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To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (366816)	5/31/2010 2:35:10 AM
From: FJB	Respond to of 793838

Now saying 16. I can't believe that unless people on the flotilla shot at Israeli troops. We shall see.

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (366816)	5/31/2010 2:35:10 AM
From: FJB	Respond to of 793838

Now saying 16 killed. I can't believe that unless people on the flotilla shot at Israeli troops. We shall see.

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (366816)	5/31/2010 3:10:25 AM
From: FJB	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793838

More Than Four Dead After Israeli Soldiers Board Gaza Aid Convoy MIDDLE EAST NEWSMAY 31, 2010, 3:05 A.M. ET By JOSHUA MITNICK online.wsj.com TEL AVIV—Israeli warships early Monday intercepted a flotilla of activists and aid bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip, and Israel's military confirmed that more than four activists had been killed in a skirmish after Israeli forces boarded at least one of the ships. The ships involved were still at sea, under Israeli naval escort, and believed headed for an Israeli port. The details of the boarding weren't clear early Monday. An Israeli army spokesman accused activists on the ships of arming themselves with knives and clubs. The spokesman said at least a dozen activists had been injured, as well as 10 Israeli military personnel, in the fighting. He said activists stole a gun from one Israeli personnel and started firing on the soldiers. Local media put the death toll much higher. Israel's Channel 2, a private station, citing Palestinian officials, reported early Monday that at least 16 died in a confrontation between Israel forces and activists and crew members aboard the ships. The station said Israeli soldiers acted only after responding to violence, but the source of the report wasn't clear. Israel's official Army Radio, citing Turkish reports, also put the death toll at 16, but said there wasn't any official Israeli confirmation of that number. "The soldiers responded when live bullets were fired on them and one of the soldiers' weapons was stolen," Army Radio reported. A correspondent for Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based Arabic news channel, was aboard one of the ships and reported for his network that Israeli forces boarded a separate boat in the flotilla in darkness, at one point opening fire shortly after boarding, as helicopters hovered above. Israeli officials have for days warned that they wouldn't let the flotilla make port in Gaza, which is controlled by the militant Palestinian group Hamas and has been under effective blockade by Israel and Egypt. Human-rights activists have long alleged that Israel was keeping out crucial aid and basic materials, a claim Israel has denied. Sensitive to the possible public-relations fallout of any confrontation, Israeli officials had debated the appropriate response to the flotilla, fearful a heavy-handed approach could deepen Israel's current diplomatic woes. Monday's violence threatens to pose another big setback for Israel's international standing, whether the military action Israel took at sea was warranted and measured, or not. Turkey's foreign ministry accused Israel of violating international law and demanded an "urgent explanation," according to the Associated Press. Police in Ankara blocked dozens of stone-throwing demonstrators who had converged on the Israeli consulate in protest early Monday. Later in the morning, the protests turned into a more peaceful vigil, AP reported. The flotilla was carrying around 800 pro-Palestinian activists from various countries, as well as 10,000 tons of construction material, medical equipment and school supplies, according to organizers. It is by far the largest fleet of aid to try to reach Gaza since Israel and Egypt began restricting the flow of goods into and out of the territory in 2007 after Hamas seized control. The latest effort, which organizers called the "Freedom Flotilla," was carrying European parliamentarians, former U.S. diplomats and Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire. It is unclear whether any of these high-profile passengers were involved or injured in the skirmish. Last week, Israel vowed to stop the flotilla, but also said that if the ships docked at an Israeli port first, it would allow the full shipment of humanitarian cargo to reach Gaza, after undergoing security checks. The flotilla was originally scheduled to reach Gaza on Friday, but was repeated delayed over the weekend. The battle at sea follows a series of diplomatic setbacks for Israel in recent months, including strained relations with the U.S. and the expulsion of Israeli diplomats from Britain and Australia over Israel's alleged role in forging passports used by suspects in the killing of a Hamas commander in Dubai. Israel says there is no evidence of its involvement in the slaying. And Israel's relationship with Washington, its strongest ally, chilled recently after a standoff between the two over Israel's insistence on continuing to build Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. That rift appeared on the mend, with President Barack Obama inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the White House for separate meetings this week.