Middle East Aid flotilla attacked by gunships-several dead.

Warning to Israel from Ireland.
UN Security Council condemns the attack but doesn't mention Israel by name because the US blocked that language.
(Meanwhile the UN ratified a resolution calling for a nuclear free Middle East but Obama assures Bibi that he won't let it apply to Israel)
Frances condemns
China weighed in

And it seems that the IDF went into the fray with a hit list of people to be eliminated (photos captured from video taken by journalists aboard during the event and transmitted while the vessels were still at sea).

--- edit ---
That first link has been completely rewritten since I grabbed it. I had it open in an old tab and when I refreshed the emphasis had utterly changed. The warning part can still be found - let me cut and paste it - but it's been de-emphasized and buried.
But I will make this point. If any harm comes to any of our citizens, it will have the most serious consequences.”
Click to expand...
Which was innitially attributed to Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin and it still may be but some typos have crept in.

Also
Mr Cowen said Ireland’s longstanding position was that the Israeli blockade of Gaza was “immoral and counterproductive” and should be ended.

“Israel must listen and respond to the clear concerns of the international community on this issue. To do otherwise will only serve to reinforce the position of the extremists on both sides and jeopardise the hope of achieving some urgently needed political progress in the region, which the current proximity talks represent," he said.
Click to expand...
 
ITV are reporting that Both Greece and Turkey have cancelled joint military exercises with Israel and that Egypt have opened the border to Gaza.

Oh and another Aid ship has left bound for Gaza.

I don't think I've ever seen such a concentration of action against Israel over a single incident.
 
FluffyMcDeath said:
It is possible to sail to Gaza without going through Israeli waters. Just go through Palestinian waters
Click to expand...
Well I admit I know nothing about how the water lines are drawn in that region, but I imagine Israel doesn't recognize gaza'n waters. But more importantly, does the UN recognize Palestinian water or is it all part of Israel?
 
Glaucus said:
FluffyMcDeath said:
It is possible to sail to Gaza without going through Israeli waters. Just go through Palestinian waters
Click to expand...
Well I admit I know nothing about how the water lines are drawn in that region, but I imagine Israel doesn't recognize gaza'n waters. But more importantly, does the UN recognize Palestinian water or is it all part of Israel?
Click to expand...

Here's a map. Technically, since Oslo and the disengagement Israel claims that Gaza is no longer occupied. Therefore they have no right to prevent the use of the waters that are Gazan. However, the IDF has been preventing even fishermen from fishing in Gazan waters. The blockade is probably illegal but it has not been legally challenged.
image126701.jpg
 
Hmm... Well then, Turkey should have no problem escorting any ship to Gaza.

Perhaps Turkey should run a blockade on Israel?
 
Glaucus said:
Hmm... Well then, Turkey should have no problem escorting any ship to Gaza.

Perhaps Turkey should run a blockade on Israel?
Click to expand...

I for one would be very interested to see Israel's reaction, especially now that Egypt have opened their border too.
 
the_leander said:
Glaucus said:
Hmm... Well then, Turkey should have no problem escorting any ship to Gaza.

Perhaps Turkey should run a blockade on Israel?
Click to expand...

I for one would be very interested to see Israel's reaction, especially now that Egypt have opened their border too.
Click to expand...

It will be very interesting to see what Turkey can do. Sibel Edmonds has testified that Turkey has compromised a number of US representatives though surely not as many as Israel, but enough to get some small concession or other. The trick is to couch what you want in language so reasonable sounding it would appear capricious or ornery to refuse. When asking for a favour against Israel - well that just might be too hard of a trick to pull off.
 
Robert said:
Israeli soldiers have boarded another ship and Mark Regev is on telly trying to claim he doesn't know if it was on international waters.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle ... 245176.stm
Click to expand...

Ahh yes, the BBC. Parroting the official Israeli line that the commandos boarded the ship with full compliance by the crew... Apparently anything less than violent resistance counts as full compliance these days. :roll:

Interesting that the Israelis decided to jam all communications of the ship before they stormed it (which is a breach of maritime law, btw). Even more interesting is that they continue to jam those communications.

It really is shocking how stark the difference is between the beebs coverage and all of the other terrestrial channels is though. Most of the others are fairly condemning of the Israeli action, with differing strengths of condemnation for attempting to run the blockade or questioning the affiliation of some of the groups involved, then you have the beeb which simply repeats whatever the Israeli spokesperson decrees is the official line.
 
the_leander said:
It really is shocking how stark the difference is between the beebs coverage and all of the other terrestrial channels is though. Most of the others are fairly condemning of the Israeli action, with differing strengths of condemnation for attempting to run the blockade or questioning the affiliation of some of the groups involved, then you have the beeb which simply repeats whatever the Israeli spokesperson decrees is the official line.
Click to expand...

This is nothing new and entirely predictable.

I'm sure I mentioned this on here at the time, as it was extremely revealing; a few years ago, during one of Israel's many murderous attacks - I think it was the most recent Lebanon invasion - I was listening the BBC Radio 5 programme, "Up All Night."
The presenter, Rod Sharp, was interviewing a free-lance journalist (whose name escapes me now), who had previously worked for the BBC as Middle-East correspondent.
During the course of their conversation the journalist said something along the lines of, "As you're well aware, Rod, BBC policy prevents fair criticism of Israel."
Rod Sharp's subsequent silence told you all you need to know.
 
Robert said:
During the course of their conversation the journalist said something along the lines of, "As you're well aware, Rod, BBC policy prevents fair criticism of Israel."
Rod Sharp's subsequent silence told you all you need to know.
Click to expand...

:shock:

Now that does surprise me. Yes, I know I'm a little late in the game, but it still does.
 
the_leander said:
Robert said:
During the course of their conversation the journalist said something along the lines of, "As you're well aware, Rod, BBC policy prevents fair criticism of Israel."
Rod Sharp's subsequent silence told you all you need to know.
Click to expand...

:shock:

Now that does surprise me. Yes, I know I'm a little late in the game, but it still does.
Click to expand...

I notice you highlighted the word 'policy'. I can't say with 100% certainty that he used that word (which is why I said 'along the lines of' - it was a few years ago) but the gist of it was as quoted.

Oh, and welcome aboard. :pint:
 
Robert said:
I notice you highlighted the word 'policy'. I can't say with 100% certainty that he used that word (which is why I said 'along the lines of' - it was a few years ago) but the gist of it was as quoted.
Click to expand...

Even if it's an unwritten rule, it is an absurdity to have in place within a professional news broadcaster, especially when the terms of its licence spell out that it must be impartial.

Robert said:
Oh, and welcome aboard. :pint:
Click to expand...

Ta!

Back to the topic at large, I ran across this earlier and thought it a pretty nifty way of sorting this. What are other folks views?
 
the_leander said:
Even if it's an unwritten rule, it is an absurdity to have in place within a professional news broadcaster, especially when the terms of its licence spell out that it must be impartial.
Click to expand...

The Israeli PR machine is strong and very far-reaching.

Back to the topic at large, I ran across this earlier and thought it a pretty nifty way of sorting this. What are other folks views?
Click to expand...

It would be if there was any chance of Israel and the USA agreeing to it.

But there's no chance.
 
Just a few fun updates:

Israel Threatens War if Turkish PM Tries to Deliver Gaza Aid
Israeli Army commander and top Likud member Uzi Dayan today warned on Israeli Army Radio that Israel would consider any attempt by the Turkish military to protect future aid ships from attack an “act of war.”

Dayan then added that if Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan attempted to accompany the aid ships personally, as he has reportedly considered “we would not try to take over the ship he was on, but would sink it.” He added that Erdogan’s presence on a future aid ship would also be a casus belli for an Israeli war against Turkey.

Turkey has expressed outrage at last week’s Israeli attack on a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza, an attack in which Israeli troops killed at least nine civilian aid workers. Israel has insisted that the aid ship was secretly in league with al-Qaeda and has since tried to spin Turkey as the villain for even allowing a ship to try to deliver aid to the besieged strip.
Click to expand...

Of course this is all great news for Greece: Greece May Benefit From Frayed Israeli-Turkish Ties
ATHENS, Greece (June 7) -- When Israeli commandos raided an aid convoy headed to Gaza, the deadly assault pushed already strained Israeli-Turkish relations to a breaking point. Ankara recalled its top envoy from Tel Aviv, scrapped joint military war games and called an emergency meeting at the United Nations to lambaste what it called Israel's heavy-handed tactics.

Today, a week later, Israelis increasingly angry at Turkey are responding by closing their purses.

Turkish travel operators say Israeli tourism has taken a dramatic nosedive, with vacation cancellations being recorded en masse. El Al Israeli airline and Atlasjet Airlines have frozen plans to kick off a jointly managed route from Tel Aviv to Istanbul, while the National Security Council has advised Israelis in Turkey to lay low in their hotels for fear of violent reprisals.

For debt-ridden Greece, the fallout may prove a bit of a godsend.
Click to expand...

And if that isn't exciting enough, we also have this: Israeli students plan counter-flotilla to Turkey
The National Students Union of Israel is planning to launch a counter-flotilla to carry aid to oppressed minorities in Turkey in an bid to unmask the hypocrisy of the international community, and especially Ankara, in the wake of Israel's raid on the Free Gaza flotilla.

Boaz Torporovsky, chairman of the students union, told Ynet that "Turkey, which leads the campaign against Israel and makes all sorts of threats is the same Turkey that carried out a holocaust and murdered an entire nation of Armenians, and oppresses a minority larger than the Palestinians – the Kurds – who deserve a state, who have demanded a state for longer than the State of Israel has existed."

It is the Kurdish minority in Turkey that the group will try to reach with primarily medical supplies. Torporovsky knows the boat will be stopped by the Turkish authorities, which will hopefully reverse the negative attention on Israel.

Torporovsky said the group is currently seeking a suitable vessel and enough funding to carry out its plans. Arik Ofir, a former naval officer and current business owner, has agreed to captain the ship. The group hopes to set sail by the end of the week.
Click to expand...

From my perspective, the best case scenario to all of this would be for Israel and Turkey to obliterate each other. The world would be a better place.
 
From my perspective, the best case scenario to all of this would be for Israel and Turkey to obliterate each other. The world would be a better place.
Click to expand...
WHOA! that's harsh!

but I am so sick and tired of these childish morons fighting each other over nothing i have to agree!

If they can't learn to get along they need a good spanking. :whack:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top