Israel Matzav

Navy anticipates flotillas will include 'provocateurs'

Israel's Navy is assuming that boats currently heading for Gaza from Iran (one via Turkey) and Lebanon will be filled with 'provocateurs' and will prepare for them accordingly.

The navy will operate under the assumption that groups of provocateurs are aboard any future ships that try to break the Israel-imposed sea blockade on the Gaza Strip, Deputy Commander of the Navy Rear-Admiral Rani Ben-Yehuda told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

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Ben-Yehuda said that while Israel did not have intelligence indicating that the Iranian ships were carrying weaponry, he said that the navy’s assumption would be that provocateurs are onboard.

“I recommend that humanitarian activists who are planning on participating in these new flotillas think very hard because they cannot know who is on these ships,” he said. “We believe that there will be groups that will try to cause provocations and repeat what happened on the Marmara.”

In a wide-ranging interview that will appear in Friday’s Frontlines section, Ben-Yehuda defended the Navy commando raid on the Mavi Marmara Turkish passenger ship two weeks ago, which ended with nine dead passengers, all of whom, according to the IDF, were hired mercenaries.

“There are growing signs and proof that there were dozens of people on the ship who had connections with terrorist organizations from around the region and the world,” Ben-Yehuda told the Post. “Some of them were even known to us from past incidents they were involved in.”

Ben-Yehuda said that the nine passengers killed were all Turkish and members of the violent group that attacked the navy commandos from the Navy’s Shayetet 13 (“Flotilla 13”).

The outcome of the operation, Ben-Yehuda said, was not what the Navy had anticipated.

“We expected light resistance but never expected to meet a group of terrorists,” he said, adding however that in the final analysis the operation could be deemed a success.

“No innocent people were killed, only the terrorists,” he said. “When you go into a building that terrorists have taken over and you kill the terrorists, this is also a success.”

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I don't expect that Shayetet 13 will be fooled again anytime soon.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:24 PM