 |
Ankara urges Israel for restraint towards Gaza aid convoy
After setting off from İstanbul over the weekend, a Turkish passenger ferry with some 500 passengers docked in Antalya on Wednesday to wait for the other nine vessels in the convoy to gather in Greece and make their way to the meeting point. The ship was expected to depart from Antalya on Thursday evening. Volunteers from over 50 countries will be on board the ships, in an attempt to demonstrate a civilian reaction to the blockade in Gaza. “Giving a permit for the transportation of aid supplies that are needed in the region will constitute a positive step not only in Gaza, but also in regards to the resolution of the Middle East conflict,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Burak Özügergin told reporters in response to a question at a press briefing held on Thursday.
An Israeli military source said on Wednesday that Israel’s navy was ready to prevent the convoy of ships from entering the blockaded Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian territory has been under a tight Israeli and Egyptian economic blockade since 2007, when Hamas took over the territory after being elected in the 2006 elections. The blockade was enforced to put pressure on Hamas and to stop weapons being smuggled in.
“In accordance with the directions of the Israeli government, the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Navy are preparing to prevent the flotilla from reaching the Gaza shore,” the military source said, noting that naval forces had held a number of exercises to prepare to enforce the sea blockade.
In Ankara, Özügergin said that in addition to contacts with Israeli officials by Turkish Embassy officials in Tel Aviv, Ankara has also engaged in contact with Egypt and other countries in a bid to prevent any military action against the convoy. These contacts included “political-level” contact, he said, declining to elaborate on the level of the contact as he also highlighted that the convoy’s activity was “a non-governmental activity.”
“This is an activity organized neither by us nor by any other countries. We believe that the time has come now to respond to the needs of Gaza people. We also told the Israeli side that it would be useful if they approached the issue in this way,” Özügergin said, denying suggestions that an intention of creating a “political show” was behind the voyage.
“We do not want new tension in the region. We believe that if this assistance initiative is perceived as a humanitarian assistance activity, then undesired problems can be prevented,” he stressed.
An extraordinary situation has been going on for several years in Gaza, he said, adding, “When there is an extraordinary situation, it should be natural that societies give uncommon reactions.”
In Jerusalem, the Israeli military source said if the ships did not turn back after being given fair warning, they would be boarded by Israeli naval forces and taken to an Israeli port where the passengers and crew would be sent home and the goods transferred to Gaza.
If forces did board the ships, they would ensure that no “terror operatives or explosives” were on board, the source said.
The international flotilla, carrying some 10,000 tons of medical equipment, building materials and other supplies, is expected to reach Israeli waters in the next few days.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BÜLENT KENEŞ |  |
||
| What befell Niyazi-i Misri in the past is happening to Fethullah Gülen now | |||
| EKREM DUMANLI |  |
||
| When a call for fairness and reason finds acceptance | |||
| ŞAHİN ALPAY |  |
||
| Uludere, test case for democracy in Turkey | |||
| EMRE USLU |  |
||
| Are the Kurds mentally divorced from Turkey? | |||
| GÖKHAN BACIK |  |
||
| Erdoğan, Gül and Davutoğlu: the inner bargain on Turkish foreign policy | |||
| MARKAR ESAYAN |  |
||
| Taking lessons from previous experiences with the military | |||
| YAVUZ BAYDAR |  |
||
| Qualm | |||
| ÖMER TAŞPINAR |  |
||
| A new phase in Syria? | |||
| İHSAN DAĞI |  |
||
| Turkish foreign policy: Time for a re-evaluation | |||
| SEYFETTİN GÜRSEL |  |
||
| Poor-friendly economic growth and the AK Party | |||
| CHARLOTTE MCPHERSON |  |
||
| Missing women, missing opportunities | |||
| BERK ÇEKTİR |  |
||
| Changes to incentives for investment in Turkey | |||
| MERVE BÜŞRA ÖZTÜRK |  |
||
| The 1960 coup: a final test for democracy | |||
| AMANDA PAUL |  |
||
| Ukraine: a lost country | |||
| MÜMTAZER TÜRKÖNE |  |
||
| The 52nd anniversary of May 27 | |||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
