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

[SpArK]

Under fire Israel to free activists

Under fire Israel to free activists - Middle East - Al Jazeera English



Facing mounting international outrage over its raid on an aid flotilla aiming to break its siege on Gaza, Israel has said it will expel all activists seized from the ships and dropped threats to prosecute some of them.

A spokesman for Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said on Tuesday that all activists - 682 people from 35 countries – "would be deported immediately" in an operation officials said they hoped to complete in 48 hours.

Nine activists were believed to have been killed when Israeli troops, using helicopters and fast dinghies, stormed the Mavi Marmara, the lead vessel of the six-ship convoy dubbed the Freedom Flotilla, on Monday.

The military said it opened fire in self defence when it encountered resistance from activists wielding metal rods and chairs, and released pictures which appeared to show a handful of soldiers being beaten and clubbed by dozens of activists.

Guns pointed

Activists' accounts of what happened began to emerge as the first 45 were deported on Tuesday.

Huseyin Tokalak, the captain of one of the seized ships, told a news conference in Istanbul that an Israeli navy ship threatened to sink his vessel before troops boarded and trained their guns on him and his crew.

"They pointed two guns to the head of each of us," Tokalak said.

After holding more than 10 hours of closed-door talks, the UN Security Council called for "a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards".

It also condemned "those acts which resulted in the loss of ... civilians and many wounded", drawing a sharp response from Israel, which said its foreign minister complained in a telephone call with Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, that it was condemned unfairly for "defensive actions".

'Bloody massacre'

In Turkey, a visibly angry prime minister told parliamentary deputies that Israel should "definitely be punished" for its "bloody massacre" of the activists.

"The time has come for the international community to say 'enough'," said Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who demanded the immediate lifting of "the inhumane embargo on Gaza".

There were signs, however, that the long-term relationship Israel has had with Turkey – arguably its most important Muslim ally – would endure.

Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minister, spoke to his Turkish counterpart, Vecdi Gonul, on Tuesday, and they agreed the raid would not affect weapons deals – among them a planned delivery to Turkey of $183m in Israeli drones this summer - defence officials said on condition of anonymity.

Rafah border opened

Amid the international condemnation, Egypt said it was opening the Rafah border it shares with Gaza for the first time in more than a year, to allow in humanitarian aid after a request from the governing Hamas Palestinian faction.

Egypt, in co-ordination with Israel, has rarely opened the border since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 from forces loyal to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president.

But Israel said it was ready to intercept another aid ship that organisers of the Freedom Flotilla planned to send to the Gaza Strip next week.

Netanyahu convened his security cabinet to debate what Israeli critics called a botched raid, and ministers said the naval blockade of 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip would continue.

"The opening of a sea route to Gaza would pose a tremendous risk to the security of our citizens. Therefore we continue a policy of a naval blockade," Netanyahu told his ministers.

Israel's security cabinet said in a statement that it "regrets the fact there were deaths in the incident, but lays full responsibility on those who took violent action that tangibly endangered the lives of Israeli soldiers".

It added: "Israel will continue to defend its citizens against the Hamas terror base," referring to Gaza.

No US condemnation

The bloodshed on Monday also put Israel's tense ties with the US under further strain and placed under scrutiny the relationship between the allies.

Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught, reporting from Istanbul, said Erdogan, in his speech, "mentioned the unmentionable, saying that Israel acts because it has powerful friends".

The US has, thus far, refused to condemn the Israeli raid, with Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, telling reporters in Washington DC that "the situation from our perspective is very difficult and requires careful, thoughtful responses from all concerned".

In a telephone call with Erdogan, Barack Obama, the US president, expressed his condolences for those killed in the raid - four of them Turks - and reiterated US support for an impartial investigation "of the facts surrounding this tragedy", the White House said.

He also said it was important to find "better ways to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza without undermining Israel's security" the White House statement added.

 

[SpArK]

Israel holding three Canadians after botched raid on flotilla

(AFP) –

OTTAWA, Canada — Three Canadians are being held by Israeli authorities following a botched raid on an aid flotilla that left nine dead, a Canadian official said Tuesday.

"Three Canadians are being detained in Israel," Catherine Loubier, spokeswoman for Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, told AFP.

"As soon as we learned of this, consular officials were sent to Tel Aviv and are now offering (the trio) consular assistance."

Israel on Tuesday deported dozens of activists and held hundreds more while vowing to block other Gaza-bound ships, as world leaders demanded an investigation into Monday's commando raid in international waters and the swift release of the detainees.

Of the 682 people from 42 countries aboard the six ships that were towed to an Israeli port, 45 agreed to be deported immediately and were flown out Monday and Tuesday, Israeli immigration police spokeswoman Sabine Haddad said.

She said more than 120 Arab nationals were issued deportation orders and handed to military police to be taken to the Jordanian border.

The hundreds still detained apparently refused a demand that they sign a document saying they entered Israel illegally even though the ships were seized in international waters.

Forty-eight activists and six soldiers were being treated in hospitals.

Flotilla organizers said the six ships carried some 10,000 tonnes of aid destined for Gaza, which has suffered a crippling blockade imposed by Israel in 2006 that Egypt has largely backed.

 

[SpArK]

Israel holding 40 Britons in desert prison after Gaza flotilla raid

Israel holding 40 Britons in desert prison after Gaza flotilla raid | World news | The Guardian


Up to 40 Britons were still being held at a prison in the Israeli desert city of Be'er Sheva last night, among nearly 700 foreign nationals from the Gaza flotilla, although Israeli officials said they would be expelled from the country swiftly.

The Israeli prime minister's office issued a statement saying the detainees "would be expelled immediately, according to the procedures set by law". It added: "The interior minister announced that the expulsion will begin this evening, and the assessment is that it can be completed in approximately 48 hours." The Foreign Office said it was seeking "urgent clarification" of the situation.

William Hague, the foreign secretary, said 31 British nationals and another 11 with dual nationality were known to have been detained.

Ahsan Shamruk, believed to be from north London, was named by the Foreign Office as the Briton injured during the attacks. He was reported to be in a stable condition and is being treated in hospital. Shamruk's Facebook page shows that he belongs to groups such as Ship to Gaza, Voice and Echoes of Palestine and the Islamic Human Rights Commission. He is a member of the Viva Palestina group, a UK-registered charity founded by former MP George Galloway.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said consular staff had visited 29 of the Britons, and the rest were expected to be seen tomorrow. "There have been no complaints about their treatment," she added.

Alexandra Lort-Phillips, 38, is believed to be among those held. Her parents, Patrick and Sally Lort-Phillips, of West Lavington, Wiltshire, called her a "free spirit" who was delivering aid including chemotherapy drugs.

Denis Healey, 55, a marine engineer from Portsmouth, who was captaining the US-flagged Challenger I ship, was on his sixth trip to Gaza. He was imprisoned by the Israeli authorities for seven days in July last year while on a similar mission.

Peter Venner, 63, who runs a wood yard in the Isle of Wight, was in the flotilla, as was British aid worker Alex Harrison, 32, a member of the group Free Gaza. Her father, Adrian, said : "They keep referring to the ships as full of terrorists – that's not true, these are people who have given up months of their lives and thousands of pounds of their own money. They were carrying aid supplies."

Parveen Yaqub, 39, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, who works for Oldham council in Lancashire, is believed to have been on the Mavi Marmara. One of her last entries on Facebook reads: "Something has kicked off; I gotta run up deck."

Gehad Sukkur, 39, from Altrincham, Cheshire, is a married father of three who was originally from Gaza and wanted to deliver aid and see relatives.

Theresa McDermott, 43, a postal worker from Edinburgh, was said to have travelled on three previous voyages to Gaza. Other Britons include Ismail Adam Patel, a father of three from Oadby, Leicester, and chairman of the pro-Palestinian organisation Friends of Al Aqsa. He posted a video on YouTube describing the storming of the ships. Baboo Zanghar, from Bolton, who last year took part in a road convoy to Gaza with Galloway, was delivering £32,000-worth of supplies donated by the town. Kevin Ovenden, 40, from London, an aide to Galloway, is also said to be among those detained.

Ewa Jasiewicz was in the flotilla as part of the Free Gaza Movement. Her sister, Agi Donovan, told Radio 4's World at One: "All of us in the family have been trying to call her and nobody's been able to reach her." Sakir Yildirim, from Fishponds, and Cliff Hanley, from Southville, both Bristol, who were part of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, are also said to be uncontactable.

Several consulates, including British, Dutch, French and Turkish representatives are reported to have visited the detained foreign nationals at Ela prison, Be'er Sheva in southern Israel.

Adalah, the group representing Arab citizens in Israel, is co-ordinating legal representation for detainees.

"We had 10 attorneys at Be'er Sheva prison, who were able to meet with 240 detainees over the course of two hours," said an Adalah representative. Adalah and other organisations have lodged an urgent habeas corpus appeal with the Israeli supreme court, demanding that the names of the hospitalised or killed activists are released.

 

[SpArK]

Israel deports Pakistanis, likely to arrive today

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: The three Pakistani nationals, who were detained from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, have been deported to Jordan by Israeli authorities, and are likely to arrive in Pakistan today (Wednesday), a private TV channel quoted Interior Minister Rehman Malik as saying on Tuesday.

Special arrangements have been made to bring back prominent journalist Talat Hussain and his two companions, who are expected to cross over to Jordan within the next 12 hours.

Rehman thanked Interpol Secretary General Ronald K Nobel, Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani and Pakistan’s ambassador to Jordon for their contribution in ensuring the safe recovery of the Pakistanis.

According to an Interior Ministry statement, air tickets are being arranged to bring Talat to Jordan as soon as possible, while Malik directed the FIA to make all necessary arrangements with the assistance of Jordanian Interpol to ensure that the three Pakistanis return soon, the channel added. daily times monitor/tahir niaz

 

[blain2]

There is a difference....Mumbai was a terrorist attack on Indian Soil. In this incident israel has given legitimate response to armed attacks by those on the ship. Why they were trying to breach the blockade?

Understand the illegality of the blockade first before trying to compare things (I say this agreeing that those who attacked Mumbai
did so illegally).

Coming to the point on hand, who gave the Israelis the authority to impose a blockade? Its a unilateral action, not supported by anyone in the International community and certainly not by the UN.

As far as people on those ships are concerned, they have full right under the International law to visit Gaza. Israel was an occupation force before, which in itself was illegal, now they use the precedence of their former occupation to blockade the Gaza port. Both actions are wrong and illegal.

Israelis have no business hanging around in Gaza's littoral waters and stopping people from arriving.

 

[SpArK]

‘Stop supporting Israel’

‘Stop supporting Israel’

KUALA LUMPUR: The United States cannot continue to support Israel when the country has committed crime, said former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“The world should prevail upon America to support Israel only when it is doing something right, and not support it when it has committed crime just because it is your ally,” he said.

Dr Mahathir added that passenger ship Rachel Corrie and two other cargo ships were moving towards Gaza.

“If the Israelis stop them, they will stop and will not go anywhere. They will ask for safe passage because they are in international waters.



“They are going into Gaza waters and not into Israeli territory,” said Dr Mahathir at a media briefing of Perdana Leadership Foundation and the New Club of Paris roundtable and public dialogues on knowledge economy here yesterday.

In Petaling Jaya, it was made known that the crew and passengers of Rachel Corrie were determined to complete their mission.

In a joint statement issued by Malaysians as well as Irish peace and humanitarian activists on board the vessel, they expressed their condolences for those who were killed or injured by the Israeli navy.

Former journalist Shamsul Akmar relayed the statement via an SMS to Dr Mahathir’s secretary Sufi Yusoff.

The team on board Rachel Corrie also appealed to the international community and United Nations to continue demanding from Israel safe passage into Gaza for the flotilla.

Perdana Global Peace Organisation adviser Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said Israel had no right to keep Malaysian citizens on its territory because Malaysia did not have diplomatic ties with Israel.

He said the attack by the Israeli navy on a civilian ship in international waters was an act of piracy and state terrorism.

“There were women, children and elderly people on board the ships,” he said.

 

[chantpapipart2]

Its not about the small incident. Its about an illegal blockade of shipping to a people who are not under Israel's control. The moment people realize the baseless Israeli stance, they will understand why this is a big issue.

If Israel's security is threatened by Hamas' gun-running then they should have their VBSS teams board the ships to inspect the cargo to ensure Hamas is not importing weapons. However once the inspections are done, these ships should be allowed into the Gaza port. However Israelis are not worried about the shipping of weapons (this is being used as an excuse). The real deal is the urge to choke the Hamas government and render it incapable of governance so the Israelis can play king makers in Gaza again.

Israelis are smart and intelligent people. However what amazes me is that despite the intelligence, they keep on making mistakes that hurt their interests in the long term. When will they realize that caging an already edgy people will bring about more hate and destruction? Its time to realize that military action by Israel has extremely diminishing returns on the diplomatic side. This is slowly dawning upon some on the Israeli side, however its still not enough.

You have presented your argument nicly but why did they attack Israeli soldeirs at the first place. Israel response was inevitable. Moreover, Naval blockade is a legitimate war tactics and can't be considered as a act of terrorism. Israel was within its rights to seize and destroy a ship being sent toward Gazan waters in defiance of an embargo, especially after giving abundant warnings to leaders of the largely Turkish-based Free Gaza Movement

 

[blain2]

Israeli government tactic is to obfuscate the truth by bringing into light the point about their soldiers getting their ***** beaten by rods and chairs and then being thrown overboard by civilians. The point that I had made before, and should continually be made is that Israelis are in the wrong in the first place for boarding a Turkish ship in the international waters.

At its simplest, this is like the Somali pirates boarding a cargo ship and upon getting their arses kicked by the crew and passengers, complaining that they were mistreated. What a travesty of justice!!!!!!

 

[Kompromat]

Let's go back to kindergarten here.

And you need to go to a Mental hospital.

Why did they occupy? why did they kill?

Because they are fascist Murders and Terrorist Zionist regime , this is what they have been doing for 60 years.

You dont see it because you are an Indian .

They occupied to check for weapons.

And did they Find any ??

(US understands this! why they stopped the boat!)

Who the **** is USA ??? krishna ?

They killed to protect themselves.

You cannot degrade yourself more than that can you , pathetic.

Evidence, scroll a couple pages back and watch the video.

Provide me the proof that the video is original and Rest of the International media is Bull$hitting.

 

[blain2]

You have presented your argument nicly but why did they attack Israeli soldeirs at the first place. Israel response was inevitable. Moreover, Naval blockade is a legitimate war tactics and can't be considered as a act of terrorism. Israel was within its rights to seize and destroy a ship being sent toward Gazan waters in defiance of an embargo, especially after giving abundant warnings to leaders of the largely Turkish-based Free Gaza Movement

Okay what part of "Israeli boarding is illegal" not making sense to you? Would Indians allow Somalis to board their ship in International waters off the Somali coast when the Indians know that Somalis have nothing but ransom in mind? (Those who were on board knew what Israelis wanted to do, which was to arrest them). Well sir, if I am on that boat and I know that I am in international waters and I am being boarded by those who are not welcome on the ship (and the International law supports me) then obviously I will resist their boarding.

Secondly, is there a war going on right now between Hamas and Israel? No! The entire premise for the Israeli action is faulty.

Lastly, for a moment forget that those on board are Muslims and those for whom the aid is going are Muslims. Try to understand this at a human level and you will realize the wrong that is being committed against an entire people. 4 Israeli soldiers are hurt, recuperating and will be back in service in short amount of time. On the other hand, 9 people have lost their lives trying to set a wrong right. This is the gravity of the situation.

 

[SpArK]

You have presented your argument nicly but why did they attack Israeli soldeirs at the first place. Israel response was inevitable. Moreover, Naval blockade is a legitimate war tactics and can't be considered as a act of terrorism. Israel was within its rights to seize and destroy a ship being sent toward Gazan waters in defiance of an embargo, especially after giving abundant warnings to leaders of the largely Turkish-based Free Gaza Movement

Dude Gaza is a region recognised by UN which is surrounded by Israel and any aid has to come through sea. It is not a piece of illegal occupied land or something.

A ship from Turkey has indeed travel through the blockade to reach there.

There were Britons, canadians etc etc on board. There are hundreds of methods to conduct an operation safely.

Israel just acted stupid and they thought they can outsmart the world and they are paying/will pay the price of that.

 

[chantpapipart2]

Okay what part of "Israeli boarding is illegal" not making sense to you? Would Indians allow Somalis to board their ship in International waters off the Somali coast when the Indians know that Somalis have nothing but ransom in mind? (Those who were on board knew what Israelis wanted to do, which was to arrest them). Well sir, if I am on that boat and I know that I am in international waters and I am being boarded by those who are not welcome on the ship (and the International law supports me) then obviously I will resist their boarding.

Secondly, is there a war going on right now between Hamas and Israel? No! The entire premise for the Israeli action is faulty.

Lastly, for a moment forget that those on board are Muslims and those for whom the aid is going are Muslims. Try to understand this at a human level and you will realize the wrong that is being committed against an entire people. 4 Israeli soldiers are hurt, recuperating and will be back in service in short amount of time. On the other hand, 19 people have lost their lives trying to set a wrong right. This is the gravity of the situation.

First..if they were truly on humanitarian aid mission then why did they resist the Israel action despite knowing that such action will result in slaughter. Israeli soldiers did not use excessive force and instead reacted when they were attacked by the ship’s passengers. There were six ships and in five of them there was completely peaceful action.

As far as blockade is concern that was enforced when Hamas declared war on Israel and it still exist. Israel always believe in “two eyes for an eye; the entire jaw for a tooth” security policy. Probably that’s the secret of their survival.

About loss of life... India has already condemned that and everyone including me regrets that.

 

[SpArK]

To all fellow Indian members who are justifying this act of terror i have just one question

Consider another scenario where an Indian Humanitarian Aid ship bound to Myanmar where there is a military regime . If the crew and the ship gets threatened/attacked in the international waters and fearing a disaster , few crewmen take whatever arms they get and gets killed ,would we be saying that the Myanmar military has every right of doing it for the safety of their country???

 

[chantpapipart2]

To all fellow members who are justifying this act of terror i have just one question

Consider another scenario where an Indian Humanitarian Aid ship bound to Myanmar where there is a military regime . If the crew and the ship gets threatened/attacked in the international waters and fearing a disaster , few crewmen take whatever arms they get and gets killed ,would we be saying that the Myanmar military has every right of doing it for the safety of their country???

Dude, India will never send arms to a place of naval blockade in disguise of humanitarian aid. The flotilla was not a humanitarian mission and that truth about it is coming out. Israel in the past had allowed humanitarian aid to Gaza but not through violence of so-called aid organisation. Israel has given abundant warnings to leaders of the largely Turkish-based Free Gaza Movement, which had sent the flotilla, that they would not be permitted to sail to Hamas-controlled territory.

 

[Kompromat]

Dude, India will never send arms to a place of naval blockade in disguise of humanitarian aid. The flotilla was not a humanitarian mission and that truth about it is coming out. Israel in the past had allowed humanitarian aid to Gaza but not through violence of so-called aid organisation. Israel has given abundant warnings to leaders of the largely Turkish-based Free Gaza Movement, which had sent the flotilla, that they would not be permitted to sail to Hamas-controlled territory.

What is the Proof of Weapons on the boat ???