Bloody massacre by Israel on ships

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called on the international community to punish Israel for storming a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza in an attack that left nine dead. Israel has detained or deported hundreds of activists who were on the ships which were seized en route to the Palestinian enclave which has been under Israeli blockade since 2006.

He told lawmakers in the Turkish parliament that “this bloody massacre by Israel on ships that were taking humanitarian aid to Gaza deserves every kind of curse and called the Israeli action an attack on international law, the conscience of humanity and world peace.

“Israel’s behavior should definitely, definitely be punished,” a visibly angry Erdogan told the meeting of his parliamentary deputies, adding: “The time has come for the international community to say ‘enough’.” Erdogan also urged the immediate lifting of “the inhumane embargo on Gaza.”

Israel and Turkey are currently holding diplomatic discussions to coordinate the arrival of three airplanes from Ankara to pick up over 20 Turkish citizens who were wounded during an Israel Navy commando raid on a flotilla transporting humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, as well as the corpses of several of Turkish passengers killed during the raid.

According to a senior Israeli official, the Turks have emphasized that they wish to pick up their wounded and dead as soon as possible and have requested full information about the other Turkish citizens who were detained by Israel.

So far, the Foreign Ministry has been unable to supply this information. It is still unclear whether Israel will allow the non-wounded detained Turks to board the flights but this is what they have been doing long time in Gaza so time to stop Israel Massacre.

The maximum intervention allowed to Israel under international law was for Israel to seize control of the aid ships temporarily and suspend their passage towards its waters. Israel is not even entitled to arrest these people in international waters. Instead of sending the activists back to their countries, Israel killed several of them and arrested the rest, several of whom are wounded either physically or psychologically.

Israel’s action is definitely a grave breach of international law. It is terrorism conducted by a state. It is banditry and piracy, it is cold-blooded murder conducted by a state. This is a crime. This is also a crime against humanity. All Israeli state officials should now be reported to the relevant authorities and should be brought before justice. No one is allowed to stop a civilian ship and kill people. (They would never dare stop a naval ship, of course.)

I hold the belief that the law is there for people to obey. For those who do not, the only law is that “force is with the powerful and the powerful is able.” This is what Israel does.

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Category: Headlines, National