Israeli Soldiers Retaliate Against Attacking Civilians On "Peace Protest" Ships
Written by The Watchman
Monday, 31 May 2010 15:08
This is certainly not a false flag...the video show this...but it could be quite a firestorm...and already is all over the world.
The Strong Watchman
Soldiers fire on civilians after being attacked as they boarded ships
Foreign Secretary William Hague 'deplores loss of life'
Thousands of protesters descend on Israeli embassy in London
Turkey recalls its ambassador and warns of 'consequences for Israel'
Nobel Laureate, Wallander author and foreign MPs on board
Israeli PM Netanyahu cancels Washington summit with Obama
The Foreign Secretary today 'deplored' the loss of life during the interception of a flotilla of ships carrying aid to Gaza.
Up to 19 people were killed after Israeli commandos boarded ships carrying 10,000 tonnes of aid en route from Cyprus.
Another 26 people are being treated in two Israeli hospitals for injuries sustained in the assault.
Details of what happened remain sketchy after Israel imposed a news blackout, preventing activists on board the ships from contacting the outside world.
But it believed troops were attacked with knives and metal pipes as they attempted to board one of the ships from a helicopter.
This video image released by the Turkish Aid group IHH purports to show Israeli soldiers aboard a military vessel in international waters off the Gaza coast
A team of masked Israeli military personnel seen on board one of their ridge boats after the raid
Israeli Navy soldiers stand guard on a missile ship as Israeli Navy intercepts peace boats headed for Gaza
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that shooting started when one of the civilians made a grab for a soldier’s gun.
He says hundreds of people on board the ship beat, clubbed and stabbed soldiers, and there was a report of gunfire. He says that forced soldiers to attack.
The soldiers had allegedly wanted to check the cargo on the ship to ensure it contained no weapons.
Netanyahu claims this was done successfully with the first five ships, but the sixth did not cooperate.
The Israeli army confirmed 10 deaths but it's believed there could be as many as nine more victims.
Amid conflicting claims over how the violence started, the Israeli Defence Force released video which it claimed showed peace activists attacking soldiers as they landed on one of the ships from a helicopter.
The shooting was met
with international condemnation, led by U.S. president Barack Obama who urged Netanyahu to get 'all the facts' about the raid.
After Netanyahu cancelled planned White House talks set for tomorrow, Mr Obama expressed 'deep regret at the loss of life in today's incident, and concern for the wounded.'
There were claims nine of the victims were from Turkey, prompting the country to recall its ambassador and cancel joint military operations with Israel.
Palestinian rights group Friends of Al-Aqsa said that 28 British citizens were assisting in the breaking of the blockade, including its chairman Ismail Patel.
William Hague said the British embassy was in 'urgent contact' with the Israeli government, asking for more information.
He said: 'I deplore the loss of life during the interception of the Gaza flotilla. Our embassy is in urgent contact with the Israeli government.
Israeli patrol boats are silhouetted against the backdrop of a large civilian vessel before the pre-dawn assault in which up to 19 people died
An Israeli army helicopter approaching a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza early this morning
A wounded person aboard a Turkish vessel after Israeli commandos stormed a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza
'We are asking for more information and urgent access to any UK nationals involved.
'We have consistently advised against attempting to access Gaza in this way because of the risks involved. But at the same time, there is a clear need for Israel to act with restraint and in line with international obligations.
'It would be important to establish the facts about this incident and especially whether enough was done to prevent death and injuries.
'This news underlines the need to lift the restrictions on access to Gaza in line with UNSCR (UN Security Council Resolution) 1860.'
Mr Hague continued: 'The closure (of access to Gaza) is unacceptable and counter-productive. There can be no better response from the international community to this tragedy than to achieve urgently a durable resolution to the Gaza crisis.
'I call on the Government of Israel to open the crossings to allow unfettered access for aid to Gaza, and address the serious concerns about the deterioration in the humanitarian and economic situation and about the effect on a generation of young Palestinians.'
Sheik Raed Salah, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, was reportedly wounded after Israeli commandos stormed six ships off Gaza. Swedish crime author Henning Mankell was also aboard the flotilla
Israeli medics rush an injured man for treatment at the Rambam hospital in the northern Israeli port of Haifa
Israeli soldiers in Tel Aviv attend to a colleague injured after commandos stormed the flotilla heading to Gaza
Mr Hague's criticism of the killings comes after several groups condemned the action taken by the Israelis.
Thousands of anti-Israel protesters descended outside the west London embassy today to voice their anger against the shootings.
Protestors made their way from Downing Street to the Israeli embassy on High Street Kensington, bearing banners with the slogans 'Brits for Palestine' and 'End the siege in Gaza'.
A British woman was today awaiting news of her partner who was aboard one of the Gaza aid ships.
Peter Venner, 63, from Ryde, Isle of Wight, was on the Turkish ship the Mavi Marmara, when it was boarded overnight en route from Cyprus to Gaza.
His partner of 14 years, Rachel Bridgeland, 51, from Bembridge on the island, said she has not heard from him.
'I heard from him just after he set off but I have not heard from him since,' she said.
'His mobile phone just has a message on it he left in Cyprus saying contact was not possible.
'I'm very concerned and waiting by the phone but assuming he's not dead he will be imprisoned by the Israelis and they won't let him make contact.'
Scroll to the bottom for the Israeli Defence Force video
One of the activist's vessels decked out in flags of Turkey and Palestine as it set sail on May 22 from Turkey towards Gaza
Israeli Navy soldiers raid on a vessel as the Israeli Navy intercepts peace boats heading for Gaza
A map shows the positions of Gaza-bound protest ships seized by the Israeli military. The route followed by the protest flotilla is marked on the map with a green line, changing course at the time of the deadly raid
Ms Bridgeland explained it was 'nonsense' that those aboard the ships had fought back resulting in the deaths of up to 15 people.
'The people in the flotilla were concerned about this and people were checked because they knew the Israelis would attack.
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