Italy 'deplores' Gaza flotilla bloodshed (shoulda stopped the 'flotilla' then)

ANSA ^ | 5/31/2010

[markomalley]

(ANSA) - Rome, May 31 - Italy on Monday joined an international outcry against a bloody Israeli assault on a pro-Palestinian multinational flotilla aiming to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.

"I absolutely deplore the slaying of civilians," Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said amid reports that up to 19 activists were killed when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish NGO's boat, one of six carrying relief supplies to Gaza.

Frattini described the incident as "absolutely grave", called for a "serious and detailed" international inquiry, urged Israel to lift its blockade and voiced the hope that the Middle East peace process could continue.

While stressing that Italy was one of Israel's friends, he said it "must give an explanation to the international community" and underscored that civilian deaths were "absolutely unacceptable, whatever the flotilla's aims". He said Italy would follow the European Union's lead in its response to the incident.

The EU's foreign affairs chief, Catherine Ashton, "strongly condemned" the loss of life and called for the "immediate reopening" of Gaza's border points to allow aid in.

Keeping the points closed was "unacceptable," she said. The European Commission said there would be an emergency meeting of ambassadors in Brussels Monday afternoon to discuss the situation.

Frattini said the Italian foreign ministry had called Israeli Ambassador to Rome Gideon Meir to ask for an explanation.

The Italian foreign ministry said the five Italians on the ships, including Turin journalist Angela Lano, were unhurt.

The international reaction to the bloodshed was led by Israel's long-time Muslim ally Turkey, which had backed the Freedom Flotilla's bid to end the three-year blockade on Hamas-ruled Gaza.

Ankara recalled its ambassador to Israel, spoke of the risk of "irreparable consequences" on bilateral relations, and called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the incident "a massacre" and declared three days of national mourning.

Hamas spoke of "a crime" and Israeli Arabs called a general strike Tuesday.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said she was "shocked" by the assault.

The Arab League called an emergency meeting of its foreign ministers in Cairo Tuesday.

France and Germany strongly condemned the incident while Turkey, Greece, Spain, Sweden and Denmark summoned their ambassadors to Israel.

The Holy See voiced "great concern" over the "very painful" episode.

According to an Israeli military spokesman, the clash occurred when several activists tried to repel the boarding party using sticks, knives and a gun snatched from an Israeli commando.

Ten Israeli soldiers were reportedly hurt and 26 activists wounded, one critically.

[markomalley]

They knew that this would be the result. How many voices called for this provocation to stop before it departed?

[mountainlion]

If you really dislike the killing of innocent civilians then why did you support the 7000 rockets into Israel last year?

[Travis McGee]

Sorry to repost this, but I hope the idea trickles back to where it might do some good.

What a cluster goat screw by the IDF. I expexted better operational tactics from them.

The IDF should have fabricated a ship-disabling mini-homing torpedo for these contingencies. It would go for the propellers, and instead of expolosives it would unspool clouds of thin kevlar and wire lines to foul the props and stop the ships.

The IDF pioneered UAVs with mini missiles that only destroy one car without breaking windows across the street. You would think they would have had a technical answer for these ships, short of the FUBAR spectacle of boarding them with commandos, on film.

There are already mini-torpedos used as decoys and for other special purposes. These can be used as the existing chassis. Only the homing method and payload would have to be changed.

(I was involved in Naval Special Warfare a long time ago, and “out of the box” ideas were our specialty.)

[Old Retired Army Guy]

What did they say about N. Korea sinking of a S. Korean Naval vessel?

[hennie pennie]

European antisemitism is so predictable.

[Longbow1969]

19 “activists” dead now?

This is getting better all the time. That is 19 would be terrorists off the street.

[SunTzuWu]

You might want to read this. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2524458/posts

[Travis McGee]

Of course. Did you expect anything else? That is exactly why covert technical means to disable the props should have been used. No drama, no film, just ships adrift at sea.

[mdmathis6]

What do I call 19 dead activists? A good start!

[MollyKuehl]

"I absolutely deplore the slaying of civilians," Foreign Minister Franco Frattini

Poor "civilians", hauling weapons to Hamas. My heart simply aches for them...

[Jack Hydrazine]

Israeli Navy Addresses a Ship in the Flotilla and Offers it to Dock in the Ashdod Port
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKOmLP4yHb4

Demonstrators Use Violence Against Israeli Navy Soldiers Attempting to Board Ship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU12KW-XyZE

[Yorlik803]

If the Israelis were really evil, they would have sunk every last ship in that convoy without warning. The IDF was just trying to stop the Peace creeps from shipping more arms and other things that would have made HAMAS more powerful.