- World court offers new course for Turkish NGO in flotilla case
The Comoros Island's registration of the now-famous Mavi Marmara, attacked in May by Israeli commandos, provides legal means for the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged crimes against humanity.
With neither Turkey nor Israel as members of the International Criminal Court, the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or IHH, has turned to its third option and hoisted the Comoros flag. The NGO plans to make a run on the court in hopes of obtaining a verdict declaring Israeli officials guilty of human rights violations in the attack on the Mavi Marmara in May.
A Turkish nongovernmental organization that organized an ill-fated attempt to deliver aid to Gaza will apply next month to the International Criminal Court, or ICC, on account of the human rights violations of Israeli officials, the group's lawyer said Wednesday.
There are 700 victims not only from Turkey, but also from 35 other countries. We, together with their lawyers, will apply to the ICC on Oct. 14, Ramazan Aritürk, a lawyer for the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or IHH, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
Eight Turks and one U.S. citizen of Turkish descent were killed when Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara on May 31 while the ship and five others were en route to Gaza to break Israel's blockade against the territory.
A U.N. probe into the matter has been ongoing, but the IHH has now chosen to pursue the ICC channel because the Mavi Marmara, a former Turkish ferry, was flying the flag of the island nation of Comoros when it was attacked.
Neither Turkey nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute that established the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal, the ICC.
Comorian route to the ICC
Desmond de Silva, a member of the U.N. inquiry panel, noted that the ship was flying the flag of ICC member Comoros, thereby giving the ICC jurisdiction over any offenses committed onboard.
The Comoros became a party to the ICC in 2006.
Under terms of international criminal law, legal culpability rests with the country of the so-called civil ensign, meaning the country in which the ship is registered and flagged, one legal expert told the Daily News.
If the Comoros wants to apply to the ICC against the Israeli violation, they can do so through a prosecutor who will decide to open a case if the evidence [in hand] is strong and convincing enough,%u201D the expert said.
Legal experts said parties could apply to the ICC as member states to the Rome Statute, through a resolution of the U.N. Security Council or through a prosecutor appointed by the victims lawyers.
The first and second options are not relevant in the Mavi Marmara case because neither Turkey nor Israel are parties to the ICC, and in the second option, a resolution by the U.N. Security Council could be vetoed by the permanent members of the council, including the United States. As such, the IHH is pursuing the third option.
Preparing a draft
Lawyers from South Africa, Britain and the Netherlands arrived in Turkey. We'll continue face-to-face meetings with them next week as well with the participation of those coming from Spain and other countries, said Aritürk.
We are working on a draft that we will send to the ICC, he said. The draft will include the violations allegedly committed by Israeli officials as well as the latest report released by the U.N. Human Rights Council.
Unlike the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights, the ICC prosecutes individuals, not states, for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.
The IHH is also in contact with a professor from the University of Chicago that helped found the ICC, said Aritürk.
We, the lawyers, have a final meeting Oct. 13 in The Hague before the application process starts the next day. The victims will also be present, said Aritürk.
He said parliamentarians from Britain, France and the U.S. contacted them to join the case, but the IHH has not yet made a decision on whether to involve them in the process as well.
Aritürk said lawyers from Spain wanted to apply to the ICC individually to claim the rights of the Spanish victims. But we stopped them and told them that we should do it all together.
Lawyers from countries whose citizens were involved in the May flotilla met July 15 in Istanbul and their next meeting after Oct. 13 will be in Doha on Oct. 22.
This will be a long process that will take perhaps two years, said Aritürk. The ICC prosecutor will evaluate our application. We want the ICC to try Israeli officials responsible for the flotilla attack.
Meanwhile, the probe ordered by the U.N. into the incident said last week that there was clear evidence to back prosecution against Israel for killing and torture when its troops stormed the aid ship.
It also said six of the deceased were "victims of summary executions." Israel has rejected the inquiry from the outset as biased, while Turkey welcomed it both in a strongly worded statement from the Foreign Ministry and remarks from the foreign minister.
http://bit.ly/9AP9HY
UN report into flotilla attack exposes Israeli lies and criminality
Introduction
Israel has been condemned, yet again, by the United Nations for serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws. A UN report released last week has confirmed that there is "clear evidence to support prosecutions" against the Israeli authorities for the crimes of "wilful killing; torture or inhumane treatment; and wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health."
These are just some of the damning conclusions reached by the United Nations Human Rights Council report which investigated the circumstances of the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza in which nine of the humanitarians on board the Mavi Marmara were killed, dozens were injured, and hundreds of the civilian passengers were abused, detained illegally and transferred to Israel by Israeli commandos. This report has been awaited anxiously by many who have been seeking clarification of the events that took place on 31st May this year.
The conclusion of the report has vindicated all the international humanitarians on board the ships while condemning Israel's behaviour in the strongest possible terms. "The conduct of the Israeli military... towards the flotilla passengers was not only disproportionate to the occasion but demonstrated levels of totally unnecessary and incredible violence. It betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality. Such conduct cannot be justified or condoned on security or any other grounds. It constituted grave violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law." (Emphases added)
The starting point of the UN report is the siege on Gaza legal or illegal?
The report begins by posing some very simple questions to put the issue into context. First, is the siege on Gaza legal or illegal? Second, was the Israeli assault on the flotilla legal or illegal?
With regards to the first question, the report confirms yet again that the siege on Gaza is entirely illegal: "The Mission has come to the firm conclusion that a humanitarian crisis existed on the 31 May 2010 in Gaza. The preponderance of evidence from impeccable sources is far too overwhelming to come to a contrary opinion. Any denial that this is so cannot be supported on any rational grounds... the blockade is unlawful and cannot be sustained in law."
You cannot get much clearer than that! The UN team bolsters this position by reference to the blockade amounting to "collective punishment", a serious crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention. The resultant attack on the Turkish-registered Mavi Marmara, the report concludes, was also "clearly unlawful".
Israeli lies exposed
Not only does the report make it clear that Israel acted illegally and in violation of international law but it also reveals clearly that many of Israel's claims are actually unabashed lies and blatant attempts to mislead the public and cover up its own crimes. For example:
1- Israeli claim: The flotilla members had weapons on board and were therefore a threat to Israeli soldiers.
UN Report: "The Mission has found no evidence to suggest that any of the passengers used firearms or that any firearms were taken on board the ship... Further, the Mission finds the Israeli accounts so inconsistent and contradictory with regard to evidence of alleged firearms injuries to Israeli soldiers that it has to reject it." (116)
2- Israeli claim: Lethal force was necessary to protect the lives of the Israeli soldiers.
UN Report: "None of the four passengers who were killed [during a particular phase of the assault], including a photographer who at the time of being shot was engaged in taking photographs and was shot by an Israeli soldier positioned on the top deck above, posed any threat to the Israeli forces." (120) Furthermore, the report finds that "there was no imminent threat to soldiers". (167) Nine people had been killed by the Israeli commandos by the end of the attack.
In contrast, those on board the boat gave medical assistance to three Israeli soldiers who were injured and then those soldiers were also released.
Examples of UN-documented Israeli brutality against the humanitarians on board
The report highlights a few very troubling acts that were perpetrated by the Israeli forces against the civilian flotilla members including inter alia:
* "Widespread misuse of the handcuffs by the Israeli soldiers... Forensic reports confirm that at least fifty-four passengers had received injuries, transversal abrasions and bruises, as a result of handcuffing on board the Mavi Marmara." This included the cuffing of seriously wounded passengers for hours. Three months later many people still have related medical complaints.
* Many civilians were stripped naked and forced to wait hours before receiving medical treatment.
* Medical treatment was denied for hours to some of the wounded.
* Many passengers "exposed on open decks received serious sun-burn to their skin as a result of many hours exposure: medical reports show that at least thirteen passengers received first degree burns as a consequence."
* "There was physical abuse of passengers by the Israeli forces, including kicking and punching and being hit with the butts of rifles."
* Frequent instances of verbal abuse, including derogatory sexual remarks about the female passengers.
* "Passengers were denied access to toilet facilities or made to wait for lengthy periods before being escorted to the toilet and then forced to use the toilet with Israeli soldiers watching and while handcuffed. Some passengers were in serious discomfort as a result, while others used makeshift receptacles, such as plastic bottles and others still were forced to urinate on themselves."
* Some passengers received dog bite wounds.
* Some passengers who suffer from chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart conditions were not allowed to take their medication.
* A white flag was waved by the Head of the IHH (the Turkish charity which helped to organise the flotilla) and yet the Israelis continued to fire.
Fallout from the flotilla attack
Prosecutions
This UN report has laid the groundwork for a series of prosecutions against the Israeli authorities. In fact, the report specifically outlines some of the potential legal remedies that the victims are now at liberty to seek, including: "judicial remedies"; the "right to reparations"; "medical and psychological care" (for those victims of Israeli torture); "compensation"; and so on. The report states further that "as far as the grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention are concerned, these may give rise to individual criminal responsibility". It also lists a few of Israel's most serious violations, including, for example, the violation of the "right to life" and "torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment".
Prosecutions can be brought by individuals, families, the flag-bearing nation of the boats involved or the countries from whence the victims came, primarily Turkey (although one of the deceased, 19 year old Furkan Dogan, held Turkish-American dual citizenship).
One point the UN mission notes is that the Israeli authorities have refused, once again, to cooperate with a UN fact-finding mission (reminiscent of their refusal to cooperate with the Goldstone report team). However, given that some of the Israeli "perpetrators of the more serious crimes" were masked, the UN has urged Israel's government to "assist in their identification with a view to prosecuting the culpable."
Turkey's relations with Israel
This report will also have a great bearing on Turkey's already shaky relationship with Israel. The Turkish authorities are not going to let the murder of their citizens on the high seas by Israeli soldiers pass unnoticed. In an interview published on 28th September 2010 in the London-based Al Hayat newspaper, Turkey's Foreign Minister, Ahmad Dawud Oglu, said, "We will never forget that our citizens were killed by the army of a foreign country. This is a matter of principle for us; it is not a transitional or tactical issue. We demand an official apology because the incident is regarded as a crime."
This UN report will only bolster the Turkish sense of injustice. It confirms the many levels on which the incident breached international law and clearly paves the way for legal proceedings to follow. Turkey has essentially been vindicated by this report and it gives validity and support to the claims made by the Turkish passengers and Turkish authorities all along.
The Israelis need to do something substantial if they are to appease their erstwhile ally. As things stand at the moment all military cooperation between the two nations has essentially been suspended and political relations generally have become more or less frozen, with no significant efforts being made by any third party to mediate between the two countries. This situation is likely to get even worse over the coming months as legal battles begin to be waged. The battle is being taken from the high seas to the courtroom and this will no doubt be another PR disaster for Israel.
More bad PR for Israel
This report is a damning indictment of Israel's behaviour, casting as it does a very bad light on the Israeli government and armed forces. It also seriously calls into question the effectiveness of the Israel Defence Forces. The IDF is touted around the world as a stellar fighting force and yet its commandos could not do something as relatively simple as divert a boat load of civilians without it leading to absolute carnage. Either this exposes the IDF as an army of poorly trained, unprofessional youngsters with high velocity weapons; or, if they stand beside their reputation as a fearless fighting force, that they display callous inhumanity when pitted against civilians and have little regard for human life. This calls into question the way that the troops are trained as well as the military philosophy passed down by senior officers to their troops.
Conclusion
The authors of the UN report stated that "the mission is satisfied not only that the flotilla presented no imminent threat [to Israel] but that the interception was motivated by concerns about the possible propaganda victory that might be claimed by the organisers of the flotilla." If the Israelis intended to avoid a propaganda defeat, their plan certainly backfired and, once again, Israel's criminal antics have been laid bare for the world to see. Now the Zionist state faces an even bigger PR disaster when the inevitable prosecutions reach the courts and the details of the events that unfolded on board the Mavi Marmara and in the days immediately thereafter are given in open court.
More flotillas are planned in the wake of this attack. A British boat, the Irene, carrying Jewish peace activists, has already been intercepted by Israeli forces en-route to Gaza. An even larger "Freedom Flotilla 2" is also due to set sail in the next few months. Israel should learn its lessons from its disastrous experience. The world will not give up on the besieged people of Gaza. If governments are afraid of the political ramifications that come from challenging Israel and its allies then the citizens of the world will step forward and do it instead.
The attack on the Mavi Marmara was the beginning and not the end. This latest UN report clearly exonerates the flotilla mission both in its principles and in its practice, bolstering future efforts by peace activists to break the siege on Gaza. It also sends a warning to Israel that its illegal siege on the 1.8 million inhabitants of Gaza will not be allowed to continue unchallenged. The new leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, whose parents fled from Nazi Europe during the Second World War, has told his party's annual conference that "the attack on the Gaza Flotilla was so wrong... the Gaza blockade must be lifted and we must strain every sinew to work to make that happen". The UN report itself ends by saying that the "unsustainable" siege on Gaza "is totally intolerable and unacceptable in the 21st century", a fact that it would be wise for Israel to wake up to sooner rather than later.
REPORT: http://bit.ly/d1pRBh
http://bit.ly/bFWTgg 7 jul 2011, 00:47 , Respect -
Maria 30 sept 2010
US rejects UN report on Gaza flotilla raid, Davutoglu 'disappointed'
ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News
The United States sole dissenting vote on a draft U.N. resolution critical of Israel's May 31 raid on the Gaza-bound aid ship Mavi Marmara drew a negative reaction Wednesday from Turkey's foreign minister.
We expect our allies to see the subject as a matter of solidarity, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, expressing his disappointment while in the United States.
The United Nations passed the resolution with 30 votes; only the United States objected, though 15 European Union member countries abstained from voting, something Davutoglu also criticized.
It is a matter that contradicts the principles and human rights embraced by the European Union, the Turkish foreign minister said.
The resolution draft was presented by Pakistan, representing the 57 countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Three experts from the European Commission of Human Rights analyzed the draft, which endorses a report that concluded there is enough evidence on the flotilla raid to provide grounds to a file a lawsuit for murder, torture and inhumane treatment.
Nine aid activists, including eight Turks and one American of Turkish descent, were killed during the raid of the vessel.
Passengers on the Mavi Marmara are meanwhile preparing to take a case to the International Criminal Court, following a report released by the European Commission of Human Rights on human-rights violations.
http://bit.ly/clsSTt
UN rights council adopts report condemning Israel over flotilla massacre
GENEVA, (PIC)-- The UN Human Right's Council voted to back a report issued by one of its fact-finding missions that offers clear evidence to prosecute Israel for the deadly attacks on the Freedom Flotilla set to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza late last May.
30 countries voted in favor of the resolution, against the United States who opposed it, while 15 abstained.
The UN-appointed probe of three experts said in a report six months back that the Israeli Navy violated international and humanitarian law by willfully killing and torturing passengers of the Mavi Marmara ship when it attacked it, and described the Gaza siege as unlawful. They added that six of the nine victims on the ship were killed in execution style.
The report was based on Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which relates to the protection of civilian persons at the time of war.
The U.S. described the report as being imbalanced, adding that it should not be used to hamper negotiations. The U.S. delegate to the council Eilene Chamberlain opposed the resolution, calling on the UN General Assembly to examine the report.
Belgian council representative Alex Van Meewuen backed the EU nations decision not to vote, saying the report did not include reference to the separate UN probe into the Marmara attack.
http://bit.ly/cwEm1R
1 oct 2010
Turkish analyst: Washington increasingly upset with Ankara
'US Jewish lobby which supported Turkey for many years doesn't understand Ankara's change in attitude toward Israel,' Hurriyet columnist writes, adding, 'We are on verge of entering dangerous waters'
"Washington is increasingly becoming upset with Ankara. The origin of this lies in the approach to Israel. The Iranian issue comes in second," according to a senior Turkish political analyst.
In an op-ed published this week by the Hurriyet daily, Mehmet Ali Birand wrote, "Each and every unfavorable step by Turkey toward Israel directly affects Turkish-American relations. Everybody is uncomfortable and tense and it distorts the country's image.
"The majority of those upset voice their concern in the US Congress, US media and also some NGOs. The Jewish lobby which supported Turkey for many years doesn't understand the change in attitude, nor does it intend to do so," he said.
Birand also criticized Washington's approach to the crisis between Jerusalem and Ankara over the deadly commando raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish ship in late May.
"The US administration is working on trying to understand Ankara and its intention toward Israel and waiting for relations to calm down. It tries to inspire Turkey so negotiations with Israel can start over again saying: 'A cessation in relations with Israel would increase tension in the region. Such a situation would not be bearable either for Turkey or for the United States. You already said what you had to say. Resend your ambassador and ease relations.' When giving this advice it looks out for the benefit of Israel.
"It (US) does not recommend that Israel apologize but tells us to calm down," said the analyst, who is considered liberal.
However, Birand warned that Turkish-US ties could deteriorate further. "We have not arrived at the point of breaking up. For there won't be a break-up with the United States easily. But once it breaks, fixing it would be very difficult.
"We are on the verge of entering dangerous waters. If we consider the latest developments we'd see that the course is not very good," he said. "For example, the fact that (Turkish President Abdullah) Gul and (Israeli President Shimon) Peres could not meet was externally interpreted as Turkey 'setting a condition.' And the (US administration badly wanted this meeting to take place."
Birand claimed Turkey will have no choice but to slowly "smooth relations" with Israel. "Turkey probably won't get back to its former relations with Israel but it won't be hostile either. For everybody in Ankara knows that there will be much harm in the case of long disputes with Israel," he wrote.
"What is important for Turkey is the lifting or at least an easing of the Gaza embargo. An advance in peace negotiations these days will also solve any congestion in Turkish-Israeli relations. If not managed well, it may lead to a disaster."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3962420,00.html
3 oct 2010
NEW VIDEO FROM MAVI MARMARA - Israeli troops attack GREECE SHIP 10/2010
(7:59) NEW VIDEO FROM MAVI MARMARA - Israeli troops attack GREECE SHIP 10/2010
2 oktober 2010 Thanks Greece !!! New Video from the Ship Mavi Marmara - One of the ships - GREECE SHIP. Israel attack Greece Ship in international water... Terror israel Palestine Free Palestine Fight for Freedom
Flotilla attack to be avenged in movie
Turkey is to make a movie which will see the country avenging the killing of nine of its pro-Palestinian activists by Israeli commandos.
Israeli commandos killed the Turkish nationals on May 31 as they were trying to reach the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip by sea as part of the Freedom Flotilla, an Ankara-backed humanitarian convoy.
In the movie the Valley of the Wolves - Palestine -- adopt from a TV series of the same name -- the protagonist captures the military commander planning and ordering the attack, the film's website said, according to the Associated Press.
The film is set on the Freedom Flotilla's lead vessel Mavi Marmara.
The assault has done a record damage to Israel-Turkey bilateral ties, already clouded over Tel Aviv's attacks on Gaza at the turn of 2009, which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians.
Tel Aviv has taken issue with Ankara over the series which, besides other patriotic depictions, has featured the emancipation of a Turkish boy captured by the Israeli spy agency Mossad.
Reacting to the series, Israel called Turkish Ambassador Oguz Celikkol, reportedly seating him on a low couch and removing the Turkish flag from the table of discussion.
Celikkol was later quoted by the Anatolia news agency as denouncing the humiliating treatment as one "that will go down in the books of diplomatic history," AFP reported.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/145073.html
Flotilla ship is setting for anti-Israel movie
ANKARA, Turkey A Turkish protest ship that was the scene of bloodshed during Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla is now the setting of an anti-Israeli film.
Part of a movie is being filmed on board the Mavi Marmara, where Israeli troops clashed with the pro-Palestinian activists, Salih Bilici, a spokesman for the Turkish Islamic charity that sponsored the flotilla, told The Associated Press on Sunday.
The movie "Valley of the Wolves Palestine" is a spinoff from the controversial but highly popular TV drama series "Valley of the Wolves," which tells the story of a nationalist undercover agent assigned to kill state enemies. The series sparked a diplomatic row between Turkey and Israel this year after one episode showed Israeli security forces kidnapping children and shooting old men.
This time, the hero Polat Alemdar and his team are given the task of hunting down the raid's military commander and planner, a fictional character called Mose Ben Eliezer, according to the film's website.
"Mose destroys villages, kills children and throws everyone who helps Polat into prison," it says.
In Israel, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon and Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor declined comment. No one was available at the Pana production company Sunday.
In January, Ayalon summoned the Turkish ambassador to complain about "Valley of the Wolves," forcing the envoy to sit on a low sofa. Turkey was outraged and demanded an apology.
Bilici said the crew was currently filming an enactment of the raid aboard the Mavi Marmara that shows activists performing early morning prayers when an Israeli helicopter approaches and soldiers rappel on board and shoot at them, Bilici said.
The movie's release is scheduled for January 28.
The Mavi Marmara and two other Turkish ships were part of a flotilla sailing toward Gaza to protest Israel's blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory. Israel insisted its troops acted in self-defense after being attacked by activists on board.
Last week, a report by three U.N.-appointed human rights experts found that Israeli forces violated international law when they raided the flotilla. Israel responded saying the Human Rights Council, which commissioned the report, had a "biased, politicized and extremist approach."
The "Valley of the Wolves" films and TV series are highly popular in Turkey but are also severely criticized for stocking nationalism and glorifying violence.
In the early years of the TV series, upset fans held a minute of silence in the memory of one of the heroes who was killed off. They had obituaries printed in newspaper expressing their grief, while a gang of angry youths beat up the actor who played his killer.
http://bit.ly/bq0cmK 7 jul 2011, 00:48 , Respect -
Maria 5 oct 2010
Turkey refuses Israeli request to interview Marmara captain
(0:46) Turkey refuses Israeli request to interview Marmara captain
Turkey has refused to give Israel permission to hear testimony from the captain of the Mavi Marmara ship which was the focus of the May 31 raid by Israeli commandos as the ship led a convoy to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip. The Turkel committee set up by Israel to investigate the incident made an official request to the Turkish Embassy on Sunday. Turkey formed its own committee to investigate the flotilla incident which has already heard testimony from the Mavi Marmara's captain and crew. The Turks also emphasized that the flotilla incident will not be over until Israel apologizes for killing nine Turkish activists during the raid and pays their families reparations. Israel claims its soldiers were attacked by the activists and acted in self defense.
Septet talks delegitimization of Israel, UN flotilla probe
Ministerial forum makes point of releasing statement after meeting saying that peace talks, possible freeze extension not discussed.
The seven member ministerial forum known as the 'septet' met on Tuesday, discussing the delegitimization of Israel and the ongoing UN investigation into the Turkish flotilla incident.
The septet made a point of releasing a statement afterward, saying that they did not discuss efforts being made to enable the continuation of peace talks. Their had been media speculation that the ministerial forum would discuss a possible extension of the moratorium on West Bank settlement building in hopes of saving stalled negotiations with the Palestinians.
According to the statement, the septet discussed the campaign of delegitimization being waged against Israel globally.
The ministers were also briefed by Dr. Joseph Ciechanover, the Israeli representative on the UN panel investigating the events surrounding the May 31 raid of the Gaza-bound aid ship the Mavi Marmara. Ciechanover discussed the expected timetable for the panel's continued work.
The government has not announced whether or not the potential freeze extension or other efforts to enable continued peace talks will be discussed in Wednesday's scheduled security cabinet meeting.
An Arab League meeting to discuss settlement building and its impact on the resumption of the talks, initiated by the Palestinian Authority, will be held on Friday in Libya. The PA has repeatedly stated that it will not return to the negotiating table as long as building in the settlements continues.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=190310
6 oct 2010
BBC Investigates Complaints About Gaza Freedom Flotilla Programme
The BBC has confirmed it is investigating complaints about one of its programmes from an Irish peace activist and former European election candidate who was caught up and injured in an Israel military attack on an aid ship convoy last May.
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla was intercepted and attacked by Israeli military personnel in international waters on May 31st this year. Nine people died when Israeli paratroopers stormed the Turkish-owned Mavi Marmara.
On August 16th, the BBC's Panorama programme broadcast a report on the fatal May 31st attack. After viewing the programme, Donegal man Mr Fiachra Ó' Luain wrote to the BBC claiming he was an eyewitness to the initial attack on the MV Mavi Marmara and in a follow-up official complaint he outlined 31 individual issues relating to the broadcast.
Mr O' Luain was 2nd mate on board the US-registered Challenger 1 when he witnessed the fatal attack on the Mavi Marmara. Mr O' Luain was later detained after the ship he was on was pursued by Israeli commandos before it was boarded and seized.
Mr Ó' Luain has said: "I welcome the fact that the BBC are going to formally investigate the bias we witnessed in the glibly titled Panorama programme 'Death In The Med'. For the sake of journalism, it is important that editors, producers and reporters are held accountable when they mislead and omit important information. While I am interested to see how the BBC respond, it serves to remind how readers and viewers should always be analytical of how the "facts" are presented to them at prime-time."
"The reason why so many of us were shocked at the obvious bias evident in the Panorama programme is because we would like to expect much better from the BBC. I have done my own research and investigation following the progmmme and interviewed members of the BBC who work in London. I know that many BBC workers were as appalled by the programme as we were, and also want to ensure that the BBC's reputation is not jeopardized by such a biased programme again," Mr O' Luain added.
In response to Mr O'Luain's complaint, the BBC said: "We understand the strength of feeling regarding the Israeli Defence Force%u2019s operation against the Mavi Marmara on 31 May 2010. We recognise the complexity of the subject and note its ramifications within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a whole."
The BBC however has not commented on how many complaints it has received in relation to the Panorama programme.
In August, Mr O' Luain and three other Irish citizens gave evidence to an UN inquiry into the attack on the flotilla. The fact-finding mission, established by the UN Human Rights Council found Mr O" Luain was "physically attacked by around seventeen officers when he refused to sign deportation paper, kicked in the head and threatened at gunpoint. A number of passengers had resolved to resist deportation in order to have the opportunity to demonstrate their innocence in an Israeli court. This was taken as a provocation by the Israelis."
http://bit.ly/aJmSXm
Livni tells UN to mind its own business over flotilla probe
Outside intervention in Israel's right to combat terrror 'unacceptable,' opposition leader tells Ban Ki-moon in New York.
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni on Wednesday accused the United Nations of intervening in Israel's affairs through its probe into an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Livni told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that his decision to appoint a panel to investigate the May 31 commando raid, which left nine pro-Palestinian activists dead, was "unacceptable".
"Any international intervention in military operations carried out by Israel is unacceptable, just as it would be unacceptable to any other country fighting terrorism," Livni told Ban in a meeting at his office at the UN building in New York.
Israel has launched its own examination of the flotilla raid, which saw navy commandos rappel onto the deck of the flagged aid boat 'Mavi Marmarma,' where they clashed bloodily with Turkish activists.
"Israel is investigating the events of the flotilla itself, and that is enough," said Livni, who leads Kadima, the second largest party in Israel's Knesset.
An Israeli panel lead by Jacob Turkel and overseen by two international observers has already heard testimony from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and army Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
Livni also slammed the UN for hosting speeches by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly called for Israel's destruction.
"You must stop giving a platform to Ahmadinejad. His last speech at the UN was dangerous and showed that economic sanctions [against Iran] are not enough," she told Ban.
"There need to be added diplomatic sanctions that will prevent Iran's leaders from gaining a platform for their extremist views."
In his remarks to Livni, Ban focused on Israeli building in the West Bank, reiterating UN pressure on Israel to re-impose a freeze on settlement construction. The prior freeze expired in late September, bringing to a near-standstill the new peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
http://bit.ly/91sDo1
Turkel summons Arab-Israelis who took part in Gaza flotilla
Muhammad Zeidan
Head of Arab Monitoring Committee, Rahat resident who were aboard Turkish ship during command raid in late May to testify before inquiry commission.
The Turkel Commission, which is probing the deadly commando raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish ship in late May, has summoned two Israeli-Arabs who were aboard the vessel.
Higher Arab Monitoring Committee Chairman Mohammad Zeidan and Rahat resident Hamad Abu Dabus are scheduled to testify next week as part of the commission's examination of the "actions of the flotilla's organizers and those who participated in it."
The Turkel Commission has also asked a number of human rights groups for information regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Representatives from B'Tselem, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and Gisha: Legal Center for Freedom of Movement are expected to testify before the committee soon.
Interior Ministry Director of Enforcement and Foreign Nationals Yossi Edelstein is also expected to testify regarding the treatment of flotilla participants from their arrival in Ashdod harbor until their deportation from Israel.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3965133,00.html
Turkel committee summons 2 Israelis who participated in flotilla
The Turkel committee investigating the IDF raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla summoned two Israeli witnesses who took part in the sail to testify.
The committee said that the two, Muhammad Zidan from Kafr Manda and Himad Abu Dabous from Rahat will appear before the panel next week.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3965047,00.html 7 jul 2011, 00:52 , Respect -
Maria 7 oct 2010
In the aftermath of the raid on the Freedom Flotilla
Angela Corrias & pascaluccelli
In the aftermath of the deadly attack of the Israeli Navy against the peace activists of the Freedom Flotilla last 31st of May, world leaders have failed to raise their voice in order to demand an independent international investigation.
The international community did not manage to impose the respect of the international legislation and despite the obvious breach of the most basic human and civil principles, Israel was not brought to trial before an independent commission.
The bloody attack against a humanitarian ship in international waters has proved once again that the tiny State is granted with undue privileges and an impunity that no other country can boast.
In the wake of the attack on the Freedom Flotilla headed to the Gaza Strip that caused the death of eight Turkish activists and one US citizen of Turkish origins, Turkey has withdrawn its ambassador from Tel Aviv and cancelled joint military exercises.
On top of that, Turkey demands that Israel issue a formal apology, pay a compensation to the victims' families and accept an international investigation over the mid-sea raid.
Following the tragic events of the raid on the Mavi Marmara, a group of thirty-three Greek citizens who took part in the convoy launched a lawsuit against senior Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Army chief Gabi Ashkenazi. The activists are also planning to sue the soldiers and officers who attacked the convoy, because of a clear violation of Greek criminal law and international treaties as soldiers were outside Israel's territorial waters.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu seems to have no intention to apologise nor recognise the breach of the international laws by attacking a humanitarian convoy in international waters. Zionist officials, in fact, have criticised the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for appointing what it calls a biased committee to probe Tel Aviv's deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy, alleging that the council's team wanted to satisfy an anti-Israel majority.
Due to the increasing pressure of countries such as Iran, Malaysia and Syria, the UN Human Rights Council has appointed former UN war crimes prosecutor Desmond de Silva, Trinidadian judge Karl T. Hudson-Phillips and Malaysian women's rights advocate Mary Shanthi Dairiam to investigate the May 31 attack.
The UN body described the panel as "completely unbiased," urging Israel to cooperate. Although Tel Aviv has refused to collaborate with previous investigations conducted by the UN body, and the Human Rights Council condemned the incident deciding to set up a commission of inquiry, the international community still fails to condemn Israeli crimes and to impose the Zionist state to stop the illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The UNHRC panel has finished last week the initial probe on the raid against the Freedom Flotilla and has found evidence of wilful killing and torture. According to the UN experts, "a series of violations of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, were committed by the Israeli forces during the interception of the flotilla and during the detention of passengers in Israel prior to deportation." Enough "to support prosecutions."
Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned Israeli unwillingness to cooperate in the probe, stating that Turkey deeply regrets the non-cooperation by the occupying power, Israel, with the independent international fact-finding mission.
In these very days a new convoy, Viva Palestina 5, is on its way to Gaza, in order to break the illegal siege and deliver aid to the population that is facing an increasing humanitarian crisis. After leaving from London, it has stopped in France, Italy, Turkey to visit the tombs of the activists killed last May 31, and is now in Syria.
Life in Gaza and in the Palestinian Occupied Territories
The situation in the Gaza Strip is increasingly dramatic, being the population constantly under the illegal siege imposed by the Zionist regime. Gaza goes through frequent electricity cuts arbitrarily decided by the Israeli government, cuts that usually last several weeks, with all the dramatic consequences this has for the most basic daily routine, such as house commodities and lifestyle.
Electricity cuts and the blockade of basic goods have very serious consequences when it comes to medical centres and hospitals necessities.
Patients under dialysis at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City are denied proper medical treatments due to the shortage of electricity and equipment in deterioration. The illegal blockade imposed by the Zionist regime has caused the pharmacy of the hospital to run out of essential medicaments, and patients need to find alternative ways to source drugs and treatments, paying more than due for them or being deprived altogether as some are impossible to be delivered in the Gaza Strip.
In their inhumane brutality against civilians, the Zionist Army keeps blocking medical equipment, such as dialysis machines and spare parts that would repair old machines no longer functioning, from entering Gaza City. Although they have no authority over Palestinian territories and although they have been carrying out crimes against humanity for decades, neither the US administration nor any of the European governments are strong and independent enough to openly condemn what is a clear violation of the most basic international laws and human rights.
Due to inadequate resources, dialysis treatment has been reduced for all patients from three to two times a week, causing serious implications for the health of the patients.
An increasing number of patients in Gaza suffering from serious injuries and diseases are forced to seek treatment outside of the Gaza Strip. Yet the process for obtaining the necessary permits for transfer from Gaza to hospitals abroad is long and always more complicated. Hundreds of patients, including women and children, are denied each month under the fake excuse of "security concerns." Since 2007, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights has documented the cases of 67 patients who have died because they could not obtain the necessary treatment in Gaza and were denied a permit to seek medical treatment abroad.
In June, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that Israel blocked delivery of essential equipment, including a CT scanner, defibrillators and monitors. In addition, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Israel confiscated seven oxygen machines, donated by a Norwegian development agency, and blocked x-ray machine deliveries, under the unreasonable claim they were dual-use, meaning possibly for military purposes.
Denying medical care is only one of the many ways the Zionist organisation is breaching the international law, as the Fourth Geneva's Article 16 states: "The wounded and sick, as well as the infirm, and expectant mothers, shall be the object of particular protection and respect."
A policy of repression
The Zionist regime, illegally occupying Palestinian lands, under the pretext of security in 2009 has interrogated over 600 of the thousands of Gazans who had applied for exit permission in order to receive proper medical treatments. Most of the times, patients are summoned "after their hospital appointment date(s) passed," causing them to lose out and have to reschedule.
In other cases, Zionists summon patients to Erez Crossing (on the pretext of permission to leave), arresting and detaining them instead - a Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) worker as well, part of a paramedic/ambulance driver team en route to a Ramallah training course, was arrested and imprisoned in Israel.
In line with their policy of repression, the Zionist regime reserves the right to detain elements who seek medical treatments in Israel following information that they are terror activists or that their entry to Israel might pose a security risk, common excuse to keep carrying out the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people, undisturbed and with the usual impunity granted by an always weaker international community.
Zionists further deny permission for West Bank treatment, saying patients might stay with their families - their legal right, unrelated to security, in an entirely state-sanctioned repression. Additionally, Israel confiscates patients' belongings when returning home after treatment, forced on re-entry to leave behind whatever they bought or were given, including medical equipment, clothing, toys and other non-threatening items.
Collective punishment and endless violence against the Gaza Strip
At least two Palestinians have been killed and seven others wounded in an Israeli attack in northern part of the Gaza Strip last month, when the Zionist Army fired several artillery shells into the town of Beit Hanun, Ma'an news agency reported.
The two Palestinians killed were later identified as Mohammad al-Kafarneh, 22, and Kasim al-Shindary, and a 10-year-old girl was among the injured, three of which were reported in critical conditions. Most Palestinians in that area are farmers and they are in constant risk of being shot at when going to their farms as the soldiers of the Zionist entity frequently open fire, accusing the farmers of trying to approach the "security fence."
As the humanitarian crisis Israel has caused in Gaza wasn't alarming enough, their war planes frequently launch air strikes on the Gaza Strip, targeting Palestinian civilians, buildings and tunnels between Gaza and Egypt.
In an attempt to soothe the outrage of worldwide population sparked by the deadly attack against the humanitarian convoy on May 31st, the Zionist regime had declared an ease on the Gaza siege, but as history goes, not only did they not ease the blockade, but they escalated the crisis by increasing the frequency of air strikes on the already wounded Gaza Strip.
Egypt has tried to brush away the impression that it's Israel's main accomplice in the Gaza siege and indefinitely opened its Rafah crossing.
Updates on illegal land-grabbing by Zionist settlers and peace talks
The expansion of settlements scattered throughout Palestinian territory doesn't seem to come to an end. As a matter of fact, already 42% of the occupied West Bank is controlled by settlers.
Around 200 settlements, illegal under an increasingly ignored international law, according to which any Jewish settlements built on occupied territory are illegal, occupy more of the Palestinian land than previously reported and settlers have no intentions to stop violently seizing lands from private Palestinian owners, in the most arrogant defiance of any civil and human principle.
During the ongoing peace talks between Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas with the supervision of Barack Obama, settlers of illegal colony of Revava have announced the end of the freeze.
Despite the ethnic cleansing of Palestine carried out by the Zionist organisation since 1948, the colony known as Israel has been able to impose itself in the landscape of world affairs, and in 1967 the already wounded Palestinian land and population were further legally deprived of parts of their country that were annexed to Israel, in an attempt to set an artificial border between the two States.
The Zionist regime, however, has never respected the international legislation, and since 1967 it has been trying to reduce the Palestinian population of East Jerusalem, in blatant abuse of basic human rights.
According to the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights, B'Tselem, to achieve its goal, the Zionist regime has been:
· Physically isolating East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, in part by building the separation barrier;
· Discriminating in land expropriation, planning, and building, and demolition of houses;
· Revoking residency and social benefits of Palestinians who stay abroad for at least seven years, or who are unable to prove that their centre of life is in Jerusalem;
· Unfairly dividing the budget between the two parts of the city, with harmful effects on infrastructure and services in East Jerusalem. [1]
As the so-called peace talks throughout the years have never gone anywhere, it is clear by now that the Israeli regime doesn't seek peace in the territory, but a constant situation of violence and instability in order to retaliate with more land expropriation.
The latest edition of peace talks has now been suspended due to the renewal of settlement building, and the destiny of Palestine faces another stalemate, while rallies took place last Friday in Gaza to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Second Intifada, symbol of the Palestinian resistance against the occupation.
[1] East Jerusalem, B'Tselem report http://www.btselem.org/english/Jerusalem/
Main sources:
Maan News Agency www.maannews.net/eng/Default.aspx
Electronic Intifada http://www.electronicintifada.net/
Israeli Information Centre of Human Rights, B'Tselem
http://www.btselem.org/english
The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy
http://www.miftah.org/
http://twitwall.com/view/?what=0B00010B03
Turkel Committee head given tie-break power in voting
Committee chairman Jacob Turkel asked for the double vote following the death of committee member Professor Shabtai Rosenne about two weeks ago, which left the committee with four members.
The cabinet has given double-vote power to the head of the Turkel Committee investigating the deadly raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla in May, in case of disagreements among the committee's four members.
Committee chairman, former Supreme Court justice Jacob Turkel, asked for the double vote following the death of committee member Professor Shabtai Rosenne about two weeks ago, which left the committee with four members. This could result in a draw in committee members' votes on writing its report and its conclusions.
The Prime Minister's Bureau said Turkel advised Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman not to appoint a new member instead of Rosenne. He said that the committee had already completed a large part of its work when Rosenne died and is now in the stage of writing it, after processing much of the material.
He said presenting the committee's conclusions as early as possible and carrying them out could help Israel in the international arena. Adding another member to the committee at this stage should be avoided, as they would have to study a great amount of material and could delay the report's completion, he said.
The cabinet approved Turkel's suggestions on Monday but neither the Prime Minister's Bureau nor the Turkel Committee released the decision to the media. It was only published as a small clause in the summary statement of the cabinet session on the Prime Minister's Office website. It was not sent out to reporters like other announcements.
The Turkel Committee refrained from posting the decision on its website.
http://bit.ly/ae05I6 7 jul 2011, 00:53 , Respect -
Maria 9 oct 2010
(0:47) Turkish Flotilla Lawyers: "We have Clear Evidence of israeli War Crimes."
Flotilla victims' families to International Criminal Court: Prosecute Israel
Turkish lawyers petition the ICC to examine IDF 'war crimes' during clashes aboard Turkish aid ship Mavi Marmara, which resulted in 9 dead, on May 31.
The families of the victims of the May 31 clashes aboard the Turkish Gaza-bound aid ship Mavi Marmara have petition the International Criminal Court in Hague to prosecute Israeli soldiers, the Guardian reported Friday.
Israeli navy commandos killed nine Turkish activists aboard the Mavi Marmara, one of several ships taking part in a Turkish-backed aid flotilla aiming to violate Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Dozens of activists, as well as Israeli troops, were injured during the clashes.
Lawyers representing the Turkish activists wrote to the world criminal court that they have definitive evidence of Israeli crimes, as well as professional opinions composed by internationally acclaimed legal experts.
"The attack on the flotilla occurred in international waters, which directly violated many parts of international law as well as international public and criminal law," said Ramazan Ariturk, a partner at Elmadag Law Office, the Turkish legal body that is representing the Turkish victims and the human rights group IHH. "The crimes committed by the Israel Defense Forces must be prosecuted and the International Criminal Court is the sole authority which is able to do that."
The Turkish lawyers wrote that it was within the jurisdiction of the international court to prosecute those responsible for the flotilla incident, even though Israel and the Palestinian Authority do not recognize the court's authority.
The lawyers argue that the fact that Turkey was involved in the incident and that the Mavi Marmara sailed under a Comoro Islands flag grant the court the jurisdiction to investigate the incident, since those states are themselves signatories of the Rome Statute, which established the court.
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted the conclusions arrived at by the committee that it appointed to investigate the events surrounding the flotilla. Thirty nations voted to accept the conclusions of the report, fifteen states abstained, and the United States opposed.
According to the UN report, Israel violated international law and the human rights of the activists on board the ship when they took over the Mavi Marmara.
The Human Rights Commission concluded that Israel's siege on Gaza is illegal because of the humanitarian crisis for Gaza residents and called the IDF attack on the flotilla "brutal and disproportionate."
http://bit.ly/aNZWlz
12 oct 2010
Lawyers from 20 countries discuss charges against Israel over flotilla massacre
BRUSSELS / LONDON, (PIC)-- The Freedom Flotilla alliance, meeting in Geneva on Monday, announced that dozens of lawyers from more than 20 countries will meet to discuss suits filed against Israel over its May 31 attack against the Gaza-bound flotilla that ended in the death of nine activists.
The alliance said in a statement it gave after the meeting: The Geneva Conventions, which are a set of laws agreed upon by the international community to protect human dignity and life, continue to be violated by Israel because of its total impunity.
The alliance said it will head out for The Hague on Oct. 14 and to lodge a complaint to the Attorney General of the International Criminal Court.
In less than two weeks, a large number of lawyers from more than 20 countries will meet to discuss the cases filed against Israel and the continued efforts to place charges against Israeli war criminals, the alliance said.
A number of our countries voted in favor of the UN Human Rights Council investigation that convicted Israel of using excessive force and violating international law, but the United States of America used its veto power to vote against the decision.
A source inside the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza said the campaign, in cooperation with other founding parties of the Freedom Flotilla, are working on all legal, political, and popular levels to hold Israel responsible for the assault.
In other developments, the Freedom Flotilla 2 coalition announced the decision to delay the flotilla's set date of departure for Gaza until the spring of 2011. The convoy was previously scheduled to head out by the end of 2010.
European Campaign member Rami Abdo said the delay was based on consultations that took place with the flotilla coalition after taking into account increasing requests for participation and the expansion of the coalition.
Despite threats received by the Freedom Flotilla coalition to stop it from setting sail, we will not retreat, and our preparations are continually increasing, he said.
http://bit.ly/9SQIhp
Lawyers for Turkish aid flotilla victoms appeal to ICC
Lawyers representing the Turkish victims of Israel's deadly storming of a Gaza-bound flotilla in May have called on the International Criminal Court to punish those responsible, the news agency Cihan reported Sunday. Skip related content
The agency quotes Ramazan Ariturk, one of the lawyers for the nine Turkish victims, as saying that a letter had been sent to the ICC prosecutor in The Hague, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, containing "damning evidence implicating the Israeli aggressors."
On May 31 Israeli commandos stormed a flotilla of six humanitarian ships on their way to Gaza. Nine Turkish activists were killed on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, sparking international condemnation.
The ICC is competent to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity and genocide. It can charge an individual if crimes were committed on territory of a state which is a member of the court, or if the individual is a national of one of its member states.
Israel does not recognise the ICC.
"There is sufficient proof for proceedings to be taken against Israel. Many international jurists also think so," Ariturk told the agency.
He said the court had jurisdiction because the Mari Marmara was flying the flag of ICC-member the Comoros Islands.
Lawyers and relatives of the victims are planning to go to The Hague on Thursday to formally lodge a complaint with the ICC, the non-government Islamist organisation IHH, which co-sponsored the expedition to Gaza, said on its website.
The United Nations Human Rights Council last month agreed to back a report which found "clear evidence" for legal action against Israel over the attack on the flotilla.
The inquiry said Israel broke international humanitarian and human rights law, and found "clear evidence to support prosecutions" for crimes including "wilful killing; torture or inhuman treatment; wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health."
Israel had rejected the probe from the outset, but it is backing another separate inquiry set up by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the incident, and is conducting its own inquiry.
http://yhoo.it/aR36zb
13 oct 2010
Turkish PM: Israel must apologize
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterates that Israel must apologize for its raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that left nine peace activists dead.
Erdogan noted that Tel Aviva should also pay compensation for killing the Turkish nationals on May 31.
"Unless Israel pays compensation and seeks an apology, peace cannot be restored in the Middle East and Israel will remain alone," Erdogan told a gathering in Multan, Pakistan on Wednesday, dpa reported.
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla was trying to deliver thousands of tons of humanitarian supplies to the 1.5 million impoverished people of Gaza, who have been under Israel's siege since 2007.
The assault has done a record damage to Israel-Turkey bilateral ties, already clouded over Tel Aviv's attacks on Gaza at the turn of 2009, which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians.
The UN Human Rights Council has ordered the investigation of the Israeli attack, saying that there is clear evidence to back prosecution against Tel Aviv.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/146615.html
Arabs snub Turkel Committee hearing
Two Israeli Arabs slated to testify before panel probing flotilla raid fail to appear despite subpoena.
Muhammad Zidan and Hamad Abu Dabus, two Arab Israelis who were aboard the Marmara the lead vessel in May's aid sail to Gaza failed to appear before the Turkel Committee, tasked with probing the flotilla raid, despite being subpoenaed.
The two were slated to testify before the panel on Wednesday afternoon, in an open hearing, and have yet to provide a reason for their absence.
The Turkel Committee subpoenaed both men last week, saying it was "part of the review of the actions taken by the flotilla's organizers and participants." Seeing how they failed to appear, the committee said it will now "consider its next steps regarding the two."
Wednesday also saw Prison Commissioner Chief-Warden Benny Kaniak testify before the committee. Kaniak's testimony was also an open one and it included a review of the Israel Prison Service Nachson and Mezadah units' operations, and the events which took place in Israeli prisons in the days after the events.
Meanwhile, the Turkel Committee has also asked various human rights group to compile data as to the humanitarian state of civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The committee will hear from representatives of B'Tselem, Gisha and Physicians for Human Rights on the matter.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3969075,00.html 7 jul 2011, 00:56 , Respect -
Maria 14 oct 2010
Turks accuse Israel of war crimes at ICC
Complaint filed with International Criminal Court accuses Israel of war crimes including torture, inhuman treatment during IDF raid on Gaza-bound flotilla last May. ICC's jurisdiction unclear.
Turkish lawyers representing pro-Palestinian activists filed a complaint Thursday with the International Criminal Court accusing Israel of committing war crimes in May when its troops raided a boat trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.
It was unclear whether the prosecutor would agree to pursue the case or whether the court has jurisdiction. But the filing reignited an issue that has severely strained Israel's relations with Turkey, previously its strongest ally in the Muslim world, and keeps Israel on the defensive over its much-criticized Gaza blockade.
A delegation representing some 300 activists and a Turkish non-governmental organization submitted the complaint to the prosecutor's office in The Hague seeking an investigation into the May 31 raid.
Nine Turkish citizens, including 19-year-old Furkan Dogan who had dual US-Turkish nationality, were killed during the melee after Israeli troops rappelled from helicopters onto the deck of the ship Mavi Marmara before dawn.
"I have confidence the international court and the prosecutor will take this case," said Ahmet Dogan, Furkan's father.
Israel has said its troops fired live ammunition only after they were attacked by activists with clubs and metal bars and they felt their lives were in danger.
Attorney Ugur Sevgili said the victims want Israel investigated for torture, inhuman treatment, the taking of hostages and other violations of the Geneva war crimes convention.
"We demanded from the prosecutor to initiate an investigation and prosecute the perpetrators of this crime," Sevgili said. "We didn't mention any Israeli soldiers or any Israeli politicians. We just told them that we believe war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed."
The court, which began work in 2002 as the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal, receives hundreds of complaints every year, but so far has filed indictments against 17 war crimes suspects - all of them involved in African conflicts.
Dogan, speaking outside the court's headquarters, said he thought politics might get in the way of justice. "I believe that people who killed my son will be prosecuted. However, this case also has international and political dimensions," he said.
'Findings biased, one-sided'
A UN-appointed panel of human rights experts, chaired by a former judge of the international court, found last month that Israel violated human rights law during its interception of the flotilla carrying humanitarian supplies to Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade for three years.
Israel rejected the panel's findings, which it said were biased and one-sided, and said the UN Human Rights Council that appointed the panel is heavily weighted in the Palestinians' favor.
The court normally intercedes only if the country involved is among the 114 nations that have endorsed the court's founding treaty. Israeli is not a signatory, but the ship was flying the flag of the Comoros Island, which is a member of the court.
Sevgili said he expected the Comoros to support the victims' application to the court or file its own complaint.
The prosecutor also may initiate an investigation even if the accused country does not belong to the court - but only if he determines that the country is unable to launch its own credible investigation of human rights abuses.
Among the complaints submitted and presumably pending in the prosecutor's office is an application by the Palestinian Authority 18 months ago asking for a war crimes investigation into Israel's brief yet deadly 2008 war in Gaza.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3969639,00.html
Turks take Flotilla attack case to ICC
The families of the victims of Israel's maritime attack on a Gaza aid convoy in May are set to take the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Reports say they will file a lawsuit at the court in The Hague against Israel on Thursday.
On May 31, Israeli navy commandos stormed the Turkish-organized Gaza Freedom Flotilla from dinghies and helicopters as the civilian fleet was in international waters.
The attack left nine Turkish activists, including a Turkish-American teenager, dead and more than 50 others wounded onboard the six-vessel Flotilla.
In the face of widespread condemnation of the bloody onslaught, Israel defended the move by its army forces, claiming their use of deadly force was an act of "self-defense."
But a report by a fact-finding committee mandated by the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) to probe the events surrounding the Flotilla attack charged Tel Aviv last month with violating international law and the human rights of the activists on board the convoy.
The UNCHR adopted the conclusions arrived at by the committee with 30 nations voting in favor and 15 states abstaining -- despite opposition from the United States, which became the only state to vote against the UN report.
The Human Rights Commission concluded that Israel's siege on Gaza is illegal because of the humanitarian crisis it causes for the impoverished population living in the enclave. It also condemned the Israeli attack on the Flotilla as "brutal and disproportionate."
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla was carrying 10,000 tons of aid supplies and 700 international activists to the blockaded Gaza Strip when it was attacked in the Mediterranean sea.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/146665.html
15 oct 2010
Panel to question Ashkenazi again
Commission also summoned again two Israeli Arabs who failed to show up first time; B'Tselem protests treatment at hands of Turkel Commission.
The government-appointed Turkel Commission investigating the flotilla seizure of May 31 called back Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi on Thursday to testify for a second time.
The testimony has been set for October 24. Ashkenazi testified once before, on August 11.
Commission coordinator Hoshea Gottlieb told Ashkenazi that the members of the panel wanted to ask him more questions after having examined the investigations of the military operation conducted by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, and after having received additional information from a General Staff team placed at its disposal.
In a related matter, the commission scheduled a new date for two Israeli Arabs who had been due to testify on Wednesday but failed to show up without explaining why.
Letters were sent to Sheikh Hamad Abu Dabus from Rahat, a Beduin city in the Negev, and Muhammad Zidan from Kafr Manda, in the Western Galilee, summoning them to a hearing on October 25. They were reminded that if they failed to show up, the commission could order police to bring them.
Meanwhile, Jessica Montell, director-general of B'Tselem The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, wrote to the head of the Turkel Commission, retired Supreme Court justice Yaakov Turkel, charging that comments made by members of the panel during a hearing on Wednesday indicated that they had made up their minds about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip before she and other human rights activists testified before it.
The other organizations that appeared were Physicians for Human Rights Israel, and Gisha The Legal Center for Freedom of Movement.
Montell gave two examples of comments with which she took issue:
Turkel's remark that the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip brought [their hardships] on themselves, and Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Amos Horev's statement that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Furthermore, wrote Montell, in the official occasion of providing testimony to the commission, it was inappropriate [for members of the panel] to make other provocative comments like those that accused B'Tselem of lacking intellectual honesty and basic fairness, disseminating stories without first examining them, and more.
Toward the beginning of Wednesday's hearing, Turkel told Montell he doubted the reliability of the information provided by B'Tselem and asked her on what sources the information was based.
Later, Horev told Gisha's attorney Tamar Feldman, You are living in a bubble.
A third member of the four-man panel, former Foreign Ministry director-general Reuven Merhav, demanded to know why the human rights organizations blamed Israel for the situation in the Gaza Strip.
In her letter, Montell replied, B'selem is well aware that there are other players aside from the government of Israel that are responsible and influence the situation in the Gaza Strip, including Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, the Arab League, the European Union, the Quartet, the UN and its agencies and others. But since B'Tselem is an Israeli organization which was asked to testify before the commission investigating the government's action and its consequences [regarding the seizure of the flotilla on May 31], we focused in our testimony on the obligations of the Israeli government and the results of its policy.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=191468
16 oct 2010
Turkey slams Israeli 'state terrorism'
PM Erdogan calls on Israeli government to apologize for flotilla raid, compensate victims.
Turkey's prime minister has again accused Israel of "state terrorism" and called on the Jewish state to apologize and compensate victims of a raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "the Israeli government must apologize and compensate (victims) for the state terrorism in the Mediterranean."
He was addressing members of his Islamic-oriented party at a weekend retreat Saturday.
Eight Turks and one person with American and Turkish nationality were killed in the May 31 raid on a ship carrying pro-Palestinian activists trying to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza.
Peres refuses to apologize
Relations between the two former allies have been deteriorating since Israel's Gaza war and hit a low point after the raid.
Last month, Turkish President Abdullah Gul refused to meet with President Shimon Peres in New York. The Turkish leader said that "we will not forgive Israel for those killed in the Israeli attack on the aid flotilla, even if Israel apologizes." His remarks were quoted by Turkey's official Anatolia news agency.
According to Israeli sources, the meeting was thwarted due Peres' refusal to apologize for the deadly Navy raid. The sources said the Turks demanded the apology as a condition for holding meeting.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3970064,00.html
(1:05) DN! Turkey Demands Israel be Probed by ICC for Attack on Gaza Flotilla
17 oct 2010
Israeli inquiry issues call for flotilla witnesses
JERUSALEM, Oct 17 (Reuters) - An Israeli commission investigating the storming of a Gaza-bound ship in which nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists were killed issued an open invitation on Sunday for passengers and crew to testify.
A spokesman for the Turkel Commission said it had sent a letter to the Turkish embassy requesting help in building a list of prospective witnesses to the May 31 incident, which plunged ties between the former allies to an all-time low.
"We are aware that there are issues which arise regarding arranging such testimony, and would be happy to work with the embassy and with the Turkish authorities ... to overcome any such obstacles," the spokesman quoted the letter as saying.
The panel appeared to be alluding to Israel's past vows to prosecute some of the hundreds of activists aboard the Mavi Marmara for their attempt to run the blockade of the Gaza Strip, an enclave ruled by Hamas Islamists, and their resistance to the boarding by Israeli naval marines.
Ankara has frowned upon what it sees as the Turkel Commission's limited mandate. The commission's findings, along with the results of an internal Israeli military inquiry, will be submitted to a separate investigation under U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon.
There was no immediate comment on the letter from the Turkish embassy, which the Turkel Commission previously asked to help locate the Mavi Marmara captain so he could be invited to testify. Nothing came of that effort, the panel spokesman said.
http://www.jmcc.org/news.aspx?id=1797 7 jul 2011, 01:00 , Respect -
Maria 18 oct 2010
"Why Is the US Government Deaf to What Has Been Done to My Son?"
Through his lawyers in Turkey, Ahmet Dogan, the father of Furkan Dogan, the 19-year-old American citizen who was executed by Israeli commandos, has challenged the U.S. government's lack of concern regarding his son's killing during the May 31, 2010 attack on the Mavi Marmara. Commandos shot Furkan Dogan twice in the head and three times in other parts of his body.
"Up to this moment, I still do not understand why the United States government is deaf to what has been done to my son, an American citizen. I urge the U.S. government to act to defend the rights of my son. I also would like to know why the U.S. voted against the Gaza Flotilla Report of the UN Fact Finding Mission at the Human Rights Council last week, as that report included information about the execution of my son," said Dogan.
The United States has not conducted its own investigation into Furkan Dogan's death, but instead is relying on Israel to conduct "a thorough investigation" into his death and to "share its findings" with the U.S.
A report released last week by the International Bureau of Humanitarian NGOs (IBH) and the Friends of Charities Association (FOCA) found that several of the videos the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Israeli Defense Force released to support their version of events were digitally enhanced, computer-manufactured or fraudulent. The report provides screen shots of examples of the computer-generated segments within videos released by the Israeli government, several of which, although already exposed as false, were integrated into the Israeli military report.
The IBH-FOCA report - based on publicly available accounts from flotilla organizers and participants, ships' logs, photos and video released by the Israeli government, news reports from around the world, the report of the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), and the United Nations Human Rights fact-finding mission report panned by the U.S. ñ provides a minute-by-minute timeline of the Israeli military attack on the Gaza Flotilla.
The United States' willingness to accept Israel's accounts of the incident despite mounting contradicting evidence reflects a pattern of denial already evident in its status as the only country to vote against acceptance of the U.N. report.
Mark Kornblau, a spokesman for the US mission to the United Nations, said the report's "language, tone and conclusions are unbalanced."
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office called it "biased" and "distorted." In a radio interview, Israel's deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon said the report was "a big lie."
According to the Washington Post, another senior US official said the Human Rights Council had rushed the establishment of the reportís panel and had "not made adequate efforts to get Israeli cooperation in the investigation," although the report itself details the numerous attempts by the fact-finding mission to gain cooperation from the Israeli government.
Affected parties continue to organize to resist the U.S. and Israelís tactics. On October 6, Ahmet Dogan joined the U.S. passengers on the Gaza Flotilla in their letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The letter stated that they "are appalled at the lack of any visible, active effort on the part of any agency in our government to conduct and release an independent investigation of the killing of one and assaults on other Americans by a foreign military force, the Israeli commandos."
The U.S. passengers also challenged the Obama administration's protection of criminal actions by Israel at the expense of American citizens. "Protecting Israeli actions, particularly the complete reliance on its reports on the acts of its own military at the expense of American citizens, is an absolute dereliction of the responsibilities of our government. The State Department has allied itself with Israel, ignoring its responsibilities to its own citizens. We have been abandoned by our own government, and we demand an investigation of why and how the Department of State and the American Embassy in Tel Aviv have totally failed in their responsibilities to us," they wrote.
Four months after the attack, passengers' video and photo evidence of the attacks on the Mavi Marmara and the five other ships of the flotilla are still in the hands of the Israeli government. "We are also angered by lack of any concerted effort by the State Department to secure our possessions," the passengers wrote. "We appreciate the efforts of junior and mid-level officials, but without the full weight of the senior leadership of the State Department, the Israeli government will continue to ignore our concerns."
While investigations continue concerning the Israeli attacks on the Mavi Marmara and on the Jewish German boat Irene on September 26, 2010, citizen activists from around the world are fundraising to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza with another flotilla that may comprise as many as 10-12 ships.
http://bit.ly/dw41u8
IDF soldier jailed for stealing items from Gaza flotilla ship
Under plea deal, soldier who removed electronic items from Mavi Marmara sentenced to 5 months in military jail, fined NIS 700 and demoted.
Israel's military court sentenced an Israel Defense Forces soldier to five months in military jail for stealing equipment from the Turkish aid ship Mavi Marmara, aboard which nine activists were killed on May 31 during a skirmish with Israeli commandos.
The Mavi Marmara was one of several aid ships involved in a flotilla aiming to violate Israel's naval blockade on the Gaza Strip and deliver supplies to the impoverished Palestinian territory. The ships were diverted by Israeli forces, with a violent and deadly clash erupting aboard the Mavi Marmara.
The cadet, in training to be an officer, was sentenced within the framework of a plea bargain under the terms of which he confessed to having taken electronic equipment.
In addition to the jail term, the soldier was fined NIS 700, demoted to the rank of private and removed from the officer training course.
Following the sentencing, the soldier expressed remorse and explained that he had made a mistake.
According to the plea bargain, the officer took the items from the ship while it was docked at the Ashdod port in September.
http://bit.ly/bISnj1
19 oct 2010
'Netanyahu is proud about Flotilla attack'
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the Israeli premier is proud about the deadly attack on the Freedom Flotilla, which killed nine Turks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is proud of such an armed intervention, Erdogan told Greece's Skai TV on Monday, Reuters reported.
The Israeli military attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea on May 31, killing nine Turkish citizens on board the Turkish-flagged M.V. Mavi Marmara and injuring about 50 other people who were part of the team on the six-ship convoy, which was attempting to break the siege of Gaza in order to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to the long-suffering people of the territory.
The attack outraged the world, seriously undermined Turkey-Israel relations, and prompted two United Nations investigations.
Ankara has warned it might sever diplomatic relations if Tel Aviv refuses to apologize and recognize an impartial international inquiry and its conclusion.
It has also asked Israel to compensate the victims and lift the siege, which has been depriving 1.5 million Gazans of food, fuel, and other necessities for over three years.
The Turkish prime minister said he would not hold talks with Netanyahu because he had boasted about the Flotilla attack, and added that he would avoid Friday's climate conference in Athens if the Israeli prime minister attends.
On this issue, I think that Israel is close to the point of losing a very important friend in the Middle East and that is Turkey, Erdogan said.
I think that they must pay for this audacity that characterizes the policy of this government, he added.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/147263.html
21 oct 2010
Gaza- opinion of flotilla's impact followed by interview with Paul Larudee
(6:39) Gaza- opinion of flotilla's impact followed by interview with Paul Larudee
Opinion of Gazan people of the impact of the flotilla's - Followed by an Interview on PressTV with Paul Larudee from the Free Gaza Movement 7 jul 2011, 01:01 , Respect -
Maria 22 oct 2010
British passengers of Gaza flotilla seek to testify in Israeli probe
33 flotilla passengers from the U.K. ask to testify in person after Turkel panel requests only basic information.
PARIS - Most of the 33 British passengers on May's aid flotilla to Gaza have asked to give oral testimony to Turkel committee investigating the botched IDF raid on the ships, a lawyer acting on their behalf said yesterday. The group say they are resisting what they see as efforts by the commission to belittle their evidence by having them submit only very basic information about their experiences.
According to Daniel Machover, who is representing 29 of the passengers, the Foreign Ministry approached the British Foreign Office last Thursday and gave them a four day deadline, over the weekend, to gather very basic information on the passengers to be passed on to the commission.
Machover said the passengers see the rushed request as a "calculated snub ... not a genuine effort to welcome their evidence."
The passengers requested to give oral evidence to the commission - but only on several conditions that they laid out in a letter to the commission this week.
The conditions include that all those who wish to testify are able to do so, and that their testimony is public and, if done in Israel, that their travel, living and legal expenses are paid by Israel in full, among other demands.
If the commission refuses these conditions, Machover says "it will be clear that [they] have no real interest in receiving the evidence of the passengers and the sooner the International Criminal Court begins its investigations and considers bringing criminal charges ... the better."
A source close to the Turkel panel said yesterday that the commission is conducting an investigation with a clear mandate, and it will call on those it deems to have testimony useful to achieve its goals. The commission does not work on the basis that whomever wants to testify can, he stressed.
"We are not interested in simply providing the stage for people to sit on and say 'We have come to release Gaza.' This does not further our mission," he said.
According to the source, the commission received a letter from then-British ambassador to Israel Tom Phillips in July, saying that several of the British passengers wanted to give evidence and offering a list of those making the request.
This letter was filed, and the commission turned to the British Foreign Office to help it track down those passengers once the panel was ready to deal with them.
There was no deadline and no timetable set, the source said - the commission is simply gathering preliminary information.
http://bit.ly/cnsaFl
Free Gaza: Of Course We Dealt with Turkish Government
Bethlehem PNN - In response to what it calls Israeli propaganda about the role of the Turkish government in aiding their May 31 flotilla, the group Free Gaza said in a press release it had dealings with government officials from the United States, Cyprus, Greece, Sweden, Ireland, and the United Kingdom as well as Turkey, but never received financial, material, or logistic support from any of them.
Israeli commandos attacked the Free Gaza Flotilla in the early hours of May 31, leaving nine Turkish aid activists dead and 42 injured aboard the Mavi Marvara. Seven Israeli soldiers were also wounded.
The information in question, which Israelis say prove Turkish government support, comes from laptops confiscated from the Mavi Marmara. One document, found on the computer of Polish journalist Ewa Jasiwicz, reads that in discussions, [the Turkish government] openly said that if we have any difficulties, [the government] will extend what support they can.
The nature of that support is at the crux of whether the Turkish government funded or materially supplied the flotilla, a claim Free Gaza denies.
The Free Gaza statement reads, This selective release, without context, is part of the government's propaganda campaign in the wake of the UN Human Rights Council report and in advance of the Uribe Panel's report to the UN Secretary General, severely calling into question the ability of Israel to conduct a legitimate inquiry.
Free Gaza claims the release is selective because it had open dealings with several governments in addition to Turkey and says Israel is trying to create a fake conspiracy to distract from upcoming reports about the flotilla attack, which expected to condemn Israel. Free Gaza says it has been completely transparent about its intentions.
A previous report authored by the UN Human Rights Commission said six of the Mavi Marmara killings were extra-lega, arbitrary, and summary executions but the American government and media have largely ignored it, waiting for the results of the upcoming Palmer/Uribe report.
http://bit.ly/cqiO9Q
24 OCT 2010
IDF chief tells Gaza flotilla investigators: Commandos had no choice but to shoot
Ashkenazi testifies before Turkel Commission, says commandos fired total of 308 live bullets aboard the ship to repel passengers who attacked them with lethal weapons.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi once again on Sunday defended Israel's decision to rappel Israeli commandos onto the deck of a Gaza-bound aid ship on May 31, where ensuing clashes resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish activists.
Testifying before an investigations committee probing the deadly events, Ashkenazi said that Israeli commandos had fired 308 live bullets aboard the ship to repel passengers who attacked them with lethal weapons, including a snatched Uzi machine pistol.
In a sometimes testy second round of testimony before the state-appointed inquest, the IDF chief insisted the navy's killing of nine Turks on the converted cruise ship Mavi Marmara had been unavoidable.
The Mavi Marmara was one of several boats, laden with supplies, aiming to violate Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip. Israel informed the organizers of the flotilla that the ships would not be allowed to reach the Gaza shores, and soldiers boarded all the ships to compel them to change course.
Ashkenazi told the six-member Turkel Commission on Sunday that navy commandos who boarded the Mavi Marmara were equipped with riot-dispersal gear, but quickly switched to live fire to confront armed passengers because "if they had not done this, there would have been more casualties."
Ankara, which wants compensation and an apology from Israel, has dismissed the Turkel panel as too lacking in scope.
The probe commission has solicited testimony from Mavi Marmara passengers - many of whom insist the commandos' onslaught was unprovoked - and signaled it may probe Israel's navy deeper.
Ashkenazi said 308 live rounds were fired by the troops. A top aide to the general told Reuters 70 of these were aimed to cause injury, while the rest were warning shots.
That appeared consistent with Turkish forensic findings that the nine dead activists were shot a total of 30 times, and there were gunshot wounds among another 24 passengers who were hurt.
"Those who are asking questions [about tactics] should propose an alternative solution," Ashkenazi said.
Ashkenazi said passengers grabbed three Glock handguns and an Uzi machine pistol from commandos whom they overpowered. The troops had been dropped from helicopters onto the crowded ship as it ploughed through Mediterranean high seas at night.
"We have testimony of one activist running at them [commandos] and firing with a mini-Uzi, and them shooting him," he said. "They hit those who were clearly involved in the attack on them, and not those who were not."
Mavi Marmara activists have said any guns taken from the troops were disposed of, rather than used.
Ashkenazi said commandos had fired some 350 beanbag rounds and non-lethal paintballs, all according to "protocol." The navy opted against rubber bullets - a mainstay of Israel's tactics against Palestinian demonstrations on land - because of a lethal risk within the Mavi Marmara's confines, Ahkenazi added.
Ashkenazi, who is scheduled to retire early next year, made clear that he had returned to testify in order to spare scrutiny from subordinates, including the admiral in charge of the navy.
Bristling at Turkish and other foreign fury over the Mavi Marmara raid yet wary of international war crimes suits, Israel set up the Turkel Commission to help prepare its submission for a separate probe under United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Ashkenazi, a career infantryman, said the commission had received "word for word" accounts from marines, including two who were shot and wounded upon boarding.
Commission members asked Ashkenazi if lowering soldiers into a crowd on the ship's deck was wise. He said there was no better way to stop the ship. "If we had a special trick to stop the flotilla, we would have used it. We maintain intimate cooperation with other armies, and we haven't heard of another solution."
Endorsing the commandos' recollection, Ashkenazi said they were combat veterans who "know when they are being shot at."
But he also seemed to make allowances for the haze of melee.
"I won't take issue with a soldier who might confuse a slingshot, and the whizz its missile makes as it flies past, with a pistol, during night-time," he said.
http://bit.ly/a4Lpvm
Israel army chief says forces fired 308 bullets on flotilla
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli commandos fired 308 live bullets aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship in May, Israel's army chief said on Sunday as he testified again before the Tirkel panel investigating the incident.
Gabi Ashkenazi said the navy's killing of nine Turkish nationals on the Mavi Marmara had been unavoidable, British news wire Reuters reported.
Although commandos were equipped with riot-dispersal gear, it quickly switched to live fire "because if they had they had not done this, there would have been more casualties," Ashkenazi told the six-member panel. He added that rubber bullets, commonly used by forces in the West Bank during Palestinian demonstrations, were not used because of the confines of the ship.
Ashkenazi said 308 live rounds were fired by the troops. A top aide to the general told Reuters 70 of these were aimed to cause injury, while the rest were warning shots.
The news wire said the amount appeared consistent with Turkish forensic findings that the nine dead were shot a total of 30 times, and there were gunshot wounds among another 24 passengers who were hurt.
'Commandos hit those involved in attack'
Ashkenazi said passengers grabbed three Glock handguns and an Uzi machine pistol from commandos whom they overpowered but those on board have said that all weapons taken from troops were disposed of.
"We have testimony of one activist running at them [marines] and firing with a mini-Uzi, and them shooting him," he said. "They hit those who were clearly involved in the attack on them, and not those who were not."
The UN Human Rights Council -- which Israel boycotted -- alleged in a report last month that several passengers may have been executed. According to the report, one of the victims sustained a fatal brain injury from a so-called "beanbag" round -- a heavy pad fired from a shotgun and which, at safe ranges, is designed to knock down the person targeted.
Ashkenazi said commandos had fired 350 beanbag rounds and non-lethal paintballs, all according to "prescribed method."
Backing the commandos' account, Ashkenazi said they were combat veterans who "know when they are being shot at." But he also seemed to make allowances for the haze of melee.
"I won't take issue with a soldier who might confuse a slingshot, and the whizz its missile makes as it flies past, with a pistol, in night-time" conditions, he said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=326972
IDF chief backs up soldiers accounts before Turkel C'tee
Ashkenazi tells committee soldiers took great risks to handle foreign activists with care; probe welcomes all witnesses on boat to testify.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi appeared a second time in front of the Turkel Commission on Sunday to continue his testimony regarding the Mavi Marmara affair. He took great pains during his time before the committee to reiterate previous statement's that the naval commandos who boarded the ship took extraordinary measures to minimize the violence on the ship and that the blame for the fighting that broke out on the ship rested squarely on the activists' shoulders.
"The soldiers [upon reaching the ship] did not immediately open fire and even placed themselves at great risk. One [of the activists] tried to choke a soldier, who then threw a stun grenade to escape from the situation."
Ashkenazi repeatedly emphasized that the soldiers acted in a measured manner and only hurt those whose behavior necessitated physical force. "There was no demonstration of peace activists [on the Mavi Marmara]. Peace activist do not know how to operate a weapon or to operate with gas masks and bulletproof vests in the middle of the night," Ashkenazi said.
Also on Sunday, the Turkel Commission announced that it would welcomed testimony from any passenger who was on the Mavi Marmara on the night of May 31, 2010 and who has relevant information that could shed light on the incident.
In September, Ashkenazi warned that any resistance on board flotillas bound for Gaza could lead to more casualties.
Speaking at a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting, Ashkenazi said "this is a challenge for the IDF and for Israel."
"If we see large ships bound for Gaza and force is used then we do not dismiss the possibility of casualties," he said.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=192551
Israeli army chief back at inquiry
Gabi Ashkenazi testifies for a second time before committee investigating deadly raid on Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Israel's military chief is to testify for a second time before the Turkel Committee investigating the lethal Gaza flotilla raid.
Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi, the chief of staff, was called on by the Turkel Committee to testify again on Sunday after he refused to allow other senior Israeli officers to appear before the panel.
He said he did not want to expose them to the risks their testimony could create for them.
Al Jazeera's correspondent Sherine Tadros in Jerusalem said hearing started at 0700 GMT.
"We're expecting questioning that will very much revolve around operational aspects of this raid, and especially the decison-making process: why decisions were made; how they were made not just in the run-up to the arrival of the flotilla ... but also on the day of the raid itself," she said.
Ashkenazi is not allowing anyone else but himself to speak to the inquiry and that limits what the inquiry can find out," she said.
Ashkenazi has previously defended his troops' use of lethal fire when they stormed a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May, killing nine pro-Palestinian activists.
He said the second soldier to land opened fire after being shot in the stomach.
"He simply pulled out his gun and shot the shooter," Ashkenazi said.
No guns were found aboard the ship but the military has previously said that activists seized at least one firearm from the soldiers during the clashes and that it found evidence of a gun not used by Israeli soldiers.
Ashkenazi rejects charges by Turkish authorities that some of the dead had been shot "execution-style" at point-blank range, saying that shots had been fired at close range as part of a life or death struggle.
The Gaza Strip, whose residents the flotilla was trying to deliver aid to, has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007, when the Palestinian group Hamas seized control of the enclave.
Israel fought Hamas in the winter of 2009 in a conflict that left at least 1,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, dead. At least 13 Israelis died in the three-week war.
http://bit.ly/avNg0P 7 jul 2011, 01:02 , Respect -
Maria 25 oct 2010
Israeli-Arab 'Marmara' passenger: IDF didn't treat wounded
Man who was on flotilla ship when it was boarded by Israeli Navy tells Turkel Commission that passengers were left bleeding, Zoabi's pleas for treatment rejected by soldiers who stood, talked.
Two Israeli-Arabs who were aboard the Turkish Mavi Marmara testified before the Turkel Commission on Monday, and recounted their experiences during the May 31 Navy interception of the Gaza-bound vessel.
An Israeli-Arab, Muhammad Zaidan, who was aboard the Mavi Marmara when it was overtaken by the Israeli Navy, told the Turkel Commission on Monday that Israeli soldiers refused to offer treatment to wounded passengers on the boat for at least one hour.
Zaidan said that he and about 250 other passengers remained below deck, in a large room where they slept during the seizure of the boat. He said he did not see the takeover of the boat by the soldiers, however, during the takeover, about 20 wounded passengers entered the room. Many of them were bleeding, he added. Zaidan said Israeli soldiers stood outside the door talking to each other but did not enter the room and did not extend help.
At one point he maintained, MK Haneen Zoabi went up to the soldiers with a sign asking them to look after the wounded. The soldiers, he continued, ordered her to return to her place and did nothing.
Commission member Miguel Deutsh asked Zaidan about reports that had been broadcast and videotaped, according to which Zoabi had refused to allow Israeli soldiers to treat the wounded passengers. Zaidan said he had seen the clips but knew nothing about them and insisted that the soldiers had rejected Zoabi's request for help.
The members of the commission tried to pin Zaidan down regarding who were the organizers of the flotilla and particularly the Mavi Marmara, which was by far the largest and the most violent of the six ships in the flotilla.
Zaidan said he had been invited to join the voyage by a non-political human rights group in Gaza which was connected to the Free Gaza Movement. He continually referred to the organizers of the ship, but refused to say who they were or who they were affiliated with. The ship in fact flew the flag of the Turkish Islamic IHH movement.
Zaidan insisted that he was a participant in the flotilla but not an organizer. He said the aim of the flotilla was to show the Gazan population that the world was concerned with their plight and charged that Gazans were dying of hunger and cold.
The testimonies came hours after opposition leader Tzipi Livni testified before the commission, voicing strong support for the legitimacy of Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=192707
Arabs testify before Turkel Committee
Flotilla passengers give testimony after shunning previous hearing; Balad lawmaker who was onboard vessel at time of deadly Navy raid attends session, but is not called to testify.
After failing to appear to the first hearing, head of the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee Muhammad Zidan and Hamad Abu Dabus of Rahat on Monday testified before the Turkel Committee, which was appointed to probe the deadly Navy raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in May.
The hearing was attended by Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi (Balad), who also participated in the flotilla.
During his testimony, Zidan said the Mavi Marmara ship on which he was staying did not accept Israel's offer to inspect the cargo in the Ashdod or al-Arish ports, because the flotilla participants wanted to convey a message by breaking the naval blockade on Gaza.
"Many ships unload goods at al-Arish. The blockade harms the basic rights to life, and our humanitarian duty is to resist," he proclaimed.
Zidan testified that he and other participants were not screened before boarding the ship; however, he could not name the organizers of the flotilla.
MK Zoabi (right) and Zidan (Photo: Noam Moskowitz)
"Jamal Al-Khudari from Free Gaza Movement approached us and asked that we organize an Israeli-Arab delegation to the flotilla. I know that the IHH is outlawed in Israel, but I haven%u2019t seen the organization's activists on the ship, nor did I come in contact with them," he noted.
'Passengers protected soldier'
After the first injured passengers were taken below deck, Zidan claimed MK Zoabi asked the soldiers to give them medical treatment, but was refused.
The committee members questioned Zidan's testimony, saying that they have footage showing soldiers offering MK Hanin Zoabi medical assistance, but being refused by her under the assertion that IDF has no authority to give medical care on a ship.
The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee head was also asked by the committee whether he witnessed the events that took place on the deck, to which he replied that he was below deck the entire time and did not see a thing.
Zidan told the committee that he had not heard of passengers using metal poles to hit soldiers, noting he did not witness such a thing.
During the testimony, Zidan recalled seeing three Turkish passengers carrying an injured soldier below deck in order to give him medical treatment.
"The passengers protected the soldier," Zidan said, to which the committee members asked, "Why would the soldier need protection?"
Zidan replied that he meant protection in the sense of giving him medical treatment.
When the committee members noted that Gaza does not have a port big enough to accommodate a ship the size of the Mavi Marmara, Zidan replied that his role in the flotilla was that of a passive participant, and stressed that he was not involved in organizing the event and therefore could not answer technical questions.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3974626,00.html
Livni: Flotilla made use of political vacuum
Opposition chair tells Turkel committee lack of peace process gave Turkey legitimacy for flotilla 'with the provocative aim of creating legitimacy for Hamas'
Opposition chairwoman Tzipi Livni testified Monday before the Turkel Committee, which is investigating the IDF raid on an aid flotilla to Gaza in May. The former foreign minister was asked to explain why Gaza was placed under naval blockade.
"I wanted to come and bolster the legitimacy of Israel's actions during the flotilla," Livni said during her testimony.
The Opposition chair said the flotilla had succeeded in garnering world support because of the lack of peace talks with the Palestinians at the time.
"Turkey's policies are changing, and Israel is only a small part of this," she said. "At a certain stage, Turkey took advantage of the political vacuum, with the provocative aim of creating legitimacy for Hamas."
Livni added, "Turkey was not interested in getting aid to Gaza %u2013 that option was offered %u2013 but rather exacting a political act opposing international decisions."
On the naval blockade, she said, "Gaza never had legitimate access to the sea based on Israeli-Palestinian agreements from the years 1994-1995. A port is not legitimate according to globally-recognized agreements."
Livni added that she believed the international community had made a mistake by allowing Hamas to run in the Palestinian elections.
In August, Livni sent a letter to the Turkel Committee asking to testify on the grounds that her testimony is necessary as a member of the government which decided to impose a blockade on the Gaza Strip.
"The closure on Gaza is part of the policy of the former government, in which I served as acting prime minister and foreign minister. The prime minister's testimony does not accurately reflect the political and security aspects at the basis of our decision on the imposing of the blockade and the need for it," she wrote.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3974434,00.html
Livni: Flotilla affair should be viewed in wider context
Opposition leader strongly supports legitimacy of Gaza blockade and IDF boarding operation based on Israeli-Palestinian agreements over sea access.
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni testified before the Turkel Commission on Monday to provide an explanation of the previous government's policies in enacting the blockade on Hamas-controlled Gaza.
"These policies are relevant in relation to the circumstances that led to the flotilla and the broader context in which the flotilla events were received in the national and international arenas," said Livni before her testimony.
Livni had requested in August to testify to the committee about the previous government's decision to enact a blockade on Gaza - a government in which she played an active role as foreign minister and deputy prime minister.
During her testimony, the Kadima MK strongly supported the international legitimacy of the Israeli blockade of the port of Gaza based on previous agreements and termed the Turkish supported Mavi Marmara a deliberate act of political provocation.
"I requested to come and strengthen the legitimacy of the Israeli action against the flotilla," Livni testified. "At a specific stage, Turkey acted to exploit a political vacuum with the goal to provoke [Israel] and provide legitimacy to Hamas. The Turkish issue was not with the entry of goods into Gaza, this option was offered. Rather, it was a political act contrary to the international consensus."
Livni added, "Gaza[n authorities] never legitimately had control of access to the sea as determined by Israeli-Palestinian agreements from the years of 1994-1995. The port was not part of the arrangements that were recognized by the world community."
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=192675 7 jul 2011, 01:03 , Respect -
Maria 26 oct 2010
US CONGRESS: Israel Means More Then Americans We Were Elected To Serve
Congress Defends Murder of American Peace Activist and Other War Crimes
Despite revelations from a detailed investigation by a special commission of the United Nations Human Rights Council confirming that Israel committed war crimes, the overwhelming majority of both Republican and Democratic members of Congress remain on record defending the Israeli attack as legitimate self-defense.
This is particularly striking given evidence presented in the report that five of the nine people killed, including a 19-year-old US citizen, were murdered - shot execution-style by Israeli commandos.
In a letter to President Barack Obama dated June 17, 329 out of 435 members of the US House of Representatives announced that they "strongly support" Israel's May 31 attack on a humanitarian aid flotilla in international waters, which resulted in the deaths of nine passengers and crew and injuries to scores of others.
Similarly, a June 21 Senate letter - signed by 87 out of 100 senators - went on record "fully" supporting what it called "Israel's right to self-defense."
The House letter insisted that "Israeli forces used necessary force as an act of self-defense and of last resort." Similarly, the Senate letter refers to the murders of passengers and crew resisting the illegal boarding of their vessel in international waters as a situation where the Israeli raiders were "forced to respond to that attack" when they "arrived" on the ship.
If these members of Congress believe that a foreign government has the right to murder an American peace activist on the high seas, it inevitably raises questions as to how they might react to the murder of peace activists by local, state or the federal government here at home.
There were other troubling aspects of these letters as well.
The House letter urged President Obama "to remain steadfast in defense of Israel" in the face of the near universal international condemnation of this blatant violation of international maritime law and other legal statutes, which the signatories referred to as "a rush to unfairly judge and condemn Israel." The Senate letter condemned the near unanimous vote of the UN Human Rights Council for what it called "singling out" Israel, even though no other country in recent memory has attacked a humanitarian aid flotilla in international waters. Both letters called upon the United States to veto any resolution in the UN Security Council criticizing the Israeli attack.
The Senate letter also claimed that the widely supported effort to relieve critical shortages of food and medicine in the besieged Gaza Strip was simply part of a "clever tactical and diplomatic ploy" by "Israel's opponents" to "challenge its international standing."
Many of the key arguments in the letters were misleading and, in some cases, factually inaccurate.
The Israeli government had acknowledged prior to the writing of the letter that the extensive blockade of humanitarian goods was not necessary for their security, but as a means of pressuring the civilian population to end their support for Hamas, which won a majority of legislative seats in the most recent Palestinian election.
In addition, the Israeli government announced a significant relaxation of the embargo two days after the letter was written. Despite this, the House letter claimed that the purpose of the blockade was "to stop terrorists from smuggling weapons to kill innocent civilians," thereby placing this large bipartisan majority of the House even further to the right than Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's rightist coalition.
There was no mention in the letter than no such weapons were found on board any of the six ships hijacked by the Israelis nor on the previous eight ships the Free Gaza Campaign had sailed or attempted to sail to the Gaza Strip.
In addition, even though the ships had been thoroughly inspected by customs officials prior to their disembarkation, the House letter claimed that had the Israelis not hijacked the ships, they would have "sailed unchecked into Gaza."
Similarly, according to the Senate letter, Israel's naval blockade was necessary "to keep dangerous goods from entering Gaza by sea" and falsely claimed that the intent of the Israeli blockade was "to protect Israel, while allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza."
Particularly striking is the fact that, despite that the International Committee of the Red Cross and a broad consensus of international legal experts recognize that the Israeli blockade of humanitarian goods is illegal, the Senate letter insisted that the blockade "is legal under international law."
The House letter also claimed that the other ships were "commandeered peacefully and without incident," even though on the other ships, despite completely nonviolent resistance, passengers were tasered and brutally beaten and were attacked with tear gas and rubber bullets. Similarly, the Senate letter insisted that, in spite of these potentially fatal beatings and other assaults, "Israeli forces were able to safely divert five of the six ships challenging the blockade."
Even though the Israeli government has never entered Gaza to disperse aid to the people of that territory since the start of the siege years earlier and reputable relief organizations have documented that the Israelis had routinely refused to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip, these House members claimed that Israel had offered to "disperse the aid ... directly to the people of Gaza." And, despite the fact that the five aid ships that Israel had allowed to dock in Gaza in previous months had distributed their humanitarian cargo directly to those in need, the senators claimed that it would have otherwise gone "into the hands of corrupt Gaza officials."
Learning what actually transpired in the tragic incident was apparently of little interest to the 87 senators who signed the letter defending the attack. Despite the whitewash in the internal Israeli investigation, the senate letter supported Israel's alleged intention to carry out "a thorough investigation of the incident," insisting that Israel "has the right to determine how its investigation is conducted."
This comes in spite of a public opinion poll that showed a clear majority of Americans - including 65 percent of Democrats - favored an international inquiry over allowing Israel alone to investigate the circumstances of the attack.
http://windowintopalestine.blogspot.com/2010/10/us-congress-israel-means-more-then.html
Netanyahu 'salutes' commandos who raided Gaza flotilla
PM tours top-security Shayetet 13 base in show of defiance against international censure of raid on Mavi Marmara.
Saying "I salute you," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the headquarters on Tuesday of Israeli naval commandos who killed nine pro-Palestinian Turks aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship in May.
Netanyahu's tour of the top-security Shayetet 13 base on the coast near Haifa was a show of defiance against international censure of the raid on the converted cruise liner Mavi Marmara.
It followed testimony on Sunday from Israel's military chief, who told a state-appointed inquest into the operation that the commandos had come under pistol, knife and cudgel
attacks while boarding and fired 308 live bullets in response.
Activists from the Mavi Marmara have confirmed they resisted the Israeli boarding party but denied provoking lethal violence.
Netanyahu said the May 31 raid on the Turkish-flagged vessel, one of six ships trying to run Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, had been "crucial, essential, important and legal".
"Gaza has turned into an Iranian terror base," he said, referring to the Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas Islamists, in a speech to around 200 members of the unit.
He heaped praise on the commandos, saying they had acted "courageously, morally and with restraint".
The night-time interception on Mediterranean high seas and the ensuing bloodshed strained Israel's once-close ties with Turkey, which has demanded an apology and compensation.
A United Nations probe last month condemned the attack as unlawful and said it resulted in violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. UN jurists also said the Gaza blockade had caused a humanitarian crisis and was unlawful.
'I salute you'
Flotilla 13 commandos had been equipped with riot-dispersal gear but quickly switched to live fire during deck brawls with dozens of activists. The ship had ignored Israeli calls to stop.
Two commandos were shot and wounded and another five suffered other injuries, the navy said. In addition to the nine Turkish dead, 24 activists were hurt, many of them by gunfire.
"You acted against those who came to kill you and tried to kill you," said Netanyahu. "There is no one better than you. I salute you."
He then met some of the commandos who took part in the raid, shaking their hands on a prow-shaped veranda overlooking the craggy bay at their Atlit base. They were shadowed by bodyguards and, out to sea, a squad of commandos in a speed boat.
Bristling at Turkish and other foreign fury over the Mavi Marmara raid yet wary of international war crimes suits, Israel set up its own inquiry to help prepare its submission for a separate probe under U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon.
Interim findings from that inquest, under retired Supreme Court justice Jacob Turkel, are due out in mid-November and the final report by early 2011, a spokesman said. Another internal investigation by an Israeli ex-general is already complete.
Turkey withdrew its ambassador from Israel and cancelled joint military exercises in protest at the Mavi Marmara raid and has dismissed the Israeli inquiries as insufficient.
http://bit.ly/cULYNa
Israel hails commandoes killing activists
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R ) and army chief Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi
Israeli leaders have praised soldiers who killed pro-Palestinian activists on board an international aid ship bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded the commandos on Tuesday during a visit to the Atlit naval commando base.
"The action taken was vital, necessary, legal and of the utmost importance," Netanyahu said.
On May 31, Israeli troops attacked the Mavi Marmara ship in international waters, killing nine Turkish peace activists and injuring dozens of others.
The brutal assault sparked international outrage across the world.
The international aid convoy was trying to deliver humanitarian supplies to the impoverished people of Gaza, who are under an Israeli siege since 2007.
Israel claimed that its commandos attacked after activists started the violence. Activists on board, however, said the commandos opened fire as soon as they touched the upper deck of the ship.
"You acted against those who tried to kill you. Your response was professional, heroic, restrained and ethical," AFP quoted Netanyahu as saying.
Meanwhile, Army Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi praised the troops for their actions in halting the Mavi Marmara.
"You shot those you should have shot and didn't shoot those you weren't supposed to shoot," he said.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/148356.html
Gaza-Bound Flotilla Was Heading to Egypt
Istanbul %u2013 PNN - The Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) reported that the Gaza-bound flotilla that was attacked by the Israeli Navy on May 31 had changed its course to the Egyptian port of al-Arish.
According to IHH, they changed course to avoid conflict with the Israeli Navy. %u201CDuring our departure, we said we were going to Gaza, but the coordinates that we gave were to Egyptian territorial water. Everyone was aware of our course to [the Egyptian Port] al-Arish,%u201D said Bulent Yildririm, the head of the IHH.
Yildirim went on to say that the reason for this was to avoid any altercation with Israel and that they had altered their course because of diplomatic negotiations between Ankara, Tel Aviv and Washington.
The change of plans was relayed to Israeli officials on May 28 and according to Yildirim, Turkey informed Tel Aviv before the raid that the passengers would not resist in the event of a boarding.
%u201CWe thought we could negotiate with Israeli commandos when they come onto the ship and then go to Gaza with their permission, but things developed totally differently that night. We thought they might scare us with rubber bullets, but they used real ones,%u201D Yildirim said.
IHH also said that Turkish officials informed James Jeffery, the U.S. ambassador to Anakara, about this change in plans and Jeffrey then called James Cunningham, the U.S. ambassador to Tel Aviv, to convey the information to Israel.
Israel has enforced a blockade on Gaza since Hamas won the 2006 elections. This blockade has been met with international condemnation, particularly after the flotilla raid. Turkish and Israeli Relations have been strained, with Turkey asking Israel to apologize and pay compensation to the victims in order for the nations to normalize diplomacy.
Turkish media is also reported on Monday that Turkish intelligence agencies stopped exchanging information and performing joint operations with Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service.
The report came from the Turkish newspaper Sabah on Monday. Israeli officials have not confirmed or denied the allegations and the prime minister%u2019s office declined to comment.
Turkey even went so far as to put conditions on their consent to stations a NATO missile-defense system in their borders. They are demanding Guarantees that no information collected by the defense systems will be shared or given to Israel.
The two states have had strained diplomatic relations since the Gaza-bound flotilla was raided in international waters by the Israeli Navy on May 31. The raid left nine people dead eight of whom were Turkish citizens and one American-Turkish dual citizen.
http://bit.ly/c3Rv2E
Gaza prohibitions were 'too harsh,' Livni tells Turkel
Livni said the Defense Ministry was responsible for banning numerous food products from entering Gaza, such as pasta, coriander, spices and even ketchup.
Many of the prohibitions Israel imposed on the Gaza Strip were overly harsh, opposition leader Tzipi Livni yesterday told the Turkel Committee probing Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May.
Livni said the Defense Ministry was responsible for banning numerous food products from entering Gaza, such as pasta, coriander, spices and even ketchup.
"I thought [at the time] that drawing a distinction between different types of food, some of which would be allowed in and some of which not, was unnecessary," Livni said. "I thought the ban on spaghetti excessive, but it was the defense minister and the coordinator of government activities in the territories who made the decisions."
She was referring to Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Coordinator of Government Activities Amos Gilad, who in the last months of Olmert's government, insisted on a rigorous blockade. Their refusal to allow pasta into Gaza prompted a wave of international protest, and the United States demanded lifting the ban on all food items immediately.
Livni, who asked to testify before the panel, served as foreign minister in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's cabinet at the time the blockade was imposed in 2007. She said the flotilla incident could have been avoided or received less resonance had the peace process been continued by Netanyahu's government.
"In the absence of a peace process, with Israel's policies toward the Palestinians unclear, Turkey was able to fill a political vacuum by engineering provocations," Livni told the committee, headed by former Supreme Court justice Jacob Turkel.
"When there was a peace process we could tell the Turks such acts would harm the process, and then they really cooperated. Without a peace process the Israeli argument was weaker," she said.
Nine Turkish activists were killed when Israeli naval commandos stormed the decks of the Mavi Marmara, the lead ship in the six-boat flotilla, earlier this year. The raid plunged relations between Israel and Turkey, traditionally close military allies, into crisis.
The boats had been trying to break Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip.
http://bit.ly/cN7euQ 7 jul 2011, 01:09 , Respect -
Maria 27 oct 2010
Flotilla - Turks slam Israeli praise for raiders
(1:16) Flotilla - Turks slam Israeli praise for raiders
IHH slams Netanyahu's praise of killing
Activists onboard the Mavi Marmara say Israeli troops opened fire as soon as they boarded the ship.
A Turkish rights group has criticized the Israeli premier for praising commandos for their deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in which nine activists were killed.
Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Aid (IHH) said on Wednesday that killing innocent and defenseless people is an evil deed which must be condemned not admired.
IHH organized the international aid flotilla that tried to break Israel's crippling blockade on the Palestinian territory in late May.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday praised naval commandos for killing pro-Palestinian activists on board the lead ship, the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, in international waters.
Nine Turkish civilian activists were killed and many others were injured in the brutal attack.
The aid ships were supposed to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, who are in desperate need of help as a result of Tel Aviv's years-long blockade on the coastal sliver.
Activists onboard the Mavi Marmara have repeatedly said that Israeli troops opened fire as soon as they boarded the ship.
But the Israeli premier on Tuesday repeated the military's version of the events, claiming that the activists started the violence, prompting the commandos to open fire.
"You acted against those who tried to kill you. Your response was professional, heroic, restrained and ethical," Netanyahu told Israeli naval commandos during a special visit to the naval base at Atlit.
The deadly attack triggered international outrage and condemnation.
http://ht.ly/307lS
Islamic Jihad: Israel exploited photos
Following publication of photos showing Turkish activists in Islamic Jihad uniform, terror organization says Israel exploited souvenir photos as 'filthy propaganda,' is determined to keep activists safe.
Islamic Jihad slammed Israel after photos were published showing armed Turks standing by Islamic Jihad members.
"The occupation took advantage of the souvenir photos that were published on websites as filthy Israeli propaganda against the solidarity activists, to defeat their attempts to break the blockade (on Gaza)," said Islamic Jihad official Daoud Shihab to Palestinian news agency Maan.
Shihab emphasized that the various factions of the resistance "are determined to preserve the lives of these activists." The aim of the factions, he said, was to get the activists out of the Gaza Strip back to their own countries unharmed, therefore they are "keeping them away from all danger."
Turk in Islamic Jihad dress
The activists in the photos took part in the "Peace Flotilla" which anchored in Al-Arish port in Egypt, and entered the Strip via the Rafah crossing. Pictures from their visit were posted on the Al-Quds Brigades site but were soon removed. During their time in the Strip, the Turkish guests visited some Islamic Jihad posts.
'Organized propaganda'
Shihab praised the Turkish activists and noted they acted from "natural human desire to identify with the besieged Palestinian nation, which suffers death, annihilation and abuse at the hands of the Israeli occupation which kills children, abuses prisoners and makes life miserable for citizens."
He added that the activists' solidarity visit aimed to "express identification with the besieged, with the rights of Palestinians and with the resistance."
Another response from the Palestinian factions, also published by Maan, said this was "organized Israeli propaganda against the solidarity activists." The photos were published, it said, as part of the war Israel is waging against the aid trucks %u2013 "a war which began with the killing of American activist Rachel Corrie and continued to the killing of the activists on the Freedom Flotilla a few months ago."
The Maan news agency published a summary of reports in the Israeli press and one of the photos released on the site in which the Turks are seen armed and wearing the uniforms of the military wing of Islamic Jihad. The caption said Israel is exploiting the publication of the photos of the Turkish activists while Islamic Jihad said they were photos for souvenir purposes only.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3975976,00.html
28 oct 2010
IHH: Netanyahu's insolence immeasurable
ANKARA, (PIC)-- A Turkish non-governmental organization has denounced the statement of Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu in which he praised the Israeli special navy forces that killed nine Turkish activists on board the Freedom Flotilla last May.
IHH chairman Bülent Yildirim said that Netanyahu's insolence had no boundaries, adding that there is no heroism in the killing of unarmed, innocent civilians.
The commandos, who were lauded by Netanyahu, did not face a regular army but rather attacked civilians who were taking part in an international relief effort, he elaborated.
Netanyahu had heaped praise on the naval forces and what he called their "self-restraint", claiming that their act was "heroic and professional" in yet a new challenge to the international criticism of the operation.
A UN investigation into the incident condemned the attack in a report last month, describing it as "illegal" and violated human rights and the international humanitarian law.
http://bit.ly/budBGr
30 oct 2010
Turkish document cites Israel as serious threat
Turkey's national security council removes Iran, Syria from list of threats to state, adds Israel, local media reported. Document says Israeli actions may prompt Middle East arms race.
The Turkish national security council recently added Israel as a "main threat" to a document dubbed the "red book" which lists threats to Turkey, local media reported.
The council decided to remove Syria, Bulgaria, Georgia and Armenia from the list of threats. Greece, however is still considered a threat, albeit an external one, whereas Iran was also removed from the list.
This is the first time Turkey has defined Israeli activity in the Middle East as a threat.
The document, which is valid for the next five years, noted that Israeli actions may cause countries in the region to start an arms race. It was further stated that the Middle East must be free of nuclear weapons.
Apart from Israel, Turkey added other threats such as online terror and global warming.
Relations between Jerusalem and Ankara deteriorated significantly since the raid on Gaza-bound flotilla last May which killed nine people. Turkey demanded Israel apologize, a demand Israel has not complied with.
Last week Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would not participate in an Athens climate conference if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends. He also noted that Israel is close to losing Turkey "as a good friend in the Middle East."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3976899,00.htm 7 jul 2011, 01:12 , Respect -
Maria 5 nov 2010
Sheikh Salah to goes on trial Wednesday
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli court in the Israeli Ramle prison has scheduled the hearing of Sheikh Raed Salah this coming Wednesday to investigate whether or not he violated orders from the Israeli occupation police not to meet with more then seven people in a public place.
Khaled Zabarqa, one of the lawyers of Sheikh Salah, said the defense team filed a petition to adjourn the trial because the failed to get a copy of the case from the Israeli prosecutor.
However, Zabarqa pointed out that the court has not decided yet on the petition, but if it rejected it, then the hearing will go ahead as scheduled.
Salah is serving five-month jail term in the Israeli jails for defending the Aqsa Mosque against Israeli police and settlers attempts to desecrate its sanctity.
According to Salah lawyers, the court will prosecute Salah on Wednesday for accepting an invitation to a dinner party at Al-Halwani family home in the occupied Jerusalem suburb of Wadi Al-Joz after the IOF troops banned him from entering the Aqsa Mosque on 22-08-2007.
Fierce clashes erupted between Al-Halwani family and the Israeli occupation police that cordoned the home. Salah and others were wounded in the clashes.
The Israeli occupation police alleged that Salah met with more than 30 persons in Al-Halwani home, violating earlier police orders not to meet with more then a group of seven people at once in a public place. Lawyers said that in all standards, Al-Halwani home is considered a private place and not public.
In the same context, Zabarqa asserted that he and fellow lawyers will meet with the Israeli prison authority officials to discuss an appeal filed by the Mizan Human Rights center to allow books and magazines to Salah.
Salah was and still is a staunch defender of the Aqsa Mosque as he led many demonstrations against the Israeli government attempts to Judaize it and to distort the identity of the occupied city of Jerusalem.
http://bit.ly/9263ES
6 nov 2010
Swedish activists to sue Israeli leaders
LONDON, (PIC)-- Swedish activists have decided to sue Israeli leaders for their role in ordering the attack on the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy that was bound to Gaza Strip but was intercepted at sea by Israeli navy forces late last May.
Dror Feiler, the spokesman for the Swedish ship that was part of the Flotilla, told the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper on Friday that he would file a complaint on behalf of 11 Swedes against the Israeli leaders on 8th November with Tel Aviv police and the Israeli prosecutor.
He explained that the complaint would be filed against Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, his war minister Ehud Barak, and his Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
The charges would include armed robbery, kidnap, detention, and assault and battery, Feiler elaborated.
The Israeli navy attack on the Flotilla in international waters killed nine Turkish activists and injured about 30 others.
http://bit.ly/9ZBEyV
7 nov 2010
Israel denies entry to Sweden MP and ex-Israeli who sailed on Gaza flotilla
Israeli authorities on Sunday refused to grant entry to a legislator from the Swedish parliament and an expatriate Israeli artist who sailed on the Turkish-flagged humanitarian aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip earlier this year.
The Turkish-born MP Mehmet Kaplan and artist Dror Feiler were detained at the Ben Gurion International Airport upon landing, on the grounds that they were barred for 10 years due to their participation in the May 2010 flotilla. Both were among the dozens of flotilla passengers taken in to custody following Israel's deadly raid.
Feiler, who currently lives in Sweden, also took part in the flotilla, though not on the Mavi Marmara ship where nine Turkish activists died in clashes with Israeli naval commandos. He has given up his Israeli citizenship but has been permitted to return to the country dozens of times since. This was the first time he was denied entry.
Kaplan and Feiler had planned to use their trip in Israel to lodge an official complaint with the Israel Police against the Israel Defense Forces. Their complaint accused the IDF of kidnapping, armed robbery, violence and obstruction of freedom.
Feiler claims that Israeli security forces confiscated his saxophone during the raid, and refused to return it to him. Kaplan says the IDF stole his satellite telephone and camera.
Investigators at Ben Gurion airport told them upon arrival that their request to enter had been refused, and transferred them to Interior Ministry authorities.
"Anyone who took part in the flotilla will not be permitted into Israel," said Sabine Hadad, spokesman for immigration authorities. "They know this. They should have contacted the embassy before arriving."
http://bit.ly/cpj1MC
8 nov 2010
Israel expels two Swedes from occupied Palestine
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) detained and later expelled two Swedish citizens, one of them was a lawmaker, upon their arrival in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The two were participants in Freedom Flotilla aid convoy that were attacked on its way to the besieged Gaza Strip last May by the Israeli navy troops who killed nine Turks and wounded dozens of other passengers.
The Hebrew radio reported Monday morning that the IOA refused to allow Swedish lawmaker of Turkish origin Mohamed Kaplan to enter the occupied Palestinian lands upon his arrival last night, claiming that he did not hold a visa to Israel.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli foreign ministry affirmed that another Swedish citizen who came along with Kaplan was also denied entry, saying that both of them were expelled because of their participation in Freedom Flotilla convoy.
http://bit.ly/db2Bp6
11 nov 2010
Israeli policemen humiliate Sheikh Salah during his trial
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Israeli policemen on Wednesday deliberately insulted and humiliated Sheikh Ra'ed Salah, the head of the Islamic Movement in the 1948 occupied lands, as they were escorting him to a court in occupied Jerusalem to defend himself against new charges fabricated against him by the police.
Eyewitnesses said that Sheikh Salah was brought to the court room in orange uniform, and his hands and legs were shackled.
They added that the Israeli policemen prevented the Sheikh's sympathizers from entering the court room and only allowed in his mother, sister and nephew, noting that Sheikh Salah was in high spirits as he was entering the room.
The Israeli court, for its part, listened to the false witnesses brought by the Israeli prosecutor who fabricated lies against Sheikh Salah.
The defense lawyer Khaled Zabarqa filed a request to postpone the hearing because there was not enough time to study the new investigation materials brought to him last Thursday and he was not told if Sheikh Salah would be brought to the court that day.
Lawyer Zabarqa stated that until this moment, the Magistrate's court did not send a request to the Israeli prison authority asking it to bring Sheikh Salah to the hearing.
The new indictment against the Sheikh is about holding a philanthropic dinner on the roof of Al-Halawani house in the Wadi Joz neighborhood in Jerusalem on 22/8/2007. During the charity dinner the attendees were surprisingly attacked by the Israeli occupation forces.
During the attack on the dinner ceremony, the IOF troops used sound and tear gas shells and injured sheikh Salah in his hand, where he was transferred to Al-Makasid hospital for treatment.
Against the backdrop of these events, the Israeli prosecution filed an indictment against Sheikh Salah with the magistrate%u2019s court in Jerusalem for allegedly disobeying the orders of the Israeli police and thwarting their mission.
The Israeli prosecution claims that Sheikh Salah participated along with 30 others in an illegal gathering according to orders issued by the inspector-general of the Israeli police.
However, the truth is that this ceremony was planned to be held in the Commodore hotel, but the Israeli police sealed the hotel according to a military order, then the charity dinner was moved to another private place, which was the roof of Al-Halawani house.
http://bit.ly/ctSVCE 7 jul 2011, 01:16 , Respect -
Maria 15 nov 2010
MK Zoabi: Haifa Uni protects fascists
MK Zoabi escorted by police
Arab students hold gathering with Balad lawmaker, who criticizes institution for banning larger event. Jewish students protest in front of building, sing national anthem, call Zoabi 'terrorist'.
MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) on Monday arrived at the University of Haifa for an event organized by Balad student activists.
MK Zoabi, who became a controversial figure after participating in the Gaza-bound flotilla in May, lashed out at the university's decision to prevent the organizers from holding a larger event.
"The excuse that it might harm public order is taken straight out of Shin Bet statements. Instead of protecting those who are being threatened, they protect the fascists," she said.
The member of Knesset added that "the university is employing censorship and silencing voices. It's part of my right as a member of Knesset and an Israeli citizen to meet with students in the university," she asserted, adding that the University of Haifa is supported by donors who believe the institution to be pluralistic.
"There should be an article written in the university's website about the incident that took place here today, so that those donors stop supporting an institution that persecutes human rights and liberty," she noted.
The meeting with the MK Zoabi took place after negotiations between the students and the university administration failed.
A few weeks ago, the students approached the administration and asked to hold a political conference with the participation of MK Zoabi, ahead of the elections for the Student Union.
The university administration rejected their request, claiming that such a gathering right before the elections might lead to unrest among students at the campus.
However, the students decided to hold the event despite the university's decision.
Eventually, organizers held a smaller event than originally planned, and convened in one of the rooms at the student center, instead of a centrally located hall.
Meanwhile, some 100 Jewish students protested outside of the building, calling Zoabi a "terrorist" and singing the national anthem. The protesters held Israeli flags and whistles.
Police forces and university security formed a barrier between the protesters and the building where the event was held.
The university administration denied all claims made by MK Zoabi, stating that "her entry was not forbidden. She was here and she talked to the students, so we didn't silence anyone."
In reference to the refusal to permit a larger gathering, the administration stated that it feared such an event two weeks prior to the Student Union elections might lead to unnecessary incitement, and therefore they did not give permission to hold the event
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3984873,00.html
Students to protest ban on Flotilla MP
Israeli Arab lawmaker Hanin Zuabi of the National Democratic Party (Balad)
Students at the University of Haifa plan to rally against a ban on a pro-Palestinian lawmaker who was aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla when attacked by Israeli commandos in May.
Supporters of Arab Israeli lawmaker Hanin Zuabi are set to voice their protest against the university's refusal to allow the Balad party MP to participate in a student political activity on campus, the Israeli daily, Ha'arez, reported.
Zuabi drew sharp criticism from Israeli parliamentarians after she was arrested during Israel's Flotilla attack on May 31 which also killed nine Turkish activists onboard the civilian aid convoy which aimed to break the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, the Arab lawmaker was scheduled to take part in the student activity focusing on the political situation over the past year.
In a letter to the university's Dean of Students, Yoav Lavee, Zuabi said, "No one can prevent me from going to a university and standing together with my constituency."
"My participation in the event is part of my parliamentary activities, just as my participation in the freedom flotilla constituted a humanitarian, ethical, civic and political obligation of the first order and was part of my parliamentary activities," she wrote.
On October 24, a Balad campus group formally requested that the university permit Zuabi to partake in the activity, which was expected to involve between 150 and 200 students. However, the group did not receive a response till last Sunday.
Lavee told the group that Zuabi could not come, claiming that various groups on campus would use the event as an excuse for exhibiting violent behavior.
But Zuabi accused the University of Haifa of using the same tactics as Israel's notorious intelligence agency to curb Arab political activity.
"The Shin Bet generally uses the argument of 'disturbing the public order' to limit the political and public activity of Arab citizens, and that's what the university is doing, with the goal of limiting Arab student activity," she said.
Members of the Israeli parliament (Knesset) are entitled to go to any public place in Israel and expect "national security" considerations.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/151052.html
16 nov 2010
Belgian citizens set to sue Israel
Four Belgian citizens who were on board the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza when it was attacked by Israeli forces on May 31, 2010 are planning to sue the Israeli government.
The four, Fatima el-Mourabiti, Inge Neefs, Kenza Isnasni and Griet Deknopper, were victims of, and witnesses to, the attack and have applied to the Belgian courts to hear their complaint.
They were kidnapped by Israeli forces in international waters and held for 28 hours on the boats and claim they were ill-treated before being imprisoned is Israel prior to deportation,
They told Belgian journalists that, "It is essential that all the persons responsible for the attack, in which nine people were killed and 50 others injured, are judged by the appropriate courts for justice to be done."
http://www.imemc.org/article/59913
21 nov 2010
Belgian ladies sue Israeli officials in Brussels
BRUSSELS, (PIC)-- The federal prosecutor's office in Brussels received on Friday a lawsuit filed by four Belgian young women against Israeli officials.
The four young women, Fatima Al-Marabti, Kanza Asnasne, Anga Nevis and Grate Dokenber, were participants in the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy and filed charges against Israeli war minister Ehud Barak, his chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi and commander of the deadly attack on the convoy Eliezer Marom.
Their lawyer Yucca Kallwart said the lawsuit is related to serious violations committed against the international humanitarian law, and the maltreatment and unlawful imprisonment of these four women in Israel.
The lawyer noted that one of the ladies was hit in the face with an Israeli stun grenade and did not get appropriate medical care, and all of them were detained for long hours on board one of the aid ships before they were forcibly deported to Turkey without taking their confiscated personal belongings.
In another context, senior official of the European campaign to end the siege Arafat Abu Madi stated that the Freedom Flotilla coalition decided unanimously to postpone the launch of the second aid convoy to next spring.
He explained that the member organizations of the coalition agreed they need more time to organize a bigger convoy composed of 15 or 20 aid ships instead of six or seven.
http://bit.ly/aFiGFS
23 nov 2010
Israel should compensate Gaza flotilla victims
Israel can take several steps to defuse tensions between itself and Turkey.
The waves caused by the raid on the Gaza-bound Turkish flotilla have somewhat subsided, but it's clear the change in Turkey's attitude toward Israel is part of broader foreign policy changes initiated by Ankara's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu. Still, Israel would be wise to consider what it can do to lower the flame, even a bit.
Since its founding by Kemal Ataturk, the Republic of Turkey has conducted foreign policy as if it were under siege.
Turkey long saw itself as surrounded by enemies: Greece, Iran, the Arab world and Russia. That's why it maintained a strong army, which held Turkish society under an iron fist. That - and not love of democracy - is why the country joined NATO, and why it saw any chip at the mythos of the indivisibility of Turkish nationhood (the Kurds, for one ) as an existential threat.
Davutoglu has realized this is now an anachronistic worldview, and has replaced it with an ethos in which Turkey's role is to defuse regional conflicts. Given the complex composition of Turkish society, according to this thinking, external disputes are more than likely to turn into internal conflicts. With such a sharp diversion from the original philosophy of a single Turkish nation, Davutoglu and his supporters are essentially admitting that Turkey contains more Azeris than Azerbaijan, more Bosnians than Bosnia, more Albanians than Albania and more Kurds than Iraqi Kurdistan. That's why they view any quarrels in those countries as likely to spill over to Turkey itself.
This new creed has had tangible internal ramifications: The ruling, Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party has shown more flexibility toward the Kurdish minority. The restraints put on the military's power can also be traced to a feeling that the supposed siege on the country has been eased. Still, the most significant implications of this new policy have been in foreign relations: reconciliation attempts with Armenia; a thaw in relations with Greece; and more moderate positions on Cyprus, Bosnia and Kosovo.
Turkey has toned down its opposition to Kurdish autonomy in northern Iraq and trying to work toward an agreement on Iran's nuclear program. The offer to mediate talks between Israel and Syria is also linked to the government's "zero conflict" policy.
But any policy taken to the extreme is likely to lead, almost dialectically, to the opposite result. Pursuing compromise on the Iranian nuclear issue is one thing; forging a Turkish-Iranian-Brazilian alliance against the United States (for example, voting against Washington in the UN Security Council ) is quite another. Criticizing Israeli policy in the West Bank is one thing; the tongue-lashing the Turkish prime minister delivered Israel in Davos is quite another.
Several Turkish officials have wondered aloud whether such tactics are going too far. Israel has to encourage these people - one of the ways of doing so is changing its position on the flotilla raid. Most Turks believe Israel murdered nine Turkish citizens in international waters. Israel could announce that there is no place for a public apology, but that as a humanitarian gesture, it is willing to create a fund for compensating the families of those killed in the May operation.
A willingness to provide a one-time payment to each family (a sum of $200,000 has been mentioned ) could take some of the bite out of the current enmity between the two nations. It could also drive a wedge between the Turkish government and the families of the dead. Perhaps not all of them would be willing to accept payment, but offering it would be a humane, ethical gesture for all to see, one that may ultimately even bear diplomatic fruit.
http://bit.ly/fTpqgC 7 jul 2011, 01:18 , Respect -
Maria 5 dec 2010
Israeli, Turkish diplomats meet in Geneva in effort to repair relations
Israel sends diplomat to meet with Turkish officials after Netanyahu phoned Turkish PM to thank him for his help in battling Carmel fire.
Israeli and Turkish officials met in Geneva on Sunday in an attempt to draft an agreement aiming to mend the foundering ties between the countries due to the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla last May.
Joseph Ciechanover, a senior Israeli diplomat, was sent to Geneva to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to thank him for sending firefighting planes to help battle the fire in northern Israel that killed 41 people.
The Israeli and Turkish diplomats speculated that in an agreement, Israel would apologize to Turkey for the events of the Gaza flotilla and compensate it accordingly, and in exchange Turkey would return its ambassador to Tel-Aviv and agree to appoint a new Israeli envoy in Ankara.
A senior Turkish diplomat told Haaretz that the purpose of the meeting in Geneva was to discuss an agreement that would put an end to the crisis between the two countries.
Turkey demands that Israel apologize for killing nine Turkish citizens on the Mavi Marmara ship and compensate those hurt as a result of the Israel Defense Forces raid.
Earlier on Sunday, Erdogan underlined the Turkish position, saying Israel and Turkey would turn a new leaf in their relations, but first Israel would have to apologize and pay compensation. For its part, Israel is interested in normalization of relations with the Turks nearly six months after Turkey withdrew its ambassador to the country. Israel's crisis in relations with Turkey has also caused the Turks considerable diplomatic damage in Washington.
The Turks and Israelis involved in the current talks have said that the contacts were the initiative of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and follow the momentum created by the aid that Turkey provided to fight the fires in the Carmel region over the past week. The sources added, however, that talks are in their preliminary stage and will require additional meetings to come to an agreement that would gain the approval of Erdogan and Netanyahu.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has been briefed on the contacts, which have been handled primarily by national security adviser Uzi Arad. Lieberman's office declined to comment on the matter, but ministry sources have said they believe Lieberman has reservations over the effort as he has said Israel will not apologize or pay compensation to the Turks.
http://bit.ly/dTa9G7
Erdogan insists on Israeli apology before 'page is turned'
Turkish premier stresses again his country's aid to Israel as it battled Carmel blaze stemmed only from humanitarian motives, Islamic duty.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed Sunday that the aid sent from Turkey to Israel following the Carmel fire disaster does not signify an improvement in relations between the two countries.
However, in an unprecedented statement since May's flotilla raid the Turksih premier said that "one day we shall turn the page."
According to a report by Turkish news agency Anatolia Erdogan said that the relationship with Israel will not improve until the Jewish state "cleans" the blood of the victims. He repeated Ankara's list of demands to Israel before ties can be rebuilt: Compensation to the victims' families and an official apology.
"One day we shall turn the page but first Israel needs to apologize and provide compensation," Erdogan said.
He explained his country's willingness to send aid to Israel at its time of need. "If a hand is reached out we do not ignore it but we must ensure the hand is being reached in earnest."
He added: "No one can expect us to sit silent and abandon law and reason while the blood being spilled in the Middle East remains unwashed." Ergodan stressed that the aid provided to Israel by Turkey was sent out of humanitarian reasons and Islamic duty.
Hours after the Carmel blaze broke out last Thursday Turkey sent Israel two helicopters to help it fight the flames. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Erdogan for Turkey's assistance as they spoke on the phone and expressed hope that the step will help the nations rebuild their relationship.
However, the Turkish premier was quick to clarify over the weekend that the aid was sent for humanitarian motives only and that it has nothing to do with the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3994790,00.html
Netanyahu tries to rebuild Turkey ties in wake of aid to Carmel fire
PM sends Israeli representative to Geneva to meet with Turkish foreign ministry official and try to draw a draft agreement that would end Israel-Turkey diplomatic crisis.
As Turkey helps Israel put out the Carmel fire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched an effort to end the diplomatic crisis with Ankara.
Netanyahu sent the Israeli representative on the United Nations committee investigating the Gaza flotilla incident, Yosef Ciechanover, to Geneva to meet with Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu, an undersecretary at the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
A senior Israeli source said the two would try to draw up a draft agreement that would put and end to the crisis.
The Turks are demanding that Israel apologize for the killing of Turkish civilians and compensate the families of the victims in the attack on the flotilla earlier this year.
Sources at the Prime Minister's Bureau acknowledged that contacts were being made with Turkey on the issue but declined to offer further details.
For his part, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that despite the fire aid and his conversation with Netanyahu, Turkey continues to expect an apology from Israel on the flotilla incident and compensation for the victims. "We do not confuse this issue with other issues," he said.
As foreign help arrives, IAF plans fire squadron
The Israel Air Force has begun unofficial staff work to create a firefighting squadron ahead of a likely government decision on the matter in the coming days. The IAF has gotten to work as aircraft continue to arrive from foreign countries, playing a key role in battling the fire on the Carmel.
Over the weekend, foreign firefighting aircraft were in operation including seaplanes from Greece and Turkey that landed in Haifa Bay, loaded their tanks and dumped the water on the Carmel. Large Russian planes and a French aircraft also took part.
More planes are due to arrive from France, Russia and the United States, including two Air National Guard planes equipped with special foam tanks. The largest firefighting aircraft in the world, a reconfigured 747 belonging to the private firm Evergreen, will also arrive. The aircraft is capable of carrying more than 90,000 liters of water.
Firefighting sources said the foreign aircraft have played a major role in efforts to put out the blaze.
The foreign aircraft have been joined by 12 from the company Chim-Nir; their operations have been coordinated by the air force, which established a special control center near the University of Haifa.
The aircraft operate out of air force bases at Ramat David and Tel Nof, as well as Haifa Airport. An overall picture of the situation on the ground is being provided by air force drones.
The air force once provided a firefighting capability using its heavy-lift helicopters, but they are old and less effective than the small planes in the Chim-Nir fleet.
The air force expects the government to fund a firefighting squadron. Air force officers are examining the equipment coming in from other countries with an eye to the future.
http://bit.ly/gfcvor
Turkish PM says Israel must 'clear blood' to mend ties
ANKARA (AFP) - Turkey's prime minister insisted Sunday on an Israeli apology and compensation over a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship in May as the only way to mend bilateral ties, Anatolia news agency reported.
His remarks followed media speculation that the crisis between the one-time allies might thaw in the wake of Turkey's dispatch of two helicopters to help fight a devastating forest fire in northern Israel, which claimed 41 lives.
"Some say we should turn a new page... An apology must be offered first, compensation must be paid first," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech in Sivas, central Turkey, according to Anatolia.
"If a hand is extended, we will not leave it in the air... but we want to see that this hand is extended with sincerity.
"No one should expect us to keep silent and forfeit law and justice as long as the blood spilled in the Mediterranean is not cleared," he said.
Erdogan, who heads a conservative government hailing from a banned Islamist movement, described Ankara's assistance for the fire-fighting effort in Israel as "our humanitarian and Islamic duty."
Bilateral ties plunged into a deep crisis on May 31 when Israeli forces killed nine Turks as they raided an activist ship carrying aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip in an international campaign led by a Turkish Islamist charity.
Relations had been already strained over Israel's devastating war on Gaza last year, amid Erdogan's frequent outbursts against the Jewish state and his defense of radical Palestinian group Hamas.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Turkey for its help in the fire disaster and telephoned Erdogan to convey his gratitude.
"We very much appreciate this mobilisation and I am certain that it will be an opening toward improving relations between our two countries, Turkey and Israel," he said in a statement.
The lingering chill was highlighted only a day before when Turkey's interior minister said Israel seemed to be "benefiting" from the impact of US cables disclosed by the Internet whistle-blower WikiLeaks as he questioned whose interests the leaks served.
The cables revealed US and Israeli unease over Turkey's close contacts with Iran and Erdogan's criticism of Israel.
Erdogan "hates Israel" on religious grounds, a cable by the US embassy in Ankara said, including also the Israeli ambassador's description of Erdogan as "a fundamentalist."
Turkey and Israel had enjoyed a decade of close ties since 1996 when they signed a military cooperation agreement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=339240 7 jul 2011, 01:19 , Respect -
Maria 6 dec 2010
Erdogan pledges support for '67 state
ANKARA, Turkey (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas visited Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan in his Ankara home on Sunday, to discuss developments in the peace negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators.
Following the meeting, Ambassador of Palestine to Turkey Nabil Ma`roof told the official PA news agency WAFA that Erdogan pledged to support a bid for the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders. The official said he would speak with the leaders of all those nations with which Turkey had diplomatic relations.
Erdogan then stressed to the president that he believed a final reconciliation agreement had to be reached between rival factions Fatah and Hamas, saying "You must unite to be strong."
The Turkish leader also said he would continue to support economic development plans created as part of the Ramallah government's "two-years to statehood" initiative, by contributing $10 million to the construction of an industrial zone in the northern West Bank district of Jenin.
The leaders also agreed on a program to foster trade between the nations, which would include a preferential visa program for businessmen from Palestine.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=339326
7 dec 2010
Lieberman: Apology Would be Surrender to Terror
Sources close to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the prospective arrangement between Israel and Turkey to repair relations between the two countries, in which Israel would express regret for the deaths of Turkish citizens in the flotilla incident, was a surrender to terror.
If anything, we should demand that Turkey apologize to Israel, and pay reparations for the help it gave the terrorist IHH group that sponsored the May Gaza flotilla, which many European countries, like Germany, have labeled as a terror group, Lieberman said.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/199500
Israel to Turkey: Admit IDF raid on Gaza flotilla had no malicious intent
Request is part of the latest Israeli-Turkish discussions aimed at ending their diplomatic crisis, which focus on an Israeli apology in exchange for return of Turkish envoy to Tel Aviv.
Israel has demanded that Turkey admit that the Israel Defense Forces raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla had no malicious intent, a condition which is part of the recent endeavor between Israel and Turkey to reach an agreement to put an end to the crisis in their relations.
The discussions between Israeli and Turkish officials in Geneva are continuing, and a senior Israeli official has said that the focus of the deliberations is the particular wording of the Israeli apology for the IDF raid on the Gaza-bound ship the Mavi Marmara, which killed nine Turkish citizens.
"We are looking for wording that would clarify that during the overtaking of the Gaza flotilla, Israel did not act out of malice," said the Israeli official.
Israel's representative on the UN panel investigating the Gaza-bound flotilla incident, Yosef Ciechanover, met for the second time on Monday with senior Turkish diplomat Feridun Sinirlioglu.
The discussions centered around a formula that would have Israel apologize for the incident and arrange for compensation for the dead and injured Turkish citizens, and in exchange Turkey would return its ambassador to Tel Aviv and announce the "normalization" of ties between Israel and Turkey.
An Israeli source close to the talks said that the discussions are at a particularly sensitive place at the moment, wherein the two sides need to present their ideas to prime ministers Benjamin Netanyahu and Recep Tayyip Erdogan to receive further instructions.
Israeli officials fear that Netanyahu will find it hard to pass such an agreement before his cabinet, in light of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's reservations regarding an Israeli apology for the Gaza flotilla raid.
Moreover, it is also still unclear whether Erdogan will agree to the draft of understandings. As part of the agreement, Israel wants Turkey to stop carrying out anti-Israeli activities in various international forums regarding the Gaza flotilla. It is uncertain whether Erdogan will agree to this request.
If the two sides do reach an agreement, it would most probably turn the United Nations committee investigating the events of the Gaza flotilla to superfluous.
The senior Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue, stated that the fact that the government of Turkey sent firefighting aircraft to the Carmel fire was what encouraged Prime Minister Netanyahu to initiate discussions over ending the diplomatic rift between the two countries.
"An opportunity presented itself to improve the relations," the senior official stated. "Prime Minister Netanyahu sees the improvement of relations with Turkey as having great importance, but he is determined to ensure that Israeli soldiers and officers will not be exposed to lawsuits and indictments around the world."
http://bit.ly/fP7wDs
Turkish official: Fire diplomacy boosts Israel ties
Israeli, Turkish reps meet for second time in Geneva in bid to mend relations following Turkish assistance during Carmel blaze. Officials in Ankara say Lieberman trying to block reconciliation process.
Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu and Yosef Ciechanover, the Israeli representative to the UN committee probing Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla met on Monday for the second time in two days in a bid to revive bilateral ties, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reported.
A Turkish diplomatic source told the newspaper, "If someone extends us a friendly hand for a solution to problems, we do not leave that hand in the air."
Referring to the assistance Turkey provided Israel during the huge inferno in the Carmel region, another Turkish diplomat told Hurriyet, It is certain that the fire diplomacy has encouraged the diplomatic contact. These kinds of situations sometimes help break the ice.
Turkey has demanded that Israel apologize for the death of nine Turkish citizens during the May 31 raid and compensate the families of those who were killed.
Last week Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for sending two firefighting planes to help douse the fire in north Israel and expressed his hope that the gesture would help mend the ties between the countries.
Erdogan, for his part, called the assistance a humanitarian gesture and said Turkey's desire to help Israel in a moment of crisis should not be confused with its continued anger over the flotilla incident.
Hurriyet quoted diplomatic sources as saying that the climate during Monday's talks was better than it was during the first attempt at rapprochement following the flotilla incident - the secret talks in June between Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Israeli Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.
"The time is different now, a diplomatic source told the Turkish daily, adding that the fact that Netanyahu launched a personal initiative to promote diplomatic ties with Turkey is a reason to be optimistic.
Other officials, the newspaper said, claim that the leaking of the secret Geneva talks to the press is an attempt by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to block the reconciliation process.
Following Sunday's meeting Ciechanover Sinirlioglu, the Haaretz daily reported that Israeli and Turkish diplomats had drafted an agreement according to which Israel would apologize to Turkey for the events of the Gaza flotilla and compensate it accordingly, and in exchange Turkey would return its ambassador to Tel-Aviv and agree to appoint a new Israeli envoy in Ankara.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3995475,00.html
9 dec 2010
Olmert, Ayalon: Israel doesn't need to apologize to Turkey
Official say Israel proposed paying $100,000 each to families of Turks killed during raid on Gaza-bound ship and asked Ankara 'to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns.' Turkish FM: Our demand for apology has not changed.
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Israel does not need to apologize to Turkey over of the death of nine of its citizens during the May 31 raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.
Speaking at a conference at the Foreign Ministry on EU members' funding of NGOs which support terror on Thursday, Ayalon said, "Negotiations and contacts between Israel's representative and his Turkish counterpart have not yet been discontinued, so further reference to this issue will not help."
Israel has proposed paying compensation to relatives of the Turks who were killed during the raid, in exchange for Ankara's help in indemnifying the Israeli navy against lawsuits, officials said on Thursday.
The offer, broached by envoys in Geneva over the weekend, included measures for patching up ties but appeared to have fallen short of Turkey's demand that Israel formally apologize for the deaths of the nine pro-Palestinian activists in May.
Ehud Olmert criticized Israel's willingness to compensate the Turks. Speaking at a Calcalist conference Thursday, the former prime minister said,
"Six months ago everyone said, justifiably, that no one would break the blockade on Gaza. We were very confident in our position, and now we are thinking of how to compensate and apologize.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose delegate to a UN probe of the bloodshed attended the rapprochement talks, also faces opposition to such a deal from his hawkish foreign minister and government coalition partner, Avigdor Lieberman.
"We made a compensation offer, and asked the Turks to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns. We also want to see them return their ambassador and allow us to appoint a new ambassador in Ankara," an Israeli official said.
"For now, however, there are still big obstacles."
The draft offers Turkey some $100,000 each to families of the men shot dead by Israeli marines during brawls aboard the converted cruise ship Mavi Marmara, and an Israeli expression of "regret" over the incident, Israeli diplomatic sources said.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu described the reports of an Israeli offer as "speculative" and said on Thursday his government's demands had not changed.
"We don't think it is right to cite figures, or discussions of apology or regret," Davutoglu said during a joint news conference with the visiting Syrian foreign minister.
"The citing of figures or the matter of regret did not come onto the agenda."
'They must accept their guilt'
On Wednesday, Netanyahu adviser Ron Dermer said Israel and Turkey were discussing "the phrasing of a compromise that both sides can live with ... (and) that will get our relations with Turkey back on track and remove the whole affair from the international agenda".
"We must remember that there are those at the United Nations, there are forces which would like to see our personnel arrested," Dermer told Israel Radio.
"What is important to the prime minister is to protect the marines and commanders. We have said at every discussion, at every meeting, that the troops acted in self-defense -- there's no question about it -- and not out of malice."
Rattled over private war-crimes suits filed abroad against its military brass and politicians by pro-Palestinian groups, Israel has tried to stave off any similar Turkish actions in global forums by quickly setting up two internal investigations whose findings will become its submission to the UN inquest.
Turkey has dismissed the Israeli probes as insufficient.
The rapprochement talks followed Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's dispatch of planes to help Israel battle a forest fire that raged out of control last week. Netanyahu had pledged to "find ways to express our appreciation" to the Turks.
But Erdogan, leader of the Islamist-rooted AK Party and a frequent scolder of Israel's Palestinian policies, on Tuesday signaled no flexibility in Turkey's terms. He even added an older demand that Hamas-ruled Gaza's borders be opened.
"If there are those who want to start a new period, I repeat: They must accept their guilt, apologize and pay compensation. I say too that the embargoes, which have been eased but not enough, should be lifted," he told AK lawmakers.
The Mavi Marmara led an aid-ferrying flotilla that tried to breach Israel's Gaza blockade, imposed with the declared aim of keeping arms from Islamist Hamas cadres. A world outcry at the high seas seizure prompted Israel to allow more goods to reach Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinians by land, but not by sea.
Among the most vocal champions of the blockade is Lieberman, who leads the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party in alliance with Netanyahu's rightist Likud. Political sources say Lieberman is often excluded from Israel's more sensitive diplomatic contacts.
Noting that several marines were injured in the Mavi Marmara raid, a Lieberman confidant told Reuters: "It's the Turks who should be paying us compensation, and not the other way around."
That foreshadowed a possible showdown in Netanyahu's cabinet should the proposed rapprochement deal be brought for approval.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3996960,00.html
Manipulated radio communications Flotilla/Israely Navy
(7:54) Manipulated radio communications Flotilla/Israely Navy
Israel proposes Turkey compensation only to escape lawsuits
Israel has proposed paying compensation to relatives of Turkish activists it killed in exchange for Ankara to give up lawsuits against the Israeli navy.
Israel has proposed paying compensation to relatives of Turkish activists it killed during a raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, in exchange for Ankara to give up lawsuits against the Israeli navy, officials said on Thursday.
"We made a compensation offer, and asked the Turks to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns. We also want to see them return their ambassador and allow us to appoint a new ambassador in Ankara," an Israeli official told Reuters news agency.
"For now, however, there are still big obstacles."
Turkey and Israel is reportedly near agreement on wording of memo aimed at ending crisis; Erdogan demands Israel say it 'apologizes,' while Israel prefers to use the word 'regrets'.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed with senior advisers on Wednesday the content of a memo aimed at ending the crisis with Israel.
Most of the remaining points of contention concern the exact phrasing of Israel's apologies related to its raid on the flotilla. Erdogan demands that Israel say it "apologizes," while Israel prefers to use the word "regrets."
On Wednesday, Netanyahu adviser Ron Dermer said Israel and Turkey were discussing "the phrasing of a compromise that both sides can live with ... (and) that will get our relations with Turkey back on track and remove the whole affair from the international agenda".
During the consultations held in Erdogan's office, the permanent undersecretary of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Feridun Sinirlioglu, updated the prime minister on the talks he'd held with Israeli UN envoy Yosef Ciechanover in Geneva earlier this week.
"Denial of legal responsibility"
Israel is refusing to use the word "apology." Israel has, however, agreed to express sorrow and regret over the killing of the Turkish activists on board.
According to Turkish and Israeli media, Israel wants the expression of sorrow and regret to be "humanitarian" and addressed toward the victims, rather than an official apology to the Turkish government to avoid legal cases. Erdogan, for his part, is demanding that Israel apologize "to the Turkish republic."
Israel also sees the compensation a "humanitarian" gesture, rather than an Israeli admission of legal responsibility for the killings.
The draft offers Turkey some $100,000 each to families of the activists shot dead by Israeli marines during the raid.
The rapprochement talks followed Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's dispatch of planes to help Israel battle a forest fire that raged out of control last week.
Erdogan on Tuesday renewed Turkey's terms. He repeated his demand that Israel-besieged Gaza's borders be opened.
"If there are those who want to start a new period, I repeat: They must accept their guilt, apologise and pay compensation. I say too that the embargoes, which have been eased but not enough, should be lifted," he told AK lawmakers.
Families of Turkish humanitarian aid workers dismissed any Israeli apology as formality and demanded the soldiers be tried for the killings on the Gaza aid ship.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=67187
Official: Dictionary can resolve Israel-Turkey row
Hurriyet quotes sources as saying further talks possible in bid to resolve crisis over Gaza flotilla raid; Israeli source says reconciliation possible if different word for 'apology' can be found.
This week's reconciliation talks between Israel and Turkey, which were held in Geneva, concluded without an agreement, but diplomatic circles are not ruling out further talks to resolve the differences, Hurriyet reported Wednesday.
The Turkish daily quoted sources as saying that the door for reconciliation remains open if the right formula can be found for an Israeli apology over the May 31 commando raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, which left nine Turkish citizens dead.
An Israeli apology is a key Turkish condition for reconciliation.
If Turkey and Israel want to reach an agreement, they only need to open the Webster's Dictionary to find a different word for apology, a senior Israeli official was quoted by Hurriyet as saying.
According to the report, Israel is known to prefer to use the words regret or sorry instead of apology because "both its government and its people consider the dispatching of ships by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or IHH, to break Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip to be a provocative act."
The Yedioth Ahronoth daily said Israel has agreed to pay the families of those killed during the raid $100,000 each.
On Tuesday Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "There is no such distinction as the people or the state. They (Israelis) must apologize to the Republic of Turkey."
Hurriyet further reported that Israeli Ambassador to Turley Gabby Levy has asked that his term not be extended, in part due to the publication of American cables by WikiLeaks. In a cable sent last year by then-US envoy to Ankara James Jeffrey, Levy is quoted as saying about Erdogan: He's a fundamentalist. He hates us religiously.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3996580,00.html
J'lem, Turkey may find resolution to flotilla legal issues
Turkish media says Israeli proposal to be presented to Erdogan which will prevent prosecution of involved IDF soldiers abroad.
A statement agreed upon between Israel and Turkey regarding the Mavi Marmara incident would likely remove the issue from the international legal agenda and prevent prosecution abroad of IDF soldiers involved in the action, according to assessments in Jerusalem.
These assessments were made Wednesday as an Israeli proposal was, according to Turkish media reports, expected to be brought to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The website of the Hurriyet daily reported that Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirliogglu, who at the beginning of the week held talks on the matter in Geneva with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's envoy Yosef Ciechanover, was expected to bring a proposal drawn up in those talks to the Turkish prime minister.
According to Hurriyet, there has been a debate about whether Israel would issue a state apology or a humanitarian one for the May 31 raid on the ship trying to break the Gaza blockade. Nine people were killed after IDF commandos who boarded the ship came under attack.
The ship was organized by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation IHH, an organization listed by a number of countries as a terrorist group, Hurriyet, which said Israel wanted to use words such as regret or sorry in a statement, rather than apology, quoted Erdogan as saying late Tuesday that there is no such distinction as the people or the state. They [the Israelis] must apologize to the Republic of Turkey.
In Jerusalem, meanwhile, it is widely assumed that Israel would only agree to a formula in which it was clear that Israel acted in self-defense, that it retains its right to act in self-defense in the future, and that it had no intention of harming the passengers of the ship.
Netanyahu is sure to meet resistance from some in his own cabinet, including Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and also from the families of naval commandos involved and wounded in the incident, if he agrees to anything resembling an apology.
Nahman Cohen, the father of the commando seriously wounded when he was thrown from the upper to the lower deck of the ship, said the idea that the country would apologize or pay compensation was inconceivable and that he would fight any agreement.
Sources close to Lieberman, meanwhile, said Tuesday that an apology to Turkey would be tantamount to surrender to terrorism.
Israel needs to ask for a Turkish apology, and for it to pay compensation for the aid it gave those supporting terrorists and the IHH, the sources said.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=198651