Turkish activists returning home after ultimatum to Israel

About 520 peace activists, including around 400 Turks, were transferred from a holding center to an Israeli airport near Tel Aviv early yesterday. An additional 124 activists from a dozen Muslim nations without diplomatic relations with Israel were deported to Jordan before sunrise. Israeli officials said they had no plans to try any of the peace activists.

There was no way to immediately reconcile the different numbers of Turks said to be involved in the Gaza operation and returning to Turkey. Reports said 270 Turkish and 50 non-Turkish peace activists were set to return to Turkey in the first phase and that the deportation would be completed by the end of the day. Turkey was awaiting the repatriation of the activists from Israel when Today's Zaman went to print.

Turkey sent three air ambulances and three passenger planes to Tel Aviv yesterday to bring back the detained Turkish volunteers.

All the volunteers were scheduled to be flown home from Israel on Turkish planes later yesterday. “I told Mrs. Clinton on the phone that we would review all ties with Israel if our citizens were not released within 24 hours, which is tonight,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said in a press conference yesterday, referring to a conversation with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday to discuss the diplomatic crisis.

“All citizens of foreign countries will be set free. … No one has the right to try people who were kidnapped in international waters,” he added. He said Israel also assured Turkey it would not put any Turkish volunteers on trial.

In line with Davutoğlu’s remarks, Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein said yesterday that all of the nearly 700 peace activists detained in the deadly raid would be deported by the end of the day. “Israel decided not to prosecute any of the activists,” Weinstein said.

Detained activists from the Gaza-bound flotilla gesture as their bus arrives at Ben Gurion International Airport ahead of their departure from Israel. An activist’s hands on a bus window as it leaves a prison in southern Israel.

The 700 peace activists were detained when Israeli marines halted the six-ship convoy heading for the besieged Palestinian enclave. Among the ship passengers were Turks, Arabs, Americans, Asians and Europeans, including two politicians and Swedish author Henning Mankell. The detainees were being kept in custody at a prison in Beersheba.

Returnees’ accounts revealed that in order to be released, they were forced to sign a deportation document that pledges they would never travel to Israel again. Some said they could not even understand what was written since the documents provided to them were in Hebrew.

Israel’s bloody raid on the flotilla of aid ships dramatically escalated tensions with Turkey. The attack, which took place in international waters, killed at least nine people, including at least four Turks. Turkey withdrew its ambassador and scrapped war games with Israel as a result.

The Turkish Red Crescent announced yesterday that 17 peace activists injured in the bloody raid were transferred to air ambulances from the hospitals they had been treated at. Three of the activists were being treated in Jerusalem while the rest were in Tel Aviv. Doctors Şeref Öğretmenoğlu and Akın Kocabıyık were on the air ambulances; Öğretmenoğlu said none of the injured were in critical condition, adding that they had decided to leave two Turkish volunteers at a Tel Aviv hospital for a few more days since they were in the intensive care unit. Davutoğlu said a Turkish doctor would accompany the patients since “the Turkish government will not leave its citizens to the mercy of anyone.” Davutoğlu said the air ambulances were scheduled to land in Ankara and the passenger planes in İstanbul.

“Our officials are now going to Israel and will stay there until the last Turkish citizen is released,” Davutoğlu said. Two Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputies, Hüseyin Tanrıverdi and Zeyit Aslan; Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Halit Çevik; and Ambassador Halit Çevik have traveled to Tel Aviv upon the order of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The planes were also planned to bring back the remains of those who died in the attack. Officials have so far confirmed that four of the dead were Turkish nationals.

Israel has faced harsh international condemnation since its naval commandos stormed the flotilla in international waters. Israel alleges its soldiers opened fire only after coming under attack by the activists, who said they were trying to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza to bring in aid.

Gaza has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since 2007. Egypt’s opening of the border this week is believed to be temporary, although the government did not say how long it would continue.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman said cabinet ministers decided amid rising world protests against Israel’s raid of the flotilla that some 700 peace activists seized on the boats would be released. Israel earlier said it would jail the volunteers “for attacking Israeli soldiers.” Observers believe Israel’s move represents the government’s surrender to increasing international pressure calling for the release of all those detained.