorta.
The attack was in international waters and on a humanitarian fleet, I seriously don't think that's legal...
As I understand it, as long as it does not take place in the waters of another country, if a ship makes clear it intends to run a blockade and moves to do so, then the enforcers of the blockade can board, even in international waters. Israel also had a right to inspect to make sure those ships were really humanitarian ships.
The Israelis offered the fleet another way to deliver the goods in accordance with the rules of its blockade and again Israel had a right to know what was being delivered and to stop the shipment of anything that it considers contraband. Israel told the flotilla to dock at Ashdod Port, from where Israel would complete the shipment, keeping out anything that it finds to be contraband, and then allow the flotilla to return home. But the people in charge of the flotilla made clear over radio that they would not do that and would make for Gaza, thereby stating their intent to run the blockade.
Originally posted by FieryIceThe attack was in international waters and on a humanitarian fleet, I seriously don't think that's legal...
As I understand it, as long as it does not take place in the waters of another country, if a ship makes clear it intends to run a blockade and moves to do so, then the enforcers of the blockade can board, even in international waters. Israel also had a right to inspect to make sure those ships were really humanitarian ships.
The Israelis offered the fleet another way to deliver the goods in accordance with the rules of its blockade and again Israel had a right to know what was being delivered and to stop the shipment of anything that it considers contraband. Israel told the flotilla to dock at Ashdod Port, from where Israel would complete the shipment, keeping out anything that it finds to be contraband, and then allow the flotilla to return home. But the people in charge of the flotilla made clear over radio that they would not do that and would make for Gaza, thereby stating their intent to run the blockade.
And that's why Israel boarded the ships.
And that gives them free reign to kill people? I get that the flotilla might have been the aggressor. But does that allow them to go on a killing spree? I get that reports might be biased, but I personally believe that they're close to the truth
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Originally posted by FieryIceThe attack was in international waters and on a humanitarian fleet, I seriously don't think that's legal...
As I understand it, as long as it does not take place in the waters of another country, if a ship makes clear it intends to run a blockade and moves to do so, then the enforcers of the blockade can board, even in international waters. Israel also had a right to inspect to make sure those ships were really humanitarian ships.
The Israelis offered the fleet another way to deliver the goods in accordance with the rules of its blockade and again Israel had a right to know what was being delivered and to stop the shipment of anything that it considers contraband. Israel told the flotilla to dock at Ashdod Port, from where Israel would complete the shipment, keeping out anything that it finds to be contraband, and then allow the flotilla to return home. But the people in charge of the flotilla made clear over radio that they would not do that and would make for Gaza, thereby stating their intent to run the blockade.
And that's why Israel boarded the ships.
And that gives them free reign to kill people? I get that the flotilla might have been the aggressor. But does that allow them to go on a killing spree? I get that reports might be biased, but I personally believe that they're close to the truth
That is the issue, too. What I understand is that some people on one of the ships resisted the boarding and came at the Israeli soldiers with deadly weapons, and also tried to throw one of them off the ship. The Israelis originally responded with paintballs, but when they saw that wasn't effective they moved to deadly force.
