Hamas terrorists were at Gaza flotilla launch

While the organizers of the Gaza-bound flotilla present themselves as human rights advocates whose sole aim is to assist the people of Gaza, a new report reveals the group’s cooperation with radical extremists and human rights violators.

According to a report by the Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center, senior Islamic extremists attended the launching ceremony in Istanbul of a boat participating in the flotilla. Among the participants were Mahmad Tzoalha and Sahar Albirawi, both top Hamas terrorists now operating in Great Britain, and Hamam Said, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan.

Bolant Yilderim, the chairman of the IHH, a Turkish based pro-Palestinian organization that is spearheading the Gaza flotilla, delivered an acerbic speech at the ceremony to the applause of Turkish politicians and radical Islamic activists. “Israel behaves like Hitler did towards the Jews. Hitler built concentration camps in Germany, and today the Zionist entity is building concentration camps in Palestine,” said Yilderim.

The rally was also attended by Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, who praised the attitude of the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and asked leaders of the entire Arab world to follow his example.

Salah has previously admitted in an Israeli Court to conferring with foreign agents and assisting unauthorized organizations, after it had become known that he was in contact with Hamas. He often voiced anti-Semitic hate messages that are based on the most ancient blood libels: “We are not the ones who eat a meal based on bread and cheese in children’s blood,” he said in one of his speeches, and at another event he stated that the Jews are “butchers of pregnant women and babies…Thieves, you are the bacteria of all times…The Creator meant for you to be monkeys and losers… Victory is with the Muslims, from the Nile to the Euphrates.”

Flotilla route from Istanbul to Gaza

“If the goal of the flotilla was humanitarian,” says Col. (res.) Reuven Ehrlich, a former member of the Israeli Intelligence Corps who currently heads the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, “they would have let Israel transfer the aid through, and would not have attempted to infiltrate the Gaza Strip in an illegal way. Their only goal is to generate a provocation aimed at embarrassing Israel and the IDF, and to aid Hamas and the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.”

On Thursday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director-General Yossi Gal separately summoned the ambassadors of Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Sweden and Ireland – the countries from which the ships participating in the flotilla set sail.

At all the meetings, Gal expressly clarified Israel’s official position, which declares the flotilla an absolute provocation: There is no shortage of humanitarian aid to Gaza, as food products, fuel and supplies are constantly transferred into the Gaza Strip by the international organizations. He invited the flotilla organizers to dock at Ashdod port, unload their cargo and transfer it to Gaza, after a security check, either via the Israeli authorities or via the humanitarian organizations.

Gaza is under the control of a terrorist organization, which does not prioritize the well-being of the citizens of Gaza, said Gal. This organization, under the patronage of Iran, continues to arm itself with ammunition and rockets, and to perpetuate a situation of armed conflict with Israel, after years of targeting Israeli civilians. Israel has the inherent natural right, therefore, to prevent the unsupervised transfer of supplies to Gaza. The Deputy General added that Israel would not allow the flotilla to reach Gaza.

Gal stressed that Gilad Shalit has been languishing in Gaza for four years, while the Hamas blatantly breaches his elementary rights, and does not even allow the Red Cross to visit him.

This is the third round of talks with the ambassadors, and is in addition to parallel activities undertaken by Israeli ambassadors in the various countries warning the governments that the flotilla is about to break international law.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry has arranged with the Defense Ministry to assist the relevant government ministries in their handling of the passengers on the flotilla in order to assist them in leaving the country as soon as possible. The Consular Services Department has contacted the foreign embassies in Israel and explained the measures expected to be implemented against the participants in the flotilla.

More flotilla articles:
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YouTube pulls flotilla parody after three million views
ADL to US State Department: Flotilla backers are terror organizations
‘What’s left now?’ wonders Israel (opinion)
Netanyahu on flotilla clash: ‘We have a right to inspect cargo heading into Gaza’
Navy commando: ‘There were terrorists who wanted to kill us’
Flotilla passengers backed by global jihad group
Gaza backgrounder: Humanitarian aid, imports and conditions
Flotilla commando: ‘I saw the tip of a rifle’

Tags: Flotilla, Gaza Strip, Hamas, Raed Salah