Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumExclusive: The battle on the Marmara
However, when A. and fellow Navy commandoes landed on the Mavi Marmara's deck, the above scenario shattered. And then, while sustaining the blows, A. felt a burning sensation piercing through his body. "At first, I didn't get it," he recounted this week for the first time. "I placed my hand on my stomach and didn't quite understand what was going on. Five seconds later I again placed my hand there, and felt my entire finger sinking in. All of that was happening while the terrorists were not letting go and fighting me."
<snip>
"There was no problem identifying them. The terrorists wore orange life vests, protective vests, and gas masks. All of them were equipped with cold arms. This is not what innocent peace activists look like."
By this time, A. also managed to pull out his handgun. "The moment the assailants saw that I was holding a gun and waving it, they got away. I then looked up and saw another terrorist with a handgun aiming at a member of my squad. At that moment I opened fire at him and finished him off. I went back and saw that the terrorists who were on top of me earlier were now fighting my comrades. I opened fire at another one who jeopardized another soldier and took him down."
Meanwhile, fighting continued inside the vessel. A. suddenly remembered that he was hit by a bullet and was losing blood. "After two or three minutes, when I saw that things were calming down, I went to the paramedic and told him I was hit by a live bullet
to this day I joke with him about the fact he didn't give me morphine, because he didn't think I was hurting. In fact, I was suffering great pain. It really hurt."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4218728,00.html
Confusious
(8,317 posts)"the terrorists"
Which terrorists would those be? The ones that seized the ship in international waters after opening fire on it?
Someone opens fire on me, I'm going to defend myself.
Also, 9, yea 9, activists were killed. Israelis? 0.
shira
(30,109 posts)Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4220098,00.html
<snip>
"Turkey has refused to allow Israel to take part in a NATO summit next month because the Jewish state has not apologized for the 2010 killing of Turkish activists during the 2010 flotilla to Gaza, a Turkish official said on Monday.
Relations between the regional powers deteriorated sharply after IDF commandos raided the Mavi Marmara aid vessel in May 2010 to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and killed nine Turks in clashes with activists.
Last September, Turkey expelled Israel's envoy and froze military cooperation after a UN report on the raid failed to prompt an apology from Israel.
"We did not give our consent on that issue," a Turkish official told Reuters when asked if Turkey was blocking Israel's participation in a NATO summit in Chicago on May 20-21.
He said Turkey was still seeking an official apology and compensation for the victims of the Mavi Marmara raid.
"NATO is an alliance and even though Israel is not a member its attendance means ... positive dialogue with NATO and all its members and without sorting this issue out we deem it not appropriate for Israel to be around," the official said."
shira
(30,109 posts)Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)<snip>
"Israel will not be invited to NATO's May 20-21 summit in Chicago, the alliance's top official said Friday. But he denied that alliance member Turkey had blocked Israel's participation.
Instead, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the reason is because Israel does not participate in NATO's main military missions.
News reports have claimed that Turkey blocked Israel's participation because of the raid in 2010 by Israeli troops on ships heading to Gaza in which eight Turks and a Turkish-American died.
NATO has a system of partnerships with dozens of nations across the globe such as the Mediterranean Dialogue, a NATO outreach program with seven friendly nations, including Israel."
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57432583/israel-not-invited-to-nato-summit-in-chicago/