Weapons Found on Ship Carrying "Peace Activists" Source: IDF Spokesperson
The following account came via my husband’s former boss:
I am disgusted and dismayed. Not by the actions of the Israeli Navy, but by the silence (so far) of our leaders who are supposed to explain to the world what is going on. The information below comes from my son who serves in the Navy and has just arrived home from Ashdod.
We realized that the flotilla of ships trying to reach Gaza was a provocation. No one realized how heavily they were armed. Five of the ships were boarded by the naval commando in the early hours of this morning and surrendered without resistance. The ships were taken to Ashdod, and the food they were carrying will be sent to Gaza, which as we know receives daily supplies of food, electricity and other essentials from the “Zionist entity” it refuses to recognize. When the commando boarded the sixth ship, the Marmara, they faced armed resistance. The gunmen – many of whom were clearly prepared to be “shahidin,” martyrs – jumped on them in an organized lynch and started to stab them and beat them with clubs, knives and metal poles. After they grabbed one of our soldiers and threw him overboard, and started shooting the other soldiers with his rifle, they had no alternative but to open fire to protect themselves. In such a situation, it is surprising there were so few casualties. About ten IDF soldiers were injured, some seriously. My son will start his day tomorrow visiting one of them, a former schoolmate, at Tel Hashomer hospital , before returning to Ashdod. I am disgusted and dismayed. Not by the actions of the Israeli Navy, but by the silence (so far) of our leaders who are supposed to explain to the world what is going on.
Please pass this on to whoever might be willing to listen to the truth.
Here is additional information on the unfolding story:
First, the scene as the Israeli navy commandos landed on the deck. Note that the “Free Gaza” spokespeople reported that the commandos opened fire immediately.
Another personal account by a naval officer on the ship, via Ynet.
For regular updates, see IsraellyCool and Muqata.
Facebook Meets the Flotilla, an editorial by Daniel Gordis
With all of the criticism of Israel there has been little mention of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held captive in Gaza for over four years.
Related: The father quoted above wrote about Yom Kippur on a Navy Boat.
I KNEW that the “humanitarian supplies” was just a big scam. Otherwise why wouldn’t they agree to the contents being examined?
Hannah, you have done a great service posting this. I haven’t even opened the English-language press; I don’t have the stomach for it quite yet.
Thanks, bookishima.
Thanks, Hannah, I already spread it to all my contacts.
Anima, thank you.
Thank you for redefining ‘peace activist’ – as one who will use any means to distrupt peace. I had always thought it was related to a peace pacifist – someone who seeks peace.
George, thanks for stopping by.
The Wall Street Journal is doing a fairly good job of covering this in the English-language press.
(Un?)fortunately for Israel, everyone in the US is consumed with the oil spill environmental disaster and appears to not even register the terrible incident with those “peace activists”.
Ms. Krieger, you would never get that impression here.
shocky shock
i am sure that obama administartion also realise that it was provocation, but now its getting more and more evident that usa is going to use situation in oder to spoil relations with israel. policy of russia and usa on middle east is pretty inconsistent, but it looks like they will always choose black oil instead of justice.