At Gaza flotilla funeral in Turkey, rising anger and eyewitness accounts

Turkish leaders built on earlier condemnations of Israel's attack on the Gaza flotilla, while mourners offered eyewitness accounts that contradicted Israel's version of events.
 

Turkish anger with Israel reached a new high on Thursday during the funeral of "Freedom Flotilla" activists killed by Israeli commandos while trying to break the blockade on Gaza.

Turkish leaders built on their earlier condemnations, asserting that Israel's attack on a Turkish ship had not only caused irreparable damage to the allies' relationship but had exposed the Jewish state "once again" as a perpetrator of crimes against humanity.

This Turkish convoy, coordinated by the Turkish Relief Foundation (IHH) charity, was a multi-national effort to bring aid to Gaza's coast as a means of rebuilding what was destroyed 15 months ago. Gaza is currently suffering from an economic boycott which means basic facilities of life (food, shelter, clothing) are not available to the ordinary Palestinian citizens.

The largest-ever international sea aid convoy aimed at breaking the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip sailed to Gaza May 26^th 2010. The heart of the convoy was a cargo ship sponsored by donors from Malaysia and outfitted with cargo from Ireland, Scotland and Britain among others countries. On May 26, 2010, the Freedom Flotilla set sail for Gaza determined to challenge the economic blockade of 1.5 million Palestinians trapped in an open-air prison. Numerous charities and welfare organizations, including the Turkish Relief Foundation (IHH), the Perdana Global Peace Organization from Malaysia, UK’s Isaar Trust, the European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza, Thinkers Forum International, and the Swedish and Greek Boat to Gaza initiatives sent three cargo ships loaded with reconstruction, medical and educational supplies. At least five passenger boats with over 600 people on board  accompanied the cargo ships. These passengers included members of Parliament from around the world, U.N., human rights and trade union activists, as well as journalists.

At the funerals, mourners added their weight to that uncompromising line and shared eyewitness accounts that contradict Israel's version of what Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this week called a "bloody massacre." The predawn raid killed nine Turks, including one US-born teenager of Turkish descent.

 “We didn’t expect any such attack,” said Yavuz Cakir, who works with the company that handles the Mavi Marmara – the largest vessel of the six-ship flotilla taken over by the Israeli military to prevent passage to Gaza.

“The Turkish government was also surprised. The world was also surprised,” added Mr. Cakir, who attended the funeral. “The Jewish people and Jewish government shoot easily, and do not respect anyone.”

That sentiment was echoed by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who said past warm relations with Israel “will never be the same again,” and that “Israel has made one of the biggest mistakes of its history.”

“Turkey will never forgive this kind of attack in international waters,” Mr. Gul said on Thursday. “The entire world has risen up, and everyone knows how Israel has been exposed, once again, how they have committed a crime against humanity.”

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also spoke Thursday, saying that Turkey “will not bow to this bullying,” and that “Israel risks losing its most important friend in the region if it doesn’t change its mentality.”

US citizen among those mourned

At the funeral, several thousand Turks bowed in prayer before eight coffins draped with Turkish and Palestinian flags. Family members and fellow activists shed tears, and chanted “God is great!” as they lifted the coffins above the crowd waving flags that included the yellow banner and green assault rifle of Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

“Our friends have been massacred,” Bulent Yildirim, the head of Islamic charity IHH, told the mourners. “We became martyrs.”

The IHH added important heft to the "Freedom Flotilla," the ninth such attempt by activists to break Israel's Gaza blockade by sea. The IHH had purchased the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, which was carrying the bulk of the flotilla's 10,000 tons of aid when it was attacked by Israeli commandos on Monday morning.

Isaar Trust was part of the aid convoy carrying medical and educational supplies.