Israel Hijacks Aid cargo, executes hostages - Pak journo, Talat Hussain taken hostage

[Jigs]

You sure?

Afghanistan and Bangladesh didn't criticize?

They might have not released a statement on the matter. I am sure they have though.

 

[zavis2003]

israel is doing good for its elimination from world map

ISRAEL keep it up one day you wont be at world map


world is going to be against israel ths way

really israel make things easy for us to project that israel is a terrorrist coountry

 

[fawwaxs]

Reactions to Israel's Raid on the Flotilla for Gaza

Israel attacked a flotilla of six ships that tried to break its blockade of Gaza. The Israelis killed 10 activists on those ships. The ships were carrying 700 people and 10,000 tons of supplies, including electric-powered wheelchairs, prefabricated homes, and water purifiers.

The attack has set off a diplomatic storm. Click here for a video report from Reuters.

After the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled plans for a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his shock at the deadly raid on boats loaded with relief supplies headed for Gaza, calling on Israel to fully explain its actions. According to media reports, early this morning in international waters, Israeli forces raided the six-ship aid convoy, also carrying hundreds of activists, with more than ten people having been killed. “I condemn this violence,” Mr. Ban said from Kampala, Uganda, where he presided over the first review conference of the International Criminal Court. “It is vital that there is a full investigation to determine exactly how this bloodshed took place,” he said. “I believe Israel must urgently provide a full explanation.”

The Security Council is scheduled to meet this afternoon in an emergency session to discuss the incident.

The League of Arab States may also hold an emergency meeting tomorrow. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa is reported to have said that "Israel's attack indicates that Israel is not ready for peace. Israel attacked the liberty fleet because it feels it is above the law."
Egypt summoned the Israeli ambassador. The Israeli Academic Center in Cairo, which aids to build ties in Egypt, has canceled all lectures for the coming week.

The Lebanese prime minister Saad al-Hariri called Israel's attack a "crazy step" that risked inflaming conflict in the region.

Turkey, an Israeli ally in the region, has called off three joint military exercises with Israel. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has cut short an official visit to Latin America. Turkey summoned Israel's ambassador and said it may recall its own ambassador. Israeli nationals have been advised to avoid travel to Turkey and to keep a low profile if they are already in the country. Demonstrators are reportedly assembling in front of the the residence of Israel's ambassador to Turkey.

The United Nations has repeatedly spoken out against the closure of Gaza and raised concern over the insufficient flow of material into the area to meet basic needs and spur reconstruction. Mr. Ban cautioned in a recent meeting that the closure “creates unacceptable suffering, hurts forces of moderation and empowers extremists.”

Also speaking out against today's raid was UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, who emphasized that “nothing can justify the appalling outcome of this operation.” She called for a probe into the incident and underscored the need for accountability. “I unequivocally condemn what appears to be disproportionate use of force, resulting in the killing and wounding of so many people attempting to bring much-needed aid to the people of Gaza, who have now been enduring a blockade for more than three years,” Ms. Pillay said. She called on the Israeli Government to heed the “almost unanimous international view that the continued blockade of Gaza is both inhumane and illegal.” The blockade, the High Commissioner pointed out, “lies at the heart of so many of the problems plaguing the Israel-Palestine situation, as does the impression that the Israeli Government treats international law with perpetual disdain.” Without the blockade, she noted, “there would be no need for flotillas like this.”

Richard Falk, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, said that “Israel is guilty of shocking behavior by using deadly weapons against unarmed civilians on ships that were situated in the high seas where freedom of navigation exists, according to the law of the seas.” He echoed the calls by the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for an investigation into today's incident, stressing that it is “essential that those Israelis responsible for this lawless and murderous behavior, including political leaders who issued the orders, be held criminally accountable for their wrongful acts.” Mr. Falk characterized the blockade of Gaza as a “massive form of collective punishment” that is tantamount to a crime against humanity. “Unless prompt and decisive action is taken to challenge the Israeli approach to Gaza all of us will be complicit in criminal policies that are challenging the survival of an entire beleaguered community,” he said.

The French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was reported to have said that the violence could not be justified and that he was "profoundly shocked by the tragic consequences of the Israeli military operation against the Peace Flotilla for Gaza."

Israel denies that it has created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and says that it allows sufficient food and medicine into the territory. Click here for more statements from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

---------- Post added at 05:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:02 AM ----------

Reactions to Israel's Raid on the Flotilla for Gaza

Israel attacked a flotilla of six ships that tried to break its blockade of Gaza. The Israelis killed 10 activists on those ships. The ships were carrying 700 people and 10,000 tons of supplies, including electric-powered wheelchairs, prefabricated homes, and water purifiers.

The attack has set off a diplomatic storm. Click here for a video report from Reuters.

After the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled plans for a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his shock at the deadly raid on boats loaded with relief supplies headed for Gaza, calling on Israel to fully explain its actions. According to media reports, early this morning in international waters, Israeli forces raided the six-ship aid convoy, also carrying hundreds of activists, with more than ten people having been killed. “I condemn this violence,” Mr. Ban said from Kampala, Uganda, where he presided over the first review conference of the International Criminal Court. “It is vital that there is a full investigation to determine exactly how this bloodshed took place,” he said. “I believe Israel must urgently provide a full explanation.”

The Security Council is scheduled to meet this afternoon in an emergency session to discuss the incident.

The League of Arab States may also hold an emergency meeting tomorrow. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa is reported to have said that "Israel's attack indicates that Israel is not ready for peace. Israel attacked the liberty fleet because it feels it is above the law."
Egypt summoned the Israeli ambassador. The Israeli Academic Center in Cairo, which aids to build ties in Egypt, has canceled all lectures for the coming week.

The Lebanese prime minister Saad al-Hariri called Israel's attack a "crazy step" that risked inflaming conflict in the region.

Turkey, an Israeli ally in the region, has called off three joint military exercises with Israel. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has cut short an official visit to Latin America. Turkey summoned Israel's ambassador and said it may recall its own ambassador. Israeli nationals have been advised to avoid travel to Turkey and to keep a low profile if they are already in the country. Demonstrators are reportedly assembling in front of the the residence of Israel's ambassador to Turkey.

The United Nations has repeatedly spoken out against the closure of Gaza and raised concern over the insufficient flow of material into the area to meet basic needs and spur reconstruction. Mr. Ban cautioned in a recent meeting that the closure “creates unacceptable suffering, hurts forces of moderation and empowers extremists.”

Also speaking out against today's raid was UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, who emphasized that “nothing can justify the appalling outcome of this operation.” She called for a probe into the incident and underscored the need for accountability. “I unequivocally condemn what appears to be disproportionate use of force, resulting in the killing and wounding of so many people attempting to bring much-needed aid to the people of Gaza, who have now been enduring a blockade for more than three years,” Ms. Pillay said. She called on the Israeli Government to heed the “almost unanimous international view that the continued blockade of Gaza is both inhumane and illegal.” The blockade, the High Commissioner pointed out, “lies at the heart of so many of the problems plaguing the Israel-Palestine situation, as does the impression that the Israeli Government treats international law with perpetual disdain.” Without the blockade, she noted, “there would be no need for flotillas like this.”

Richard Falk, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, said that “Israel is guilty of shocking behavior by using deadly weapons against unarmed civilians on ships that were situated in the high seas where freedom of navigation exists, according to the law of the seas.” He echoed the calls by the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for an investigation into today's incident, stressing that it is “essential that those Israelis responsible for this lawless and murderous behavior, including political leaders who issued the orders, be held criminally accountable for their wrongful acts.” Mr. Falk characterized the blockade of Gaza as a “massive form of collective punishment” that is tantamount to a crime against humanity. “Unless prompt and decisive action is taken to challenge the Israeli approach to Gaza all of us will be complicit in criminal policies that are challenging the survival of an entire beleaguered community,” he said.

The French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was reported to have said that the violence could not be justified and that he was "profoundly shocked by the tragic consequences of the Israeli military operation against the Peace Flotilla for Gaza."

Israel denies that it has created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and says that it allows sufficient food and medicine into the territory. Click here for more statements from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

[fawwaxs]

israel is doing good for its elimination from world map

ISRAEL keep it up one day you wont be at world map


world is going to be against israel ths way

really israel make things easy for us to project that israel is a terrorrist coountry

Israel constantly breaks international law without any hesitation and without consequence. As usual, President Barack obama and a few other leaders from around the globe will make a speech condemning the action, but will there be any restitution? probably not. Israel's shocking disregard for human life and their childish tit for tat attitude towards the people of gaza only underlines their arrogance and hopefully shows the conscious people of the world their true face.

 

[EjazR]

As an aside, Pakistani and Indian forummers may find some parallels in our mutual history before 1947. Public rallies, emotional crowds, something gets out of hand, the British admin overreacts and you have a terrible incident.

Interesting, you are hinting that the activists have taken the non-violent/Gandhian route in a spirit of civil disobedience or non-cooperation with the Israeli authorities.

It will be a welcome development IMO

 

[EyelessInGaza]

Interesting, you are hinting that the activists have taken the non-violent/Gandhian route in a spirit of civil disobedience or non-cooperation with the Israeli authorities.

It will be a welcome development IMO

Not really. I think the videos - such as they are - seem to suggest that the Israeli soldiers were attacked.

Of course the fact that this happened in international waters also means that you cannot condemn the people on the ship. Israel has blundered and, on the face of it, will not get much sympathy.

Coming back to the non-violent/Gandhian route, I think that it's an interesting idea. Don't know enough about the situation to suggest whether it would be a good idea as well.

 

[EjazR]

^^Well details will still emerge on what really happened. But I am looking at the broader picture of 700+ activists from around the world disobeying Israel for what they believe to be a morally wrong blockade. In other, words a civil disobedience

 

[Solomon2]

Last one tonight, guys:

How many UN resolutions has Pakistan violated?

U.N. resolutions come in different flavors - their forcefulness is measured not by number, but by what Chapter they fall under. Do you think law is a popularity contest?

Let it be recorded, Solomon2, that today you supported Israeli murderers killing peace activists in cold blood.

Let it be recorded that you are the one pinning the label! Who will be more embarrassed in the eyes of his family, community, and G-d when the truth is out?

You are the one who is so blinded by your common faith with the Israeli murderers that you cannot see beyond it.

You have read that I am dealing with facts and context, not familial or religious affiliation.

You obfuscate and attempt to divert attention by talking of purchase vs. theft, and bringing in the Ottomans in to the discussion as "Founders" of Israel when you know darn well I was referring to -

No, I really didn't. The two Caliphs are important because the first one promised to deed Palestine to the Jews if Muslims failed to defend the Empire (according to a letter of Herzl published in the early 20th century), and the second one actually did so in the Treaty of Sevres.

Israel had been given a good and proper hiding in the Yom Kippur war -

You're a sick man to wish so much ill on people whose enemies have threatened it not just with conquest, but extermination.

it was only the Nukes that America directly and indirectly gave to Israel - the famed "Samson option"

Nonsense, Israel got its nuclear assistance from the French.

- along with the rapid-fire replacement of shot down A4s

I am not going to shoot down every red herring or factual error when they do not have much to do with the topic.

Here is what Ben Gurion HIMSELF said about the occupation of Palestine. These are HIS words. Now refute them -

There is no need to refute them. But my understanding of them is different from yours. Ben-Gurion is stating that the Arab leaders - dictators and kings, all of them - won't recognize Israel or make peace with it because they fail to see the political advantage because from the point of view the Arab leaders themselves createdthe Jews "stole" the country.

What the hell did Palestine have to do with WWI or WWII?

I just told you. After WWI it was seen that imperialism, or the desire for such, was the primary cause of great ills. The Russian, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman Empires were broken into nation-states instead and their populations mostly redistributed so the component nationalities would no longer strive one against the other with the Emperor/King as moderator, ruling all. Palestine was designated the Jewish homeland.

The Jews claim God promised them Canaan. Well, there were people living in Cannan before the jews entered. So the jews and Zionists cannot lay the primal claim. Then they say it was given to us as a covenant. Ok. But they BROKE that covenant. They went around for 40 years in the desert, criticising manna from the heavens, worshipping the false god in the form of the golden calf, and when God finally brought them to Cannan, they said complained again that God hadn't magically evicted the inhabitants for them. It was only their repeated ungratefulness and violation of the covenant that caused Moses to refuse to lead them into the land. And then once they went in and won the land on the back of brave warriors and prophets like David, what did they do then? They formed two kingdoms and started fighting against each other. If they had an original covenant, they also violated it. If they were given the land, they also abused the privilege and were scattered across the earth. So laying a religously motivated claim also has no merit.

By the mods leave I will respond briefly to this: our religion also says that G-d will not always forget us. "Next Year in Jerusalem!" is the motto that sustained Jews for generations.

Finally, laying a claim on moral grounds is complete bull$hit. The Palestinians had nothing to do with the Nazi progroms -

The Arabs carried out their own pogroms. link Ever hear of the Hebron massacre? link That was a real one, not a fake like Jenin or the flotilla incident. Yet in Hebron many Jews were saved by Arabs themselves - an indication that relationships between Jew and Arab aren't as simple as you seem to think.

So there is no basis for this nonsensical solution of forcing an Israel down the throats of people who were already living on the land for hundreds, thousands of years. But now that there is an Israel, let's accept the reality for the sake of peace. However, this requires Israel to be humble and reasonable and to arrive at a solution which includes a two-state solution and an acknowledgement of the wrongs that have been committed against the Palestinians.

And what does such a settlement require the Arabs to do?

what we have instead is a state hell bent on making everyone and their brother its enemy.

No. But it can be mis-portrayed that way.

keep earning everyone's hate, until it all boils over and washes Israel away.

Hello? Knock-knock? Been there, done that, grandparents wiped out by the baseless hatred of the Nazis. If the Jews of Israel didn't fight their enemies would long ago, as Nasser put it, driven them into the sea and piled pyramids of Jewish skulls upon the remains of Tel Aviv.

Very interesting. Did the Zionists start assaulting Palestinians first, or the did the Arab states kick out the jews first?

It is 111 years exactly since the Mufti of Jerusalem first proposed employing terror to drive the Jews out of Palestine - a proposal that the Ottomans rejected.

Please get your facts straight.

jews have overwhelmingly enjoyed better treatment in muslim lands throughout history as compared to christian lands.

Oh, absolutely! And as far as I know not one of Israel's declared enemies aspires to treat their Jews that well today. It is, I think, an indication of just how far Muslims have fallen.

And suddenly you say Arab states kicked out jews... there must have been a reason for this sudden reversal, no? That reason was Zionist terror.

Perhaps I applied "kicked out" a little too broadly. Although reasons varied, "Zionist terror" never had anything to do with it; in Egypt, for example, it was the shame of losing wars against Israel, and this was the form of retaliation Nasser chose. The expulsion of the Jews of Jordan was part of the original division of Palestine under the British Mandate under WWI. I think only Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, and the Gulf states did that. The Jews of Yemen were heavily oppressed and threatened with arbitrary judgments and misrule; in Lebanon the government allowed Palestinians to occupy the main synagogue. (The Jews of Pakistan did not fare much better, as Zia ordered the main synagogue in Karachi demolished and the space used as a parking lot.)

Stuff it. We have been here debating things freely all the while you were enjoying your vacation from PDF

It was indeed a vacation, for countering all this mud is work! Yet the Wikipedia ban robbed me of the historical resource I so rely on here, and the Facebook ban was an attempt to restrict not just freedom of debate, but freedom of association - in other words, to put limits on politics. That you think you are debating freely just means you hadn't reached those limits.[/quote]

we were also pretty active on FB which was banned in name and clearly not in spirit. I said at the time that this was only going to be a temporary measure to calm people down, not stifle debate, and that's exactly what it was.

Well, maybe you were right. Next time I'll know to believe you, not the government of Pakistan, O.K.?

I don't know of a freer press today than the press in Pakistan. We abuse every leader in power daily. We publish 50 scandals and accusations that would be libel in other countries, against the sitting President, on a daily basis. I will get arrested in the US for things that I can say in Pakistan...

Freedom to libel somebody is not something to boast about, especially in a country where so many are prepared to act on violent rumor, and so few are willing to prevent them ("Anything to do with Allah, or the prophet, and everyone keeps quiet. That's the problem with our country.")

If Pakistan has become demented for pointing out the truth which you can't bear, clearly, then I wish madness upon all of humanity.

I do wonder about that.

You are completely unaccepting of any cricisim of Israel. Most of us here will look at things even about our own country from various angles and you'll find us debating the good and the bad. There is a wide spectrum of opinion here. Yet, you, who claim to be an American, merely on account of your faith, cannot find a single fault with Israel.

Of course I can find faults with Israel. I can find fault with Pakistan, France, and St. Helena, too. But it is only Israel whose enemies cite its faults as a reason for exterminating the state and slaughtering its population.

Justice is good enough for me. Netanyahu would be tried as a war criminal, as would Sharon, and they would face life in prison.

Maybe that could happen to Sharon, but I doubt that a fair and impartial trial would convict Netanyahu of anything criminal. Would you accept that? Nor do you entertain the notion of putting Israel's enemies on trial for their various documented transgressions, like employing civilians as human shields, breaking the legs of their domestic opponents, or wiping out an entire city's population.

If it's only a crime when you're applying it to Jews, that is anti-Semitism.

How many Zionists were on Palestinian land in 1880? How many Palestinians?

Those figures are easy to find; look them up.[/quote]

How many Israelis have been killed - total - in all acts of violence involving the Arabs? How many Arabs and Palestinians have been killed?

I think we've passed the stage where it's up to me to find the answers. Why don't you do some of the work for a change?

How many Israelis live in refugee camps on their own land?

Yep. Israel re-settled all the 500,000 Jews kicked out of Arab lands on its own territory; Israel is, after all, the Jewish national homeland.

The Arabs and Palestinians have suffered in EVERY way, and the Zionists have benefitted in EVERY way, and all these things are acknowledged in resolutions by the UN and YET you call this an "Arab narrative". Shame.

I have nothing to be ashamed about, and I have known Pakistanis who, knowing better, would squirm uncomfortably at your words.

The blockade of Palestine is illegal in of itself. The UN has asked Israel to remove this blockage.

I don't think you know what you are talking about.

The murderous Israeli soldiers had no right to board those ships.

"Murderous" - tried and convicted in your mind. Blood libel, indeed. "right to board the ships" - there is such a thing as maritime law that dictates who can board ships when under what circumstances - including in international waters - and how those on the ships being boarded are supposed to behave. You don't know it, do you?

Israel is 100% responsible.

Israel has to be, because it isn't like Pakistan or the U.S. was going to take responsibility for Israel's security, yes?

Nothing about Israel frightens me, let me tell you that.

Much safer to condemn Jews than Arabs, isn't it? Jews just argue in response, but a terrorist might decide to attack your family in response, yes? Or maybe threaten your place of business?

I actually feel a great deal of pity for many of the innocent Israelis that now find themselves in a deep, deep hole the Zionists have dug for them. No power on earth, ever in history, has remained dominant for ever. No small group of people has wronged another far larger group of people without paying the price eventually.

I think Ben-Gurion asserted out in his memoirs that Israel will never be able to match, in physical power, the strength of its neighbors; instead, Israel survives on the basis of its moral superiority. I don't quite understand that claim myself. That is, of course, the basis of so many attacks against the Jewish state - and is confirmed by the refusal of so many to let their citizens travel to Israel to witness its goodness and justice in action for themselves.

Israel might have American aid and borrowed American equipment, but it does not have the power to change the laws of nature, or the trajectory of history -

Who do you think you are talking to? Israel has disappeared as a state more than once in history. And it has also come back. Babylon is gone, Assyria is gone, Rome is gone - but Israel has remained, even after the efforts of all three to rub the Jews out.

Which territory has West Pakistan lost since 1947?

Well, first there was stuff yielded to China. Then India gained some in the India-Pakistan wars. Finally, in the last decade, the Taliban and other un-controlled terror groups extended their influence throughout the country, superseding the state.

Please don't confuse your dreams and hopes with reality. Let us, you and I, place a wager on whether or not Pakistan fractures.

From my point of view, Pakistan already has.

If you are going to compare Germany - a country that perpetrated the holocaust - with Pakistan, then you are out in looney land.

The smallest number I've seen quoted for the fatalities the Pakistani Army imposed upon East Pakistan in 1971 is 300,000. That's Holocaust-comparison territory.

Your comparison is offensive and repulsive.

I wish you would be offended and repelled by what your country did back then.

Others have compared the Nazi holocaust perpetrated against the Jews with the Israeli holocaust against the Palestinians.

Except that any allegations of "Israeli holocaust against the Palestinians" are a complete and total myth. It may disappoint you, but the number of deaths of Palestinian Arabs over the past sixty years due to Arab-Israeli strife is way under ten thousand. The Arabs of Gaza, sustained by oodles of international welfare, have almost the highest level of population growth in the entire world.

 

[Luftwaffe]

Solomon2..

After reading all of your literature you could simply have posted that israel always deny every wrongdoing and is always innocent.

 

[Solomon2]

A brutal ambush at sea

Ron Ben Yishai recounts bloody clash aboard Gaza-bound vessel: The lacking crowd-dispersal means, the brutal violence of ‘peace activists,’ and the attempt to bring down an IDF helicopter

Ron Ben-Yishai
Published: 05.31.10, 15:44 / Israel News

Our Navy commandoes fell right into the hands of the Gaza mission members. A few minutes before the takeover attempt aboard the Marmara got underway, the operation commander was told that 20 people were waiting on the deck where a helicopter was to deploy the first team of the elite Flotilla 13 unit. The original plan was to disembark on the top deck, and from there rush to the vessel’s bridge and order the Marmara’s captain to stop.

Officials estimated that passengers will show slight resistance, and possibly minor violence; for that reason, the operation’s commander decided to bring the helicopter directly above the top deck. The first rope that soldiers used in order to descend down to the ship was wrested away by activists, most of them Turks, and tied to an antenna with the hopes of bringing the chopper down. However, Flotilla 13 fighters decided to carry on.


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


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


One soldier who came to the aid of a comrade was captured by the rioters and sustained severe blows. The commandoes were equipped with handguns but were told they should only use them in the face of life-threatening situations. When they came down from the chopper, they kept on shouting to each other “don’t shoot, don’t shoot,” even though they sustained numerous blows.


‘I saw the tip of a rifle’

The Navy commandoes were prepared to mostly encounter political activists seeking to hold a protest, rather than trained street fighters. The soldiers were told they were to verbally convince activists who offer resistance to give up, and only then use paintballs. They were permitted to use their handguns only under extreme circumstances.


The planned rush towards the vessel’s bridge became impossible, even when a second chopper was brought in with another crew of soldiers. “Throw stun grenades,” shouted Flotilla 13’s commander who monitored the operation. The Navy chief was not too far, on board a speedboat belonging to Flotilla 13, along with forces who attempted to climb into the back of the ship.


The forces hurled stun grenades, yet the rioters on the top deck, whose number swelled up to 30 by that time, kept on beating up about 30 commandoes who kept gliding their way one by one from the helicopter. At one point, the attackers nabbed one commando, wrested away his handgun, and threw him down from the top deck to the lower deck, 30 feet below. The soldier sustained a serious head wound and lost his consciousness.


Only after this injury did Flotilla 13 troops ask for permission to use live fire. The commander approved it: You can go ahead and fire. The soldiers pulled out their handguns and started shooting at the rioters’ legs, a move that ultimately neutralized them. Meanwhile, the rioters started to fire back at the commandoes.


“I saw the tip of a rifle sticking out of the stairwell,” one commando said. “He fired at us and we fired back. We didn’t see if we hit him. We looked for him later but couldn’t find him.” Two soldiers sustained gunshot wounds to their knee and stomach after rioters apparently fired at them using guns wrested away from troops.


2 errors

During the commotion, another commando was stabbed with a knife. In a later search aboard the Marmara, soldiers found caches of bats, clubs, knives, and slingshots used by the rioters ahead of the IDF takeover. It appeared the activists were well prepared for a fight.


Some passengers on the ship stood at the back and pounded the soldiers’ hands as they attempted to climb on board. Only after a 30-minute shootout and brutal assaults using clubs and knifes did commandoes manage to reach the bridge and take over the Marmara.


It appears that the error in planning the operation was the estimate that passengers were indeed political activists and members of humanitarian groups who seek a political provocation, but would not resort to brutal violence. The soldiers thought they will encounter Bilin-style violence; instead, they got Bangkok. The forces that disembarked from the helicopters were few; just dozens of troops – not enough to contend with the large group awaiting them.


The second error was that commanders did not address seriously enough the fact that a group of men were expecting the soldiers on the top deck. Had they addressed this more seriously, they may have hurled tear-gas grenades and smoke grenades from the helicopter to create a screen that would have enabled them to carry out their mission, without the fighters falling right into the hands of the rioters, who severely assaulted them.

 

[Luftwaffe]

written by israeli journalist.

 

[Solomon2]

Solomon2..

After reading all of your literature you could simply have posted that israel always deny every wrongdoing and is always innocent.

Israelis aren't always saints. Neither are Pakistanis. Is that sufficient reason for India to invade, wipe out your country, and execute its population? (Though I don't think India seeks the last.)

 

[Luftwaffe]

I thought you were going to bed.

My post was to your long literature trying to defend the atrocities, genocides and war crimes. stick to the topic you are always defending criminals and their acts in almost all threads related to Israeli actions.

 

[Solomon2]

The Terror Finance Flotilla
The convoy of ships allegedly trying to bring aid to the Gaza Strip was organized by a group belonging to an officially designated terrorist organization.
BY Jonathan Schanzer

The Turkish organizers of the Gaza Strip-bound flotilla that was boarded this morning by Israeli commandos knew well in advance that their vessels would never reach Israeli waters. That's because the organizers belong to a nonprofit that was banned by the Israeli government in July 2008 for its ties to terrorism finance.

The Turkish IHH (Islan Haklary Ve Hurriyetleri Vakfi in Turkish) was founded in 1992, and reportedly popped up on the CIA's radar in 1996 for its radical Islamist leanings. Like many other Islamist charities, the IHH has a record of providing relief to areas where disaster has struck in the Muslim world.

However, the organization is not a force for good. The Turkish nonprofit belongs to a Saudi-based umbrella organization known to finance terrorism called the Union of Good (Ittilaf al-Kheir in Arabic). Notably, the Union is chaired by Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, who is known best for his religious ruling that encourages suicide attacks against Israeli civilians. According to one report, Qardawi personally transferred millions of dollars to the Union in an effort to provide financial support to Hamas.

In 2008, the Israelis banned IHH, along with 35 other Islamist charities worldwide, for its ties to the Union of Good. This was a follow-on designation; Israelis first blocked the Union of Good from operating in the West Bank and Gaza in 2002.

Interestingly, the Union of Good may not only be tied to Hamas. Included in the Israeli list of 36 designees was the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO). In 2006, both the U.S. government and the United Nations designated the IIRO branch offices in Indonesia and the Philippines for financing al Qaeda. French magistrate Jean-Louis Brougiere also testified that IHH had an "important role" in Ahmed Ressam's failed "millennium plot" to bomb the Los Angeles airport in late 1999.

The U.S. government, it should be noted, also views the Union of Good as a terrorist organization. On November 12, 2008, a press release from the U.S. Treasury announced the umbrella group's leaders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT), stating that the group was "created by Hamas leadership to transfer funds to the terrorist organization."

"Terrorist groups such as Hamas continue to exploit charities to radicalize vulnerable communities and cultivate support for their violent activities," said Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey.

According to Treasury, Hamas's leadership actually created the Union of Good in 2000—just after the launch of the armed campaign against Israel—as a means to transfer funds to Hamas. At the time of designation in 2008, the Treasury believed that the Union of Good was transferring "tens of millions of dollars a year" to Hamas-controlled entities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

As the Treasury release explained, "The Union of Good acts as a broker for Hamas by facilitating financial transfers between a web of charitable organizations—including several organizations previously designated… for providing support to Hamas—and Hamas-controlled organizations in the West Bank and Gaza. The primary purpose of this activity is to strengthen Hamas' political and military position in the West Bank and Gaza."

It gets worse. The Treasury, drawing from declassified documents, stated unequivocally that the Union of Good "compensated Hamas terrorists by providing payments to the families of suicide bombers. One of [the charities], the Al-Salah Society, previously identified as a key support node for Hamas, was designated in August 2007... The Society employed a number of members of the Hamas military wing and supported Hamas-affiliated combatants during the first Intifada."

Then there's the leadership. Apart from the aforementioned Qardawi, Union of Good's top officials include Hamas members, as well as Yemeni national Abd al-Majid al-Zindani, who was designated by the U.S. Treasury as a terrorist in 2004 for providing support to al Qaeda.

Thus, the convoy of ships allegedly trying to bring aid to the Gaza Strip could never be characterized as a "peace flotilla." With ties to Hamas and other dangerous groups, the IHH can only be described as a dangerous organization. Its members only underscored this fact when they attacked Israeli naval personnel with iron bars and knives, ultimately leading to the regrettable deaths this morning on the Mediterranean Sea.

Jonathan Schanzer is a former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

 

[TaimiKhan]

A brutal ambush at sea

Ron Ben Yishai recounts bloody clash aboard Gaza-bound vessel: The lacking crowd-dispersal means, the brutal violence of ‘peace activists,’ and the attempt to bring down an IDF helicopter

Ron Ben-Yishai
Published: 05.31.10, 15:44 / Israel News

Our Navy commandoes fell right into the hands of the Gaza mission members. A few minutes before the takeover attempt aboard the Marmara got underway, the operation commander was told that 20 people were waiting on the deck where a helicopter was to deploy the first team of the elite Flotilla 13 unit. The original plan was to disembark on the top deck, and from there rush to the vessel’s bridge and order the Marmara’s captain to stop.

Officials estimated that passengers will show slight resistance, and possibly minor violence; for that reason, the operation’s commander decided to bring the helicopter directly above the top deck. The first rope that soldiers used in order to descend down to the ship was wrested away by activists, most of them Turks, and tied to an antenna with the hopes of bringing the chopper down. However, Flotilla 13 fighters decided to carry on.


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


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


One soldier who came to the aid of a comrade was captured by the rioters and sustained severe blows. The commandoes were equipped with handguns but were told they should only use them in the face of life-threatening situations. When they came down from the chopper, they kept on shouting to each other “don’t shoot, don’t shoot,” even though they sustained numerous blows.


‘I saw the tip of a rifle’

The Navy commandoes were prepared to mostly encounter political activists seeking to hold a protest, rather than trained street fighters. The soldiers were told they were to verbally convince activists who offer resistance to give up, and only then use paintballs. They were permitted to use their handguns only under extreme circumstances.


The planned rush towards the vessel’s bridge became impossible, even when a second chopper was brought in with another crew of soldiers. “Throw stun grenades,” shouted Flotilla 13’s commander who monitored the operation. The Navy chief was not too far, on board a speedboat belonging to Flotilla 13, along with forces who attempted to climb into the back of the ship.


The forces hurled stun grenades, yet the rioters on the top deck, whose number swelled up to 30 by that time, kept on beating up about 30 commandoes who kept gliding their way one by one from the helicopter. At one point, the attackers nabbed one commando, wrested away his handgun, and threw him down from the top deck to the lower deck, 30 feet below. The soldier sustained a serious head wound and lost his consciousness.


Only after this injury did Flotilla 13 troops ask for permission to use live fire. The commander approved it: You can go ahead and fire. The soldiers pulled out their handguns and started shooting at the rioters’ legs, a move that ultimately neutralized them. Meanwhile, the rioters started to fire back at the commandoes.


“I saw the tip of a rifle sticking out of the stairwell,” one commando said. “He fired at us and we fired back. We didn’t see if we hit him. We looked for him later but couldn’t find him.” Two soldiers sustained gunshot wounds to their knee and stomach after rioters apparently fired at them using guns wrested away from troops.


2 errors

During the commotion, another commando was stabbed with a knife. In a later search aboard the Marmara, soldiers found caches of bats, clubs, knives, and slingshots used by the rioters ahead of the IDF takeover. It appeared the activists were well prepared for a fight.


Some passengers on the ship stood at the back and pounded the soldiers’ hands as they attempted to climb on board. Only after a 30-minute shootout and brutal assaults using clubs and knifes did commandoes manage to reach the bridge and take over the Marmara.


It appears that the error in planning the operation was the estimate that passengers were indeed political activists and members of humanitarian groups who seek a political provocation, but would not resort to brutal violence. The soldiers thought they will encounter Bilin-style violence; instead, they got Bangkok. The forces that disembarked from the helicopters were few; just dozens of troops – not enough to contend with the large group awaiting them.


The second error was that commanders did not address seriously enough the fact that a group of men were expecting the soldiers on the top deck. Had they addressed this more seriously, they may have hurled tear-gas grenades and smoke grenades from the helicopter to create a screen that would have enabled them to carry out their mission, without the fighters falling right into the hands of the rioters, who severely assaulted them.

Aaahh, the Israeli Angel Commandos and its Angel like defence forces.

The massacres in Lebanon refugee camps, the killing of thousands of Israelis and off course the 2006 Lebanon's massacre all done by someone else, not by the Israeli Angels.