'Turkey snubs Israel outcry on flotilla'

The Mavi Marmara

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/175041.html

Turkey has rejected a request by Israel to stop a new Gaza flotilla due to take activists and humanitarian aid to the impoverished coastal sliver, saying Ankara will not interfere, a report says.

A second “peace” flotilla, comprising of more than 15 ships, is preparing to set sail in the second half of May to mark the first anniversary of the deadly Israeli attack on a similar flotilla on May 31 of last year, which killed nine activists aboard the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara.

The move is another attempt to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza Strip, put in place since 2007 after Hamas assumed power following a democratic election in the enclave, Turkey's Today's Zaman reported on Friday.

Israel's ambassador to Turkey, Gaby Levy, asked the Turkish government this week to help stop the activists heading toward Gaza, but a Turkish foreign ministry official responded by saying that, according to his government, the flotilla plan was not Ankara's 'concern.'

In a similar move, Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu urged Europe on Monday to do all it can to prevent its nationals from taking part in the flotilla.

“This flotilla must be stopped” under any condition, Netanyahu told European ambassadors in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).

Since the attack on the Turkish vessel, Ankara has scaled back ties with Tel Aviv, demanding Israel's apology and compensations for the damages incurred in the attack, which also drew international condemnation.

Israel used 'excessive' force on Flotilla

The Mavi Marmara ship (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/164835.html

Turkey says it has unveiled its final inquiry report on the Israeli deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid convey last year, which proves Israel used “excessive” force and trampled international law.

The Israeli commandos attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea on May 31, killing nine Turkish citizens on board the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, and injuring about 50 other people who were part of the team on the six-ship convoy.

The Turkish National Commission of Inquiry said in its final report to United Nations released Friday that Israel used “excessive, indiscriminate and disproportionate force” against the unarmed civilians on board the aid convoy, TurkishPress.com reported.

The report has been submitted to the Panel of Inquiry set up by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in August 2010, it said.

The case is now a litmus test for the international community “in upholding the rule of law,” it added.

It also argued that "since Israel's naval blockade on the Gaza Strip is unlawful, any act it performs as a function of this blockade is unlawful par excellence."

The report said that the Israeli raid was a "full-fledged and well-planned attack" on the international aid flotilla.

"Israel must acknowledge its responsibility and accordingly convey a public apology to the Republic of Turkey and provide compensation for all the damage and losses resulting from its unlawful attack," according to the report.

"The attack took place 72 nautical miles from the nearest coast, and 64 nautical miles from the zone declared unlawfully, as will be seen, blockaded by Israel. As a result of the attack, eight Turkish citizens and one US citizen of Turkish descent were killed. Over 70 passengers from a host of nationalities were wounded. One of these remains in a coma to this day," the finding revealed.

"The case is a critical litmus test for the international community in upholding the rule of law ... Impunity must give way to accountability," the report said.

The Turkish report challenged an Israeli inquiry that cleared its military and government of any wrongdoing. The Israeli finding sparked Turkish protests.

Ankara said it was “appalled and dismayed” at the Israeli panel's findings, which had called both the assault and Tel Aviv's siege of the Gaza Strip 'legal.'

Much of the international community is united in expressing outrage over the incident and a United Nations inquiry found -- by complete contrast -- that the forces had shown “an unacceptable level of brutality.”

Israel has so far rejected to either apologize for the incident or pay any compensation -- two measures it has been obliged by Turkey to take to make amends.

US defends Israeli flotilla attack

US State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/161957.html

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.

World lets Israel get away with crimes

Human rights activist Ken O'Keefe was onboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla attacked by Israeli forces in the international waters in May

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/161654.html


A Human Rights activist says Israel will continue its crimes against humanity since the international community allows the Israeli regime to get away with its “bloody murders.”

In an interview with Press TV, rights activist Ken O'Keefe, who was on board a Gaza-bound aid flotilla attacked by Israeli forces in May, denounced the international community for allowing Israel “to get away with murder over and over again without any kind of punishment.”

“I have scorned the world such as the United Nations, the European Union and the United States because we have allowed Israel to get away with bloody murder for decades now,” O'Keefe noted.

“It would of course make sense to the Israelis that anything they do is perfectly legal,” O'Keefe went on to say.

The rights activist pointed out that he was on board the Mavi Marmara when Israeli commandos' raided the ship and "executed people in cold blood."

The Israeli forces killed nine activists, mostly Turks, and injured about 50 others.

Israel has recently released a report of an inquiry by an Israeli investigation committee, defending a naval assault on the Gaza Strip and the decision to prevent the flotilla from reaching the besieged territory, saying the attack was "legal."

“They didn't just murder people, they executed people in cold blood including Furkan Dogan, who they continually call in the liberal Western media a Turkish citizen, but he happens to be a Turkish American citizen,” O'Keefe added.

US President Barack “Obama and the Western governments continue to pretend as if one of their citizens were not executed,” the rights activist concluded.

'Iran fully ready to break Gaza siege'

Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/159612.html


Following the delivery of Iran's humanitarian aid and relief to Gaza, Tehran declares its preparation to help bring an end to the siege of the impoverished coastal sliver.

“The Iranian nation and government are fully prepared to break [the Israeli] blockade on the Gaza Strip as they demonstrated a good presence in the humanitarian aid convoy recently dispatched to Gaza,” said Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi in a meeting with the political leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Gaza, Saleh Zeidan, on Monday.

During the meeting, Roknabadi reiterated Iran's principal position in defending the people of Palestine, stressing on national unity among Palestinians and the continuation of resistance against the Israeli occupation.

A number of Iranian activists accompanied Asia's first humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza in December through the Rafah border crossing, carrying medical supplies and foodstuff for the Gazans.

Now that the enemies of Islam are in a weak position, Palestinian nation and the Muslim world must become more united to achieve their holy goals, Roknabadi added.

Zeidan, for his part, expressed his appreciation for the Islamic Republic's all-out support for the Palestinians, saying that Gaza remains under an Israeli siege and in spite of claims regarding easing of the siege, pressure on Palestinians continue to mount day by day as the international community maintains its silence toward persisting Israeli crimes.

“The Israeli regime is preparing the grounds to stage an attack on this region [Gaza] through magnifying the Gaza threat. But the people continue to confront them and remain committed to Palestinian ideals and resistance against occupiers,” Zeidan further explained.

Some 40 percent of the 1.5 million impoverished population of Gaza remain jobless after the Israeli regime imposed the siege on the sliver in June 2007.

The embargo persists while Gaza is still recovering from the December 2008-January 2009 Israeli offensive on the territory which claimed the lives of over 1,400 Palestinians and inflicted an estimated damage of over $1.6 billion on the enclave's economy.

The United Nations recently expressed concern that more than 80 percent of Gazans depend on relief supplies for survival.

Israeli MP urges UN probe of Tel Aviv

Arab Israel lawmaker Hanin Zuabi


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/140702.html


An Israeli lawmaker says she plans to demand a probe of Israeli leaders by the UN Human Rights Council over the deadly takeover of a Gaza-bound aid convoy.

Arab Israeli deputy Hanin Zuabi announced Monday her intent to ask the UN body to investigate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, Israel's Ynet news website reported.

On May 31, Israeli navy commandos attacked the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in international waters, killing nine Turkish nationals onboard the aid convoy and leaving dozens injured.

Zuabi, who was accompanying Gaza Freedom Flotilla when it was attacked, charges the three Israeli leaders with bearing personal responsibility for the "criminal and pirate takeover" which claimed the lives of activists onboard the civilian fleet.

The MP is due to testify on Tuesday before the UN Human Rights Council's commission of inquiry into Israel's deadly onslaught on the Turkish-flagged aid vessel Mavi Marmara.

She has also demanded that Tel Aviv allows UN investigators to probe into actions by Israeli soldiers that took part in the Flotilla attack. She also called on the Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch to allow Palestinian senior cleric Sheikh Raed Salah, who was also onboard the Flotilla, to testify before the UN body.

Zuabi also plans to ask the Human Rights Council to extend the jurisdiction of its fact-finding commission to investigate "Israel's violations of international law in imposing a blockade on Gaza, war crimes, and crimes against humanity being committed in the Gaza Strip for four years."

Mariam delayed but undeterred

Organizers say the aid ship Mariam (pictured) is delayed
but its trip has not been cancelled

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/139706.html

All-female vessel Mariam, which was to take aid to the Israel-blockaded Gaza, remains committed to the mission though non-cooperation has delayed its departure.

"The trip has not been cancelled but delayed," one of the organizers, Samar al-Hajj, was quoted by AFP as saying.

The group of more than 50 women was to set sail for the Gaza Strip from Lebanon on Sunday, laden with relief supplies for the impoverished coastal sliver, which has endured more than three years of an all-out Tel-Aviv imposed blockade.

It was, however, denied permission to berth at Cyprus coast.

Yasser Kashlak, another of the organizers, said the rejection had followed Tel Aviv's pressure.

The initiators are currently trying to find Greek and Turkish mid-route stops.

The humanitarian campaigners are to make the visit despite Israeli threats of confronting Gaza-bound relief missions.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has called the move an "unnecessary provocation," urging US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, US National Security Adviser James Jones, and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to stop the ship from setting sail.

The developments come amid continued international condemnation of Israel's May 31 attack on the Turkish-backed Freedom Flotilla aid convoy, which had likewise aimed to break the blockade.

The assault in international waters killed nine Turkish activists.

Lebanon snubs Israel's aid ship threat

About 60 Lebanese and foreign women activists plan to carry aid
to Gaza in a bid to break the siege of the Strip


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/139494.html


The Lebanese transport minister has ignored the latest threat of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to stop a Lebanese aid ship bound for Gaza.


"We will not respond to the wishes or requests of Barak, and what he says is of little relevance to us," Ghazi Aridi told AFP on Friday.

"We will continue to exercise our sovereignty and make the decisions we find appropriate," he added.

Earlier on Friday, the Israeli minister threatened to intercept the Mariam aid ship, which is scheduled to depart from the northern Lebanese port of Tripoli on Sunday.

Barak called on the Lebanese government to "exercise responsibility and prevent the sailing," saying that Israel would allow the vessel to sail, instead, to an Israeli or Egyptian port.

The ship cannot travel directly to Gaza since Lebanon is still technically at war with Israel, and it should pass through a third country -- in this case, Cyprus.

However, Cyprus has said that it was maintaining a ban, which prevents ships from departing from its ports to Gaza.

The Bolivian-flagged cargo ship would be carrying around 60 Lebanese, American and European women, as well as cancer drugs, according to organizers.

The mission comes after Israeli commandos attacked the Gaza Freedom Flotilla aid convoy in international waters on May 31.

The assault left nine Turkish activists on board the Turkish-flagged M.V. Mavi Marmara dead and about 50 other members of the six-ship convoy, injured.

Lebanese Mariam to set sail to Gaza

Activists of Mariam ship, planning to sail to Gaza Strip


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/139396.html


A Lebanese aid ship will kick off its journey to the Gaza Strip on Sunday to deliver humanitarian relief to the besieged people of Gaza.


The ship Mariam is scheduled to leave Lebanon's northern port of Tripoli for Cyprus on Sunday, an organizer said Thursday.

Since Lebanon is still technically at war with Israel, the ship cannot travel directly to Gaza, it should pass through a third country -- in this case, Cyprus.

The Mariam would be carrying around 60 Lebanese, US and European women, as well as cancer drugs, organizer Yaser Qashlaq told Reuters.

A second ship, the Naji al-Ali, would also sail a couple of days later, he added.

Israel, which has imposed a blockade on Gaza since June 2007, has threatened to stop the vessels from reaching the coastal enclave.

The mission comes after the Israeli military attacked the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in international waters on May 31.

The assault left nine Turkish activists on board the Turkish-flagged M.V. Mavi Marmara dead and about 50 other people, who were part of the team on the six-ship convoy, injured.

Israel also arrested and later released nearly 700 activists from 42 countries who were on board the ships, which were attempting to break the siege of Gaza in order to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to the long-suffering people of the territory.

'Murdering Israelis not afraid to steal'

Zuabi has been stripped of her parliamentary privileges for her
presence in the Flotilla

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/139352.html

An Arab Israeli politician speaks out against an alleged theft by the Israeli forces of the Flotilla activists' personal belongings.

Hanin Zuabi, who is a member of the Israeli parliament, Knesset, joined the humanitarian campaign to break Israel's three year old siege of the Gaza Strip under the banner of Freedom Flotilla.

Israeli commandos stormed the aid convoy on May 31, killing nine Turkish activists.

In addition to the killings, servicemen enlisted with the Israel Defense Force (IDF) have been blamed for stealing the activists' possessions and some of the confiscated properties are feared to have been used for unauthorized purposes.

Zuabi, who has been stripped of her parliamentary privileges for her presence in the Flotilla, said on Thursday, "People who come to kill have no problem stealing," the Israeli website, Ynetnews reported.

"I'm not surprised at all,” she added.

"Everything that happened on board the ship was an act of pirates…the state cultivates a culture of criminality," she said. "If such culture grants legitimacy to killing people, is it any wonder that belongings are being stolen from passengers?"

The British daily The Guardian wrote in late June that besides appropriating the relief supplies, the Israelis seized most of the activists' personal possessions.

The article added that the soldiers had used confiscated debit cards to buy items such as iPod accessories. Mobile phones have been used for calls and three of the seized passports had still not been returned.

Viva Palestina sails for Gaza again

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138912§ionid=351021819


A new Viva Palestina aid convoy will leave for the besieged Gaza Strip on September 18, a member of the organizing committee of the air group has announced.

In a written article published by the Morning Star, George Galloway says the convoy will leave in three coordinated legs to deliver aid to Gaza from London, Casablanca and Doha.

Referring to the objectives behind the move, Galloway said it aims to sustain the momentum to list the siege on Gaza, at a crucial time when the siege is condemned by the EU, UN, many governments and every major international aid convoy.

Since June 2007, when Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip, Israeli regime has imposed a tight blockade on the area.

Israeli authorities claim that the objective of the siege is to bring down the Hamas government. The siege thus constitutes collective punishment of the civilian population, and as such it is unlawful.

A first Freedom Flotilla to Gaza was intercepted and boarded by Israeli army troops three months ago while sailing in the international waters off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli troops indiscriminately killed nine peace activists onboard a Turkish aid ship and wounded several others in an attack that drew international condemnation.

The former British MP referred to Prime Minister David Cameron's recent speech in Turkey, saying that Cameron's description of Gaza as a 'prison camp' was a timely indication of just how isolated Israel has become in its illegal siege on the people of Gaza.

George Galloway said the direct challenge to Israel's criminal siege policy is also generating a far wider base of support for isolating the regime in the way that apartheid South Africa was isolated.

He also announced: “There will be further initiatives this autumn, building on the work done by established campaigns, trade unions, churches, mosques and others aimed at breaking the inhuman siege”

US rabbi to hold anti-Israel rallies

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138614§ionid=351020202


A rabbi has sharply criticized the Israeli regime for its crimes against Palestinians, saying Tel Aviv is not the representative of Jewish people.

In an interview with IRNA in New York, David Feldman, an anti-Zionist campaigner, also announced plans to organize protest rallies in several countries against Israeli violence on Palestinians.

The rabbi noted on Saturday that the protesters intend to raise public awareness that Israel is an anti-Semitic regime and it should lift its siege on the impoverished Gaza Strip.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the coastal enclave since 2007. The 1.5 million population of Gaza have endured severe conditions, constantly suffering from lack of basic living supplies.

Feldman emphasized that rabbis have always been opposed to Zionism and Israel, adding that the demonstrators will be carrying posters at their rallies to express anger toward the regime.

He said that his organization had held several demonstrations in Canada and the United States so far.

The rabbi also said that the people around the world are not aware of Israeli crimes against the innocent people of Palestine and it is our responsibility to expose the crimes committed by Israel.

Israel to block future Gaza flotillas

Israel's Army Chief Gabi Ashkenazi


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138373§ionid=351020202


Defending Tel Aviv's deadly attack on the Gaza-bound flotilla, Israel's army chief has vowed to block future aid shipments heading toward the besieged strip.

"If they come, they will be stopped by our defensive shield," Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi said in his address to the audience at the naval graduation ceremony in Haifa on Wednesday, Haaretz reported.

"There is no doubt that you will manage to stop the nearing threats," he added a few hours after he defended Israeli commandos' deadly attack on the Gaza aid flotilla in the internal panel to substantiate the legality of the onslaught.

The late May attack left nine Turkish activists dead and dozens more injured.

While the activists, onboard the aid ships, say Israeli commandos opened fire upon boarding the Mavi Marmara, Ashkenazi said Israeli forces did not use excessive force and acted proportionally.

Israel's army chief also rejected Turkish charges that some of the victims had been shot "execution-style" at point-blank, saying that shots had been fired at close range as part of a life and death struggle.

Turkish post-mortem examinations have revealed that a total of 30 bullets were found in the bodies of the nine dead activists. One of the activists had been shot four times in the head.

Ashkenazi, who has taken responsibility for the military's actions, is the only military officer scheduled to appear before the inquiry. He was the third senior figure to address Israel's self-ordered Tirkel commission after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

The attack was widely condemned by the international community.

'Israel responsible for flotilla killings'

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138210§ionid=351020204


Turkey says Israel must take full responsibility for the killing of nine peace activists during an attack in May on an aid flotilla bound for Gaza.

"Nobody can lay on the responsibility of killing civilians in international waters onto somebody else," AFP quoted Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as saying on Tuesday.

"We have a very clear situation. Israel has killed nine civilians in international waters. Before anything else, they should take responsibility for this... Turkey has absolutely no responsibility in the incident," Davutoglu added.

On May 31, the Israeli military attacked the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla of international aid in the Mediterranean Sea, in international waters, killing nine activists onboard the Turkish-flagged M.V. Mavi Marmara and injuring about 50 other people who were part of the team on the six-ship convoy.

The Turkish foreign minister's remarks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the attack on Tuesday alleging that organizations sponsoring the Gaza Freedom Flotilla "were preparing for armed conflict to embarrass Israel."

Netanyahu said Turkey had ignored repeated warnings and appeals "at the highest level" to stop the flotilla.

The United Nations named a panel in August to look into the deadly incident.

Israel threatened on Tuesday to pull out of a UN investigation as the international probe seeks to question Israeli soldiers.

The Turkish foreign minister expressed his confidence in the UN panel which will investigate the ship, and said that the panel will surely find those who are responsible for the deaths.

"We trust the work of the international commission and believe it will find those responsible in line with international law," he said.

Israel threatens pullout from UN probe

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu



Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138084§ionid=351020202


Israel has threatened to pull out of a UN investigation into its May 31 attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy as the international probe seeks to question Israeli soldiers.

Despite Israeli efforts to appease the global enrage over the death of nine Turkish activists onboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, the United Nations named its own panel in August to look into the deadly incident.

Israel agreed to participate in the UN probe but has opposed to have its military forces involved in the fatal onslaught grilled over the attack which was carried out in international waters.

Tel Aviv insisted that Israel's agreement was conditional on the panel relying on reports from Israel's own military inquiry, not testimony from soldiers.

But the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday stated that there was no agreement that the panel would refrain from calling Israeli soldiers to testify. "No, there was no such agreement behind the scenes," Ban stressed.

This seriously irked Israeli prime minister, and prompted his office to issue a harsh statement which vehemently ruled out Israel's cooperation with or participation in "any panel that seeks to interrogate Israeli soldiers," Jerusalem Post quoted the statement as saying.

The response came a day after Netanyahu's testimony before an internal inquiry panel where he insisted the Israeli army "acted in accordance with international law."

Israel's self-ordered Tirkel commission is not authorized to probe the decision-making process which led up to the operation, nor does it have the authority to question troops involved in the fatal attack.

Lebanese flotilla to sail to Gaza

A Gaza-bound aid flotilla will set sail from Lebanon


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=137742§ionid=351020203


Following new border conflict between Israel and Lebanon, an all-women aid ship will set sail for the Gaza Strip this weekend to deliver aid to the coastal region.

The ship, named the "Mariam" in honor of the Virgin Mary, will carry a group of nuns from the US along with female doctors and lawyers.

"They are nuns, doctors, lawyers, journalists, Christians and Muslims," Mona, one of the participants, told the British newspaper, the Guardian.

The mission comes after Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gabriela Shalev, issued a warning that Tel Aviv would use "all necessary measures" to stop the vessel.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007. The women decided to break the siege to bring food and other supplies to the people of the region.

The coordinator of the voyage, Samar al-Haj, said the boat has been stocked with medical instruments and medicine for the Palestinians.

On May 31, Israeli commandos attacked a Gaza-bound aid convoy in international waters, killing nine Turkish activists and injuring dozens others.

The new humanitarian mission comes in the wake of a clash between Israeli forces and the Lebanese Army earlier this week.

The fighting began after an Israeli patrol unit breached a border fence and moved into the village of Adeissah in southern Lebanon, prompting light fire from the country's soldiers, the Lebanese Army said in a statement.

Confrontation subsequently erupted with the Israeli forces using machineguns and tank shells on Army bases and local residences, it noted.

Three Lebanese soldiers, a Lebanese journalist and a senior Israeli officer died during the exchange of fire, the worst of its kind since the 2006 Israeli-Lebanese conflict.

Irish body plans second Gaza flotilla

The Irish Ship to Gaza Committee plans to sail in
a second Freedom Flotilla to Gaza


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=137604&sectionid=351020202


The Irish Ship to Gaza Committee has announced plans to buy a ship to sail in a second Freedom Flotilla to Gaza.

The committee, which comprises a number of Irish anti-war and pro-Palestinian organizations, intends to dispatch a convoy to the impoverished Palestinian territory in October, the Belfast Telegraph reported.

A first Freedom Flotilla to Gaza was intercepted and boarded by Israeli army troops three months ago while sailing in the international waters off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli troops indiscriminately killed nine peace activists on board a Turkish aid ship and wounded several others in an attack that drew international condemnation.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Corrigan Maguire was among those on board one of the vessels attempting to deliver medicines and other supplies to Palestinian people in Gaza.

At a meeting in Istanbul three weeks ago, organizers agreed to create a second Freedom Flotilla, this time with 12 to 15 ships.

Turkey unveils its own drone

Turkey's first domestic drone, Anka, has a 56-foot wingspan
and an ability to fly for 24 hours at a speed of 75 knots per hour.


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=135107&sectionid=351020204



Turkey has developed its own drone, a move that will allow Ankara to sever an important link with Israel, which has been a supplier of drones to Turkey.

The surveillance craft, named the Anka (Phoenix), is able to fly for 24 hours, head of the project Ozcan Ertem said on Friday.

He added that an armed version of the Anka was possible but not on the agenda now, the Associated Press reported.

Turkey unveiled the drone after its shaky ties with Israel worsened by the May 31 attack against the Turkish-led Freedom Flotilla aid convoy in international waters. The assault left at least nine Turkish activists dead.

Following the incident, Turkey withdrew its ambassador and pulled out of three naval drills with Israel in the Mediterranean in response.

According to Turkish engineers, the Turkish-made drone would become part of the country's arsenal.

Remzi Barlas, head of the engineering group at Turkish Aerospace Space Industries Inc, said Anka was as capable as the Israeli Heron drones and even features a better anti-icing system that works for the entire 24 hour-flight.

The first system, comprising three planes and remote-control units, was expected to be delivered to the Turkish Air Force in 2013.

Prospects for war have grown: Assad

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=133569§ionid=351020206



Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says the current tension between Israel and Turkey has increased the possibility of war in the region.

Assad cautioned on Monday that if "relations between Israel and Turkey are not renewed, it will be very difficult for Turkey to continue its role in the [peace] negotiations," the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post reported. "The chances of peace grow slim, and the prospect of war grows," he noted.

In 2008, Turkey mediated four rounds of indirect talks between Damascus and Tel Aviv. The talks stalled following the December 2008-January 2009 war on Gaza, which left over 1,400 Palestinians dead and inflicted more than $1.6 billion in damage on Gaza's economy.

Assad added that "Turkey knows the ins and outs of the Middle East," and "there was never such a significant factor as Turkey for peace talks, and the stability of the region."

Ankara's relations with Tel Aviv hit an all-time after the attack on the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea on May 31, which left nine Turkish citizens on board the M.V. Mavi Marmara dead.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday that Ankara would sever all ties with Israel if Tel Aviv did not offer a formal apology over the attack.

However, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman insisted that Tel Aviv would not apologize.

Iran urges Islamic action on Gaza siege

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=132887§ionid=351020101



Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has called on parliaments of Islamic countries to join hands in defending the rights of the Palestinian nation.

“The Palestinian issue, in particular the besieged people of Gaza, is among the critical issues in the Islamic world, which needs to be examined,” IRNA quoted Larijani as saying in a meeting with Pakistani, Saudi, Lebanese and Bahraini parliament speakers on Wednesday night.

The Iranian official further added that the Islamic world especially the parliaments of Islamic countries were required to fulfill their duties to the Palestinian nation.

Larijani's remarks came on the sidelines of an Islamic inter-parliamentary summit in Syria, Damascus.

The Israeli assault on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla in the international waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the blockade of the Gaza Strip were high on the agenda of the talks.

The summit in Damascus ended on Wednesday with a final statement calling for an end to the three-year siege of Gaza, which has deprived 1.5 million residents of food, fuel, and other necessities.