A diplomatic storm has erupted in the Middle East overnight, after the Israeli navy boarded a Turkish ship trying to break the Gaza blockade.
At least nine people have died in the clashes — Israel government claims 10, Israeli television claims 19 — with Israel commandos claiming they were defending themselves after they were attacked by the ship’s passengers.
In a statement released overnight, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu defended the Israeli operation, saying troops were attacked when they landed on the largest of the six ships in the flotilla.
“They were mobbed. They were clubbed, they were beaten, stabbed,” he said.
However the organisers of the flotilla have denied any threatening behaviour, claiming that the convoy was a peaceful operation aimed at providing aid to the ravaged region.
“I don’t know anything about the knives and axes or anything, said Audrey Bomse, Free Gaza Movement’s legal coordinator.
“There is absolutely no evidence of live fire. You see this live streaming on the Turkish ship, you see the Israeli helicopters shooting. There’s no evidence of fire passing them.”
The big Australian angle — which of course all Australian media jumped on board with — is that Fairfax journo Paul McGeough and photographer Kate Geraghty were on board one of the flotilla boats. After setting the Aussie journo twitsphere abuzz yesterday afternoon with worry, it’s understood they have both been taken into an Israeli detention centre. McGeogh’s final reports can be seen here. Also, an unidentified Australian man was shot in the leg.
The BBC and Al-Jazeera are live-blogging the aftermath of the attack. Twitter was quick to react, although there was concern that the #flotilla hashtag was being censored, since it started to trend, then disappeared due to a glitch. The Guardian explains the Twitter hashtag freakout.
The international media is providing extensive of coverage of the incident. Turkey is infuriated. How will the clash impact on Israel’s diplomatic ties?
Reuters
Cynthia Johnston: Israel flotilla action criticized by friends and foes
Israel’s storming of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla set off a diplomatic furor, drawing criticism from friends and foes alike and straining ties with regional ally Turkey, which called off planned joint military exercises.
AP
Edith M. Lederer: Arabs demand independent probe of Israeli raid
The Palestinians and Arabs, backed by a number of council members, also called for Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza, immediately release the ships and humanitarian activists, and allow them to deliver their goods.
Karin Laub and Matthew Lee: Analysis: High-seas raid deepens Israeli isolation
And while Israel had hoped to defend its tight blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza with Monday’s high-seas raid, it instead appeared to be hastening the embargo’s demise, judging by initial international condemnation.
Ha’aretz
Shlomo Shamir: UN Security Council members urge Israel to lift Gaza siege
Members of the United Nations Security Council on Monday urged Israel to lift its economic blockade of the Gaza Strip, in an emergency session to discuss the deadly Israel Navy raid on a convoy of international activists sailing to the coastal territory.
New York Times
Raid Jeopardizes Turkey Relations
The situation is difficult for the United States, which has close relations with both countries [Israel and Turkey] and is now in the awkward position of crafting a reaction that avoids alienating either side.
The Times (UK)
James Hider: How the flotilla bound for Gaza Strip sailed into death at sea
The shockwaves from the Israeli commando raid on the Mavi Marmara passenger ferry were still reverberating around the world last night, as Israel scrambled to defend its battered reputation.
Washington Post
Glenn Kessler: Israeli assault complicates efforts to improve relationship with U.S.
The worldwide condemnation of the deadly Israeli assault on the Gaza aid flotilla will complicate the Obama administration’s efforts to improve its tense relations with Jerusalem and likely will distract from the push to sanction Iran over its nuclear program.
Time
Joe Klein: The Israeli Attack
First reaction: This is an insane use of disproportionate force. It is a product of the right-wing radicalization of the Israeli government… And it will further isolate Israel from the rest of the world.
And a pertinent observation from Roger Ebert, “Why isn’t Israel firing on a humanitarian aid ship worse than North Korea firing on a warship?”
The ABC did a good job of helping Israel defend its reputation.
Both The 7:30 Report and Lateline had long interviews with an Israeli representative, and neither program interviewed someone from the other side.
So Julie Bishop’s friends in the Israel Commandos have now taken to killing aid workers and injuring at least one Australian. How long before claims we do the same?
I have some difficulty differentiating between the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the Nazi blockade of the Warsaw ghetto. Both involved the use of overwhelming force and the deliberate starvation of civilians for political ends. The provocative use of armed force against ships in international waters by a self appointed authority accountable to nobody was likely to result in bloodshed when peaceful protesters using non-violent methods came up against the gun barrels of ADF who have no compunction in the use of force against “untermenschen” (by definition anybody who is not Jewish).
Gandhi could not have freed India if the British had used the same terror tactics as the Israelis are using against the Palestinians. Unfortunately Palestinians are grist to the mill for the Israelis pursuing their own particularly narrow form of religious-based racism backed up by nuclear weapons against the rest of the Middle East who are frustrated by their comparative military weakness and are therefore forced to use various methods of hitting back. Neither side has the high moral ground and the Palestinian civilians are pawns in the game.
Israel has no interest in peace because during the conflict situation it can continue to extend its settlements on the West Bank which is its primary reason for prolonging the conflict. Backed by the threat of the use of nuclear weapons they will continue to expand their territory. Political leaders in aHamas and Hezbollah like the IRA and other terrorist groups before them have no interest in peace because in peace they have no power.
Politicians in Australia United States and the UK are all beholden to powerful Zionist interests, and accordingly are afraid to push for reasonable compromise. On this basis the Zionists can act with impunity and the cycle goes on and on providing more ammunition for radical Islamic terrorists to take further action. And so on it goes……….
Well this might help clarify the difference for you Greg: the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto were not sworn to the destruction of Nazi Germany. The Hamas Government of Gaza have in their founding charter a commitment to the “total annihilation of Israel”.
Peaceful protesters?! Have you seen the footage?! The soldiers were literally being attacked before the set foot on the ship. It’s all filmed Greg, you can’t peddle these mistruths anymore.
The flotilla was carrying weapons and members of terrorist organisations towards Gaza. You cannot dispute that. They rejected calls to head to a civilian port in Egypt to have the ship searched. They rejected that offer. Israeli soldiers were then attacked with guns, knives and poles. One was thrown overboard. It has all been filmed, there is no disputing it.
Here’s another inconvient truth: despite this commitment by their govt to kill their population, Israel provides 14000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza every week.
The biggest threat to the Palestinians are their own govt and misguided “peace” activists, not the Jewish people.