June 2nd, 2010
02:05 PM ET

Netanyahu defends response, says flotilla not a 'love boat'

Speaking defiantly in the face of worldwide criticism, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the Israeli commando raid on the aid-bound vessels for Gaza, saying the troops acted properly in the bloody raid.

Netanyahu said the goal of the international flotilla was to penetrate Israel's blockade of ships headed to Gaza, necessary to halt weaponry being shipped to militants into Gaza from Iran, and the troops comported themselves in keeping with Israeli policy.

"We continue to protect our civilians, we will continue to allow our soldiers to protect their lives, and the state of Israel will continue to practice its right for self-defense," he said, asserting the aim of the flotilla wasn't to carry aid "because we do send assistance to the Gaza Strip."

Speaking in a brief and frank nationally televised, Netanyahu said a port at Gaza open to militants will pose a grave danger to Israel and the state has the responsibility to stop every vessel, including the flotilla that was targeted Monday.

"That was not a love boat. That was a boat of hatred. It was not a peaceful flotilla. The soldiers who boarded the ships were attacked by clubs, batons and knives. They had the weapons kidnapped from them and shot at them," he said, calling the behavior of the people on the one ship where violence occurred an attempted lynching.

The prime minister said that if the blockade had been penetrated, dozens or hundreds of ships would have eventually converged on Gaza carrying war materiel. And he pointed out that the amount would be greater than that being smuggled through the Gaza-Egyptian tunnels.

"They can bring hundreds of rockets and hundreds of missiles. We have already stopped two ships. One of them was one we stopped in the middle of the sea where there were hundreds of tons of ammunition and weapons that Iran sent to Gaza," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said Iran continues to smuggle weapons into Gaza and Hamas - which controls the territory - continues to arm itself.

"The rockets and missiles that Iran has smuggled into Gaza are now likely to hit areas surrounding Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and some of those are already in Gaza. Therefore, it is our duty and our responsibility according to the international law and according to the logic, common sense, to prevent by air, sea and land smuggling of weapons into Gaza."

Netanyahu said Israel is sorry for the loss of lives during the flotilla raid but emphasized its soldiers were facing "a life-threatening situation."

"I forward my questions to the international community. ... What would you have done if you were in our place and what would you have done in order to protect your civilians who are attacked by hundreds of rockets and missiles? We know the facts. We all know the reality," he said.

The prime minister said that if Israel didn't take the steps it did, the result would be an Iranian regime in Gaza just kilometers away from Jerusalem.

"This is a destructive scenario, and this a very immediate threat to Israel. I'm telling you and I'm telling my friends in the countries that criticize us that an Iranian port in the Mediterranean" will be a threat.

"We will stop and check and examine every ship that is coming to Gaza," he said.

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Filed under: Gaza • Israel • Middle East • Uncategorized
soundoff (101 Responses)
  1. AK

    I think this act was correct since Israel was provoked .All were clearly informed / warned repeatedly to avoid any reason for conflict then why provoke and what did anyone achieve? I am definitely sure that the IDF soldiers were attached and hence the retaliation. If this heinous crime was pre planned , there was no reason for Israel to endanger its soldiers .

    June 3, 2010 at 4:09 am | Report abuse |
  2. Larry

    You must watch this music video about the Flotilla Raid

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-HiOrv1DiI

    It seems to put some real prospective to this whole saga

    June 3, 2010 at 11:27 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Larry

    You must watch this music video about the Flotilla Raid

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-HiOrv1DiI&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

    It seems to put some real prospective to this whole saga

    June 3, 2010 at 11:28 pm | Report abuse |
  4. REB in North Carolina

    Forty-two years of military occupation, economic strangulation, and apartheid. Welcome to "Greater Israel".

    June 4, 2010 at 4:01 pm | Report abuse |
  5. KIKI

    DONT LET HIM GO DADDYS NOT HERE TO SAVE HIM AGAIN LET THE HOLLOWAYS AND FLORES HAVE THEIR JUSTICE

    June 5, 2010 at 4:33 am | Report abuse |
  6. josue

    ISRAEL DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO ,PROTECT YOU PLEOPLE AND PRAY TO GOD FOR ALL YOU EVIL ENEMIES AROUND YOU COUNTRY,GOD WITH YOU.

    June 5, 2010 at 11:00 pm | Report abuse |
  7. josue

    What religion is that:who show they believers hate and no love to they neibors?
    muslin is evil religion

    June 5, 2010 at 11:18 pm | Report abuse |
  8. josue

    THE REAL ENEMIES FOR THE WHOLE WORLD ARE THE MUSLINS OPEN YOUR EYES OR YOU BLIND,FOLLOW GOD NO THE DEVIL,ISRAEL NO MATTER IF THE WORLD TURN AGAINS YOU, GOD AND HIS HOLY ARMY IS ON YOU SIDE,IM A SOLDIER OF GOD SO COUNT ME TO.

    June 5, 2010 at 11:28 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Stan Atkinson

    Were there angry people on the ships, yes; but they were not terrorists, they were defiant to a brutal blockade; once again the propaganda machine of Israel wanted to label these people as terrorists; there were journalists, women, children, 30 different nationalities; they knew they were going to be cowardly stopped so they carried some sticks, slingshots, non-lethal objects to push back, but the cowards that IDF soldiers are, once they are realized there were some resistance they drew their weapons and close range executed people, such bravery; if the people on the boat wanted to cause harm they could have killed the two soldiers they captured; on top of that, captured prisoners(!) were tortured and badly beaten in Israeli jails, way to go BRAVE NATION!
    So what happened to all that dangerous cargo? Cowards had the ships for a week, don't you think they would have proudly showed the rest of the world that there WMD, give me a break

    June 6, 2010 at 1:48 am | Report abuse |
  10. Stan Atkinson

    Were there angry people on the ships, yes; but they were not terrorists, they were defiant to a brutal blockade; once again the propaganda machine of Israel wanted to label these people as terrorists; there were journalists, women, children, 30 different nationalities; they knew they were going to be cowardly stopped so they carried some sticks, slingshots, non-lethal objects to push back, but the cowards that IDF soldiers are, once they are realized there were some resistance they drew their weapons and close range executed people, such bravery; if the people on the boat wanted to cause harm they could have killed the two soldiers they captured; on top of that, captured prisoners(!) were tortured and badly beaten in Israeli jails, way to go BRAVE NATION!
    So what happened to all that dangerous cargo? Cowards had the ships for a week, don't you think they would have proudly showed the rest of the world that there WMD, give me a break.

    June 6, 2010 at 1:50 am | Report abuse |
  11. jake

    Those Who Bless Israel Will Be Blessed, and Those Who Curse Israel Will Be Cursed

    June 6, 2010 at 2:11 am | Report abuse |
  12. jake

    The so called Gaza aid ships from Turkey are financed by rich Muslims incited by Muslim extremists to do the work of Allah which is to constantly harass Israel. If they are so concerned for the Palestinians they would promote peace but instead they harass to gain a headline. The aid (old clothes and such) could have docked in an Israeli port and transferred to Gaza. Hamas violence and Muslim hatred of Israel is the problem. Turkey should allow 500,000 Palestanian immigrants and in the mean time quit killing Kurds and Armenian Christians. I would not trust any country who deny both the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide.

    June 6, 2010 at 2:22 am | Report abuse |
  13. PeteH

    You truly have to ask ourselves," given the response the international communitee has shown towards the Flotilla boarding and subsequent violence that erupted during this operation, why would the leader of any nation be so unwilling to waiver under pressure from every country in the world..? Why would Israel be on such a defensive posture unless their claims are in fact true...? And what would we all do to protect our own country if we were their leader..? I believe that Benjamin Netanyahu may be stubburn but he is no dummy. He must know something we don't or at least because given the fact his country is surrounded by countrys that have threatened the security of Israel and threatened on more than a few occasions since they first formed their state that they would be destroyed and pushed into the sea." Sure many blame Israel for their actions but again we must ask ourselves....Why..? Israel is not North Korea, Israel does not supress their citizens under marshall law, Israel is not Iran who kills everyone that opposes radicalism under a theocratic form of goverment and Israel doesn't initiate attacks. They are a reactive defense and only lash out when attacked. I think it is high time the international communitee actually consider all the pre-emptive attacks Israel has been dealing with from radical Jordanian- Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese terror groups. If it was your school buses being blown up, your civilian airliners being high jacked and blown up, your shopping plaza's and discos being suicide bombed what would you do...? How would you react...? So far I have yet to see the "Palestinian" people holding their military, Hamas subjected to the same accountability as the Israeli's IDF for instigating attacks. How can the "Palestinian" people think they deserve statehood and the right to be a country when their goverment, police and military act like what they are exactly...Terrorists!!!

    June 8, 2010 at 10:25 am | Report abuse |
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