The footage above shows Israeli Defense Forces boarding the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship in the ‘Free Gaza’ Flotilla. The IDF is being violently attacked by demonsrrators on board who are wielding metal poles and chairs. Obviously, The passengers on the flotilla were not “peace activists” as some in other media outlets might have some think. The clip above shows one of the passengers throwing an IDF soldier over the side of the ship, and the clip below shows so called “peace activists” stabbing an IDF soldier.
According to reports some Flotilla passengers managed to grab firearms from IDF soldiers and opened fire. Seven IDF soldiers were injured and at least nine demonstrators were killed. Here is how Reuters and the AP described the encounter:
Israeli commandos who raided a Gaza aid ship on Monday were set upon by activists with knives and clubs and some troops jumped overboard to save themselves, according to an Israeli account.
Israel said commandos opened fire in self-defence and 10 activists were killed and seven troops wounded. With Israel jamming signals and censoring media, there was little independent reporting of the events at sea.
An Israeli military spokesman said some of the commandos were equipped with paintball guns but the non-lethal weapons were not enough against activists who charged in with batons.
“They had pistols with live ammunition as back-up, to defend themselves,” he said.
One of the commandos told reporters he descended by rope from a helicopter onto one of the six ships in the convoy and was immediately attacked by a group of people waiting for them.
“They beat us with metal sticks and knives,” he said. “There was live fire at some point against us.”
As a result of the incident, Turkey cancelled three planned joint military exercises with Israel, and Ankara said Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan would cut short an official visit to Latin America to return home, reports Reuters. The Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is presently urging the U.N. security council to condemn Israel. UN humanitarian chief John Holmes already condemned the Israelis on Monday.
This is a predictable response from an international body that supports and enables tyrants on a regular basis. While a number of reports are saying the flotilla was providing “humanitarian aid” to Gaza, it would be foolish to simply believe that at face value.
Given the smuggling of weapons into Gaza to Hamas and the terrorist group’s repeated attacks on Israel, the IDF cannot allow every boat through its naval blockade. If the individuals on the flotilla had nothing to hide, there was no reason to lash out so violently towards Israeli forces.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fully supports the Israeli army’s action against the Gaza-bound flotilla, the premier’s office said in a statement on Monday. Mr. Netanyahu was scheduled to meet with President Obama on Tuesday, but the Israeli Prime Minister cancelled and spoke to Mr. Obama by phone on Monday instead.
