Council of Presidents

FLOTILLA ORGANIZERS RESPONSIBLE FOR TRAGIC EVENTS

REFUSED PEACEFUL OPTION AND DELIBERATELY CHOSE CONFRONTATION

New York, May 31, 2010… The tragic events aboard the Mavi Marmara earlier today were the result of a deliberate and unnecessary provocation organized primarily by groups with ties to terrorist entities including Hamas. As information emerges regarding what really occurred, it is apparent that members of the so-called humanitarian mission planned and executed attacks on soldiers and sailors from the IDF who repeatedly requested calm and gave multiple warnings urging boats to go to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where the aid would be unloaded and shipped through legal means to Gaza. It is now apparent that the soldiers were armed with paint ball guns and were ordered not to use pistols unless faced with a life-threatening situation. They were confronted with knives, clubs and other weapons as well as live fire from guns stolen from an Israeli soldier. Several months ago, the Egyptian government prevented an envoy with aid accompanied by many of the same people from entering Gaza.

“We urge all governments to refrain from a rush to judgment and to allow the facts to emerge. The Prime Minister is on his way back to Israel and will then be able to address this fully. There is nothing to be gained from succumbing to the pressures of those who seek an immediate condemnation of Israel,” said Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Chair Alan Solow and Executive Vice Chairman Malcolm Hoenlein.

“The Turkish group IHH, which organized the flotilla, is a radical anti-Western group that supports Hamas and is tied to the Islamic Brotherhood. IHH sought a confrontation from the very beginning of this trip. Israel requested that the flotilla redirect its humanitarian supplies to the port of Ashdod as a peaceful and non-violent option in order to deliver the supplies to Gaza through the appropriate and legal channels. Had the IHH not rejected Israel’s repeated offers and heeded Israel’s warnings, this outbreak of violence would have been easily avoided and the goods delivered to Gaza through the appropriate channels. Video footage shows that the Israeli soldiers repeatedly asked for calm, but the activists were trained and prepared to attack and inflict injuries.

“We regret the loss of life and the injuries. But the responsibility for these tragic events lies primarily with those who organized and carried out this extremist mission and those that aided and abetted them.

“The maritime blockade of Gaza – similar to those imposed by other countries in conflict situations – was imposed to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza and to protect the citizens of Israel who are subject to ongoing rocket attacks, with 150 this year alone. In the past, such ships were also used to bring arms to those fighting Israel’s right to exist. Following Israel’s complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and Hamas’ victory in the Gaza elections, Hamas took complete control, expelling Fatah and the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Europe and others and they all do not engage with Hamas.

“Israel has delivered more than 1 million tons of humanitarian aid since Operation Cast Lead last January and continues to deliver 10-15,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza per week. This is in addition to the vast amount of goods smuggled into Gaza through Egypt and other means.

“Why did we not hear the same voices of condemnation raised as thousands of rockets poured down on Israel or on behalf of Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Hamas more than four years ago and held incommunicado ever since? We wish that other countries would have acted like Cyprus, which refused to allow the flotilla to sail from its ports,” said Solow and Hoenlein.


FROM TODAY'S DAILY ALERT
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
Special Report: A Brutal Ambush at Sea - Ron Ben-Yishai
A few minutes before the takeover attempt aboard the Mari Marmara got underway, the operation commander was told that 20 people were waiting on the deck where a helicopter was to deploy the first team of Navy commandos. Officials estimated that passengers will show slight resistance, and possibly minor violence. The first rope that soldiers used in order to descend down to the ship was wrested away by activists, most of them Turks. Navy commandos slid down to the vessel one by one, yet then the unexpected occurred: The passengers that awaited them on the deck pulled out bats, clubs, [knives] and slingshots with glass marbles, assaulting each soldier as he disembarked. The fighters were nabbed one by one and were beaten up badly, yet they attempted to fight back.
However, to their misfortune, they were only equipped with paintball rifles used to disperse minor protests. One soldier who came to the aid of a comrade was captured by the rioters and sustained severe blows. The commandos were equipped with handguns but were told they should only use them in the face of life-threatening situations. When they came down from the chopper, they kept on shouting to each other "don't shoot, don't shoot," even though they sustained numerous blows.
The Navy commandos were prepared to mostly encounter political activists seeking to hold a protest, rather than trained street fighters. The soldiers were told they were to verbally convince activists who offer resistance to give up, and only then use paintballs. They were permitted to use their handguns only under extreme circumstances.
At one point, the attackers nabbed one commando, wrested away his handgun, and threw him down from the top deck to the lower deck, 30 feet below. The soldier sustained a serious head wound and lost consciousness. Only after this injury did troops ask for permission to use live fire. The commander approved it. The soldiers pulled out their handguns and started shooting at the rioters' legs, a move that ultimately neutralized them. Meanwhile, the rioters started to fire back. "I saw the tip of a rifle sticking out of the stairwell," one commando said. "He fired at us and we fired back. We didn't see if we hit him."
It appears that the error in planning the operation was the estimate that the passengers were indeed political activists and members of humanitarian groups who seek a political provocation but would not resort to brutal violence. (Ynet News)
UN Security Council Calls for Investigation of Israeli Flotilla Raid - Edith M. Lederer
The UN Security Council called Tuesday for an "impartial" investigation of Israel's commando raid on ships taking humanitarian aid to Gaza and condemned the "acts" that resulted in the loss of at least nine lives. The UN statement, which was weaker than what was initially demanded by the Arabs and Turkey because of objections by the U.S., called for "a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards." It condemned "those acts" that resulted in deaths, without naming Israel. Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said he doubted the potential "objectivity" and independence of any UN-sponsored investigation. "Considering the countries that support this option, we have every reason to fear for its independence."
U.S. deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff said: "The secretary-general called for a full investigation, and we believe the Israelis are capable of conducting a full investigation." Organizers of the flotilla said they would be sending two more ships to challenge the Gaza blockade within the next few days. (AP)
Flotilla Incident Complicates Relations with U.S. - Glenn Kessler
The timing of the flotilla incident is bad for Israel and the U.S. Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama were scheduled to meet Tuesday in Washington as part of a "kiss and make up" session. Now the White House talks have been scrubbed. In contrast with forceful statements from European, Arab and UN officials, the White House said Monday that Obama had held a phone conversation with Netanyahu in which the prime minister expressed "deep regret at the loss of life" and "the importance of learning all the facts and circumstances around this morning's tragic events."
The State Department issued a statement saying the U.S. remains "deeply concerned by the suffering of civilians in Gaza" and "will continue to engage the Israelis on a daily basis to expand the scope and type of goods allowed into Gaza." (Washington Post)
See also U.S. on Israel: "We're the Only Ones Who Believe Them" - Ben Smith
With much of the world expressing fury over the Israeli raid, the contrast with Washington's muted response could not have been more striking. "It's not only that we're the only ones who will stick up for them," said an American official. "We're the only ones who believe them - and what they're saying is true." The official was referring to Israeli protestations - backed by Israel Defense Forces video - that their solders were attacked by passengers on a ship headed for Gaza. The White House avoided any hint of criticism of the Israeli action in its public statements, and American officials appeared sympathetic to Israeli explanations that their soldiers were attacked by flotilla participants. (Politico)