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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Gaza activists warn Israel not to block new convoy |
| 2011-05-31 |
| ISTANBUL - Pro-Palestinian activists told Israel on Monday not to interfere in a planned aid flotilla to Gaza in late June, barely a year after Israeli commandos boarded an aid ship killing eight Turks and one Turkish-American. Holding a news conference on the deck of the Mavi Marmara where the May 31 2010 confrontation occurred, a coalition of 22 activist groups called on governments to ensure there was no re-run of the incident. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has asked governments to discourage activists from sending a new convoy and Turkey has told them of the risks of trying to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, but said they are outside government control. Well, there's one government that can control them... “They will not attack. We don’t believe they will repeat the same big mistake against humanity,” said Huseyin Oruc, a spokesman for the Turkey-based IHH Islamic charity. “It is the Mavi Marmara, it is a peace boat and the other 14 boats are also peace boats,” he told the news conference on the ship, overlooking the Golden Horn inlet in Istanbul, as workmen carried out maintenance work on the decks below. In an interview with Reuters on Monday Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the onus was on Israel to avoid any repeat of the bloodshed, adding it should abandon its illegal blockade of 1.5 million Palestinians living in the enclave. “We are sending a clear message to all those concerned. The same tragedy should not be repeated again,” he said. But Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon warned that future flotillas would be stopped for security reasons and accused IHH of provocation, setting the stage for a possible confrontation. He said Turkey was not acting responsibly. “No responsible country allows its citizens to go to conflict areas, areas under dispute and clashes, in which they can get hurt. We have had great success with all of the region’s countries except Turkey,” he told a TV interview in Jerusalem. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #9 I just had an incredible thought. These terrorists come equipped with their own prison hulk! Disable them out away from shore, too far to swim. air drop enough food to barely survive and simply leave them there. Sink any boat that tries to approach them. |
| Posted by: Silentbrick - Lost Drill Bit Division - Halliburton 2011-05-31 16:38 |
| #8 What is the rationale for this convoy now that the Egyptian crossing in/out of Gaza is now open? They can get all the goods they need through that gate. What??!! You mean this is all a publicity stunt!!! Shocked...shocked I tell you! |
| Posted by: remoteman 2011-05-31 14:25 |
| #7 Sink 'em this time. They've been warned several times, and don't appear to believe it can happen to them. Teach them. |
| Posted by: mojo 2011-05-31 12:20 |
| #6 “We are sending a clear message to all those concerned. The same tragedy should not be repeated again,” he said. Let's get real. They would not be the Paleostinians if the same tragedy was not repeated over and over. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2011-05-31 10:19 |
| #5 "Hey Juice, where this whole come from?" "I don't know Ahmed. Maybe you shouldn't buy Russian next time?" |
| Posted by: Charles 2011-05-31 09:31 |
| #4 "Warn"? Sounds more like "beg". |
| Posted by: tu3031 2011-05-31 08:56 |
| #3 And there's all kind of stuff like fish nets floating around that could get caught in the screws. Would be real unfortunate if the Israeli Navy had to tow them in. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2011-05-31 07:33 |
| #2 Sometimes hulls start leaking at seacocks and other places below the waterline. Especially in old rust buckets, like the Patna. Just sayin'. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2011-05-31 03:14 |
| #1 Hey look, a new "Aid" convoy, arm the torpedos. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2011-05-31 01:01 |