Israel attacks aid ship, kills at least 10 civilians

[Meat]

You assume that Israel cares, or that they(i) believe that there will be any change. We've got big brother and bottom line that's all that matters

[Linliel]

You assume that Israel cares, or that they(i) believe that there will be any change. We've got big brother and bottom line that's all that matters

You may not care, but I'd say the Israeli government cares a shitload. You're a state sitting in the middle of a bunch of people who hate your guts, and you NEED Western public opinion to be on your side.

Sending a terrible, out-of-tune Eurovision singer and violently boarding an aid flotilla aren't going to help with that.

[Meat]

You may not care, but I'd say the Israeli government cares a shitload. You're a state sitting in the middle of a bunch of people who hate your guts, and you NEED Western public opinion to be on your side.

Sending a terrible, out-of-tune Eurovision singer and violently boarding an aid flotilla aren't going to help with that.

status quo for Israel, like is said they've got america and that's all we need

[Linliel]

For now!

[Rhinox]

You assume that Israel cares, or that they(i) believe that there will be any change. We've got big brother and bottom line that's all that matters

This is what I find most amusing about Israel's position. They have a Death wish and continue to isolate themselves even further then they already have.

[Rhinox]

status quo for Israel, like is said they've got america and that's all we need

Wrong. You have Neocons and thats all you need for now. You even managed to antagonize the big Israel supporter in Hillary Clinton.

[Kuya]

Al Jazeera reports that of the 9 dead, 8 were turks and one was an American national of turkish origin.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/eu...114160373.html

Turkish forensic experts have confirmed that the nine activists killed during the Israeli raid on the Gaza aid flotilla were shot with guns.

Eight were Turks and one a US national of Turkish origin, the Anatolia news agency reported on Thursday as funerals got under way in Istanbul.

He said that he witnessed some of the killings, and confirmed that at least "one person was shot through the top of the head from [the helicopter] above."

Our correspondent was on the top deck when the ship was attacked and said that within a few minutes of seeing the Israeli helicopters, there were shots being fired from above.

"The first shots [coming from Israeli boats at sea] were tear gas, sounds grenades and rubber coated steel bullets. Live shots came five minutes after that. There was definetly live fire from the air and from the sea as well."

He confirmed that some passengers took apart some of the ship's railing bars to defend themselves as they saw the Israeli soldiers approaching.

"After the shooting and the first deaths, people put up white flags and signs in English and Hebrew. An Isreali [on the ship] asked the soldiers to take away the injured, but they did not and the injured died on the ship."

Accusing international critics of "hypocrisy," Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, defended the seizure of the aid ships on Wednesday.

"This was not the Love Boat," he said in a televised address to the nation, referring to the vessel boarded by commandos. "It was a hate boat."

"These weren't pacifists, these weren't peace activists, they were violent supporters of terrorism."

Netanyahu said the aim of the flotilla was to break the blockade of Gaza, not to bring aid.

He said that if the blockade ended, ships would bring in thousands of missiles from Iran to be aimed at Israel and beyond, creating what he said would be an Iranian port on the Mediterranean.

A BOAT OF HATE

[Linliel]

A BOAT OF HATE

http://www.atypical.net/fun/dilbert/d007.jpg

[Shenrien]

http://www.atypical.net/fun/dilbert/d007.jpg

fucking laughed harder then I should have.

[Elvis]

Former Amb. Edward Peck on Olbermann's show~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z47wKB94ZGM

Oh and -

You may not care, but I'd say the Israeli government cares a shitload. You're a state sitting in the middle of a bunch of people who hate your guts, and you NEED Western public opinion to be on your side.

Sending a terrible, out-of-tune Eurovision singer and violently boarding an aid flotilla aren't going to help with that.

Accusing international critics of "hypocrisy," Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, defended the seizure of the aid ships on Wednesday.

"This was not the Love Boat," he said in a televised address to the nation, referring to the vessel boarded by commandos. "It was a hate boat."

"These weren't pacifists, these weren't peace activists, they were violent supporters of terrorism."

Netanyahu said the aim of the flotilla was to break the blockade of Gaza, not to bring aid.

He said that if the blockade ended, ships would bring in thousands of missiles from Iran to be aimed at Israel and beyond, creating what he said would be an Iranian port on the Mediterranean.

Yep, it's not the actions it's how they are spun. This reminds me of when Israel went to Haiti. Good PR? Or noble/'exceptional' actions? Why not put the Haitians on the Gaza diet?

It's like if you disassociate Israeli actions from how they are perceived and utilized by enemies, Israel can never be blamed for anything.

Of course, you accept the premise that Israel is more or less just in anything it does so all that remains is how the world will react.

[tyven]

If I ever get pulled over while visiting another town, and the Cop wants to search my car, and all I have is "food and toys", then im totally beating his ass with a pipe. Then i'll act surprised when he shoots and arrests me.

10/10

[Linliel]

Yep, it's not the actions it's how they are spun. This reminds me of when Israel went to Haiti. Good PR? Or noble/'exceptional' actions? Why not put the Haitians on the Gaza diet?

It's like if you disassociate Israeli actions from how they are perceived and utilized by enemies, Israel can never be blamed for anything.

Of course, you accept the premise that Israel is more or less just in anything it does so all that remains is how the world will react.

You have an odd way of writing where it makes me uncertain as to what your actual argument is Still, I think you're trying to say that I'm saying it's only the spin that counts. I don't actually think that at all (I was responding to someone who said that Israel the state didn't care), but I know that PR has a huge effect on outside perception. And it is outside perception they need right now, since their cause is looking less and less just, and more and more like Israel is turning into the machine that caused their own people so much grief. I'm sure if the blockade were actually legitimate and just, and the people inside were being treated properly, we wouldn't even be having this conversation

[Zoolander]

Next boat is gunna take some time and be even more prepared for when shit goes down. I am highly amused, this has the potential to be made of win. Too bad they didn't do this the first go around. Edit: I don't see Israel fucking up so badly the second time around, but with them who the hell knows.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/...ex.html?hpt=T3

An Irish-owned aid ship headed for Gaza is delaying its voyage for a while to get equipped with video capabilities and satellite transmission to record what is happening at any given moment on the vessel, a Free Gaza Movement activist told CNN.

Shapiro said Israel has made it clear it would intercept the ship and he hopes recording technology on the ship will make a difference in the behavior of any soldiers who board the vessel.

"Israel will be sensitive to the fact that we'll be recording what's happening and streaming it live," said Shapiro, who didn't identify where the Rachel Corrie is docking. He said it will head toward Gaza within the week.

Oh and:

You assume that Israel cares, or that they(i) believe that there will be any change. We've got big brother and bottom line that's all that matters

Of course they care, they just seriously fucked up their relations with Turkey which was one of the only Arab nations & states in the region they had any kind of decent relations with. Israel is showing a unified front, but I am sure heads rolled for how poorly things went down.

[Kuya]

The American that was killed on the boat was 19 years old and had four bullet wounds to the head and one to the chest.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/06...flotilla-raid/

A State Department official says one of the nine people killed when Israeli commandos raided a Gaza-bound flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists on Monday was a 19-year-old man with dual U.S.-Turkish citizenship.

The official identified the victim as Furkan Dogan, who was believed to have been residing in Turkey.

An official from the Turkish Islamic charity that spearheaded the campaign to bust the blockade on Gaza identified the U.S. citizen as 19-year-old Furkan Dogan, originally from the central Turkish town of Kayseri.

Dogan, who held a U.S. passport, had four bullet wounds to the head and one to the chest, Omer Yagmur of the Foundation of Humanitarian Relief (IHH), told Anatolia.

edit: turks aren't arabs, to the poster above

[Kuya]

They felt like treating this American like a Palestinian i guess:

http://www.salon.com/news/israel_flo...otilla_account

At around 4 A.M. on Monday, Larudee's ship was boarded by as many as 500 Israeli soldiers. After the ship's captain called an alert, Larudee immediately walked out onto the deck and found that Israeli soldiers had broken the windows of the wheel house (the area where the captain controls the ship) in an attempt to take command of the vessel. As Larudee and several others tried to defend the wheel house, Israeli soldiers tased him twice so that he would back away from the area. He said he offered no resistance and just let his body go limp.

"I have never struck anyone in more than 20 years," he said. "I was beaten. There is black and blue all over my body. They inflicted pain on me on a frequent basis because I did not recognize their authority."

After some time, Larudee decided to jump off the ship and to try to swim away from the Israeli forces.

"I knew it would be a way to slow down what they were doing," he said. "It caused the ship to stop for an hour or possibly longer and it kept another ship occupied for several hours actually."

He hoped this would create a diversion that would allow another ship to make its way to Gaza with the humanitarian aid. "It was worth doing that, but I paid a price for it."

When the Israeli forces picked him up, Larudee said, he was severely beaten and tied to a mast at the stern of their ship. His legs and hands were bound as he was subjected to the hot sun in wet soaking clothes for four hours. He said his body almost went into shock from the extreme hot and cold conditions.

When on land, Larudee was taken to the processing area, but refused to cooperate with authorities, who wanted him to say that he entered the country illegally. "This happened at 18 miles at sea, which is well beyond their own territorial waters, or anyone's territorial waters," he said. "We were in international waters. We weren't violating anyone's sovereignty or breaking any rules that we knew of, even by their standards."

More beating ensued. Larudee, who again let his body go limp, said he was carried by nylon restraints, which were placed on his arms and legs. They cut into his skin, causing more contusions and deep pain. He was carried into an ambulance and taken to a hospital, but wasn't treated. He said he believes he was taken there because the Israeli soldiers didn't want the media to see his black eye, pronated joints, bruised jaw and body contusions.

Then, he was transported to the hospital ward of a prison, and eventually into an isolated cell. He was forbidden to speak with other prisoners, denied an attorney, a phone call, and access to television, radio, paper, pencils -- anything else that would connect him to the outside world. A diabetic, Larudee was eventually granted a request to be moved to a cell with windows and some air circulation.

On the third day, the captain of Larudee's boat, a Greek national who was sharing the same prison cell, met with the representative from his embassy. The Greek embassy official helped arrange for Laurudee to leave Israel for Greece. After arriving at the airport for his, Larudee was told that Israeli authorities had wouldn't permit him to go directly to Athens. Instead, they insisted that he fly first to Istanbul, then sign a release. Larudee refused to cooperate and was once again subjected to a beating by Israeli soldiers.

"But this time they did it in front of 30 to 40 other prisoners, who had seen similar things," he said. "They went nuts."

An all-out brawl began and some prisoners were badly beaten, Larudee said.

"A lot of Americans are looking at Israel through rose-colored glasses," he said. "Israel is not a demon, but it is not being held accountable for its actions, and when you do that, it allows bad things, very bad things, to happen."

They are apparently still holding photoes and videos that were taken by the aids workers and they still won't release this material.

[Elvis]

Not surprised by that brutality at all. That's a regular day for Palestinians.

[Zoolander]

edit: turks aren't arabs, to the poster above

Yea yea was in a hurry, mental slip.

Hope these personal accounts get some news coverage, but I'm sure that will be unlikely here in the states. This has gotten more coverage (online at least, I never am around to watch the TV news) than I thought it was going to though.

Surprised there isn't more outrage so far about a U.S. national being among the dead though, I figured that shit would be big. Guess since he is Turkish too though people here will just kinda dismiss it.

[Kuya]

I would not be surprised if right wingers used this as an example of why they need to get rid of the 14th amendment.

[Elvis]

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=289548

MV Corrie reported missing, en route, and sabotaged

Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - The remaining aid ships, including the Challenger II and the MV Rachel Corrie have been reported to be lost at sea, bound for Gaza and set to return to their home ports by various news agencies around the globe.

As the world outcry continues over the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla on Monday that resulted in the deaths of an unknown number of activists, with reports from one organizer that at least four were shot in the head, little appears certain over the plans of the remaining ships delayed from the initial flotilla.

Singapore's Straits Times quoted Free Gaza organizer Audrey Bomse as saying "[t]the situation is we lost all contact with the boat. We assume this was sabotage by the Israelis," while Israeli media is reporting that the MV Corrie is heading back to Ireland, for reasons as diverse as instructions from organizers to agreements with Israel that the ship not continue toward Gaza.

Al-Jazeera spoke with officials in Malaysia, who funded the Irish-flagged boat, where the nation's government reportedly urged Israel "not to take any action that could harm people aboard."

According to the Irish Examiner, officials in the country have appealed to the UN to ensure that the boat reaches Gaza shores safely, with calls coming directly from former UN assistant secretary general Denis Halliday, who is on board the ship.

Halliday reportedly sent in requests for a UN escort, while rumors continue to circle that Turkey may in fact volunteer naval craft to accompany the ships.

Head of the government of Ireland, Taoiseach Brian Cowen, was said by the Times to have warned the Israeli military of "the most serious consequences" if any of the five Irish citizens on board was injured.

I like hearing what these pro-Israel guys have to say. And at some point they exchange insults w/ a pro-Palestinian on the other side of the street. The Zionist keeps calling him a Nazi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-ijKBugff8#t=2m34s

This is a good blog that translates the Hebrew press in Israel - often there are many differences between Haaretz and YNet's English language versions and the Hebrew version.

http://coteret.com/

Maariv and Yediot: Erdogan landed military planes in Israel, forced its hand on flotilla detainees

UPDATE 01:30PM – Haaretz reports that Turkish Airlines planes are now flying Turkish nationals out of Ben Gurion airport. It would appear then that the Turkish military planes flew only the injured out overnight, a point of fact the Maariv report confuses.

This appears to be an extraordinary story, from this morning’s Yediot (June 2 2010, full translated text below, Hebrew original here and at bottom of post):

Yesterday, the Turkish authorities demanded that Israel release all 350 of the Turkish citizens who were among the 600 foreign detainees. For this purpose, the Turks sent three military planes to Israel and demanded to be given all the injured and detained persons and the bodies of those who were killed.

Eli Bardenstein and Amir Buhbut expand in Maariv (Hebrew original here and at bottom of post):

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has managed to really frighten Israel. Yesterday evening Israel announced that it would deport all the Turkish flotilla detainees, including those suspected of participating in the lynch of the IDF commandos.

Through his Foreign Minister, Erdogan transmatted a message to Israel in two stages: first, he demanded that all the wounded, along with those that did not participate in the attack on the soldiers, be deported immediately; later he demanded that all the hundreds of Turkish civilians held in Beersheva — about 350 — be repatriated immediately. He even sent for this purpose two military ambulance planes and threatened that if his demand was not met, it would be impossible to repair relations between the two countries.

For over three hours, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Ministers of the Security-Diplomatic cabinet discussed the issue. Ministers Yitzhak Aharonivitch, Yaakov Neeman and Benny Begin were against the release; Ministers Ehud Barak, Eli Yishai and Avigdor Lieberman were for it; in the end Netanyahu decided — all would be released, or deported. The result would be the same: None would be prosecuted.

The deportation was already beginning, as buses transported the Turks to Ben Gurion Airport. The minute a plane filled-up, it took off.

[...]Flotilla detainees to be expelled

Itamar Eichner and Alex Fishman, Yediot, June 2 2010 [page 6; Hebrew original here and at bottom of post]

At the end of a security cabinet discussion and following a firm Turkish ultimatum, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decided to instruct that the 600 foreign nationals who were arrested on board the flotilla headed for the Gaza Strip be expelled from Israel.

Yesterday, the Turkish authorities demanded that Israel release all 350 of the Turkish citizens who were among the 600 foreign detainees. For this purpose, the Turks sent three military planes to Israel and demanded to be given all the injured and detained persons and the bodies of those who were killed. In the security cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman recommended to immediately expel all the detainees from Israel. Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman expressed reservations, saying that legal action should be taken against the rioters. Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein made it clear in the meeting that the security cabinet did not have the legal authority to order such an expulsion. However, the attorney general said that the security cabinet could recommend the expulsion of everyone, except for those who were arrested and suspected of belonging to terror organizations. He added in the discussion that if the cabinet were to recommend that he release the detainees for reasons of national interests, this could be considered favorably.

In the meeting, the decision on the matter was postponed until today, but in light of the great international pressure, particularly on the part of friendly countries such as France, Italy, Germany and the US, Netanyahu held another consultation, in which it was decided that there was no point in waiting with the decision to expel [the detainees]. “Following the security cabinet discussion, the prime minister consulted with the defense minister, the justice minister and Interior Minister Eli Yishai,” stated the Prime Minister’s Bureau, “and it was agreed that the detainees would be expelled immediately, subject to the legal proceedings required by law.” Last night already, Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich instructed the Prisons Service commissioner to start the expulsion. Two hundred and fifty Turkish detainees and three bodies that were identified from the nine fatalities were supposed to be handed over last night to the Turkish representatives who arrived in Israel.

[Elvis]

Interview with Al Jazeera's Jamal ElShayyal: One of the passengers on the Mavi Marmara

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cQ69oKFtVg

Commentary from MondoWeiss:

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/al-jaz...elicopter.html

No wonder Israelis detained him for three days. Jamal ElSheyyal, speaking from Istanbul:

There is no doubt from what I saw that live ammunition was fired before any Israeli soldier was on deck.

Indiscriminate fire from helicopter-- one man shot in the top of the head. Three shot passengers died because they did not get treatment over many hours.

Passenger violence: "I definitely saw iron bars." Passengers took apart the railings and used them to fend off the Israelis. "I did see a number of Israeli soldiers being beaten by them." There were no weapons. People wielded those bars as the Israelis tried to come aboard the ship.

He heard accounts of three Israeli soldiers being taken captive by the passengers. The Israelis were released, because the capture produced more intense

Treated with contempt by the Israelis, he said. Hands tied for 24 hours. "Soldier requested that I urinate where I was."

Some footage of Emily Henochowicz

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/201...er=rss&emc=rss

(Briefly you see her face, blood, maybe NSFW)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8g0AheZtTw

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010...dblock-protest

An American Jewish art student lost an eye when she was hit by a tear gas canister fired by Israeli troops at a pro-Palestinian demonstration. Emily Henochowicz, 21, of Maryland, was hit in the eye on Monday when she joined a protest at a Jerusalem roadblock against Israel’s deadly raid on an aid flotilla headed for the Gaza Strip, which killed nine people.

Spokesmen at Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital, where she underwent an operation, confirmed Tuesday that she lost an eye in the disturbance. The military did not comment.

Witnesses told media outlets that Palestinian boys were throwing rocks at troops but said Henochowicz was standing aside and not participating in the violence.