We’re in the very best of hands.
[Secretary of State John] Kerry told his hosts in Turkey that he understands the pain of the families whose loved ones were killed aboard the Marmara – and added that he can understand their pain well, having just dealt with the families whose loved ones were slain in Boston.
The Marmara was the boat that originated in Turkey and tried to run Israel’s Gaza blockade in May 2010. Israeli commandos boarded it on suspicion that it was ferrying weapons to Hamas in Gaza, which would be used in attacks on Israelis. Nine were killed in the raid. But as you can see here, those activists on that ship were not blown up while doing something innocent like trying to finish a marathon. They were preparing weapons for the raid, and attacked the Israeli forces as they came onto the ship.
The flotilla itself was an Islamist — terrorist — operation. Turkey’s current government bears more than a whiff of Islamism itself.
This flotilla was not interested in helping the people of Gaza. It refused to land the cargos in Israel and have them passed across the border after inspection. Rather, the goal was to help Hamas. A key role in the flotilla was played by the IHH, an Islamist group that has been involved in terrorism, backed by Turkey’s government.
These ships were intercepted by Israel’s navy and after warnings were seized. On all of the ships this happened without any injuries except on the Mavi Marmara, where radical jihadists with weapons had sworn to fight. They attacked the arriving soldiers, injured several, and took a couple of soldiers hostage. At that time the soldiers opened fire and several Turkish citizens were killed.
Comparing the Marmara raid to the Boston bombing is obscene.
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