Israel is isolated by world condemnation after attack on aid flotilla
THE international community united in condemning Israel yesterday following an attack on an aid flotilla bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip that left at least ten people dead.
Spontaneous protests erupted across Europe and the Middle East, as US president Barack Obama expressed “deep regret” over the massacre.
Israeli forces stormed the convoy of six ships carrying aid yesterday in a pre-dawn raid which saw commandos abseiling on to a boat and shooting dead pro-Palestinian aid volunteers.
Four Scots were believed to be among at least 16 Britons on board the flotilla. Their fate was unknown last night, although the Foreign Office said no Britons were among the dead.
Israel said its forces were forced to respond to “unexpected resistance” as they boarded the vessels, but one Scottish witness told how the Israelis faced no resistance.
Mr Obama demanded emergency talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night, as planned peace talks were cancelled.
Foreign Secretary William Hague led the worldwide chorus of condemnation, saying: “I deplore the loss of life during the interception of the Gaza flotilla. Our embassy is in urgent contact with the Israeli government.”
Calling for an urgent lifting of an Israeli blockade on Gaza, Mr Hague added: “The closure of 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.”
He revealed that at least one Briton was among the injured as he demanded access to 16 UK citizens being held by the Israelis.
International leaders condemned the raid, while Greece, Egypt, Sweden, Spain and Denmark summoned Israel’s ambassadors demanding explanations for the violence.
Spain and France issued statements decrying the “disproportionate use of force”, while Greece suspended a military exercise with Israel and postponed a visit by Israel’s air force chief.
“It is vital that there is a full investigation to determine exactly how this bloodshed took place. I believe Israel must urgently provide a full explanation,” said UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.
Mr Netanyahu expressed “regret” for the loss of life but said the soldiers had no choice.
“Our soldiers had to defend themselves, defend their lives, or they would have been killed,” he said.
Israel said it opened fire after its commandos were attacked with knives, clubs and live fire from two pistols wrested from soldiers after they descended from a helicopter to board one of the vessels.
Night-vision footage released by the Israeli military showed soldiers dropping from a helicopter one by one and being grabbed by men wielding sticks on the lead boat, the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara.
The soldiers fell to the deck, where the men continued to beat them and dumped one of them from the top deck.
Five Israeli soldiers were wounded, two seriously, including at least one hit by live fire, the army said. Two of the dead activists had fired at soldiers with pistols, the Israeli army said.
“They planned this attack,” said Israeli military spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovitch. “Our soldiers were injured from these knives and sharp metal objectsâ?¦ as well as from live fire.”
The ships were being towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod, and the wounded were evacuated by helicopter to Israeli hospitals, Israeli officials said last night. One of the ships had reached port by midday yesterday.
There were no details on the identities of the casualties, or on the conditions of some of the more prominent people on board, including 1976 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire from Northern Ireland and Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein, 85.
In Turkey, which unofficially sponsored the aid mission, 10,000 protesters converged on Taksim Square in central Istanbul last night to voice anger at Israel’s use of force against an aid convoy with many of their countrymen aboard. Most of the dead are believed to be Turkish.
Smaller protests erupted in capitals across the Middle East, Europe and South Asia.
Several hundred people protested outside Downing Street in London to denounce Israel after the deadly raid.
Chanting “Free Palestine” and brandishing banners condemning Israeli “war crimes”, activists blocked Whitehall as they staged an angry but peaceful demonstration.
In Scotland, emergency protests were staged at the Mound in Edinburgh and Glasgow’s George Square. Smaller protests were staged in Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.
A national demonstration will take place on Saturday at the Mound.
Veteran pro-Palestinian campaigner George Galloway described the operation as “a murderous act of piracy”.
The family of one of the Scots on board, father of four Dr Hasan Nowarah, 45, from Glasgow, were desperately trying to contact him last night.
His wife Seonaig said:
"We are just absolutely shocked and the problem is not knowing anything is really, really difficult.
“I haven’t spoken to Hasan since he left Crete four days ago. I have been in touch with the Foreign Office but no-one seems to know anything.”
Theresa McDermott, 43, a post office worker from Edinburgh, was also on board.
Friend Carl Abernethy said: “It is very worrying. The last I heard was that they were 65km from land, safely in international waters and they were going to wait until daylight to see if they could get to Gaza.”
Mark Lazarowicz, Ms McDermott’s MP in Edinburgh North and Leith, said: "She is a very brave woman, an ordinary post office worker who just felt she had to do something about the injustice in Gaza.
“I have been in touch with the Foreign Office, asking that they demand her release immediately.”
Ali El Awaisi, a 21-year-old history and politics student from Dundee, who is from a Palestinian family, was on his first aid mission abroad.
His brother Khaled said: "They didn’t have any guns or any arms, they were searched in Turkey. They were not allowed to have anything on board.
“I said to him: ‘What if the Israelis attack?’ He said they were planning to resist in as peaceful way as possible.”
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon condemned the attack and expressed her concern for the Scots involved last night.
She said: "My primary concern is for the safety of the Scots on board. The Israeli government must provide immediate reassurance of their well-being.
“This violence against a humanitarian convoy is rightly condemned across the world and demonstrates the need for Israel to lift the blockade.”
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Israel-is-isolated-by-world.6331462.jp
Russia: Israelâ??s attack on aid flotilla violated international law
Russia calls attention to the fact that the Israeli interception of a Gaza-bound international aid flotilla took place in international waters, which represents a gross violation of international law. In a statement from its Foreign Ministry Monday, it also urges the Israelis to preclude such incidents in the future by lifting their closure of the Gaza area. The flotilla of six ships with 750 activists and reporters from 50 countries and 10 thousand tons of relief cargoes on board was on a mission to defy the blockade. A predawn assault on it by Israeli naval forces left 19 people dead and three dozen injured. Israel has so far confirmed only 15 of the deaths. It also says its boarding squad fired in self-defense. There is a mounting chorus of international condemnation of the action by Israel.
http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/05/31/8802467.html
Sarkozy condemns Israel raid on Flotilla
The French president has condemned the Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy, accusing the regime of “disproportionate use of force.”
French President Nicolas Sarkozy “condemns the disproportionate use of force and sends his condolences to the families of the victims,” the Elysee palace said in a statement, AFP reported.
“All light must be shed on the circumstances of this tragedy which underlines how urgent it is to re-launch the peace process,” the Monday statement added.
The Israeli assault on the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy left 20 international activists killed and 50 others injured.
The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to hold a meeting regarding the brutal assault later on Monday.
The humanitarian convoy was carrying thousands of tons of supplies and hundreds of politicians, activists and journalists.
The Flotilla was seeking to break Israel’s three-year-long blockade of Gaza and deliver basic necessities to the impoverished Palestinians living in the coastal enclave.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=128516§ionid=351020603
Tutu condemns Israel aid-boat attack
Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and a group of retired global leaders have joined international leaders in condemning the Israeli forces’ raid on a ship delivering relief supplies to Gaza.
“We as elders condemn Israel utterly for this attack. The actions of the Israelis is inexcusable,” said Tutu.
He was speaking at the conclusion of a meeting of the group formed in 2008 to highlight humanitarian issues. Members include former UN secretary general Kofi Annan and former US president Jimmy Carter.
Reading a statement, Tutu said the Elders wanted an urgent investigation into the “tragic incident” after Israeli forces boarded the Mavi Marmara as it sailed with a flotilla to Gaza.
He said it should draw the world’s attention to the “terrible suffering of Gaza’s 1.5 million people, half of whom are children under the age of 18”.
The Elders considered Israel’s blockage of Gaza illegal collective punishment of its inhabitants and said it was also counterproductive.
“This is because it creates unacceptable suffering, in the process empowering extremists and undermining moderate forces in Gaza”, they said.
On Monday morning Israeli forces boarded one of the ships which was violating Israel’s blockade on certain goods entering the contested area. Israel warned last week that it would arrest those on board.
News reports said that at least 10 people were killed.
The Israeli Defence Force has said that they had tried to intercept the ships to search them, but were then fired on and attacked with knives and clubs.
Ten civilians were killed and four navy staff were among those injured.
The soldiers had been given full backing by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Associated Press.
South Africa’s foreign office said it was trying to establish whether there was a South African on board the ship during the attack, which it said should get the “highest level of international condemnation”.
The Congress of SA Trade Unions called the incident “state sponsored piracy” and urged a boycott of Israeli products, while the SA Municipal Workers’ Union issued a statement on behalf of a large group of civil society organisations calling it a “massacre”.
"The convoy of ships was carrying 750 people from 40 different countries including 35 international politicians, members of parliament, former diplomats, human rights activists, aid workers and journalists and was destined for the Gaza port of Rafah later this afternoon.
“The flotilla carried essential aid material, such as medication, construction material, toys, workbooks, chocolate and pasta to Gaza,” which the organisations said were banned by Israel.
They said South Africa should immediately recall its ambassador to the capital Tel Aviv, expel the Israeli ambassador in South Africa, and sever diplomatic ties with Israel.
The organisations represented in the statement included the Palestine Solidarity Committee and the Muslim Judicial Council.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article479978.ece/Tutu-condemns-Israel-aid-boat-attack