What is New in the Israel/Palestine Conflict

Peter Falk

Mohamed Boazizif: The spark that ignited
Arab Spring

Undoubtedly transfixed by the extraordinary developments throughout the Arab world since Mohamed Boazizi’s self-immolation on December 17, 2010: from Tahrir Square to the NATO intervention in Libya to bloody confrontations in Syria, Yemen, Bahrain to the eerie quiet in Algeria to the relative and temporary calm in Morocco, there has been a widespread few have noticed that the Israeli/Palestine conflict has changed its character in fundamental respects during the last couple of years.

                      For some the first of these transformative developments may have been realized for somewhat longer, but now almost everybody knows, except for those in high places, especially in Washington and Tel Aviv who seem to have a political need not to know. The stark fact is that both Israel and Palestine have no hope that international negotiations between governmental representatives of the two sides has any chance of reaching an agreement that will end the conflict. Israelis, especially those backing the Netanyahu government never desired or believed in the possibility of a diplomatic solution. The ‘peace process’ that started in Oslo back in 1993 has steadily deteriorated the Palestinian prospects while enhancing those of Israel; it has been worse than gridlock for the Palestinians and a smokescreen for Israelis to carry out their expansionist plans while pretending to be pursuing a political compromise based on withdrawing from land occupied in 1967. The sequel to Oslo has been a pathetic enterprise, taking the form of ‘the quartet’ (U.S., European Union, Russia, and the UN) setting forth a roadmap that was supposed to lead the Palestinians to a state of their own drawn along the borders of the green line, but in practice has been a charade that Israel has scoffed at while representatives of the Palestinian Authority seemed to believe that it was worth playing along, although working within the confines of the occupation to establish governmental institutions that could claim statehood by unilateral self-assertion. The PA did seize this option last September when President Mahmoud Abbas made his historic plea to the UN General Assembly, but was stymied by exertion of U.S. geopolitical muscle on Israel’s behalf. At this point even the PA seems to have abandoned its effort to challenge a supposed status quo that is more realistically comprehended as a toxic mixture of annexation and apartheid should no longer be called ‘occupation.’

            Apparently to please Washington, and to a lesser extent the EU, neither Tel Aviv nor the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah have openly repudiated diplomacy, and continue to give lip service to a readiness to talk yet again, although the PA has at least the dignity to insist that no further negotiations can occur until Israel agrees to halt settlement expansion in the West Bank. To demand that Israel discontinue unlawful activities that impact upon what is being discussed should be regarded as a no brainer, but it is treated by the world media as though the Palestinians were seeking a huge concession from the Israelis, and in a way it is, if we acknowledge that the Netanyahu government is essentially a regime under the control of the settlers.

            The second of these under observed developments in the conflict is a definite shift toward nonviolence by the Palestinians. In different sites of struggle the Palestinians have confirmed the declarations of their leaders that resistance no longer primarily refers to armed struggle and suicide bombings, but is based on a range of nonviolent undertakings that challenge the legitimacy of Israeli policies, above all its oppressive policies and structures of abuse and exploitation in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.

Report: Turkey set to indict IDF officers over killing of Gaza flotilla activists

Harretz
Barak Ravid

Turkish daily says Ankara's prosecutor readies 144-page document that accuses top Israeli officers, including former army chief Gabi Ashkenazi, of ordering intentional killing, wounding of Turkish nationals on Mavi Marmara; charges still need to be approved by Istanbul district prosecutor.

Turkey’s chief prosecutor is expected to charge retired Israeli defense officials, including former army chief Gabi Ashkenazi, for ordering the intentional killing of activists during a 2010 Israel Defense Forces raid of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, a report said on Wednesday. 

According to the Turkish daily Sabah, Ankara's chief prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya is due to file a 144-page indictment targeting Ashkenazi, former Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin, former Israel Navy chief Eliezer Maron, and former head of Israel Air force's intelligence wing Avishai Levy over the raid on the Mavi Marmara, which resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish nationals. 

The report indicated that Turkey intended to charge the former officials for ordering IDF troops to intentionally kill, wound, and abduct Turkish activists, as well as encourage their torture and loot their belongings. 

Turkey issued warrants against all four former Israeli officers, and they could be arrested on arrival in Turkey, the report added. 

Israel's raid of the Gaza-bound flotilla proved a watershed moment in Israel-Turkey relations, with the once staunch allies trading blame over responsibility for the incident. 

Turkey has insisted that Israel apologize for the raid and its consequences, as well as pay reparations to the families of those killed; Israel has, thus far, refused to do so. 

Turkey says Israel not welcome at NATO summit

 Reuters

Turkey has refused to allow Israel to take part in a NATO summit next month because the Jewish state has not apologized for the 2010 killing of Turkish activists in a raid on a ship taking aid to Palestinians, a Turkish official said on Monday.

Relations between the regional powers deteriorated sharply after Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara aid vessel in May 2010 to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and killed nine Turks in clashes with activists.

Last September, Turkey expelled Israel's envoy and froze military cooperation after a U.N. report on the raid failed to prompt an apology from Israel.

"We did not give our consent on that issue," a Turkish official told Reuters when asked if Turkey was blocking Israel's participation in a NATO summit in Chicago on May 20-21.

He said Turkey was still seeking an official apology and compensation for the victims of the Mavi Marmara raid.

"NATO is an alliance and even though Israel is not a member its attendance means ... positive dialogue with NATO and all its members and without sorting this issue out we deem it not appropriate for Israel to be around," the official said.

Turkish media reported that some NATO members had sought Israel's participation in the summit as part of the alliance's partnership cooperation program, designed to strengthen relations with non-member countries.

Israel is a member of the Mediterranean Dialogue, a NATO outreach program, along with six other non-NATO countries.

The Turkish official rejected the description of the move as Turkey "blocking" Israel's attendance, saying the NATO secretariat and NATO allies would not bring the issue to the agenda officially, knowing Ankara's stance on the issue.

A NATO spokeswoman said there had not been a discussion on inviting Israel to the Chicago summit.
The United States has tried to encourage a rapprochement between Turkey and Israel in the face of turmoil in the Middle East.

The issue of Israel's participation was brought up at a NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on April 18 attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News said.
It said ministers from some NATO countries, including the United States, France and Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, indirectly criticized Turkey for bringing its bilateral problems with Israel to the NATO platform.

"You are talking about being partners and partnership values. But partners, first of all, should act like partners, so that we'll treat them accordingly," the paper reported Davutoglu as telling his NATO colleagues.

(Additional Reporting by Sebastian Moffett; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Israel-Turkey flotilla talks break down

Perth Now

A UN-sponsored report accused Israel of using force prematurely and causing "unacceptable" deaths in its assault of a Gaza-bound ship that killed nine Turks more than a year ago, a Turkish source said today. 

Israel and Turkey failed to reach agreement, refusing to sign the report about the Israeli raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara in May last year, which was due to be handed to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon later today, the source said on condition of anonymity.

"Non-violent options should have been used in the first instance," the Turkish source quoted the report as saying.

The dead and wounded resulting from the raid were "unacceptable", the report added.
The Mavi Marmara was leading a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory, subject to an Israeli-imposed blockade, when an intervention by Israeli security forces in international waters ended in bloodshed.

Nine Turkish passengers were killed in the assault on the ship that had been chartered by a Turkish Islamist group.

Following the May 31 raid, Turkey withdrew its ambassador in Tel Aviv, vowing that bilateral relations "would never be the same".

Israel refused to sign the report after a commission of inquiry concluded that its forces had acted in an "excessive" manner by swooping on the Mavi Marmara a long way from the Gaza Strip and without giving a final warning to the vessel.

The source said Turkey's refusal to sign off on the report stemmed from the fact that it did not say Israel's blockade of Gaza was illegal.

Over the past year, Ankara has repeatedly said it was demanding apologies and compensation from Israel for the victims' families.

Still, there have been signs in recent weeks that the two countries were trying to overcome their differences.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel and Turkey were looking to heal the breach in relations that followed the flotilla incident.

"We are seeking ways of improving our current relations," Mr Netanyahu told journalists in Bucharest yesterday.

Israel may let new flotilla reach Gaza

Irish Times

A Palestinian worker walks past iron rods
at a construction site in Gaza.
Photograph: Marco Longari/ Getty Images

Israel is considering allowing the Freedom Flotilla 2, due to sail next month, to reach Gaza, to prevent a repeat of last summer’s clash between flotilla participants and Israeli forces.

A document drawn up by the foreign ministry in Jerusalem and presented to prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu suggested as one option allowing the vessels to reach Gaza without interference.

Such a scenario, it was argued, would not undermine the legality of Israel’s naval blockade imposed on the Hamas-controlled strip. As proof, foreign ministry officials noted that when Ehud Olmert was prime minister several vessels were permitted to reach Gaza.



 Another alternative presented to Mr Netanyahu is to have Cypriot forces carry out security checks on the flotilla. If the vessels were not carrying weapons, they would be allowed to proceed.



According to reports, Turkey’s IHH organisation is planning a large flotilla to mark the one-year anniversary of last year’s interception. Six vessels were boarded by Israeli commandos on May 31st, resulting in the deaths of nine Turkish activists when clashes broke out on the main vessel, the Mavi Marmara . The lead vessel on this year’s flotilla is again expected to be the Mavi Marmara, which will be accompanied by 15 vessels and nearly 1,000 activists from dozens of countries.



Irish supporters have reportedly purchased a vessel to take part in the flotilla. Irish activists due to sail include former Fianna Fáil TD Chris Andrews and his party colleague Senator Mark Daly, Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Left Alliance TD Richard Boyd Barrett, Sinn Féin councillor Gerry MacLochlainn from Derry and artist Felim Egan.



Israel is keen to avoid a repeat of last year’s clash which soured relations with Turkey and forced Israel to significantly ease the restrictions on what it allowed in to Gaza. Over recent months, officials said that a new flotilla will not be allowed to reach Gaza.

Mr Netanyahu told European ambassadors this week that the flotilla was a provocation. “This is not a peace flotilla but a deliberate provocation to seek to ignite this part of the Middle East. You should transmit to your governments that this flotilla must be stopped,” he said. Israeli officials stressed that any genuine humanitarian assistance can be delivered overland to Gaza via the Israeli-controlled crossing points.



Israel has contacted all the states where activists are organising, including Ireland, in an effort to persuade them to co-operate with Jerusalem to stop the sailing. So far these efforts have not borne fruit.

Israel’s ambassador to Turkey, Gabi Levy, met foreign ministry officials in Ankara this week to express Israeli concerns.



In tandem with the diplomatic moves, the army continued preparations to intercept a new flotilla.



Operation Green Pastures is aimed at stopping the vessels as far as possible from Gaza. Military sources said the army was working on “new methods” to deal with the activists, but warned that despite the planning there was a “high probability” of casualties this time around as well.



Arthur Beesley adds : After US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said the Obama administration was planning a new push to promote a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace deal, Middle East envoy Tony Blair said it was important to revive the process “as best we can”. “I hope very much that in the coming weeks, because I think this is very urgent, we will see an attempt to revive the political process in a way that gives us a chance of putting together the state-building exercise that we are advocating,” he said.

Mr Blair was speaking to reporters in Brussels after a meeting of the international donor group for the Palestinians. The group, chaired by Norwegian foreign minister Jonas Gahr Store, welcomed the joint World Bank, IMF and UN assessment that the Palestinian Authority was “above the threshold” for a functioning state in key sectors.

While the authority’s prime minister, Salam Fayyad, welcomed that report as being akin to a “birth certificate” for a Palestinian state, Mr Blair said that could happen only through negotiation. “What we need to go along with this now obviously is a credible political negotiation, so that the politics can start to help and support the changes that are happening on the ground,” he said.



“If we can achieve a political process that in a way matches what is going on the ground . . . That is the optimum outcome and that is what we want to see.”

Netanyahu asks UN's Ban to help stop Gaza flotilla in May

Jerusalem Post

PM tells UN secretary general that fleet of ships scheduled to arrive in Gaza in May is being organized by "radical Islamists."

Netanyahu

PM tells UN secretary general that fleet of ships scheduled to arrive in Gaza in May is being organized by "radical Islamists."
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.

US defends Israeli flotilla attack

Note:  This is how the United States government reacts when a U.S. citizen is murdered in international waters by Israeli forces. 

Press TV

The US has described an Israeli probe into a raid on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla aid convoy that killed nine Turkish activists as a "credible and impartial" effort.

The praise came after an Israeli investigation panel declared Tel Aviv's military attack on the Freedom Flotilla as "legal" under international law, Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported.

The panel also claimed that the Israeli soldiers who took part in the killing of the nine activists acted in self-defense.

The activists aboard the aid convoy, which was attacked in international waters, were unarmed and only planned to deliver aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip.

"We think that this is an independent report, credible and impartial and transparent investigation that has been undertaken by Israel," US State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said on Monday.

This is while an independent Turkish committee investigating the incident concluded on Sunday that "the Israeli Army used excessive force against the Mavi Marmara [the lead ship of the six-vessel fleet].”

Israeli commandos attacked the convoy in international waters on May 31, 2010, killing nine Turkish activists and injuring about 50 others.

The Israeli assault on the aid convoy provoked an international outcry, prompting Knesset members to set up a commission to investigate the legality of the raid as well as Israel's blockade of Gaza.

Responding to the Israeli report, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the report had "no value or credibility," with the Turkish Foreign Ministry issuing a statement saying it was "appalled and dismayed" at the Israeli investigative committee's finding.

Turkish PM: Israel Must Apologize for Raid on Flotilla

Voices of America

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again urged Israel to apologize for, and compensate the victims of, a raid earlier this year on a flotilla trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.

Mr. Erdogan said Saturday if Israel fails to make those gestures it will remain isolated in the Middle East. He accused Israel of committing state terrorism.

Eight Turkish activists and one Turkish-American were killed during Israel's raid in May on the ship Mavi Marmara. Israel said its troops acted in self-defense after being attacked by activists.

A few days ago, Turkish lawyers for pro-Palestinian activists filed a complaint in the International Criminal Court, accusing Israel of war crimes in its flotilla raid. That filing revived an issue that has severely strained Israel's relations with Turkey.

A delegation representing 300 activists and a Turkish organization submitted the complaint to the prosecutor's office in The Hague, seeking an investigation of the raid. The prosecutor's office offered no comment on whether it intends to pursue the case.

The court, which began work in 2002 as the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal, receives hundreds of complaints every year. So far it has filed indictments against 17 war crimes suspects, all of them involved in African conflicts.

“Why Is the U.S. Government Deaf to What Has Been Done to My Son?” Asks Father of an American Murdered on the Gaza Flotilla

uruknet.info

by Ann Wright

Through his lawyers in Turkey, Ahmet Dogan, the father of Furkan Dogan, the 19 year old American citizen who was executed by Israeli commandos has challenged the U.S. government its lack concern about the death of his son.

Dogan was killed by commandos who shot him twice in the head and three times in other parts of his body on May 31, 2010 on the Mavi Marmara in the Gaza flotilla.

"Up to this moment, I still do not understand why the United States government is deaf to what has been done to my son, an American citizen. I urge the U.S. government to act to defend the rights of my son. I also would like to know why the U.S. voted against the Gaza Flotilla Report of the UN Fact Finding Mission at the Human Rights Council last week, as that report included information about the execution of my son, " said Dogan. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vincent-warren/the-us-must-answer-what-d_b_755709.html)

U.S. votes against the U.N. Human Rights Council Fact Finding Mission report

The only country to vote against acceptance of the U.N Human Rights Council fact finding report (http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/15session/A.HRC.15.21_en.pdf ) on the Gaza flotilla, was the United States.

Mark Kornblau, a spokesman for the U.S. mission to the United Nations, said "The report's language, tone and conclusions are unbalanced." According to the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/29/AR2010092907857.html?sub=AR), another senior U.S. official said the Human Rights Council had rushed the establishment of the panel and "not made adequate efforts to get Israeli cooperation in the investigation," although the report itself details the numerous attempts by the fact finding mission to gain cooperation from the Israeli government.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office called the U.N report "biased" and "distorted." In a radio interview, Israel's deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon said the report was "a big lie."

The United States has not conducted its own investigation into the death Furkan Dogan, but instead is relying on Israel to conduct "a thorough investigation" into his death and to "share its findings" with the U.S.

U.S. Passengers Send Letter to Secretary of State Clinton about U.S. Government Lack of Effort in Conducting an Investigation of the Death of a U.S. Citizen

On October 6, Furkan Dogan's father joined the U.S. passengers on the Gaza Flotilla in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that stated that they "are appalled at the lack of any visible, active effort on the part of any agency in our government to conduct and release an independent investigation of the killing of one and assaults on other Americans by a foreign military force, the Israeli commandos." (http://www.freegaza.org/attachments/1255_Letter.pdf)

The U.S. passengers also challenged the Obama administration's protection of criminal actions by Israel at the expense of American citizens. "Protecting Israeli actions, particularly the complete reliance on its reports on the acts of its own military at the expense of American citizens, is an absolute dereliction of the responsibilities of our government. The State Department has allied itself with Israel, ignoring its responsibilities to its own citizens. We have been abandoned by our own government, and we demand an investigation of why and how the Department of State and the American Embassy in Tel Aviv have totally failed in their responsibilities to us."

With passengers' video and photo evidence of the attacks on the Mavi Marmara and the five other ships of the flotilla still in the hands of the Israeli government after four months, the passengers wrote: "We are also angered by lack of any concerted effort by the State Department to secure our possessions. We appreciate the efforts of junior and mid-level officials, but without the full weight of the senior leadership of the State Department, the Israeli government will continue to ignore our concerns."

New Report Gives Minute-by-Minute Timeline of the Israeli Attack on the Gaza Flotilla

Since the U.S. government cannot find the time to conduct its own investigation, U.S. officials might at least look at the 193 page report "Timeline & Inconsistencies Report Relating to the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla Attack" researched by the International Bureau of Humanitarian NGOs (IBH) and the Friends of Charities Association (FOCA) that was published this week that provides a minute-by minute timeline of the Israeli military attack on the Gaza Flotilla.

The report is based on publicly available accounts from the flotilla organizers and participants, ships' logs, reports, photos and video released by the Israeli government, news reports from around the world, the report of the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Fact Finding Mission report.

A key part of the report is the evidence provided from film footage of the attack. Official videos from the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) as well as from the Israeli Eiland Team investigation are cited in the report, in addition to video taken by one passenger that escaped confiscation by the Israeli authorities. The "Inconsistencies" portion of the report contrasts the different reporting of the incident, and includes clarifying analysis.

(http://www.foca.net/media/documents/timeline-inconsistencies-gaza-flotilla-attack-31052010.pdf)

Several of the videos that were released by the Israeli Foreign Ministry and IDF on the Internet and on media broadcasts to support its version of events were found to have been digitally enhanced, computer-manufactured or fraudulent. The report provides screen shots of examples of the computer-generated segments within videos released by the Israeli government, several of which, although already exposed as false, were integrated into the Israeli military report "Eiland Team's Flotilla Incident Timeline."

10-12 Ships in the Next Gaza Flotilla

While investigations continue concerning the Israeli attack on the May, 2010 Gaza flotilla and on the Jewish German boat "Irene" on September 26, 2010, (http://jewishboattogaza.org/), citizen activists from around the world are fundraising for ships to participate in the next flotilla to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Organizers of the next flotilla are working with groups that may have 10-12 ships in the next flotilla.

U.S. Ship Named "Audacity of Hope"

Join us to launch a U.S. ship in the next flotilla. In a challenge to U.S. complicity in the blockade of Gaza, the U.S. ship will be called "The Audacity of Hope." (www.ustogaza.org)

Ann Wright served 29 years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves and retired as a Colonel. She was a U.S. diplomat for 16 years and resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to the Iraq war. She travelled to Gaza three times in 2009 after the Israeli attack on Gaza that killed 1,440, wounded 5,000 and left 50,000 homeless. She was an organizer of the Gaza Freedom March in December, 2009, that brought 1350 persons from 44 countries to Cairo, Egypt, and was one of the passengers on the Gaza flotilla. She is the co-author of "Dissent: Voices of Conscience."

UN Fact-Finding Mission Says Israelis "Executed" US Citizen Furkan Dogan

Uruknet

Furkan Dogan, a 19-year-old US citizen of Turkish descent, was aboard the Mavi Marmara when he was killed by Israeli commandos. (Photo: freegazaorg; Edited: Jared Rodriguez / t r u t h o u t)

t r u t h o u t , September 27, 2010

The report of the fact-finding mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla released last week shows conclusively, for the first time, that US citizen Furkan Dogan and five Turkish citizens were murdered execution-style at point blank range by Israeli commandos.

The report reveals that Dogan, the 19-year-old US citizen of Turkish descent, was filming with a small video camera on the top deck of the Mavi Marmara when he was shot twice in the head, once in the back and in the left leg and foot and that he was shot in the face at point blank range while lying on the ground.

The report says Dogan had apparently been "lying on the deck in a conscious or semi-conscious, state for some time" before being shot in his face.

The forensic evidence that establishes that fact is "tattooing around the wound in his face," indicating that the shot was "delivered at point blank range." The report describes the forensic evidence as showing that "the trajectory of the wound, from bottom to top, together with a vital abrasion to the left shoulder that could be consistent with the bullet exit point, is compatible with the shot being received while he was lying on the ground on his back."

Based on both "forensic and firearm evidence," the fact-finding panel concluded that Dogan's killing and that of five Turkish citizens by the Israeli troops on the Mavi Marmari May 31 "can be characterized as extra-legal, arbitrary and summary executions." (See Report [.pdf] Page 38, Section 170)

The report confirmed what the Obama administration already knew from the autopsy report on Dogan, but the administration has remained silent about the killing of Dogan, which could be an extremely difficult political problem for the administration in its relations with Israel.

The Turkish government gave the autopsy report on Dogan to the US Embassy in July and it was then passed on to the Department of Justice, according to a US government source who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the administration's policy of silence on the matter. The source said the purpose of obtaining the report was to determine whether an investigation of the killing by the Justice Department (DOJ) was appropriate.

Asked by this writer whether the DOJ had received the autopsy report on Dogan, DOJ spokesperson Laura Sweeney refused to comment.

The administration has not volunteered any comment on the fact-finding mission report and was not asked to do so by any news organization. In response to a query from Truthout, a State Department official, who could not speak on the record, read a statement that did not explicitly acknowledge the report's conclusion about the Israeli executions.

The statement said the fact-finding mission's report's, "tone and conclusions are unbalanced." It went on to state, "We urge that this report not be used for actions that could disrupt direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine that are now underway or actions that would make it not possible for Israel and Turkey to move beyond the recent strains in their traditional strong relationship."

Although the report's revelations and conclusions about the killing of Dogan and the five other victims were widely reported in the Turkish media last week, not a single story on the report has appeared in US news media.

The administration has made it clear through its inaction and its explicit public posture that it has no intention of pressing the issue of the murder of a US citizen in cold blood by Israeli commandos.

On June 13, two weeks after the Mavi Marmara attack, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issued a statement saying that Israel "should be allowed to undertake an investigation into events that involve its national security" and that Israel's military justice system "meets international standards and is capable of conducting a serious and credible investigation."

Another passenger whom forensic evidence shows was killed execution-style, according to the OHCHR report, is Ibrahim Bilgen, a 60-year-old Turkish citizen. Bilgen is believed by forensics experts to have been shot initially from the helicopter above the Mavi Marmara and then shot in the side of the head while lying seriously wounded.

The fact-finding mission was given forensic evidence that, after the initial shot in chest from above, Bilgen was shot in the head with a "soft baton round at such close proximity that an entire bean bag and its wadding penetrated the skull and lodged in the chest from above," the mission concluded.

"Soft baton rounds" are supposed to be fired for nonlethal purposes at a distance and aimed only at the stomach, but are lethal when fired at the head, especially from close range.

The forensic evidence cited by the fact-finding mission on the killing of Dogan and five other passengers came from both the autopsy reports and pathology reports done by forensic personnel in Turkey and from interviews with those who wrote the reports. Experts in forensic pathology and firearms assisted the mission in interpreting that forensic evidence.

The account, provided by the OHCHR of the events on board the Mavi Marmara on its way to help break the economic siege of Gaza May 31 of this year, refutes the version of events aggressively pushed by the Israeli military and supports the testimony of passengers on board.

The report suggests that, from the beginning, Israeli policy viewed the Gaza flotilla as an opportunity to use lethal force against pro-Hamas activists. It quotes testimony by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak before the Israeli government's Turkel Committee that specific orders were given by the Israeli government "to continue intelligence tracking of the flotilla organizers with an emphasis on the possibility that amongst the passengers in the flotilla there were terror elements who would attempt to harm Israeli forces."

The idea that the passenger list would be seeded with terrorists determined to attack Israeli defense forces appears to have been a ploy to justify treating the operation as likely to require the use of military force against the passengers.

When details of the Israeli plan to forcibly take over the ships in the flotilla were published in the Israeli press on May 30, the passengers on board the Mavi Marmara realized that the Israelis might use deadly force against them. Some leaders of the IHH (the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Aid), which had purchased the ships for the mission, were advocating defending the boat against the Israeli boarding attempt, whereas other passengers advocated nonviolence only.

That led to efforts to create improvised weapons from railings and other equipment on the Mavi Marmara. However, the commission concluded that there was no evidence of any firearms having being taken aboard the ship, as charged by Israel.

The report notes that the Israeli military never communicated a request by radio to inspect the cargo on board any of the ships, apparently contradicting the official justification given by the Israeli government for the military attack on the Mavi Marmara and other ships of preventing any military contraband from reaching Gaza.

According to the OHCHR report, Israeli Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi testified to the Turkel Committee August 11 that the initial rules of engagement for the operation prohibited live fire except in life-threatening situations, but that that they were later modified to target protesters "deemed to be violent" in response to the resistance by passengers.

That decision apparently followed the passengers' successful repulsion of an Israeli effort to board the ship from Zodiac boats.

The report confirms that, from the beginning of the operation, passengers were fired on by helicopters flying above the Mavi Marmara to drop commandos on the deck.

Contrary to Israeli claims that one or more Israeli troops were wounded by firearms, the report says no medical evidence of a gunshot wound to an Israeli soldier was found.

The OHCHR report confirms accounts from passengers on the Mavi Marmara that defenders subdued roughly ten Israeli commandos, took their weapons from them and threw them in the sea, except for one weapon hidden as evidence. The Israeli soldiers were briefly sequestered below and some were treated for wounds before being released by the defenders.

The OHCHR fact-finding mission will certainly be the most objective, thorough and in-depth inquiry into the events on board the Mavi Marmara and other ships in the flotilla of the four that have been announced.

The fact-finding mission was chaired by Judge Karl T. Hudson-Phillips, Q.C., retired judge of the International Criminal Court and former attorney general of Trinidad and Tobago, and included Sir Desmond de Silva, Q.C. of the United Kingdom, former chief prosecutor of the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone and Ms. Mary Shanthi Dairiam of Malaysia, founding member of the board of directors of the International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific.

The mission interviewed 112 eyewitnesses to the Israeli attack in London, Geneva, Istanbul and Amman, Jordan. The Israeli government refused to cooperate with the fact-finding mission by making personnel involved in both planning and carrying out the attack available to be interviewed.

The Turkish governments announced its own investigation of the Israeli attack on August 10. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced the formation of a "Panel of Inquiry" on August 2, but its mandate was much more narrowly defined. It was given the mission to "receive and review the reports of the national investigations with the view to recommending ways of avoiding similar incidents in the future."

Israeli raid on Gaza aid flotilla broke law - UN probe

BBC

Israel's military broke international laws during a raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, a UN Human Rights Council investigation says.

Its report said the action by commandoes, which left nine dead, was "disproportionate" and "betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality".

It said there was clear evidence to support prosecutions against Israel for "wilful killing".

Israel insists its soldiers acted in self-defence during the 31 May raid.

Nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists were killed and many others injured after Israeli commandoes boarded the six-ship convoy as it tried to breach an Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.

The convoy's passengers were detained and later deported by Israel.

There was widespread international criticism of Israel's actions, which severely strained relations with its long-time Muslim ally, Turkey.

Israeli inquiry

In a 56-page report, the UN panel of three international judges said: "There is clear evidence to support prosecutions of the following crimes within the terms of article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention: wilful killing; torture or inhuman treatment; wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health".

“The conduct of the Israeli military and other personnel towards the flotilla passengers was not only disproportionate to the occasion but demonstrated levels of totally unnecessary and incredible violence.”

End Quote UN Human Rights Council report.

The Convention is an international treaty governing the protection of civilians in times of war.

The UN fact-finding mission also said the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory was "unlawful" because of a humanitarian crisis there.

The panel had interviewed more than 100 witnesses in Britain, Jordan, Switzerland Turkey, but not in Israel.

Just before the report was released, Israel dismissed the Human Rights Council as being biased, politicised and extremist.

Israel also said that work on its own independent inquiry into the raid on the Mavi Mamara ship was still continuing.

The Israeli investigation has two foreign observers, but critics say its remit is too narrow.

Last month, the head of Israel's military, Lt Gen Gabi Ashkenazi, defended its troops' use of live ammunition during the raid. He told the Israeli inquiry that the soldiers had underestimated the threat and should have used more force to subdue activists before boarding.

Iara Lee: We witnessed Outrageous Brutality by Israeli Commandos

Intifada Voice of Palestine

In the pre-dawn hours of Monday, May 31, showing a terrifying disregard for human life, Israeli naval forces surrounded and boarded ships sailing to bring humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. On the largest ship, the Mavi Marmara, Israeli commandos opened fire on civilian passengers, killing at least 9 passengers and wounding dozens more. Others are still missing. The final death toll is yet to be determined.

Cultures of Resistance director Iara Lee was aboard the besieged ship and has since returned home safely. Despite the Israeli government’s thorough efforts to confiscate all footage taken during the attack, Iara Lee and Director of Photography Srdjan Stojiljkovic were able to retain some of the video they captured. Below is the unedited footage from the moments leading up to and during the Israeli commandos’ assault on the Mavi Marmara. Iara Lee recently gave this exclusive phone interview to Intifada Palestine’s Elias F. Harb .

INTIFADA – EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – With IARA LEE

By Elias Harb – Editor Intifada Palestine

EH: Were people aboard the Mavi Marmara who had been shot by the gunboats already being medically treated as the helicopter assault began?

IL: It’s hard to say exactly when these things happened, everything just happened so fast, that is why an international inquiry needs to investigate the events of the Flotilla Raid. Shots were fired, maybe it was mixed rubber bullets and live ammunition. I saw people who had been shot, and were bleeding to death. We never expected they were going to attack and kill. We weren’t prepared and didn’t have the necessary medical equipment to treat so many passengers who were shot, and some died bleeding to death.

EH: The Israeli attack on May 31 in the dead heat of the night must have been has been a terrible experience of those in the free Gaza flotilla. Please tell us what happened that day

IL: The Flotilla was on a humanitarian mission, these were war commandos, and they came to kill. We were unprepared for this attack. We knew that the Israelis would deter us, but never expected the Israeli commandos to open fire on civilian passengers. And what we witnessed was outrageous brutal force. Few of the Israeli Commandos were subdued and one of our doctors treated one of the Commandos. We showed restraint and gave medical aid to Israeli soldiers. Autopsy reports indicated that the activists killed were shot in the back of the head at close range. This was a criminal act by the Israel Defense forces.

EH: Israel declared that there were terrorists among the activists, how do you respond to that? Can you give us a makeup of the passengers?

IL: In their defense of the indefensible, the Israeli government has attempted to slander the character of the victims and other flotilla participants by drawing false links to terrorism, and portraying us as a lynch mob of anti-Semitic Muslim fanatics. The passengers were people from all walks of life, secular and religious, Muslim, Christian, atheistic, male and female, young and old. Prior to the raid they are talking, sleeping, praying or working on their computers We were human rights activists from all over the world, ranging from 1 year old to a 88 years Catholic Bishop. None of the passengers was dangerous; they were committed human right activist, bringing hope to the people of Gaza. The media acts irresponsible and with impunity, when it reports the lies that Israel says, and when it is proved it’s untrue, the media never reports it. The Israelis twist around everything.

EH: Israel declares that it had the legal right to confront the flotilla from reaching Gaza. What is your position on that?

IL: Israel had no legal right, we were in international waters, and there action was illegal and worse than the Somalia Pirates. It was a criminal action. Fortunately, we were able to smuggle some footage of the Israeli assault off the ship and safely back to the US, and which I was able to screen at the United Nations. It paints a picture in stark contrast to Israeli claims of a violent mob looking for a fight. I encourage everyone to view this footage.

EH: How were you and other activist treated by the Israeli Authorities after you were detained?

IL: We were incommunicado with outside world. The men were treated very brutally. The women were treated better, but many complained they were treated disrespectfully. All passengers were videotaped through the time they were detained. We were incommunicado for a few days, but it felt like a month.

EH: Israel seized all cameras and communication machinery .Do you have a plan for getting your personal possessions back from Israel? Do you know how others are doing in this same respect?

IL: When the IDF commandos entered shooting, the first thing they did was jam the ships communications. They confiscated our cameras, cam-recorders, laptops, and footage. They re-edit the footage to show a different story than what really happened to Passengers from the flotilla. several countries are urging their governments to demand that Israel release the property illegally seized from the passengers in international waters on 31 May, in particular the many cameras, camcorders, mobile phones etc. that contain evidence of at least the beginning of the shooting of civilians by Israeli soldiers. This demand is for property only and is independent of the many legal briefs already being worked on due to death and wounding of the passengers.

EH: Israel has announced that there has been an “easing of the blockade” Some say this is P.R. stunt or Israeli propaganda. What is your position on Israel’s easing of blockade restrictions?

IL: I am cautiously optimistic about Israel’s announced plan of “easing” the Gaza blockade. Easing, after all, is not the same as “complete lifting,” and it is yet to be determined what the nature of this easing process will be. Still, I am encouraged by the fact that this small step resulted in the first place from the Freedom Flotilla’s nonviolent act of civil disobedience. What is need is a total lift of the Siege, and freedom of movement of people to live normal lives.

EH: Israel says there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. How do you respond to that?

IL: There is a humanitarian crisis, Israel lies, and the media reports what Israel wants.

EH: Israel has refused an independent international Inquiry on the Flotilla raid, and has assembled an internal inquiry ”Turkey Committee” to investigate the raid. How do you feel about that?

IL: We need an inquiry that is truly impartial, transparent, and which satisfies international standards. Despite the fact that the youngest of Israel’s victims on the flotilla — 19-year old Furkan Dogan — was an American citizen, we cannot rely on our American leaders in this pursuit of justice. And so it is our moral obligation to speak out even as our government remains silent. The same courage, creativity, and determination which were applied to exposing the illegality and cruelty of the Gaza blockade must also be applied to ensuring that Israel, as well as every other nation in the world, can no longer brutalize civilian populations with impunity, and will act in accordance with international law.

Thank you, Iara

More Info

Turks shot multiple times on Gaza aid ship: forensics

Raw Story

ANKARA — All but two of the nine Turks killed in an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship were shot more than once, and five died from bullet wounds to the head, according to forensic reports.

The documents, penned this month, were made available to AFP Tuesday by lawyers for the victims' families, who have petitioned Turkish prosecutors to investigate the May 31 bloodshed on the Turkish Mavi Marmara ferry.

"The findings make it clear the Israeli forces shot to kill the activists and not to overpower them," one of the lawyers, Yasin Divrak, told AFP.

The youngest victim, 19-year-old Furkan Dogan, a dual Turkish-US national, was shot five times, including twice in the head, the report said.

A bullet that pierced his face was fired from close range, it said, adding he was hit also in the back of the head.

The forensic experts failed to detect other close-distance shots on the remaining victims.

All nine bodies had been washed before being brought to Turkey and their clothes were either blood-soaked or otherwise unfit for analysis, making it impossible to reach a conclusion on the ranges of most shots, according to the documents.

Journalist Cevdet Kiliclar, 38, the web editor of the Islamist charity IHH that led the ill-fated campaign, was killed by a single bullet that hit him between the eyebrows, the report said.

Divrak drew attention to the autopsy of 61-year-old Ibrahim Bilgen, which included the discovery of a tiny bag containing pellets, still intact in his brain, which the report said was was fired from a hunting rifle.

"It is not a type of weapon that we have ever heard of," he said.

Israel says its commandos used force after they were attacked with sticks and stabbed as soon as they landed on the Mavi Marmara, which was sailing in international waters. But the activists insist the troops opened fire as soon as they landed.

The bloody ending to the aid mission, which had aimed to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, plunged ties between Turkey and Israel, once close allies, into deep crisis.

Turkey has dismissed a commission set up by Israel to investigate the raid, insisting for a UN-led international probe.

Iran will not send aid ship to Gaza

CNN

Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Iran will not send a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza as it had planned to do on Thursday, according to a report from the official news agency of Iran.

The Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Hossein Sheikholeslam, secretary-general of the International Conference for the Support of the Palestinian Intifada, as saying: "The Iranian ship carrying humanitarian aid will not go to Gaza."

IRNA said that Sheikholeslam told reporters in the northern city of Rasht that the ship had originally been scheduled to depart for Gaza on Thursday, but that its departure was postponed until Sunday because of restrictions imposed by Israel.

He added that officials then decided instead to cancel the trip altogether, shipping to Gaza the goods by other means, IRNA said.

"The Zionist regime has made helping the people of Gaza, who are under siege, a political issue and we do not wish to politicize this kind of humanitarian aid because first and foremost we want the siege of Gaza to be broken," he said, according to the news agency. "The Zionist regime has sent a letter to the U.N. saying that the presence of Iranian and Lebanese ships in the Gaza area will be considered a declaration of war on that regime and it will react to it."

He added: "In order to deprive the Zionist regime of any excuse, the aid collected for the oppressed people of Gaza will be delivered to them by other means without mentioning the name of Iran."

In a posting on the Israel Defense Forces website, the chief of the general staff said Israel has "a natural right to inspect and to prevent the flow of weapons into the Gaza Strip."

"If anyone is bothered by the situation in the Gaza Strip and wants to transfer medical supplies there, they can respect our guidelines and go through to the Ashdod port," Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Tuesday, according to the IDF. "We will inspect them, and if we can we will transfer them in."

Ashkenazi added, "It is important that we maintain this right and we cannot let the Gaza Strip turn into an Iranian port."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced this month Israel's plans to ease its blockade of Gaza, a step commended by major powers and brushed off by Palestinian leaders.

Palestinian officials said the steps were an improvement but called for the blockade to be completely lifted and the Israeli occupation ended.

Israel's announcement came three weeks after ships in Israel's naval blockade sparred on May 31 with a flotilla of aid ships heading to Gaza. Israel's military stopped the flotilla, killing nine Turkish activists on one of the ships in the incident, which drew international condemnation.

Israel said its troops were attacked with knives, metal poles and other objects on one of the boats; the boat's passengers said they were fired upon without provocation.