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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Gaza flotilla planned provocation: Ehud Barak |
| 2010-08-11 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Israel's defense minister on Tuesday said a Gaza-bound aid flotilla seized in a bloody commando raid was a "planned provocation" and that Israel had expected violence weeks before the operation. "The flotilla of May 31 was a planned provocation," Ehud Barak said in sworn testimony before an Israeli commission established to examine the legality of the raid and Israel's four-year blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Barak said that during discussions going back to April "the image that emerged... was that the organizations (behind the flotilla) were preparing for armed conflict to embarrass Israel." Clashes erupted on board one of the ships when naval commandos rappelled onto the deck, with activists attacking the soldiers with knives and clubs and the soldiers opening fire, killing nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists. The incident sparked an international outcry and severely strained relations with Israel's once-close Muslim ally Turkey. It also led Israel to ease its four-year closure of the territory, allowing in all purely civilian goods. Barak said various alternatives were discussed in the weeks leading up to the raid and that he and other senior officials had considered the possibility that the activists would attack the troops when they landed. "We regret any loss of life," the minister said. "But we would have lost more lives if we had behaved differently." He also defended Israel's naval blockade and border restrictions on Gaza, which in the years leading up to the raid sealed the territory off from all but basic goods and humanitarian aid. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 "We regret any loss of life," the minister said. "But we would have lost more next time, come in hard and knock some heads if anybody moves. Disable the ship, tow it to Egypt and let them smack the 'tards around a little |
| Posted by: Frank G on the road 2010-08-11 11:30 |