Free Republic

Two Iranian ships intended to head for Hamas-controlled Gaza are waiting for their government's approval to challenge Israel on the high seas, escorted by "volunteer marines" that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to send "to teach Israelis a lesson." An Iranian Red Crescent official said the two ships are waiting for the Iranian foreign ministry to give the green light for launching, according to the French news service AFP, quoting the Iranian Mehr news service. The Red Crescent said a third ship probably would join the fleet. Red Crescent official Mojtaba Majd also claimed that more than 100,000 Iranians have...

The Israeli government is blaming IHH extremists for the violence that erupted onboard the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara when troops boarded it at sea on Monday. In this photo of the ship before setting sail, a white and green IHH banner is draped on the hull, between Turkish and Palestinian flags. (Photo: IHH) The Turkish organization responsible for the ill-fated attempt to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip is part of an Islamic “charitable” network that was designated by the U.S. government in 2008 for funding Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Gaza. Although the State Department points out...

THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned that senior Obama administration officials have been telling foreign governments that the administration intends to support an effort next week at the United Nations to set up an independent commission, under UN auspices, to investigate Israel's behavior in the Gaza flotilla incident. The White House has apparently shrugged off concerns from elsewhere in the U.S. government that a) this is an extraordinary singling out of Israel, since all kinds of much worse incidents happen around the world without spurring UN investigations; b) that the investigation will be one-sided, focusing entirely on Israeli behavior and not...

IPT News June 9, 2010 SNIPPET: "The Turkish-based charity that helped drive last week's deadly confrontation with Israeli commandos has deep ties to Hamas and other terrorist groups. The Hamas ties are not in question. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and IHH officials simply do not acknowledge that Hamas is a terrorist group." SNIPPET: "U.S. officials have expressed concern over the fact that "IHH representatives have met with senior Hamas officials in Turkey, Syria, and Gaza over the past three years," but IHH is not a designated terrorist organization in the United States. It's fair to ask, why not?"...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - Obama announces additional $400 million in aid to Gaza; Abbas says aid is 'positive sign'</p>

Some people may think that the latest escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is complicated and nuanced, but for Rep. Peter King, Republican from Long Island, knows better: it's all Obama's fault. "I believe that the Obama administration's foreign policy is responsible for what happened with the flotilla," King tells CBS, referring to the civilian deaths aboard a ship carrying humanitarian supplies to Gaza. So now King is introducing a resolution to force the president to militarily support Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. King’s resolution would authorize the U.S. to provide Israel with necessary weapons and supplies to enforce the Gaza...

Under President Barack Obama, the United States no longer provides Israel with automatic support at the United Nations where the Jewish state faces a constant barrage of criticism and condemnation. The subtle but noticeable shift in the U.S. approach to its Middle East ally comes amid what some analysts describe as one of the most serious crises in U.S.-Israeli relations in years. Under Obama, the United States seeks to reclaim its role as an impartial Middle East peace broker which critics say it lost during the previous administration of George W. Bush. "Israel became used to unconditional support of the...

In case you’re wondering exactly what the Israeli’s are up against there’s this (video). It may be 2 years old but I think it’s emblematic of the situation. Watch the video again and let it sink in how chilling this is. A crazed anti-semite comes out saying that Muslim men should sexually harass and even rape Israeli women and what does this arab tv network do? They invite her on and interview her as though she were just another political commentator with a provocative position.

The UN Secretary General has insisted other nations should oversee an investigation into Israel's deadly boarding of a Turkish ship. Ban Ki-Moon restated the demands days after Israel rejected a similar suggestion that the probe be carried out by an international tribunal. Israel is insisting it should carry out the investigation itself. Nine people died when Israel prevented a flotilla of ships docking in the Gaza Strip on 31 May. Israel has outlined the focus of the probes it will conduct. They will look exclusively into the legality of Israel's naval blockade of Gaza and the raid on the aid...

Ms. Henochowicz, a burgeoning artist, lost an eye as Israeli military reportedly shot a tear gas canister at "Palestinian boys" throwing rocks. The canister apparently hit her in the eye. She was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery... No doubt the Israeli IDF standing guard had some soldiers younger than Emily. Their lives are threatened each and every day, and not only their lives, but the lives of their families. They are not attending a summer-session school. ... Does anyone care that Hamas, the PLO and Hezbollah have promised "Allah" to eliminate Israel? Has this young woman read these...

SNIPPET: "Organization of Islamic Conference, currently meeting in Jeddah..." SNIPPET: "Representatives from 57 Arab and Muslim states, including the Iranian and Turkish foreign ministers, took part in the conference."

Israel 'Foils Scuba Dive Attack' 7 June 2010 Israel's navy has shot and killed four Palestinians wearing diving gear off the Gaza coast, officials say. The Israeli military says it believes those on board were planning a "terrorist attack". Hamas officials in Gaza say four bodies have been recovered and two people are missing. Israel controls and occupies the sea off the coast of Gaza despite having withdrawn its forces from the territory in 2005. The country's Haaretz newspaper quoted an Israeli army source as saying the incident took place at about 0430 local time (0130 GMT) and that the...

The Israeli Navy opened fire on an armed Palestinians wearing diving suits and apparently on their way to attack Israel targets, the IDF said on Monday morning. An army source told Haaretz that at about 4:30 A.M., naval commandos identified and fired on a boat carrying five armed Palestinians heading north from waters off the Nuseirath refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Gaza sources reported that four Palestinians were killed in what appears to have been a rare attempt at a seaborne attack on Israel. Hamas later confirmed the deaths and said a fifth Palestinian was missing. Four bodies...

Israel's intelligence community has found that the Turkish organizer of the seven-ship flotilla that unsuccessfully sought to reach the Gaza Strip was linked to Al Qaida. The Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center deemed the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation, known by its Turkish acronym IHH, a leading supporter of Al Qaida in its insurgency campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. The state-supported center, meant to be the open-source arm of the Israeli intelligence community, said numerous foundation members have been arrested by Turkish security services for trying to ship weapons to Afghanistan. "The IHH initiated a number of 'humanitarian aid' convoys...

The White House said on Friday Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip was unsustainable and urged a Gaza aid vessel sent by pro-Palestinian activists to divert to an Israeli port to reduce the risk of violence. "We are working urgently with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and other international partners to develop new procedures for delivering more goods and assistance to Gaza," said Mike Hammer, spokesman for the White House National Security Council. "The current arrangements are unsustainable and must be changed. For now, we call on all parties to join us in encouraging responsible decisions by all sides to avoid...

In the hubbub surrounding the “battle of the flotilla,” Netanyahu’s quick reversal of his decision to remain in the United States has been largely ignored. It turns out that Obama told him to leave because he didn’t want Netanyahu to use the White House as a stage on which to present Israel’s side of the story. The flotilla violence caught Netanyahu in the midst of a diplomatic trip to North America. He was in the Canadian capital of Ottawa at the time, about to leave for Washington for a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama. The meeting was to have...

Remember how there was supposedly going to be “no daylight” between them in dealing with the flotilla aftermath? Turns out daylight has broken after just four days. Question: If you’re intent on pushing a policy as reckless as ending the blockade — and it is reckless, as we all know from Lebanon that neutral “peacekeepers” aren’t going to keep Iranian weapons out of Gaza — why on earth would you wait to do it in response to a provocation? You’re sending a crystal clear signal here to the Muslim Brotherhood scumbags responsible for the flotilla and their Turkish sponsors that,...

If you look beyond the international shouting match that began on Monday after Israel botched its handling of a Turkey-sponsored aid flotilla bound for Gaza, well, things look pretty shocking. Just because at least nine people are dead — Western casualties included — doesn't mean the boat raid itself is what "has the makings of a huge international fracas." And just because the Turkish foreign minister says "this attack is like 9/11" — which it isn't — doesn't mean Tel Aviv will take its eyes off what the Israelis actually perceive to be the larger threat: Iran's nuclear weapons. Sure,...

NEW YORK – The Obama administration is pressing Israel to allow into the Gaza Strip new activist flotillas setting sail from Europe, according to an official in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office speaking to WND. Separately, an Israeli government official said the White House asked Netanyahu for concessions in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in exchange for U.S. opposition to the establishment of a United Nations commission to investigate Israel's commando raid of a flotilla earlier this week that resulted in the deaths of nine violent activists.

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The Obama administration appears to be rebuffing calls from some Jewish groups for the United States to be more assertive and public in defending Israel regarding the flotilla incident. The bluntest appeal for a more pronounced pro-Israel posture came from Abraham Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League's national director, who is in Israel meeting with the Israeli leadership. "The U.S. should reiterate its support and understanding for Israel, that as a sovereign and democratic nation it has the right to act on behalf of its national security and express its confidence that Israel can conduct its own investigation into...