Israel intercepts Gaza-bound flotilla in 'casualty-free' operation

[webfact]

Israel intercepts Gaza-bound flotilla in 'casualty-free' operation
20 activists on Marianne boat, among them MK Basel Ghattas (Joint Arab List) and former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki, currently en route to Ashdod port.
By Gili Cohen , Barak Ravid and Jack Khoury

JERUSALEM: -- Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound boat Marianne late Sunday night, in what the Israeli Defense Forces said was a short operation, free of any casualties. The boat is currently en route to the Ashdod port.

Naval commandos from the Shayetet 13 unit searched the boat after the successful takeover. According to military sources, the ship is expected to dock in Ashdod within the next 12 to 24 hours, depending on weather and sea conditions.

After arriving in Ashdod, the passengers will be interrogated before being escorted to Ben-Gurion Airport and flown out of Israel.

The Swedish boat, which on Sunday afternoon was 150 nautical miles from the Gaza Coast, is carrying 20 activists, among them MK Basel Ghattas (Joint Arab List) and former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki.

Full story: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.663423

-- HAARETZ 2015-06-29

[Ulysses G.]

Good job Israel.

[ubonjoe]

A offensive post has been removed and a reply to it.

[Steely Dan]

Israel 1 BDS 0.

[Seastallion]

<irrelevant: snip>.

The naval blockade, the boarding in international waters, and the use of force are in accord with long-standing international law, based on the principle of self-defense. Israel is justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters according to the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza.

Rubbish! You are either misinformed or making things up. The UN did no such justification. On the contrary it condemned Israel.

This is just another act of piracy and yet again we see Israel making sure Gazans don't receive much-needed aid, while breaking international law.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Seastallion

[Seastallion]

Good job Israel.

Yes, good job on showing the world how you thumb your nose to international law. It will look good when you are facing war-crimes charges at the ICC.

[Kasset Tak]

A very stupid, hateful post by someone flaunting the swastika. The naval blockade, the boarding in international waters, and the use of force are in accord with long-standing international law, based on the principle of self-defense. Israel is justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters according to the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza.

I'm not hateful, I just stating my view on Israel.

I have both Jewish and Palestinian friends so my statement has nothing to do with religion, there are even Swedish Jews on that ship... this is the 4th time they are trying this, the first time in 2010 the Israelis killed 9 people on the ship.

But my statement is based on:

When non Jewish people living in Israel today are treated like the Nazis treated the Jews in 1930's Germany.

When Israel are occupying more and more land of what is (or should be) Palestine.

When Israel are actively denying healthcare and education for the people living in Gaza.

How can you then support that country?

Israel can't continue to just saying remember WWII or say that you are antisemitic when they are the one that today are acting in the same manners as the Nazis during WWII and are breaking international laws.

Israel even condemned UN for being antisemitic when the UN report of the 2014 fights in Gaza stated that Israel committed war crimes!

Edited June 29, 2015 by Kasset Tak

[Seastallion]

Israel 1 BDS 0.

What on earth has BDS got to do with aid to suffering people?

[Ulysses G.]

<irrelevant: snip>.

The naval blockade, the boarding in international waters, and the use of force are in accord with long-standing international law, based on the principle of self-defense. Israel is justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters according to the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza.

Rubbish! You are either misinformed or making things up. The UN did no such justification. On the contrary it condemned Israel.

You are the one making things up. You have been caught posting false information repeatedly and this is just one more example.

Approximately one year after the event, the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza concluded that (1) the blockade was legal, based on the principle of self-defense, (2) Israel was "justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters," (3) Israel's decision to board the vessels with such force was "excessive," (4) Israeli forces "faced significant, organized and violent resistance from a group of passengers" that required them to use force for their own protection, and (5) the loss of nine lives was "unacceptable."[3][4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_assessments_of_the_Gaza_flotilla_raid

[Ulysses G.]

A very stupid, hateful post by someone flaunting the swastika. The naval blockade, the boarding in international waters, and the use of force are in accord with long-standing international law, based on the principle of self-defense. Israel is justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters according to the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza.

I'm not hateful, I just stating my view on Israel.

I have both Jewish and Palestinian friends so my statement has nothing to do with religion

Sure and some of your best friends are black. A defensive, naval blockade against a hostile entity - the Hamas terrorists - is legal according to International law. Accusing Israel of acting like Nazis for enforcing it is hateful and stupid.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[SheungWan]

A very stupid, hateful post by someone flaunting the swastika. The naval blockade, the boarding in international waters, and the use of force are in accord with long-standing international law, based on the principle of self-defense. Israel is justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters according to the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza.

I'm not hateful, I just stating my view on Israel.

I have both Jewish and Palestinian friends so my statement has nothing to do with religion, there are even Swedish Jews on that ship... this is the 4th time they are trying this, the first time in 2010 the Israelis killed 9 people on the ship.

But my statement is based on:

When non Jewish people living in Israel today are treated like the Nazis treated the Jews in 1930's Germany.

When Israel are occupying more and more land of what is (or should be) Palestine.

When Israel are actively denying healthcare and education for the people living in Gaza.

How can you then support that country?

Israel can't continue to just saying remember WWII or say that you are antisemitic when they are the one that today are acting in the same manners as the Nazis during WWII and are breaking international laws.

Israel even condemned UN for being antisemitic when the UN report of the 2014 fights in Gaza stated that Israel committed war crimes!

Equating Nazi Germany with today? Not hateful? Your slip is showing.

[Seastallion]

<irrelevant: snip>.

The naval blockade, the boarding in international waters, and the use of force are in accord with long-standing international law, based on the principle of self-defense. Israel is justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters according to the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza.

Rubbish! You are either misinformed or making things up. The UN did no such justification. On the contrary it condemned Israel.

You are the one making things up. You have been caught posting false information repeatedly and this is just one more example.

Approximately one year after the event, the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza concluded that (1) the blockade was legal, based on the principle of self-defense, (2) Israel was "justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters," (3) Israel's decision to board the vessels with such force was "excessive," (4) Israeli forces "faced significant, organized and violent resistance from a group of passengers" that required them to use force for their own protection, and (5) the loss of nine lives was "unacceptable."[3][4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_assessments_of_the_Gaza_flotilla_raid

You are wrong again.

"There were several probes into the incident. A UNHRC report in September 2010 into the incident deemed the blockade illegal and stated that Israel's actions were "disproportionate" and "betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality", with evidence for "willful killing". The UNHRC later also set up a panel of five human rights experts to examine the conclusions of the Palmer report. The panel stated that Israel's blockade of Gaza amounted to collective punishment and was unlawful.^{[undue weight? – discuss][14]}

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced a parallel probe in August 2010 by a four-member panel headed by Geoffrey Palmer. The Palmer report was published on 2 September 2011 after being delayed, reportedly to allow Israel and Turkey to continue reconciliation talks. The report found that the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza was legal, and that there were "serious questions about the conduct, true nature and objectives of the flotilla organizers, particularly IHH".^[15] The report also found that Israel's army used excessive force while the flotilla was still in international waters, and concluded that the degree of force used against the Mavi Marmara was "excessive and unreasonable",^[16] and that the way Israel treated detained crew members violated international human rights law.^[16]"

"In July 2011, the UN investigative committee said that the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza was legal,^[217] but that Israel used excessive force and should have waited to enforce the blockade closer to the shoreline. It also concluded that Turkey should have taken action to try to prevent the flotilla from taking place.^[218] In September 2011, the UN stated that Israel used excessive force and boarded the flotilla when it was far away from the blockade zone.^[219]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_flotilla_raid

and from your own link, the very next paragraph:

"The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the National Lawyers Guild's International Committee, Istanbul Bilgi University's Law Department Dean Turgut Tarhanlı and other experts have concluded that the blockade was itself illegal, or agreed with University of Dundee international law professor Robin Churchill that the boarding on the high seas was illegal even if the blockade were lawful,"

Edited June 29, 2015 by Seastallion

[Kasset Tak]

A very stupid, hateful post by someone flaunting the swastika. The naval blockade, the boarding in international waters, and the use of force are in accord with long-standing international law, based on the principle of self-defense. Israel is justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters according to the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza.

I'm not hateful, I just stating my view on Israel.

I have both Jewish and Palestinian friends so my statement has nothing to do with religion, there are even Swedish Jews on that ship... this is the 4th time they are trying this, the first time in 2010 the Israelis killed 9 people on the ship.

But my statement is based on:

When non Jewish people living in Israel today are treated like the Nazis treated the Jews in 1930's Germany.

When Israel are occupying more and more land of what is (or should be) Palestine.

When Israel are actively denying healthcare and education for the people living in Gaza.

How can you then support that country?

Israel can't continue to just saying remember WWII or say that you are antisemitic when they are the one that today are acting in the same manners as the Nazis during WWII and are breaking international laws.

Israel even condemned UN for being antisemitic when the UN report of the 2014 fights in Gaza stated that Israel committed war crimes!

Equating Nazi Germany with today? Not hateful? Your slip is showing.

Just compare facts:

How was the Jews in 1930's Germany treated?

How are non Jewish people treated in Israel today?

Equating with Nazi Germany is easy for me as every time you say something against Israel you get that you are antisemitic and that you should remember the Holocaust and what happened during WWII.

And even thou I'm young but I have 2nd hand knowledge, not from books and movies but from actual people. I had an older friend when I was growing up that was a survivor from first Treblinka and then Auschwitz. She lost her entire family to the gas chambers and she told me a lot about her life growing up in Nazi Germany and of her time in the camps. I have traveled to Auschwitz and seen the camp and museum, I have talked to people who lived thru the war in Poland.

Today I have new friends that have been forced to leave their homes in Palestine, Syria, Iraq and so on and so maybe I should compare how the Israelis are treating the Palestinians with ISIL but I feel that Nazi Germany is more accurate as Israelis will always tell you to remember WWII! .

[Steely Dan]

Israel 1 BDS 0.

What on earth has BDS got to do with aid to suffering people?

So searching an 'aid' ship and removing anything intended for military use causes suffering? I would say the opposite. The flotilla ships are trying to remove the Israeli right to self-defense, which is exactly the game BDS are playing.

[DeaconJohn]

A very stupid, hateful post by someone flaunting the swastika. The naval blockade, the boarding in international waters, and the use of force are in accord with long-standing international law, based on the principle of self-defense. Israel is justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters according to the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza.

I'm not hateful, I just stating my view on Israel.

I have both Jewish and Palestinian friends so my statement has nothing to do with religion, there are even Swedish Jews on that ship... this is the 4th time they are trying this, the first time in 2010 the Israelis killed 9 people on the ship.

But my statement is based on:

When non Jewish people living in Israel today are treated like the Nazis treated the Jews in 1930's Germany.

When Israel are occupying more and more land of what is (or should be) Palestine.

When Israel are actively denying healthcare and education for the people living in Gaza.

How can you then support that country?

Israel can't continue to just saying remember WWII or say that you are antisemitic when they are the one that today are acting in the same manners as the Nazis during WWII and are breaking international laws.

Israel even condemned UN for being antisemitic when the UN report of the 2014 fights in Gaza stated that Israel committed war crimes!

Equating Nazi Germany with today? Not hateful? Your slip is showing.

Just compare facts:

How was the Jews in 1930's Germany treated?

How are non Jewish people treated in Israel today?

Equating with Nazi Germany is easy for me as every time you say something against Israel you get that you are antisemitic and that you should remember the Holocaust and what happened during WWII.

And even thou I'm young but I have 2nd hand knowledge, not from books and movies but from actual people. I had an older friend when I was growing up that was a survivor from first Treblinka and then Auschwitz. She lost her entire family to the gas chambers and she told me a lot about her life growing up in Nazi Germany and of her time in the camps. I have traveled to Auschwitz and seen the camp and museum, I have talked to people who lived thru the war in Poland.

Today I have new friends that have been forced to leave their homes in Palestine, Syria, Iraq and so on and so maybe I should compare how the Israelis are treating the Palestinians with ISIL but I feel that Nazi Germany is more accurate as Israelis will always tell you to remember WWII! .

Spot on.

Your comparisons are valid.

Only twisted propaganda could argue otherwise.

[ezzra]

Good job Israel.

Yes, good job on showing the world how you thumb your nose to international law. It will look good when you are facing war-crimes charges at the ICC.

Will be remising much If I take a wild stab in the dark that you're not a lover on any thing

Jewish or a supporter of Israel? no?

[ABCer]

To any idiot comparing Israeli IDF actions with Nazis, -

# people detained will be interrogated not tortured;

# after interrogation they will be sent out not shot;

# Israelis are supplying food, meds and treatment to their sworn enemies - Arabs of Gaza and now even to Syrians;

# only an idiot knows what land is or should belong to Arabs in Palestine;

# only a young idiot can talk about how Jews were treated in 1930's Germany - couldn't have possibly been there;

# only an idiot can parrot-like repeat empty insulting and totally baseless things while pretending to be a sick pig.

[Seastallion]

Israel 1 BDS 0.

What on earth has BDS got to do with aid to suffering people?

So searching an 'aid' ship and removing anything intended for military use causes suffering? I would say the opposite. The flotilla ships are trying to remove the Israeli right to self-defense, which is exactly the game BDS are playing.

Rubbish and rubbish, and rubbish.

Seizing aid supplies is more accurate. Exactly what military use materials were found?

Giving medical and education aid to Gazan children has got nothing to do with Israel's right to self-defence and does not interfere with Israel in the slightest, and neither does the BDS movement.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Seastallion

[Seastallion]

Good job Israel.

Yes, good job on showing the world how you thumb your nose to international law. It will look good when you are facing war-crimes charges at the ICC.

Will be remising much If I take a wild stab in the dark that you're not a lover on any thing

Jewish or a supporter of Israel? no?

As far as I'm concerned, crticising Israeli politics and crimes has got nothing to do with Israel's Jewishness. The antisemite label to any critic of Israel is wildly inaccurate, very offensive, and wearisomely hackneyed.

[ezzra]

Never cases to amaze me that every time there is an article about Israel, there are those who

come out frothing at the mouth spiting all sorts of accusations and innuendos about and against

Israel, true or not, no matter to them, they defend the Palestinians no matter what,

If tomorrow, Israel will withdraw from all occupied territories, compensate every last

so called Palestinians in the world, it would still not be good enough, simply because

the issue here is not the Palestinians or about their 'plight and suffering' but the question

about Israel legitimacy to exist at all, as a nation and as an entity, and many of the

pro Palestine contributors to this forum will be very happy if Israel will be gone from the

face of the earth tomorrow morning... simple as that, and any more arguments about

this and that is moot points.....

[ABCer]

Never cases to amaze me that every time there is an article about Israel, there are those who

come out frothing at the mouth spiting all sorts of accusations and innuendos about and against

Israel, true or not, no matter to them, they defend the Palestinians no matter what,

If tomorrow, Israel will withdraw from all occupied territories, compensate every last

so called Palestinians in the world, it would still not be good enough, simply because

the issue here is not the Palestinians or about their 'plight and suffering' but the question

about Israel legitimacy to exist at all, as a nation and as an entity, and many of the

pro Palestine contributors to this forum will be very happy if Israel will be gone from the

face of the earth tomorrow morning... simple as that, and any more arguments about

this and that is moot points.....

The problem is those "who come out frothing at the mouth" don't even know that their well-being, health and often life depends on those bloody Jews.

In other words, they are plain ignorant.

[Thorgal]

Great pioneer article from Haaretz.

Especially brilliant unbiased reporting of Gili Cohen, Barak Ravid and Jack Khoury.

[Seastallion]

Never cases to amaze me that every time there is an article about Israel, there are those who

come out frothing at the mouth spiting all sorts of accusations and innuendos about and against

Israel, true or not, no matter to them, they defend the Palestinians no matter what,

If tomorrow, Israel will withdraw from all occupied territories, compensate every last

so called Palestinians in the world, it would still not be good enough, simply because

the issue here is not the Palestinians or about their 'plight and suffering' but the question

about Israel legitimacy to exist at all, as a nation and as an entity, and many of the

pro Palestine contributors to this forum will be very happy if Israel will be gone from the

face of the earth tomorrow morning... simple as that, and any more arguments about

this and that is moot points.....

You are so very very wrong.

If Israel did the right thing in what you suggest, I would be one of millions who would heartily congratulate the Israelis for doing the right thing, and I would be one of the first to defend Israel defending itself from it's enemies thereafter.

[cdnvic]

Please don't modify or edit other people's quotes. (removed)

[Ulysses G.]

<irrelevant: snip>.

The naval blockade, the boarding in international waters, and the use of force are in accord with long-standing international law, based on the principle of self-defense. Israel is justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters according to the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza.

Rubbish! You are either misinformed or making things up. The UN did no such justification. On the contrary it condemned Israel.

You are the one making things up. You have been caught posting false information repeatedly and this is just one more example.

Approximately one year after the event, the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza concluded that (1) the blockade was legal, based on the principle of self-defense, (2) Israel was "justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters," (3) Israel's decision to board the vessels with such force was "excessive," (4) Israeli forces "faced significant, organized and violent resistance from a group of passengers" that required them to use force for their own protection, and (5) the loss of nine lives was "unacceptable."[3][4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_assessments_of_the_Gaza_flotilla_raid

You are wrong again.

No. YOU are wrong. I said that, according to the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza, Israel is justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters. That is a FACT and I have provided credible evidence to prove it. You claimed that I was "making things up" and "The UN did no such justification." Your dishonest quote is above.You have been caught posting false information once again.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[Ulysses G.]

Never cases to amaze me that every time there is an article about Israel, there are those who

come out frothing at the mouth spiting all sorts of accusations and innuendos about and against

Israel, true or not, no matter to them, they defend the Palestinians no matter what,

If tomorrow, Israel will withdraw from all occupied territories, compensate every last

so called Palestinians in the world, it would still not be good enough, simply because

the issue here is not the Palestinians or about their 'plight and suffering' but the question

about Israel legitimacy to exist at all, as a nation and as an entity, and many of the

pro Palestine contributors to this forum will be very happy if Israel will be gone from the

face of the earth tomorrow morning... simple as that, and any more arguments about

this and that is moot points.....

If Israel did the right thing in what you suggest, I would be one of millions who would heartily congratulate the Israelis for doing the right thing, and I would be one of the first to defend Israel defending itself from it's enemies thereafter.

Quit pulling our leg. No one honest that reads your posts on Israel regularly believes you. You have a track record of contributing nothing but negativity towards the Jewish state - day in and day out.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[Steely Dan]

Good job Israel.

Yes, good job on showing the world how you thumb your nose to international law. It will look good when you are facing war-crimes charges at the ICC.

Will be remising much If I take a wild stab in the dark that you're not a lover on any thing

Jewish or a supporter of Israel? no?

As far as I'm concerned, crticising Israeli politics and crimes has got nothing to do with Israel's Jewishness. The antisemite label to any critic of Israel is wildly inaccurate, very offensive, and wearisomely hackneyed.

Ceding the right to have a terrorist organization receive 'supplies' unchecked is obviously a defense issue for Israel, a thick ten year old could work that out for himself.

[Steely Dan]

Here's Martyrdom videos Swedish style, okay already you have sacrificed enough turning your once prosperous Country into a future Islamic hell hole.

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2015/06/flotidiots-pathetically-try-to-gain.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

P.s Two of the three boats that turned back to Greece were named after people murdered by Palestinians.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Steely Dan

[ABCer]

Never cases to amaze me that every time there is an article about Israel, there are those who

come out frothing at the mouth spiting all sorts of accusations and innuendos about and against

Israel, true or not, no matter to them, they defend the Palestinians no matter what,

If tomorrow, Israel will withdraw from all occupied territories, compensate every last

so called Palestinians in the world, it would still not be good enough, simply because

the issue here is not the Palestinians or about their 'plight and suffering' but the question

about Israel legitimacy to exist at all, as a nation and as an entity, and many of the

pro Palestine contributors to this forum will be very happy if Israel will be gone from the

face of the earth tomorrow morning... simple as that, and any more arguments about

this and that is moot points.....

You are so very very wrong.

If Israel did the right thing in what you suggest, I would be one of millions who would heartily congratulate the Israelis for doing the right thing, and I would be one of the first to defend Israel defending itself from it's enemies thereafter.

Seastallion,

did it ever occur to you that even you can be very, very wrong?

Look, mate, you may like or dislike Israel. I say I do like what and how they are doing.

But you believe me: Israel does not need my likes or care for your dislikes. Give them some credit. They are smart. They are strong. They are resolved to survive.

What you are saying above essentially is: If they will do as I think is right - "...I would be one of the first to defend Israel..."

Well, don't! Leave them be and defend themselves the best way they know how. They are pretty good at this. Show some respect and objectivity. That would be enough.

And while you try, have a look at this https://youtu.be/FOGG_osOoVg

Edited June 29, 2015 by ABCer

[Jingthing]

Never cases to amaze me that every time there is an article about Israel, there are those who

come out frothing at the mouth spiting all sorts of accusations and innuendos about and against

Israel, true or not, no matter to them, they defend the Palestinians no matter what,

If tomorrow, Israel will withdraw from all occupied territories, compensate every last

so called Palestinians in the world, it would still not be good enough, simply because

the issue here is not the Palestinians or about their 'plight and suffering' but the question

about Israel legitimacy to exist at all, as a nation and as an entity, and many of the

pro Palestine contributors to this forum will be very happy if Israel will be gone from the

face of the earth tomorrow morning... simple as that, and any more arguments about

this and that is moot points.....

If Israel did the right thing in what you suggest, I would be one of millions who would heartily congratulate the Israelis for doing the right thing, and I would be one of the first to defend Israel defending itself from it's enemies thereafter.

Quit pulling our leg. No one honest that reads your posts on Israel regularly believes you. You have a track record of contributing nothing but negativity towards the Jewish state - day in and day out.

That's the beauty of the IGNORE list feature.