{"id":911,"date":"2010-06-04T02:28:25","date_gmt":"2010-06-03T20:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mohamediqbalp.wordpress.com\/2010\/06\/04\/israel-beginning-of-the-end\/"},"modified":"2010-06-04T02:28:25","modified_gmt":"2010-06-03T20:58:25","slug":"israel-beginning-of-the-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/venusimportexport.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2010\/06\/04\/israel-beginning-of-the-end\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel-Beginning of the End?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Turkey
\n will “never forgive” Israel
\n <\/span>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n\n\n\n
\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal reports from
\nIstanbul after being released by Israel following convoy raid<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/span>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

The Turkish president has said that Israel’s
\nmilitary raid on civilian aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip has caused
\n“irreparable” damage to his country’s relations with Israel, and will
\n“never” be forgiven.<\/p>\n

“From now on, Turkish-Israeli ties will never be the same. This
\nincident has left an irreparable and deep scar,” Abdullah Gul said in a
\ntelevised speech on Thursday, as thousands gathered in the streets of
\nIstanbul to pay their respects to the humanitarian activists killed
\nduring the raid.<\/p>\n

<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/p>\n

The raid “is not an issue that can be
\nforgotten… or be covered up… Turkey will never forgive this attack,”
\n he said. <\/p>\n

Nine people – eight Turks and a US national of Turkish origin- were
\nkilled in Monday’s pre-dawn raid on the Mavi Mamara<\/em>, which was
\ncarrying aid to Gaza in a bid to break Israel’s strangling blockade of
\nthe territory.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

As their funerals got underway on Thursday,
\nthousands poured onto the streets around the Fatih Mosque in Istanbul,
\nchanting slogans condemning Israel and waving Turkish and Palestinian
\nflags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
IN DEPTH<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Turkish media estimated the size of the crowd as between 15,000 and
\n20,000 people, a reflection of the depth of anger in Turkey over the
\nIsraeli assault on the ships.<\/p>\n

Several imams directed the mourners in prayer as eight of the
\ncoffins, draped in Turkish and Palestinian flags, were laid on marble
\nstands for people to pay their respects.<\/p>\n

Shot from above<\/strong><\/p>\n

The demonstration came as Turkish forensic experts confirmed that the
\n nine activists had been shot dead.<\/p>\n

Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal, who reported from the ship during the
\nraid, confirmed that live ammunition had been used by Israeli commandos
\nas they stormed the ship.<\/p>\n

He said that he witnessed some of the killings, and confirmed that at
\n least “one person was shot through the top of the head from [the
\nhelicopter] above.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Activists
\nkilled<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

 <\/td>\nTurkish victims<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nIbrahim Bilgen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nAli Haydar Bengi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nCevdet Kili\u00e7lar<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\n\u00c7etin Top\u00e7uoglu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nNecdet Yildirim<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nFahri Yaldiz<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nCengiz Song\u00fcr<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nCengiz Aky\u00fcz<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nUS victim<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nFurkan Dogan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Elshayyal was on the top deck when the ship was attacked and said
\nthat within a few minutes of seeing the Israeli helicopters, there were
\nshots being fired from above.<\/p>\n

“The first shots [coming from Israeli boats at sea] were tear gas,
\nsound grenades and rubber coated steel bullets,” said Eshayyal.<\/p>\n

“Live shots came five minutes after that. There was definitely live
\nfire from the air and from the sea as well.”<\/p>\n

He confirmed that some passengers took apart some of the ship’s
\nrailings to defend themselves as they saw the Israeli soldiers
\napproaching.<\/p>\n

“After the shooting and the first deaths, people put up white flags
\nand signs in English and Hebrew,” he said.<\/p>\n

“An Israeli [on the ship] asked the soldiers to take away the
\ninjured, but they did not and the injured died on the ship.”<\/p>\n

Injured flown home<\/strong><\/p>\n

Earlier on Thursday, three air ambulances landed at a military base
\nin Ankara, the Turkish capital, carrying wounded activists who were
\ntransferred from Israeli custody to hospitals in the city.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of supporters, including Bulent Arinc, Turkey’s deputy prime
\n minister, and several other Turkish politicians, gathered at the
\nairport in Istanbul to welcome the returning activists.<\/p>\n

“They faced barbarism and oppression but returned with pride,” Arinc
\ntold hundreds of jubilant relatives and supporters outside the airport,
\nchanting “God is Great!”<\/p>\n

Almost all of the detained passengers on board the flotilla have
\nnow been released.<\/p>\n

Seven activists wounded in Monday’s clashes were still being treated
\nin an Israeli hospital, the Israeli foreign ministry said.<\/p>\n

Three others – an Irishman and two women from Australia and Italy –
\nremained in Israel “for technical reasons”, the ministry said.<\/p>\n

But Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Jerusalem, said
\nthat four Palestinian-Israelis also remain in prison.<\/p>\n

Our correspondent said that Raed Salah, a leader of the Islamic
\nMovement in Israel, was one of those still being held.<\/p>\n

Israel defiant<\/strong><\/p>\n

Israel has remained defiant about the raid, rejecting calls for a
\ninternational investigation into the incident, and warning it is ready
\nto intercept another aid ship, the Rachel Corrie<\/em>, that is due
\nto head for Gaza next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
IN DEPTH<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

 <\/td>\nBlog:<\/strong> <\/span>Israel defending the indefensible<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nTwitter:<\/strong> <\/span>Sherine Tadros<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nPictures:<\/strong> <\/span>Protests around the world<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nPrevious
\n activists killed by Israel<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nFocus: <\/span><\/strong>On board the Freedom Flotilla<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nFocus:<\/strong> <\/span>Gaza’s
\n real humanitarian crisis<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nVideo: <\/span><\/strong>Israel’s Gaza PR offensive<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nProgrammes:<\/strong> <\/span>Born in Gaza<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Accusing international critics of “hypocrisy,” Binyamin Netanyahu,
\nthe Israeli prime minister, defended the seizure of the aid ships on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n

“This was not the Love Boat,” he said in a televised address to the
\nnation, referring to the vessel boarded by commandos. “It was a hate
\nboat.”<\/p>\n

“These weren’t pacifists, these weren’t peace activists, they were
\nviolent supporters of terrorism.”<\/p>\n

Netanyahu said the aim of the flotilla was to break the blockade of
\nGaza, not to bring aid.<\/p>\n

He said that if the blockade ended, ships would bring in thousands of
\n missiles from Iran to be aimed at Israel and beyond, creating what he
\nsaid would be an Iranian port on the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n

“The same countries that are criticising us today should know that
\nthey would be targeted tomorrow,” Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n

However, Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, said the flotilla
\ntragedy only highlights the serious underlying problem – namely, the
\nsiege imposed on the Gaza.<\/p>\n

He said that the siege was “counter-productive, unsustainable and
\nwrong”.<\/p>\n

“It punishes innocent civilians,” he said, calling for the siege to
\nbe lifted immediately.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n  Source:<\/td>\n\n Al Jazeera and agencies\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Turkey will “never forgive” Israel Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal reports from Istanbul after being released by Israel following convoy raid The Turkish president has said that Israel’s military raid on civilian aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip has caused “irreparable” damage to his country’s relations with Israel, and will “never” be forgiven. “From now on,…
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