IDF fears Turkey might send Navy ships with next flotilla
On Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister threatened Israel not to test Turkeys patience.
"Turkey's hostility is as strong as its friendship is valuable, he said, adding "Israel in no way can legitimize this murder, it cannot wash its hand of this blood."
This comment, officials said, could signify a change in Turkish military action in the event that another flotilla is dispatched to the Gaza Strip. One official said that the possibility that Turkey would send navy ships was slim due to the countrys membership in NATO but that the possibility was of great concern.
This is a definite possibility that we need to prepare for, a senior defense official said on Tuesday.
The flotilla which arrived late Sunday night was comprised of six ships, and another two ships, including The Rachel Corrie, were expected to attempt to enter Israeli waters in the coming days.
Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza Movement, which organized the flotilla, said that two boats, one of which was carrying about three dozen passengers, would arrive in the region late this week or early next week.
"This initiative is not going to stop," she said from the group's base in Cyprus. "We think eventually Israel will get some kind of common sense. They're going to have to stop the blockade of Gaza, and one of the ways to do this is for us to continue to send the boats."
Navy sources said that the coming ships would be intercepted the same way the flotilla was stopped on Monday morning although it had yet to be decided if the operation would be carried out by Sayetet 13, the Navys commando unit.
We are tracking the ships and are under orders to stop them, a top Navy officer said.
According to the sources, the Navy, in a future operation will use more force to prevent ships from reaching the Gaza Strip. "We boarded the ship and were attacked as if it was a war," one officer said. "That will mean that we will have to come prepared in the future as if it was a war."
IDF: Global Jihad on flotilla
)
