Heroes are back.
Eight Turks, one US citizen shot dead in Israeli attack to aid ship, report says
from Hurriyet Dailynews
Eight Turks and a US national of Turkish origin were among the nine dead in an Israeli raid on Gaza-bound aid ships, Anatolia news agency reported. (UPDATED)
More photos here.
Turkey emerges as Middle East leader
from Yahoo news
The recent flotilla incident is the culmination of a steep decline in Israeli-Turkish relations that started with the Gaza war in 2008 and 2009. Relations between these two countries, after reaching a high point in the late 1990s and early 2000s, are now beyond repair, and it will probably take the better part of a decade for them to be resuscitated.
Turk-Israel ties suffer fatal blow amid hope on Gaza blockade
from Hurriyet Dailynews
The relationship between Turkey and Israel, once regional allies, incurred irreparable damage from the Israeli offensive, but hopes are rising that the incident could lead to the removal of the blockade on Hamas-controlled Gaza. Diplomatic observers say the first thing that should be done is to carry out a credible, impartial investigation into the deaths
Activists’ eyewitness accounts detail Israeli raid on Gaza aid ship
from Hurriyet Dailynews
Activists detained after their Gaza aid ship was attacked by Israeli commandos earlier this week began detailing their accounts on Thursday of what some activists called ‘premeditated murder.’
Turkish Parliament Condemns Israeli Attack
from Bianet :: English
In a declaration signed by the Parliamentary Group Chairs, the Turkish Parliament condemns the Israeli attack on aid ships for Gaza. The declaration demands a review of Turkish-Israeli relations, an international investigation, an official apology and compensation payments.
Aid flotilla activists missing, says Turkish charity head
from Hurriyet Dailynews
Funeral prayers are held in Istanbul for eight of the nine people killed on a Gaza aid flotilla as families around the country mourn their dead. At least three activists are still missing, the group that organized the flotilla says, vowing to send larger convoys to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip
Activists Arrived in Turkey
from Bianet :: English
466 people who had been detained by Israel after an attack on aid ships heading for Gaza have arrived in Turkey. The bodies of 9 people who were killed in the attack were brought to Istanbul, all of them are of Turkish nationality. 17 injured activists are in Ankara.
Turkey’s military programs with Israel remain in place [for the moment E.S.]
from Hurriyet Dailynews
Turkey?s military ties with Israel have not been hindered by the ongoing tension over Israel?s killing of civilians on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül says there are no large-scale joint projects, but ongoing programs with Israeli defense companies are worth hundreds of millions of dollars and will continue. In another development, Turkey has suspended all state water and energy projects with Israel
Anger as Turkey buries its dead
from Yahoo news
Turkey mourns nine people killed in the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla as Israel rejects an outside inquiry.
Activists who were seized during a raid on an aid convoy sailing to Gaza, flash victory signs upon their arrival at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul early June 3, 2010.? Read more »
REUTERS/Osman Orsal
Shot in the Head
from The Istanbulian by Emre Kızılkaya
The cargo of Mavi Marmara ship, which was confiscated by the Israeli authorities while carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, included toys and footballs.
The following account of a Brazilian who was on the passenger ship that was attacked by Israel may be regarded as an evidence that Israeli commandos had deliberately killed some of the activists, possibly according to an assassination plan:
An Israeli view:
An Assault, Cloaked in Peace
from NYT > Turkey by By MICHAEL B. OREN
Many who were aboard the Gaza-bound flotilla had one goal ? it was to aid terrorists, not to help civilians.
An opposing view:
A Botched Raid, a Vital Embargo
from NYT > Turkey by By DANIEL GORDIS
Israel has as its foremost obligation the protection of its citizens. Given that, why should it have allowed the flotilla to enter Gaza without inspecting its goods?
How it feels to be an Israeli citizen
by FATMA K. BARBAROSOĞLU – YENİ ŞAFAK
I do not wonder what it feels like to be Jewish, I have Jewish friends. I have travelled between cities and countries. I know more or less how Jewish people are through my friendships.
Israel could even set the world on fire
by ENGİN ARDIÇ – SABAH
Israel was re-established after 2,000 years. It is ready to do everything to survive and spread ?to its natural borders drawn in its Holy Book.?
LALE KEMAL – Turkey?s statesmanship in the Israeli crisis
Turkey rightly distinguished between the Israeli people and the current Benjamin Netanyahu government when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan leveled unprecedented criticism at the deadly raid by Israeli commandos on a Turkish flagged aid ship early Monday morning.
KLAUS JURGENS – Attack on Gaza flotilla: treasure trove for nationalist discourse
It will not simply take countless ?one minutes? to bring Israel?s government back into the fold of reliable and respected political actors but much more than that: Turkey?s current government is faced with having to make a number of extremely difficult, highly politically sensitive decisions.
FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – Erdoğan?s sharp speech
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan eased the minds of those who were greatly overwhelmed by an Israeli attack on an international aid convoy with a fearless speech he delivered at a meeting of his party?s parliamentary group earlier this week.
In Bid to Quell Anger Over Raid, Israel Frees Detainees
from NYT > Turkey by By MICHAEL SLACKMAN
Israel worked to defuse international anger by agreeing to a rapid release of all detainees taken after a raid of ships delivering aid to the Gaza Strip.
Israel and the aid flotilla: Worse than a crime
from Hurriyet Dailynews by HDN
‘It was worse than a crime; it was a blunder’ is often quoted when a government makes a decision, usually involving violence, that obviously harms its own cause.
Analysis: Erdogan’s harsh Israel rhetoric tests Turkey’s role as bridge between East and West
from Yahoo news
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) He blasted the attack on the Gaza-bound flotilla as a “bloody massacre,” walked out on a meeting with Israel’s president and cozied up to American adversaries such as Syria…
Criticism on Military Partnership between Turkey and Israel
from Bianet :: English
The Turkish rights organization Küresel BAK demands to end the bilateral military agreement between Turkey and Israel after the recent Israeli attack on aid ships. The military co-operation between both countries is worth billions of dollars.
Frenemies?
from Istanbul Calling by Yigal Schleifer
In a very thought-provoking piece in Foreign Policy, the Council on Foreign Relations’ Steven Cook suggests that along with the Turkish-Israeli relationship, another victim from Monday’s Gaza flotilla fiasco might be the long-standing Turkish-American alliance. From Cook’s piece:
This Israeli Government Has Gone Too Far
from NYT > Turkey by By SUAT KINIKLIOGLU
The Gaza flotilla I: The Israeli raid was a turning point for Turkish attitudes toward Israel.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (C), accompanied by Health Minister Recep Akdag (L), welcomes an activist, wounded when Israel seized a Turkish