Free Republic

Those initial snippets of the encounter — shot from the main ship in the flotilla, the Mavi Marmara, and from the Israeli military craft that intercepted it — can be seen in a Lede post that discussed the video evidence on Monday. Despite the claims made by each side, none of the clips released so far, which offer only brief glimpses of the encounter, prove which side was responsible for the escalation into deadly violence. Despite the claim made by Israel’s military that video it released of activists on the ship fighting with its commandos shows that they were met...

Statement Regarding the Israeli Military Interception of Gaza Flotilla from Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson On behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran World Federation, organizations that are deeply engaged with and committed to the Lutheran Christians and all persons living in Palestine and Israel, I express my deep sadness regarding events surrounding the flotilla seeking to deliver humanitarian goods to Gaza. We deeply regret the deaths and injuries that resulted when Israeli forces intercepted the boats. Our thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and the families of those killed or otherwise harmed during this...

New IDF footage shows attacks before soldiers boarded 'Mavi Marmara.' The IDF Spokesperson's office on Wednesday afternoon released more new footage of Gaza flotilla activists attacking soldiers with a stun grenade, a box of plates, and water hoses. The video was taken before the soldiers boarded the Mavi Marmara in Monday's raid. Also in this video, activists can be seen waving metal rods and chains, which were later used to attack soldiers. Earlier Wednesday, the IDF Spokespersons Office on Wednesday released new footage showing Monday's bloody raid of the Mavi Marmara ship. Several voices belonging to Navy commandos are heard...

Transcript: Thomas: “The initial reaction to the flotilla massacre, deliberate massacre, an international crime, was pitiful. What do you mean you regret something that should be so strongly condemned, and if any other nation in the world had done it, we would have been up in arms? What is this sacrosanct ironclad relationship where a country that deliberately kills people and boycotts every aid.. and abet the boycott?” Gibbs: Well, Look I think the initial reaction regretted the loss of life as we tried and as we still continue to gather the relevant. .. Thomas: Regret won’t bring them back....

Headline only - linked to a story from the Jerusalem Post with the following quote: "This comment, officials said, could signify a change in Turkish military posture in the event that another flotilla is dispatched to the Gaza Strip. The official said that the chances that Turkey would send navy ships were slim – due to its membership in NATO – but that the issue was of great concern. “This is a definte possibility that we need to prepare for,” a senior defense official said."

Dozens of passengers who were aboard the Mavi Marmara Turkish passenger ship are suspected of having connections with global jihad-affiliated terrorist organizations, defense officials said on Tuesday, amid growing concerns that Turkish warships would accompany a future flotilla to the Gaza Strip. According to the defense officials, the IDF has identified about 50 passengers on the ship who could have terrorist connections with global jihad-affiliated groups. Dozens of passengers who were aboard the Mavi Marmara Turkish passenger ship are suspected of having connections with global jihad-affiliated terrorist organizations, defense officials said on Tuesday, amid growing concerns that Turkish warships would...

In a special meeting of the Security Cabinet it was disclosed that a group of 40 people on board the Mavi Marmara with no identification papers belong to Al Qaeda. The terrorists were equipped with bullet proof vests, night-vision goggles, and weapons.

Dozens of passengers who were aboard the Mavi Marmara Turkish passenger ship are suspected of having connections with global jihad-affiliated terrorist organizations, defense officials said on Tuesday, amid growing concerns that Turkish warships would accompany a future flotilla to the Gaza Strip. According to the defense officials, the IDF has identified about 50 passengers on the ship who could have terrorist connections with global jihad-affiliated groups. During its searches of the Mavi Marmara on Tuesday, the military also discovered a cache of bulletproof vests and night-vision goggles, as well as gas masks. On Monday morning, at least nine foreign activists...

Israel concerned next flotilla will be accompanied by Turkish Navy. ... 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 country’s membership in NATO – but that the possibility was of great concern.

The media, as usual, seems to be reporting only one side of the Israeli Flotilla incident. Don’t trust the mainstream media to give you both sides of a story fairly… you must seek out fair reporting to ensure you have all the information. As far too many in the media, and in various governments, rush to condemn Israel, we must put the recent events off Israel’s coast into the right perspective. This “relief” convoy was not about humanitarian aid, as the liberal mainstream media keeps reporting. The whole operation was designed to provoke Israel, not to provide supplies to Palestinians...

NOTHING more to be said. Israeli soldiers kill at least nine peace activists trying to ship aid to a starving people. Or, as the front page of The Age screamed yesterday: "Israel kills boat protesters." End of story. There are riots and protests in London, Paris, New York, Istanbul, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and throughout the Middle East. The UN whacks Israel and calls for an emergency meeting of the Security Council. From Moscow to Washington, Israel stands utterly friendless. Dangerously alone. What a coup for those pledged to destroy that tiny Jewish country. How discredited and defenceless Israel seems. Someone...

A statement from the Turkish government promises “unprecedented and incalculable reprisals” against Israel for the Israeli Navy’s seizure of the Marmora, a Turkish vessel, which was leading a fleet of ships through the Gaza blockade over the weekend. The statement has received the support of Hezbollah, an arm of the Iranian government, and Hamas, the Palestinian network. Such measures will not be confined to diplomatic censure. Reports from Ankara, the capital of Turkey, state that the government, which remains under the control of the Justice and Democratic Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma, AKP), is planning to continue pounding the Israeli blockade...

All 680 activists will be released, including two dozen Israel had threatened to prosecute on charges of assaulting troops. Israel will immediately deport hundreds of foreign activists seized aboard a six-ship humanitarian aid flotilla seized in an Israel Navy raid en route to the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided late Tuesday. In the face of mounting world criticism of Monday's assault, Israeli officials said all 680 activists held would be released, including two dozen Israel had threatened earlier to prosecute charging they had assaulted its troops.

Much of the equipment and supplies aboard the “humanitarian” ships for Gaza has been checked and found to be worthless. The cargo was taken off the boats at the Ashdod port and checked there, in accordance with the Israeli embargo on Gaza. The embargo is an acceptable measure taken between entities that are in a state of armed conflict, as are Israel and Hamas-run Gaza.

Eyewitness accounts from ships raided by Israeli commandos have cast doubt on Israel's version of events that led to the deaths of at least 10 people. German pro-Palestinian activist Norman Paech said he had only seen wooden sticks being brandished as troops abseiled on to the deck of the ship. Israel says its soldiers were attacked with "knives, clubs and other weapons" and opened fire in self defence. The raid led to widespread condemnation and the UN has called for an inquiry.

Jennifer Loewenstein, a professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, says Israel's deadly attack on the Freedom Flotilla was a "very carefully planned action" subsidized by the United States. The Gaza Freedom Flotilla, which was carrying food and medical supplies to Gaza, came under fire early Monday morning by Israeli navy forces in international waters more than 150km off the coast of Gaza. Twenty international activists are reported to have been killed and 50 others injured in the incident. The following is the transcript of Press TV's interview with Jennifer Loewenstein: Press TV: The first question that comes to...

Reporter: "Despite the Israeli threats and several unexpected delays, the arrival of the ships at the meeting point before sailing to the Gaza Strip inflamed the emotions and the enthusiasm of the participants." Visuals from Gaza flotilla ship of young Muslims shouting Islamic battle chant invoking the killing and defeat of Jews in battle: "[Remember] Khaibar, Khaibar, oh Jews! The army of Muhammad will return!" [Khaibar is the name of last Jewish village defeated by Muhammad’s army and it marked the end of Jewish presence in Arabia in 628.] Reporter: "While singing songs reminiscent of the Palestinian Intifada (Palestinian terror...

[snip-several usual "all Israel's fault" paragraphs. ...Egypt, which has enforced the blockade with Israel since Hamas militants seized control of Gaza in 2007, said it was opening the border for several days to allow aid into the area as a humanitarian gesture. It was unclear, however, when Hamas guards at the frontier would let people out. Several thousand Gazans — some in cars with suitcases piled on their roofs, others on foot — rushed to the Egyptian border, hoping to take advantage of a rare chance to escape the blockaded territory. The Hamas Interior Ministry said authorities were not prepared...

I think the decision to stop the "peace" flotilla with commandos was a deliberate signal to Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, and most of all the United States. Are you listening, President Obama?....

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia (Reuters) - Russia and the European Union condemned on Tuesday Israel's use of deadly force in the storming of an aid flotilla and urged the opening of crossings into Gaza. In a joint declaration during a Russia-EU summit in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton demanded a "full and impartial inquiry". "The death of people is irreparable and absolutely unjustified," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told a news conference with EU leaders. EU President Herman Van Rompuy called the deaths "inexplicable". "We regret the loss of life,...