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Talkbacks (1)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday spoke with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and asked him to work towards stopping a planned flotilla which is scheduled to arrive in Gaza in May. Netanyahu told Ban that the flotilla is being organized partly by radical Islamists, whose aim is to provoke and cause violence.
Netanyahu said that today Gaza is open to all types of goods through land borders. "Because of the attempt to smuggle weapons into Gaza by sea, Israel must act with force against the flotilla," Netanyahu said.
Earlier in March, pro-Palestinian movements in Europe, including the Free Gaza movement, said they planned to send another flotilla to Gaza in mid-May. Organizers have said that the flotilla will include 15 ships from a number of different countries, and thousands are expected to participate.
At their meeting Amsterdam, the Free Gaza movement urged the governments of participating nationals to take the necessary steps to protect those nationals who will participate, the Kuwait News Agency reported. The flotilla will reportedly be called "Freedom Fleet 2."
Last year, a flotilla from Turkey roused controversy when nine passengers were killed as IDF soldiers intercepted one of the ships, the Mavi Marmara. Turkey has called on Israel to apologize for the deaths of the citizens, and to provide compensation to the families of those who died. Israel has agreed to provide compensation, but refused to admit that its actions were unlawful and accept blame.
The Turkel Committee, which was established in Israel to investigate the events that occurred surrounding the Mavi Marmara raid, concluded that the IDF conducted its operation following international law, whereas a Turkish investigation found that Israeli soldiers shot five victims at close range, and that two were killed before the soldiers even boarded the ship.
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