The State Department is investigating whether to designate the Turkish Muslim charity that funded and operated a Gaza-bound “aid” ship as a foreign terrorist organization, after nine people were killed aboard one of its ships in a bloody confrontation with Israeli commandos, Fox News has learned.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner told Fox News at a briefing on Wednesday that the government is looking into whether The Foundation for Human Rights and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), a nongovernmental organization, should be listed as a terror group.
Early this morning, IDF Naval Forces boarded six ships attempting to break the maritime closure of the Gaza Strip. This happened after numerous warnings from Israel and the Israeli Navy that were issued prior to the action. The Israel Navy requested the ships to redirect toward Ashdod where they would be able to unload their aid supplies which would then be transferred over land after undergoing security inspections. During the boarding of the ships, the demonstrators onboard attacked the IDF Naval personnel with live fire and light weaponry including knives and clubs. Additionally one of the weapons used was grabbed from an IDF soldier. The demonstrators had clearly prepared their weapons in advance for this specific purpose. As a result of this life-threatening and violent activity, naval forces employed riot dispersal means, as well as live fire. According to initial reports, these events resulted in the deaths of nine demonstrators and seven naval personnel were injured, some from gunfire and some from various other weapons. Two of the soldiers are moderately wounded and the remainder sustained light injuries. All of the injured, Israelis and foreigners have been evacuated by helicopter to hospitals in Israel. Reports from IDF forces on the scene are that it seems as if part of the participants onboard the ships were planning to lynch the forces.
Israeli forces boarded ships attempting to break the blockade of Gaza. Commandos lowered themselves from helicopters and onto the Mavi Marmara – the lead ship in a flotilla of six vessels which are carrying humanitarian aid for the Palestinian territory and militants seeking confrontation against israeli soldiers.
On the night of Sunday, May 30 Israeli naval forces surrounded and boarded ships sailing to the blockaded Gaza Strip. On the largest ship, the Mavi Marmara, Israeli commandos opened fire, killing at least 9 passengers and wounding dozens more. The passengers were far from “civilians”, see other videos showing Mavi Marmara and their preparations for violence. The video here shows that far from all passengers did not have “humanitarian aid” first in thought, they wanted, and got, a confrontation with israeli soldiers. The video will also show how fast and easy Mavi Marmara could treat wounded militants, a indication that they had violence and death in mind. Above is raw footage from the moments leading up to and during the Israeli commandos’ boarding on the Mavi Marmara.
Videotaped statements of two Mavi Marmara crew members show that preparations for a violent confrontation with IDF forces were put in motion about two hours before the boarding began, when the Israeli Navy hailed the ship and told it to halt.
Transcript: Translation from Turkish:
MAVI MARMARA Chief Officer Gökkiran Gökhan
Preparations on the ship before it was taken over by the Israeli Navy
GG: Chief Officer
INT: Interviewer
TR: Translator
GG: While I was on the bridge after dark, before anything happened, the captain called me and the chief engineer; and sent us towards the lifeboats.
TR: OK
GG: There was a crowd in the lifeboat area and some noises coming from there.
The captain told me, Look, something is happening, there are noises, go and see whats going on.
There were a lot of people there. I said to the chief engineer, Your authority is higher than mine, come with me.
TR: When did this happen, more or less?
GG: More or less?
TR: Yes, what time was it ?
REC: Its probably the truth.
GG: Nine, eight.
INT: Eight, nine?
GG: Around 8-9 hrs. It wasnt 9 yet. It was maybe 8, I dont know when exactly, but around that time.
TR: OK, yes?
GG: The chief engineer and I went down the stairs together. I dont know that guys name, the one I told you about.
TR: OK, never mind.
GG: We found him.
REC: Great, he wasted two hours of our time!
GG: He, he was one of the people who had clout.
TR: Just a minute, who did you find?
GG: That guy, the chief engineer would know his name.
REC: He knows his job!
TR: Which guy, from the IHH?
GG: IHH.
TR: The chief engineer – the one who cut? I mean did he know the IHH guy who cut the iron bars?
GG: No, no, the chief engineers name is Ekrem Çetin.
TR: Yes, thats another matter.
GG: We went together.
TR: Yes.
GG: There was a crowd.
TR: Yes.
GG: We asked what was going on, what they were doing.
TR: Yes. Did you see them while they were cutting the poles?
GG: The iron poles were already cut. It was all over when we came.
TR: Who cut them?
GG: We didnt see who cut them.
TR: Who was holding the disk?
GG: The disks were on the corner of the stairs and that man was standing next to them. That man that I told you about.
TR: Yes, he was next to it?
GG: Yes.
TR: You mean the IHH person?
GG: Yes.
TR: Who did the equipment belong to?
GG: I dont know. Not to the ship, the ship doesnt have that kind of equipment. There are iron poles on deck, you connect them with chains. They are for the crew, guests or rather passengers while walking on the deck. You take the chain, they pass and then you throw the chain. They were already cut. I saw them cut. I remember now.
TR: This is before it got dark, right?
GG: It was dark. It wasnt yet pitch dark. We had switched the lights on.
TR: You saw them already cut?
GG: I saw them cut. I grabbed one of the guys and asked him who cut the poles. He answered that he didnt know.
TR: Who was it? Crew? A passenger? Someone from IHH?
GG: No, he wasnt one of the crew. It was one of the IHH officers.
TR: From what you say, and I am asking to make sure I understand, it appears that the IHH members were in full command of the ship. And the crew had to ask for their permission to come and go between the decks? The ones they did not know?
GG: Of course they didnt allow people they didnt know to come and go. But since they saw me all the time and knew me, they let me go. They never
TR: Did they stop the crew that they didnt know?
GG: Sure, sure.
INT: From the beginning?
TR: And was that the situation from the beginning? Since you boarded ship?
GG: Sure, sure.
TR: How did the IHH guys communicate with each other? Using walkie talkies?
GG: With each other?
TR: Yes
GG: Of course. When they boarded the ship at Istanbul they brought walkie-talkies with them. They distributed them among the IHH members and the ships crew, meaning the captains and the engineers.
INT: They didnt give you one, though?
GG: They did and everyone had a different working frequency.
INT: There is something he (the interrogator) doesnt understand. They didnt allow the crew and passengers to move freely between the decks?
GG: They could move between decks.
TR: From floor to floor
GG: They could move between the floors. Just not here, just here [GG points at a location on the ships blueprint.]
TR: How many IHH members were there, more or less?
GG: 40.
INT: Was it always the same 40 or were they relieved from time to time?
TR: Did they change or were they always the same 40?
GG: The same 40. About 40 people.
INT: Is that the group that boarded the ship at Istanbul with you?
TR: Were these the people who came from Istanbul with you?
GG: Yes.
