FM Liberman talks with European FMs
31 May 2010
Communicated by Foreign Minister’s Bureau
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman is conducting a series of conversations with his counterparts from various countries. FM Liberman spoke a short time ago with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Baroness Catherine Ashton, and with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. The Israeli foreign minister told them that the passengers on the ships are not freedom fighters, but terrorist supporters who fired at IDF soldiers as soon as the latter boarded the ships.
FM Liberman explained to his colleagues that all Israeli attempts to enter into a dialogue at an earlier stage and reach an understanding with the organizers of the flotilla were rejected by them. Likewise, these “human rights knights” rejected an Israeli request to ask Hamas to allow the Red Cross to visit Gilad Shalit. What happened this morning was pre-planned violence and Israeli does not intend to allow any attack on its sovereignty by groups of terror-supporters and anarchists.
Liberman told Ashton and Westerwelle that Israel expects an objective approach that does not play into the hands of the planners of this violent provocation, who bear sole responsibility for the unfortunate consequences.
***** UPDATE *****
May 31, 2010
Israeli security forces and Magen David Adom are on highest alert and preparing for the possibility of violence across the country after Israeli naval commandos raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla May 31, Israel National News reported. Hamas is calling on Arabs to “take revenge on Israel.”
***** UPDATE *****
May 31, 2010
Israel has called on all Israeli nationals to leave Turkey immediately, Al Jazeera reported May 31
***** UPDATE *****
Turkey: Protesters Clash With Police Outside Israeli Consulate
May 30, 2010 STRATFOR
Dozens of stone-throwing, shouting protesters clashed with Turkish police guarding the Israeli consulate building in Istanbul, Haaretz reported May 31.
***** UPDATE *****
May 30, 2010 STRATFOR
Three Israeli navy missile boats intercepted the Gaza-bound aid flotilla May 30, killing at least two people and up to 50 more wounded, Haaretz reported. The boats had earlier left their base in Haifa to confront the flotilla, and issued a warning to the ships saying that if the order to avoid the blockade zone is ignored, the Israeli navy will take all necessary measures to enforce the blockade. The flotilla includes three passenger ships and three cargo ships.***** END *****
The article here does not mention the crucial fact that the Gaza bound flotilla refused orders to halt and turn back.
Eeyore:
“TIA GOLDENBERG, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS”,”TIA GOLDENBERG, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 31, 2010 12:08 a.m.
HAIFA, Israel – Israeli warships attacked at least one of the six ships carrying pro-Palestinian activists and aid for blockaded Gaza, killing at least two and wounding an unknown number of people on board, an Arabic satellite service and a Turkish TV network reported early Monday.
The Israeli military denied that its forces attacked the boats but said they would enforce the decision to keep them away from Gaza.
The al-Jazeera satellite channel reported by telephone from the Turkish ship leading the flotilla that Israeli navy forces fired at the ship and boarded it, wounding the captain. The Turkish NTV network also reported an Israeli takeover with gunfire, and at least two people were killed.
The al-Jazeera broadcast ended with a voice shouting in Hebrew, “Everybody shut up!”
A Turkish website showed video of pandemonium on board one of the ships, with activists in orange life jackets running around as some tried to help an activist apparently unconscious on the deck. The site also showed video of an Israeli helicopter flying overhead and Israeli warships nearby.
The reports came just after daybreak, with the flotilla still well away from the Gaza shore. Israel had declared it would not allow the ships to reach Gaza.
The head of the Gaza Hamas government, Ismail Haniyeh, condemned the “brutal” Israeli attack.
“We call on the Secretary-General of the U.N., Ban Ki-moon, to shoulder his responsibilities to protect the safety of the solidarity groups who were on board these ships and to secure their way to Gaza,” Haniyeh told The Associated Press.
On Sunday, Huwaida Arraf, one of the organizers, said the six-ship flotilla began the journey from international waters off the coast of Cyprus on Sunday afternoon after two days of delays. She said they expected to reach Gaza, about 250 miles (400 kilometres) away, on Monday afternoon, and that two more ships would follow in “a. For page 2 please visit:
