ISRAEL: Naval ships return to Ashdod following deadly clash at sea as Israeli demonstrators protest at port

Record ID: 396079

  • Title: ISRAEL: Naval ships return to Ashdod following deadly clash at sea as Israeli demonstrators protest at port
  • Date: 1st June 2010
  • Summary: ASHDOD PORT, ISRAEL (MAY 31, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ASHDOD PORT MEDIA WATCHING PORT FROM HILL
  • Embargoed: 16th June 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: War / Fighting,Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVA39JEJ4V4O34X2B746F827M28O
  • Story Text: Israeli military ships returned to Israel's ports on Monday (May 31) after Israeli commandos stormed Gaza-bound aid ships and more than 10 of the mostly international activists aboard were killed, unleashing a diplomatic crisis and a Palestinian charge of "massacre".
    On hills overlooking Ashdod port, right and left wing supporters argued over Israel's handling of the aid flotilla. Right wing supporters, covering themselves with Israeli flags, supported the storming of the ships. Left wing supporters denounced the blockade of Gaza as inhumane and illegal.
    "These people died last night and dozens were wounded and this whole mission set out because governments did not do their job, it's the governments responsibility of the world and the UN to end this siege, which is illegal, which is inhumane, which is immoral, and if the governments don't do their work, people have to get up. I didn't want to get on a boat and go through the Israeli Navy and get arrested, these people didn't want to die," Jeff Halper who took part in another aid convoy in 2008 said.
    The violent end to a Turkish-backed attempt to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip by six ships carrying some 600 people and 10,000 tonnes of supplies raised a storm of protest across the Middle East and far beyond.
    As the navy escorted the vessels into Israel's port of Ashdod, accounts remained sketchy of the pre-dawn interception out in the Mediterranean, in which marines stormed aboard from dinghies and rappelled down from helicopters. Israel said "more than 10" activists died. Israeli media cited up to 19 dead.
    The bloodshed sparked street protests and government ire in Turkey, long Israel's lone Muslim ally in the region, which had supported the convoy. The European Union demanded an inquiry and France and Germany said they were "shocked". The United Nations condemned violence against civilians in international waters.
    Israeli officials said the marines were met with gunfire and knives when they boarded the ships, which included a large ferry flying the Turkish flag. Activists seized at least two pistols from the boarding party, the officials said.
    Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the incident a massacre and declared three days of official mourning for the dead.
    In a statement, the Israeli military said that in addition to the dead, numerous activists and five troops were injured.
    Amid signal jamming and media censorship by Israel, there was little independent reporting of the drama at sea. Turkish television aired video apparently showing a commando climbing down a rope and clashing with a man wielding a stick.
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