Video of Israeli soldiers being met by violence on floatilla ship
[there is no sound with this video]
Slow motion video of an IDF soldier being stabbed soon after landing on one of the floatilla boats
At Least Ten Killed on Gaza Flotilla -Amy Teibel and Tia Goldenberg
Israeli commandos stormed six ships carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists on an aid mission to Gaza. At least ten people were killed and dozens were wounded after IDF forces encountered unexpected resistance. Turkey's NTV showed activists beating one Israeli soldier with sticks as he rappelled from a helicopter onto one of the boats.
The Israeli military said troops only opened fire after the activists attacked them with knives and iron rods, and one activist wrested a serviceman's weapon. Two of the dead activists had fired at soldiers with pistols. Organizers included people affiliated with the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian group that often sends international activists into battle zones, and the IHH, a Turkish aid group that Israel accuses of having terrorist links.
"We did not want to see confrontation," said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Prime Minister Netanyahu. "We made repeated offers to the boats that they come to the (Israeli) port of Ashdod, unload the humanitarian cargo, and we guaranteed to pass all humanitarian items through the crossings to the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, they rejected our offers and chose the path of confrontation."
(AP-Washington Post)
Flotilla: Turkish Move to Lead Muslim World -Yisrael Ne'eman
The humanitarian aid flotilla was nothing more than a Turkish attempt led by PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan to gain patronage over the Muslim Brotherhood and continue extending his Islamic influence throughout the Middle East.
Israel made it clear several times over, that all humanitarian aid to Gaza can be shipped through Ashdod. The reason for the blockade of Gaza is to halt arms, ammunition and other supplies which can be used for military purposes by Hamas against Israel.
Instead Erdogan wanted a confrontation to prove his support for the international Muslim Brotherhood.
[Mideast: On Target]
Defense Minister Barak: Flotilla Organizers Responsible for Activists Killed
-Tovah Lazaroff & Yaakov Lappin
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak [Labor Party] said that while he was sorry for lives lost, the organizers of the Gaza-bound protest flotilla were solely responsible for the outcome of the IDF raid earlier in the day.
Barak said that the soldiers tried to disperse the activists aboard the ship peacefully but were forced to open fire to protect themselves.
(Jerusalem Post)
Gaza Flotilla Has Nothing to Do with Freedom -Claudia Rosett
The basic narrative spun by the organizers of the "freedom flotilla" is to "break the siege of Gaza" and "establish a permanent sea lane between Gaza and the rest of the world."
But Gaza is a terrorist enclave controlled by an Islamist terrorist group, Hamas, backed by Iran. It has a busy and violent history of suicide bombings, shootings and rocket and mortar attacks; and is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. It is Hamas-run Gaza that threatens its neighbors.
This ship convoy is not about freedom and not about aid. It is patently about helping Hamas and harming Israel.
(Forbes)
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