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Israeli Knesset Member: Israel Wanted High Number Of
Fatalities
Navy Commander: "Next time we'll use more
force"
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A member of the Israeli Knesset, the legislative branch of the
Israeli government, who was on board the Marmara ship when it
was ambushed by IDF troops, has told reporters that the intention
of the raid was to kill as many on board as they could in order
to ward off others from attempting to reach Gaza by sea.
Hanin Zoabi, who currently serves as a member of the Knesset
representing the Balad party, made the following comments
at a press gathering today:
"It was clear from the size of the force that boarded
the ship that the purpose was not only to stop this sail, but
to cause the largest possible number of fatalities in order
to stop such initiatives in the future."
Zoabi added that the international flotilla to Gaza did not
have any intention to cause violence:
"Our goal was to break the siege. We had no plans for
a confrontation. Israel carried out a provocative military operation.
Israel is used to doing as it pleases with the Palestinians.
The main problem is not the ship, but the siege."
Zoabi, a Palestinian Arab citizen of Israel, also told the
media that she did not hear any warning from the Israeli commandos
before they boarded the ship, an account that conflicts with
statements from several Israeli government officials.
"They were dinghies and choppers. At 4:30 am the forces
landed quickly. I did not hear any warning from the ships, because
noise was coming from the ships and the choppers. Within 10
minutes there were already three bodies. The entire operation
took about an hour." Zoabi said.
Zoabi described gunshots coming from the Israeli boats toward
her direction. While she also claimed that from her vantage
point there was no resistance from the activists once the commandoes
boarded, video footage has revealed that the troops were attacked
with poles. However,
the evidence suggests that this was after the fact
that they had been fired upon, and sustained fatalities, despite
raising a white flag.
"A clear message was being sent to us, for us to know
that our lives were in danger. We convened that we were not
interested in a confrontation. What we saw was five bodies.
There were only civilians and there were no weapons. There was
a sense that I may not come out of it alive. Israel spoke of
a provocation, but there was no provocation." Zoabi said.
Zoabi's party published a statement saying, "Those who
should be questioned are Barak and Netanyahu, who gave the order
for an armed takeover in the middle of the sea. Behind this
crime are criminals who should be interrogated."
As prominent political scientist Norman
Finklestein has pointed out, the Israeli government
convened and mapped out what actions would be taken against
the flotilla weeks ago. Given that heavily armed elite commandos
were sent in under cover of darkness and reportedly fired at
sleeping civilians according to eyewitnesses, it can only be
assumed that the intention of the Israeli government all along
was to use force, as Hanin Zoabi claims.
This is backed up by the discovery
of an apparent assassination list which had been
prepared in advance by the Israelis, showing names and pictures
of people on board of the ships to be murdered, who, according
to Israel, were “involved in the International humanitarian
aid for Gaza”.
Prior to the launch of the Flotilla, it
was suggested in the Israeli press that the involvement
of pro-Palistinian and Hamas-affiliated figures involved in
the convoy, including Zoabi, indicated that the mission was
not humanitarian in its nature and was a direct provocation.
The flotilla was also manned by the head of the Islamic Movement's
Northern Branch Raed Salah and the head of the Arab-Israeli
Higher Monitoring Committee Muhammad Zidan, as well as members
of the Muslim Brothers activist movement in Britain.
In the wake of what has unfolded, Israeli officials have seized
on the presence of these figures to justify the actions of the
IDF.
However, while Israel considers these people enemies of the
state, it
is clear from videos and testimony presented on
the websites witnessgaza.com
and freegaza.org
that the flotilla, which was manned by over 700 activists, intellectuals
and political figures from over 40 countries, was entirely peaceful
and constituted no physical threat to Israel.
Despite worldwide condemnation, Israeli forces have declared
that next time they will use more force.
"We boarded the ship and were attacked as if it was a
war," a top Navy commander told The
Jerusalem Post.
"That will mean that we will have to come prepared in
the future as if it was a war."
Israeli has also released images of what it says are weapons
found aboard the Marmara. They consist of a hammer, a wrench,
a spanner, a screwdriver, kitchen knives, wooden and metal poles
- all items you would find on board the boat in any situation.
Other items include a slingshot and some rocks and a bottle
with tubing and wires that Israel calls an "improvised
explosive device" - hardly an impressive arsenal, certainly
not something you'd go about attacking a machine gun wielding
elite commando unit with.
Another two ships, including The Rachel Corrie, are expected
to attempt to enter Israeli waters in the coming days. Activists
on board the Corrie are reported
to have decided to go ahead with their attempt
to break Israel's blockade.
Because the Corrie is is an Irish-flagged vessel, any attack
on it in international waters would be an attack on the government
and people of Ireland. Michael Higgins, the foreign affairs
spokesman of the Irish Labour Party today called
on the Government to demand safe passage for the Corrie.
In a statement, he said some of those on the vessel had contacted
him earlier today and had stressed they wanted to avoid conflict
and to be allowed unload their cargo to help the residents of
the Gaza Strip.
"The Minister for Foreign Affairs . . . must make it clear
that any assault on the Rachel Corrie would be regarded as a
hostile act against Ireland and a clear breach of international
law that could not be ignored by this country," Mr Higgins
said.
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