Barak: Flotilla organizers to blame for 15 dead activists

Monday, May 31, 2010 18 Sivan, 5770


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Barak: Flotilla organizers to blame for 15 dead activists
By TOVAH LAZAROFF, YAAKOV LAPPIN AND JPOST.COM STA
05/31/2010 13:44

Defense minister says soldiers tried to disperse Gaza protesters peacefully; IDF chief stresses only 1 of 6 ships carried extremists; Navy cmdr. praises soldiers bravery.
Talkbacks (36)

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a press conference on Monday that while he was sorry for lives lost, the organizers of the Gaza-bound protest flotilla were solely responsible for the outcome of the fatal IDF raid earlier in the day. Fifteen activists were killed and dozens wounded in the violent clashes.

Barak said that the soldiers tried to disperse the activists aboard the ship peacefully but were forced to open fire to protect themselves.

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He called the flotilla a provocation, specifically called the IHH, an Islamic aid organization, "extremist supporters of terror."

The defense minister also called on Arab and Palestinian leaders not to let this "provocation by irresponsible people" ruin the progress made in proximity peace talks.

Ashkenazi: Soldiers acted in self defense

IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Monday that the violence aboard the Mavi Marmara, one of the ships of the Gaza-bound protest flotilla, was instigated by those aboard the ships and that soldiers who opened fire were defending themselves.

Ashkenazi noted that the Mavi Marmara, the only ship on which violence took place, was different than the other five ships of the flotilla. He said that five ships carried humanitarians and peace activists but the Mavi Marmara was sponsored by the extremist organization the IHH and those aboard acted in "extreme violence."

Navy chief praises soldiers 'bravery'

Israeli Navy commander Vice-Admiral Eliezer Marom said Monday that IDF soldiers that raided Mavi Marmara acted with "perseverance and bravery."

Marom said that the soldiers lives were in danger and that they fired their weapons in self defense. He added that given the situation, many more than ten people could have been killed if the soldiers had not acted with the proper sensitivity.

Ayalon: Flotilla was 'an armada of hate and violence'

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said that the flotilla of ships "was an armada of hate and violence."

Speaking at a Jerusalem press conference on Monday morning. "It was a premeditated and outrageous provocation" and its organizers had ties to global Jihad, al Qaida and Hamas, said Ayalon.

"Their intent was violent, their methods were violent and their results were unfortunately violent," Ayalon said.

"Israel regrets the loss of life and did everything it could to avoid this outcome," Ayalon stressed, adding that Israel had offered to transport the humanitarian cargo on board the ship to Gaza.

"The organizers on the ship did not heed the calls of our forces this morning to peacefully follow them and bring a peaceful closure to this event," said Ayalon, iterating that the successful arrival of the flotilla in Gaza would have created "a corridor of arms smuggling."

The Foreign Ministry has convened a noon meeting of all ambassadors in the country. The Turkish ambassador was requested to arrive half-an-hour early for a private conversation.

Political echelons, security and police hurried to respond on Monday to deadly clashes that took place earlier in the day between Navy commandos and members of a Turkish flotilla bound for Gaza.

Livni offers help with diplomatic crisis

Kadima chair Tzipi Livni called Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to offer her help in dealing with the diplomatic crisis Israel was likely to face in the aftermath of the violent incident.

Livni's party mate Kadima Council head Haim Ramon attacked Netanyahu's government for mishandling the Gaza flotilla affair.

In Canada, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was getting constant updates on the clashes, a foreign ministry spokesman told Army Radio. Netanyahu is in Canada as part of a trip that has him slated to meet Tuesday with US President Barack Obama.

The IDF and police were preparing for the possibility of demonstrations and violence among Palestinians as well as Israeli-Arabs on Monday, amid reports of up to 15 dead.

Northern District police chief Cmdr. Shimon Koren completed an evaluation of the security situation in the North on Monday morning, and ordered a high state of alert and instructed police officers to be ready "for the possibility of any scenario or attempt to cause a disturbance."

Also Monday morning, Israeli NGO Gush Shalom was set to demonstrate in support of the "Free Gaza" convoy, according to an email circulated by the group.

The demonstrators intend to converge outside the center in Ashdod where the detained international aid activists are supposed to be held.

Meanwhile, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch cancelled a planned appearance at an anti-violence march in Lod scheduled for Monday. The march will go ahead as planned.

* Talkback

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36. IDF Attack on Flotilla

* Author: Lavalon
* Country: Canada
* 05/31/2010 15:47


I hold both the organizers of the flotilla and the IDF responsible for the deaths. The organizers knew full well that the boats were carrying to Gaza materials banned by Israel. Israel warned the flotilla that the IDF would prevent their actions and offered to escort the ships and deliver some of the aid. The ships defied Israel's warning. The IDF claims that a ship was carrying weapons and that one of the sponsors is a known jihaddi group. I want to see clear evidence. The IDF could have have used rubber bullets, tasers, mace and sound machine to disrupt violent protesters, not shoot people.

35. To the poor .....

* Author: Jean-Robert
* Country: France
* 05/31/2010 15:20


.... intellectually challenged supporters of Israeli blunders writing from the US. Those IDF soldiers attacked Turkish ships in international waters which is a clear act of piracy at best or an act of war at worst. They murdered more than 10 civilians and those acts were witnessed by EU MPs and a Nobel Price Winner. The world is waiting for some abject apologies and is preparing some new cells in The Hague. Do you understand now? Please help me, i've some difficulties to read the writing on the wall (without doubts an ageing problem).

34. Obama must back Israel

* Author: Dan
* Country: Korea
* 05/31/2010 15:19


Obama would act wisely now by backing Israel, and putting the blame for the loss of life squarely on the shoulders of those “peace activists” who attacked the IDF. He must act quickly and use a firm hand to tamp out this fire, Ankara is already working to spread the flames.

33. Keep all captives until Gilad Shalit is freed

* Author: Stuart
* Country: USA
* 05/31/2010 15:16


Keep all captives until Gilad Shalit is freed

32. The only thing that make some people happy is dead

* Author: hmpierson
* Country: USA
* 05/31/2010 15:16


"Peace activists" who try to wrestle weapons away from commandos are not looking for peace, they're looking for martyrdom. "Peace activists" attacking with bats and lead pipes are not "peace activists" It's their own stupidity - of course their are going to be more of them injured and killed if they insist on violence - when the police say "come out with your hands up" if you try to fight your way out you're in trouble,

31. Israel WIns

* Author: Marcel
* Country: us
* 05/31/2010 15:09


It's getting harder for Israel to exert force against her enemies.They would rather have the Jews disarmed and go quietly to their death as they have done so often before. That is why the world is in an uproar again. The North Korean sinking of the South Korean ship did not result in the fever pitch rage and madness that the Islamic world will raise this to on the global stage. Israel-Next time finish the job and DEFEAT Hamas !

30. Flotilla attack

* Author: NeverAgain
* Country: USA
* 05/31/2010 15:08


I read of this readily avoidable bloodshed with a heavy heart. Israelis, ask yourselves how, over 40 years, you have transformed your nation from a beacon of courage and dignity to a symbol of belligerence and repression. Israel, already on the verge of international isolation, can no longer rely on the blind support of American Jews like myself when it repeatedly acts insensitively and brutally. The choices you are making now are dooming your grandchildren to lives in a garrison state. It is time to see through the climate of fear created by your most cynical and opportunistic politicians.

29. What was Israels objective

* Author: Truth seeker
* Country: Australia
* 05/31/2010 15:08


Was it to scare off any future attempts or was it Israel's IDF professional in-decipline or basically is a reflection of Israel society who make up the IDF. What ever the answer is, I'm sure Israel has just isolated itself another level. Now your moving countries from not complying with Israel to Opposing Israel. This government is undoing all what Israel has gained in the past decades.

28. ONCE AGAIN HATRED AND VIOLENCE HAS BEEN BROUGHT ON

* Author: JKF
* Country: Canada
* 05/31/2010 15:07


Israel has a duty to inspect all means of transport that are headed for Gaza; given that the terrorist authorities of Gaza continue the indiscriminate, sporadic, bombardment of Israeli civilian targets all transoport must be inspected for weapons, munitions, explosives,and its precursor materials/accesories. This new confrontation was staged to demoralize/harm Israel. The perpetrators of this exported confrontation need to be jailed for long periods of time. The international community must condem the organizers of this flotilla whose purpose was to generate violence against Israel.

27. ONCE AGAIN HATRED AND VIOLENCE HAS BEEN BROUGHT ON

* Author: JKF
* Country: Canada
* 05/31/2010 15:07


Israel has a duty to inspect all means of transport that are headed for Gaza; given that the terrorist authorities of Gaza continue the indiscriminate, sporadic, bombardment of Israeli civilian targets all transoport must be inspected for weapons, munitions, explosives,and its precursor materials/accesories. This new confrontation was staged to demoralize/harm Israel. The perpetrators of this exported confrontation need to be jailed for long periods of time. The international community must condem the organizers of this flotilla whose purpose was to generate violence against Israel.

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Barak: Flotilla organizers to blame for 15 dead activists