blog.Tribulationperiod.com

Islam Has Wised Up After the Major Wars of 1948, 67, and 73!

This time Islam is laying “no win” political traps for Israelis

Which they Know Make Israel Look Like Jack the Ripper,

Such that the next major war I expect prior to 2015,

Will find Israel with her God as her solitary Friend!

God will destroy those that come against Israel

In the battle of Armageddon at a 2nd Advent

Primarily by using his own creation to do It!

Israel only needs her Messiah as a Friend!

Obama will stay as neutral as is Possible!

While He Flushes Israel Down the Drain!

June 2, 2010

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

Isaiah 29:6 – Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

Malachi 4:1 – For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Zechariah 14:12 – And this shall be the plague (slaughter) wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes

shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

Revelation 19:19-21 – And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. [20] And the beast was taken, and with him

the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.

These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

[21] And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Ezekiel 38:17 to 39:8 – Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? [18] And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. [19] For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; [20] So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. [21] And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. [22] And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. [23] Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord. [1]Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: [2] And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: [3] And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. [4] Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts

of the field to be devoured. [5] Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. [6] And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord. [7] So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. [8] Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

Begin Excerpt from Arutz Sheva

Radical Islam Behind the Flotilla Organizers

By Hillel Fendel

June 1, 2010

The Turkish organization IHH (a Turkish acronym for “humanitarian relief fund”), the force behind the boats attempting to reach Gaza, has a radical Islamic anti-Western orientation and a history of ties with and fund-raising for Hamas.

A report by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) states that in addition to its legitimate philanthropic activities, IHH supports radical Islamic networks, including Hamas, and has supported global jihad elements. In fact, IHH’s “orientation is radical-Islamic and anti-American, and it is close to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas’ parent movement. IHH supports Hamas and does not hide the connection between them.”

Established in 1992 and active in supporting orphans, establishing schools, building mosques, supporting human rights, and the like, IHH has begun in recent years expanding its activities to European countries.

In practice, ITIC states, “besides its legitimate humanitarian activities, IHH supports radical Islamic terrorist networks. In recent years, it has prominently supported Hamas, [and there is] reliable information that in the past IHH provided logistical support and funding to global jihad networks.”

IHH supports Hamas propaganda campaigns in Turkey by organizing public support conferences there, at which senior IHH figures have expressed their support for Hamas and strategy of armed struggle, and their opposition to the policies of the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority.

ITIC further notes that IHH is a member of the Union of Good, an umbrella organization of more than 50 Islamic funds and foundations around the globe that channels money into Hamas institutions in the PA-controlled territories. In January 2008, Israel outlawed 36 associations belonging to the Union of Good, including IHH.

IHH also operates widely throughout Gaza. In January 2009, IHH head Bülent Yildirim met with Khaled Mashaal, chairman of the Hamas political bureau in Damascus, and Mashaal thanked him for the support of his organization.

In 2006, the Danish Institute for International Studies conducted a study on Islamic charity funds and support for terrorism. Over 20% of the study deals with IHH, and it found that IHH had connections

with Al-Qaeda and global jihad operatives. In December 1997, Turkish authorities raided IHH offices in Istanbul, finding weapons, explosives, instructions for making homemade bombs, a flag with a jihad message, and documents indicating that IHH members were planning to take part in jihad activities in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Chechnya.

IHH purchased three ships – including the Mavi Marmaris – of the original nine slated to take part in the “humanitarian” effort to Gaza. Its participation in the flotilla is “part of the massive aid it gives Hamas and its desire to make propaganda capital for Hamas and itself,” ITIC states. On May 21, Muhammad Kaya, head of IHH’s branch office in Gaza, said there was a plan to send flotillas to the Gaza Strip every month.

The ceremony marking the departure of the Mavi Marmaris from Istanbul was organized by IHH. Participating were Ra’ad Salah, head of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement in Israel, as well as Kazem Sawalha, a Hamas activist affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood who found refuge in Britain.

The large crowd held flags of Turkey, the PA, Hamas, and other organizations affiliated with Hamas and radical Islam.

(IsraelNationalNews.com)

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The Activist “Free Gaza

Movement” Seeks Martyrdom

To assist the Terrorist State Hamas Destroy Israel,

World condemnation of Israel is its ultimate Goal.

It is hoping its new flotilla meets a similar Fate,

To Justify Destruction of the State of Israel!

This IS NOT a Humanitarian Action of Love,

It’s a political act of hatred toward Jews

To JUSTIFY the world’s Condemnation!

June 2, 2010

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

I do not believe the current flotilla incident will start a Major Middle East War this year. The only way I could see a major war breaking out is for Turkish naval ships to come down to support the flotilla, and while they might threaten to do so, at this point in time I believe it would be a saber rattling bluff.

Begin Excerpt 1 from THE JERUSALEM POST

Peace activists? More like ‘peace’ militants

By ZVI MAZEL

06/01/2010

Activists were interested in damaging Israel

As expected, the provocation mounted by Muslim organizations in association with “peace activists” was successful beyond their wildest dreams: There were casualties. They can now continue pointing the finger at Israel and blaming it for everything under the sun.

The organizers of the flotilla, a fanatic Turkish organization known under the initials IHH and its European partners, had repeatedly and explicitly declared before setting out that their purpose was to break the Gaza siege and embarrass Israel.

The humanitarian supplies brought on board were just a ploy to hide their avowed objective. Israel did all it could to stop it. Appeals to Turkey went unheeded and that country let the flotilla sail and gave its assistance. Israel offered to have all humanitarian supplies brought to the Ashdod port where they could then be sent to Gaza through our crossings. Israel also asked the “peace militants” to transmit a letter to captured IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, who has been in Hamas custody for almost four years. The militants were not interested in any humanitarian operation. They wanted to carry out their joint Arab-European propaganda offensive against Israel in order to delegitimize the Jewish state, deepen its isolation and provoke an international outcry.

Weeks before the flotilla set sail the Arab media began broadcasting pictures of the preparations together with aggressive declarations by the organizers and the usual slanders against Israel. European governments and media did not react nor did they heed the warnings issued by Israel.

There were no recommendations of caution, and no honest reporting on the actual situation in Gaza. Yet all knew that the blockade had started because of the terror operations carried out by Hamas and the smuggling of weapons. All knew also that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza: Israel lets through dozens and sometimes hundreds of trucks laden with humanitarian supplies on a daily basis.

Unfortunately we are the target of an Arab and international propaganda offensive characterized by the deliberate refusal to present the Israeli positions and indeed anything positive about that country. This is “political correctness” in its starkest expression. The organizers of the so-called humanitarian operation understood only too well that they could go on with their plans secure in the support of the Arab and European media.

AND THEN it happened. These “peace militants” carefully planned their ambush.

After having said repeatedly that they would only pose passive resistance, they attacked the soldiers who boarded the ship with guns, iron bars and knives and led to the dire results they were looking for.

Once again, they were fully aware of the fact that Israel intended to lead the ships to the port of Ashdod, deliver the supplies to Gaza and send the participants back to their country of origin. Such a solution would have been acceptable to both parties. The militants would have claimed a moral victory and Israel would have sustained its legitimate policy of controlling what went to the Gaza Strip. But this is not the way of the “peace militants” whose hatred towards Israel knows no bounds.

They wanted to cause some damage, no matter the cost for them. After all, suicide bombing is the terrorist weapon of choice and the aim justifies the means.

Did Israel have a choice? It had to stop the flotilla since no one knew who the people on the ships were and what exactly they carried. Had the ships been allowed to go through, others would have followed, perhaps bringing weapons (and who knows, maybe terrorists) to Hamas, a terrorist organization which has made its intent to destroy the Jewish state clear.

Stopping the flotilla was Israel’s right under international law. One can also ask where all the peace organizations and their militants were during the eight years Hamas deluged the south with thousands of rockets.

Where were they when Schalit was taken? Where were they when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in a bloody coup? Did they protest the slaughter that went on? Did they protest when so-called opposition leaders were thrown off the roofs of tall buildings

? Did they protest when other leaders had their kneecaps shot?

And so now we are facing a full-blown diplomatic crisis. Turkey will use it to the full to harm Israel. Arab states – and Iran – will add fuel to the fire and clamor for the UN to step in and condemn Israel. The European Union will, as usual, put the blame squarely on us – and us alone. In fact it has already started, without waiting for the whole picture to emerge.

It won’t be easy for us for two reasons. Our government failed to prepare adequately for the fallout and did not set in motion the media blitz which would have presented our case more forcibly before the flotilla set out.

And two – we can’t expect help or even assistance from anyone.

But if that’s the way it is,

that’s the way it is. The biblical words from Numbers 23:9 come to mind: “Lo, the people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations.”

The writer is a former ambassador to Romania, Egypt and Sweden and a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

Begin Excerpt 2 from the Boston Herald via Associated Press and World News

Activists send new boat to challenge Gaza blockade

By Associated Press

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

JERUSALEM — Pro-Palestinian activists sent another boat to challenge Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and Egypt declared it was temporarily opening a crossing into the Palestinian territory after a botched raid on an aid flotilla that ended with Israeli soldiers killing nine activists.

The raid provoked ferocious international condemnation of Israel, raised questions at home, and appeared likely to increase pressure to end the blockade that has deepened the poverty of the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the strip. Turkey, which unofficially supported the flotilla, has led the criticism, calling the Israeli raid a “bloody massacre.”

The pro-Palestinian flotilla had been headed to Gaza with tens of thousands of tons of aid that Israel bans from Gaza. After days of warnings, Israel intercepted the flotilla under the cover of darkness early Monday, setting off a violent melee that left nine activists dead and dozens of people, including seven soldiers, wounded. Most of the dead were believed to be Turks.

Israel said 679 people were arrested, and about 50 of those had left the country voluntarily. Hundreds who refused to cooperate remained jailed and subject to deportation.

Israel says the Gaza blockade is needed to prevent the Iranian-backed Hamas, which has fired thousands of rockets into the Jewish state, from building up its arsenal. It also wants to pressure Hamas to free an Israeli soldier it has held for four years.

Critics say the blockade has failed to weaken Hamas but further strapped an already impoverished economy. It also has prevented Gaza from rebuilding after a devastating Israeli military offensive early last year.

Egypt, which has enforced the blockade with Israel since Hamas militants seized control of Gaza three years ago, said it was opening the border for several days to allow aid into the area.

The governor of Egyptian’s northern Sinai district, Murad Muwafi, said it was a humanitarian gesture meant to “alleviate the suffering of our Palestinian brothers after the Israeli attack.”

Hundreds of Gaza residents quickly gathered at the border.

A steady stream of cars with suitcases on roof racks headed toward the border. Some families carrying packed luggage headed to the border by foot. Hamas police with assault rifles patrolled nearby to maintain order.

“We are working to help residents take advantage of this opportunity,” said Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Ihab Ghussein. “We hope it will be open all the time, not just as a response to yesterday’s events.”

Greta Berlin said the Free Gaza Movement, which organized the flotilla, would not be deterred and that another cargo boat was off the coast of Italy en route to Gaza. A second boat carrying about three dozen passengers is expected to join it, Berlin said. She said the two boats would arrive in the region late this week or early next week.

“This initiative is not going to stop,” she said from the group’s base in Cyprus. “We think eventually Israel will get some kind of common sense.

They’re going to have to stop the blockade of Gaza, and one of the ways to do this is for us to continue to send the boats.”

Begin Excerpt 3 from THE JERUSALEM POST

IDF: Global Jihad on flotilla

By YAAKOV KATZ

06/01/2010

Israel concerned next flotilla will be accompanied by Turkish Navy.

Dozens of passengers who were aboard the Mavi Marmara Turkish passenger ship are suspected of having connections with Global Jihad-affiliated terrorist organizations, defense officials said Tuesday, amid growing concerns that Turkey will dispatch Navy warships to accompany a future flotilla to the Gaza Strip.

According to the defense officials, the IDF identified a group of about 100 passengers on the ship that could have terrorist connections with Global Jihad affiliated groups.

During its searches of the Mavi Marmara on Tuesday, the military also discovered a cache of bulletproof vests, night-vision goggles as well as gas masks. On Monday morning, nine international activists were killed during the Navy’s takeover of the Mavi Marmara which was trying to break the Israel-imposed sea blockade on the Gaza Strip.

The group of over 50 passengers with possible terror connections have refused to identify themselves and were not carrying passports. Many of them were however carrying envelopes packed with thousands of dollars in cash.

The military is working to identify the passengers and is looking into the possibility that some of them have ties with Global Jihad-affiliated terror organizations and that some were involved in past global terror attacks. Some of them are apparently known Islamic extremists.

“This is the group that was behind the violent lynch against the naval commandos,” a defense official said. “They came on board the ship prepared and after they had trained for the expected Navy takeover.”

IDF fears Turkey might send Navy ships with next flotilla

On Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister threatened Israel not to test Turkey’s patience.

“Turkey’s hostility is as strong as its friendship is valuable,” he said, adding “”Israel in no way can legitimize this murder, it cannot wash its hand of this blood.”

This comment, officials said, could signify a change in Turkish military action in the event that another flotilla is dispatched to the Gaza Strip.

One official said that the possibility that Turkey would send navy ships was slim – due to the country’s membership in NATO – but that the possibility was of great concern.

“There is a pposibility that is a definite possibility that we need to prepare for,” a senior defense official said on Tuesday.

The flotilla which arrived late Sunday night was comprised of six ships, and another two ships, including The Rachel Corrie, were expected to attempt to enter Israeli waters in the coming days.

Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza Movement, which organized the flotilla, said that two boats, one of which was carrying another cargo boat was carrying about three dozen passengers, would arrive in the region late this week or early next week.

“This initiative is not going to stop,” she said from the group’s base in Cyprus. “We think eventually Israel will get some kind of common sense. They’re going to have to stop the blockade of Gaza, and one of the ways to do this is for us to continue to send the boats.”

Navy sources said that the coming ships would be intercepted the same way the flotilla was stopped on Monday morning although it had yet to be decided if the operation would be carried out by Shayetet 13, the Navy’s commando unit.

“We are tracking the ships and are under orders to stop them,” a top Navy officer said.

According to the sources, the Navy, in a future operation will use more force to prevent ships from reaching the Gaza Strip. “We boarded the ship and were attacked as if it was a war,” one officer said.

“That will mean that we will have to come prepared in the future as if it was a war.”

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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more detailed information go to:

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Turkish flotilla episode was a PLANNED POLITICAL Move

To give world leaders Justification For NOT helping Israel

When Islamic forces drive Jews out from Dan to Beersheba

The flotilla knew full well that Israel would board the Vessels

And Those Killed will be Their ‘Remember The Alamo’ RALLY Cry

Voiced as ‘Remember the Flotilla’ as they drive Israel into Negev

This will be a major justifying factor for war beginning before 2015

But I don’t believe it will cause a major war during the present Year!

June 1, 2010

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

BEFORE TURKISH FLOTILLA DEPARTURE

Begin Excerpt from MEMRI

Middle East Media Review institute

MEMRI TV Clips on the Gaza Flotilla: Activists On Board Chant Songs of Martyrdom at Departure

Special Dispatch 2986

May 31, 2010

Gaza-Based Yemeni Professor Abd Al-Fatah Nu’man: As Much As the Heroes on the Flotilla Want to Reach Gaza, the Option of Martyrdom Is More Desirable to Them – Al-Aqsa TV, May 28, 2010

Dr.

Abd Al-Fatah Nu’man: “The word ‘fleet’ and all the talk about its commander, Bülent Yildirim, reminded me of the days when the Mediterranean Sea was full of Islamic fleets. Today, once again, we smell the scent of the fleet. True, the current fleet does not bear weapons or carry armies, but it carries the same scent – believing men, armed with faith.

“Yesterday, I was following the news agencies, and they reported the threats of the Zionists to detain the convoy and to prevent it from reaching Gaza. On the other side, there are people armed with faith and resolve, who chant – even while hearing the threats: ‘Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Muhammad will return.’ A woman stood on the deck, and said: “We await one of two good things – to achieve martyrdom or to reach the shore of Gaza.”

“This scent is a message to the Islamic nation worldwide: Islam is coming, and Gaza is the spearhead that sets the nation in motion.

[…]

“What they fear today is the awakening of the Islamic nation. The issue is not the entrance of a convoy or the arrival of aid. The fear of the convoy and of Gaza is, in fact, the fear of the Zionists and of the [Arab] rulers. These rulers, who weigh heavily on the Arab and Islamic nation, are no less terrified than the Zionists of those actions that awaken the shackled, persecuted, and oppressed nation.
“My message is to those heroes who are, as we speak, at mid-sea, in pitch darkness under the skies, their palms raised to Allah in supplication. What are they asking for? The Prophet Muhammad said: “He whose feet have been covered with dust for the sake of Allah is saved from the Hellfire, and he who has fought even for only the time it takes to milk a she-camel secures a place in Paradise.” These heroes were selected by Allah to carry out this mission – the mission of awakening the nation, and this will bring honor upon them.
“Yesterday, the commander of the fleet said: ‘We will not allow the Zionists to come near us, and we will wage resistance against them.’ With what will they wage resistance? With their fingernails.

These are people who wish to be martyred for the sake of Allah. As much as they want to reach Gaza, the other option is more desirable to them.

“We pray to Allah that they be awarded both good things: That they reach the shore of Gaza safe and sound, and that they be granted martyrdom, along with us, on the walls of the Al-Aqsa Mosque – as conquerors.”

AFTER THE FLOTILLA BOARDING EPISODE

Begin Excerpt 2 from THE INDEPENDENT via World News

Israel’s ‘gunboat diplomacy’ provokes global outrage

At least nine activists killed in commando raid on aid ship

By Donald Macintyre in Ashdod

Tuesday, 1 June 2010

Israel was struggling to contain a rapidly mounting diplomatic crisis last night after naval commandos killed at least nine pro-Palestinian activists in international waters after storming their Turkish passenger ship as it attempted to reach the coast of the besieged Gaza strip.

Amid international calls for a full investigation, Ankara’s accusations of “state terrorism” and angry protests at embassies around the globe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pulled out of a planned meeting with US President Barack Obama and flew back home to deal with the backlash from the pre-dawn confrontation. The flotilla – made up of the Mavi Marmara ferry and five other vessels – had left the coast of Cyprus on Sunday, aiming to deliver around 700 activists and 10,000 tons of aid supplies into Gaza yesterday in the biggest effort yet to break Israel’s three year blockade of the Hamas-controlled territory. But the finale was bloody.

According to Israeli officials, commandos opened fire in self-defence after descending by winch from helicopters and boarding the Mavi Marmara from dinghies about 75 miles offshore and coming under attack. “They were mobbed. They were clubbed, they were beaten, stabbed,” Mr Netanyahu said in Ottawa, where he was meeting Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

“There was even a report of gunfire and our soldiers had to defend themselves, defend their lives or they would have been killed.”

The organisers of the flotilla strongly denied that version of events, but first-hand accounts from passengers were difficult to come by, with activists taken straight to Israeli hospitals or screening by Israeli officials in preparation for summary deportation or trial.

“Those arrested by the Israelis have been given no access to attorneys and have been sent to several prisons,” said Greta Berlin, co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement. “We don’t know who has been killed or imprisoned or where abouts they are. There has been no information given out at all and Israeli officials have confiscated all mobile phones… Israel does not seem to follow anybody’s rules.”

At Ashkelon’s Barzilai hospital, an injured American from a smaller passenger vessel, was brought into the emergency ward on a stretcher, saying only: “there was some brutality”. Asked who had started the violence he replied: “I am non-violent.” An injured Greek activist, also from the smaller ship and wearing a neck brace, was asked how he sustained his injury; “pirates” was his perfunctory reply. Three passengers from the Mavi Marmara, thought to be Turks, were later admitted to the hospital without speaking.

The Israeli military insisted that that it had acted with “restraint”, opening fire only after its commandos had been attacked with knives, sticks and gunfire from two pistols which had been seized by activists from servicemen. The military said that seven of its personnel had been injured in the operation, two seriously.

Black and white aerial footage released by the Israel Defence Forces in the late afternoon appeared to show passengers crowding round the servicemen and throwing an object which the military identified as a firebomb. A senior Israeli naval officer said most of the dead were Turks, but those on the flotilla also included Americans, Australians, Israelis, Palestinians and a large contingent of Europeans, including an estimated 28 Britons and the Swedish author of the Wallander books, Henning Mankell.

Consular officials in Ashdod were last night attempting to secure access to their arrested nationals as Israeli

officials admitted that the death toll of nine could rise.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, Israel’s key Muslim ally in the region, said: “This action, totally contrary to the principles of international law, is inhumane state terrorism.” The Turkish ambassador was recalled from Tel Aviv and the government cancelled planned joint military exercises with Israel, as tens of thousands of protesters rallied in the streets of Istanbul, with some trying to storm the Israeli consulate.

Police fired teargas in Athens, where some 3,500 protesters rallied outside the Israeli embassy, chanting “Hands off Gaza” and “Free Palestine” and in Paris, where some of the 2,000 demonstrators hurled stones at the embassy. In London, about 1,000 protesters held a noisy but peaceful march on the Israeli embassy, guarded by a large contingent of police.

Thousands of followers of an anti-US cleric took to the streets in Baghdad. Israel’s Arab enemy Syria called for an Arab League meeting. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the shooting as a “massacre” There were stone throwing protests in the northern Israeli Arab town of Umm el Fahm.

The UN Security Council was last night holding an emergency session on the incident.

In Washington, US President Barack Obama expressed “regret” at the loss of life and urged Mr Netanyahu to establish the full facts of what happened. Footage on YouTube showed Scottish journalist and documentary film maker, Hassan Ghani, 24, one of the Britons on the Turkish vessel, broadcasting for the Iranian backed satellite station PressTV as the commandos took control of the ship. He could be seen declaring: “We’ve had several injuries here; one is critical. He has been injured in the head and we think he may die if he doesn’t receive medical treatment urgently.”

British foreign secretary, William Hague issued a statement “deploring” the loss of life. And the international community’s Middle East envoy Tony Blair called for a full investigation and said that “we need a different and better way of helping the people of Gaza.”

Additional reporting: Sarah Morrison and Billy Kenber

The attack

First contact

After days of verbal skirmishes with the flotilla, Israeli warships left the naval base at Haifa at around 9pm on Sunday. The three missile boats first intercepted the vessels at around midnight. Israel Defence Forces (IDF) says it issued clear warnings to the vessels to reroute to Ashdod.

Activists on board the ships say the Israeli vessels approached them by surprise in international waters.

IDF troops board Mavi Marmara

According to a statement by the Free Gaza movement, Israeli troops rappelled on to the Mavi Marmara ship “under darkness of night” at about 4.30 am. They say the soldiers opened fire immediately after touching down on the deck. The IDF later releases a video it says shows naval personnel being attacked as they landed (and before firing) with stun grenades, fire bombs and metal poles.

Commandos take control

Israeli commandos quickly took control of the vessels, killing at least 10 activists in the process.

The IDF later says that it had been forced to use “riot dispersal means including live fire”. It points to two activists who were found with pistols with empty magazines said to be evidence that they opened fire. At least four soldiers were injured.

Injured are taken to hospital

As the seized ships were redirected away from Gaza to Ashdod, dozens of injured were taken to hospital, mostly at Barzilai Medical Centre in Ashkelon. Israel says that the passengers will be deported. Family members and journalists were unable to contact them, with mobile and satellite phones apparently switched off or confiscated.

International uproar

After news of the operation became public, Israel faced swift condemnation from most of the international community. The Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said he “deplored” the killing of civilians, while Turkey, a rare ally in the Muslim world, demanded an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over the killing of its citizens.

Questions raised by attack on the aid ship

Why was the flotilla headed for the Gaza Strip

?

The coalition of activist groups that organised the journey were motivated by anger at what they saw as an unjust blockade on supplies to Gaza. Israel allows about 15,000 tons of aid into Gaza each week, but the UN estimates that about four times as much is needed. The six ships were carrying 10,000 tons of aid, not enough to make a long-term material difference: the broader purpose was to highlight the situation in Gaza and mount pressure on Israel to change its policy.

Why did Israel storm the ships

?

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, insisted that the government “did not want to see confrontation”. Israel argues that it is obliged to closely monitor the supplies

that go into Gaza to protect its citizens from weapons smuggled in by allies of Hamas, and only boarded after the flotilla refused repeated offers to unload the aid at Ashdod, from where humanitarian supplies could be taken on to Gaza.

Was Israel acting according to the law when it boarded?

An attack in international waters is generally deemed a violation of international law, and Israel was condemned by some countries yesterday on that basis. But while Israel acknowledges that it undertook the operation in international waters, it argues that it is entitled to act against potential threats to its security. Israel has pointed to the precedent of the interception of the Francop, an Iranian weapons ship, 100 miles out to sea last year.

Its critics will argue that the flotilla did not pose a comparable threat.

Will Israel face repercussions?

Strained relations with Turkey will take a severe blow, while harsh words from normally reliable supporters such as the UK and the US may give Jerusalem pause.

There will be renewed pressure to relax the blockade that the operation was designed to defend.

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