Posted on 06/02/2010 1:44:46 PM PDT by Red Badger
Five planes flew out of Israel Wednesday night, June 2, carrying hundreds of foreign passengers and nine bodies from the Turkish-led flotilla Israeli commandos raided and prevented from breaking the Gaza blockade two days ago. After surrendering to Turkey's ultimatum to release all the passengers, including the seven members of Islamist terrorist groups who assaulted the Israeli boarding party, debkafile reports the Netanyahu government faced a fresh ultimatum from Ankara: Lift the Gaza blockade at once. In his televised message to the nation Wednesday night , Netanyahu pledged "to continue to uphold our right to self-defense against terror," but gave no specific undertaking to preserve the blockade. Our counter-terror sources confirm that for the first time ever, the government in Jerusalem flouted legal and judicial opinion and sent out of Israel's jurisdiction a pack of terrorists who were filmed attacking Israeli soldiers without trial, together with the bodies of unidentified assailants without giving the investigating authorities a chance to carry out autopsies and find out if they were wanted for security offensives. After Israel gave way on this, the Erdogan government upped the pressure with further ultimatums. After declaring it was vital to prevent hundreds of Iranian ships reaching Gaza with thousands of heavy ballistic missiles for Hamas, Netanyahu faced a fresh Turkish demand to lift the blockade on Gaza without delay. Furthermore, the Irish vessel Rachel Corrie, which was left out of the flotilla after it developed technical trouble, was discovered to have changed course from a direct route to Gaza and headed for a stopover at a Turkish port. debkafile's counter-terror sources disclose suspicions in the Israeli government and naval command that the Irish ship would take aboard a new batch of trained Turkish IHH terrorists and head for the Gaza Strip. They might even be the same IHH activists who attacked Israeli commandos on the Marmara and were deported Wednesday. Erdogan has resolved that this group which he personally sponsored will reach Gaza Port by hook or by crook. It is also feared in Jerusalem that he may attach an escort of Turkish warships and air force jets to accompany the Rachel Corrie and make sure the ship breaks through the blockade to its destination.
The Irish ship was first scheduled to anchor Saturday, June 5, but its detour to Turkey will delay its arrival by a couple of days.
Torpedo it, blame it on the North Koreans.
A ship named the “Rachel Corrie?” Not the luckiest of names.
ROFLMAO! like that!..............
They are going to flat out run that blockade.................
Sureeee the Turks will escort it. And it will be possible of course, because the Turkish airforce will sweep the IAF from the skies!
Turkey might get fried.
Fly over it with a cargo plane, and drop a bulldozer through the deck.
Has Turkey ever lodged any objection to the blockade before? It’s been in effect, what, 3 years?
When they enter Israeli waters they will be in violation and we’ll have a fire fight.
Turkey only needs to basically parallel the Israeli coast all the way to Gaza,, then wipe out the IAF in their own backyard. Should be a piece of cake.
Someone here yesterday pointed out (correctly in my opinion) that there is a greater chance of a Turk military coup to reduce radical islamist influence, than there is the Turk military would cooperate and launch an attack on Israel.
Turkey is playing a losers game here.
I doubt this is true.
Blockades are acts of war. Trying to run one is also an act of war. I doubt if Turkey wants to go to war with Israel.
When Kennedy set up a blockade around Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, they were careful to not name it as such.
Israel has the same rights as every other nation to secure their border. The United States boards ships every day, and on occasion uses force.
“A ship named the ‘Rachel Corrie?’ Not the luckiest of names.”
I wonder if it would sink if the Israelis dropped a great big bulldozer on it. Now, that would be both poetic and funny.
I don’t even think it’ll get that far. Militarily Turkey can’t project power that way. Their Air Force is hopelessly outclassed by the IAF. In fact,, in recent years, the IAF has been their tech source for rebuilding Turk jets.
Air wise, nearly from the moment the Turk AF left Turkey, they would be vulnerable to the IAF. Then to reach Gaza, they have to fight their way about 400 miles south, along the israeli coast,, and prevail within sight of the Israeli bases.
The Turk navy would be utterly exposed to air attack.
Turkey’s sole hope would be an Obama intervention on their side, but they could never prevail alone. No disrespect to the Turks, but they are completely inexperienced compared to their adversary. And to their credit,, Turk military is never very friendly to the most virulent version of islamicists.
Is the MV Rachel Corrie a flatboat with a pancake hull? Will the Israelis waffle at sinking her? IHOPe no one gets hurt...
I’ll bet the Turks are thinking the Messiah is going to back them.
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