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Barak: Organizers of Gaza aid flotilla to blame for deadly clashes – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News.

Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon says activists had weapons aboard the ships; Netanyahu mulls canceling U.S. trip in wake of Gaza flotilla deaths

By Barak RavidDefense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday that the organizers of the Gaza aid flotilla were to blame after at least 10 activists were killed when Israel Navy commandos stormed the ship.

	Defense Minister Ehud Barak
	Photo by: Archive

In a press conference hours after the incident, Barak said that Israel was prepared to accept the consequences of its actions and would continue to protect its autonomy.

Barak voiced regret for the deaths, but called the flotilla a political provocation by and said the sponsors of the flotilla were violent supporters of a terror organization.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, meanwhile, said the soldiers were forced by violent activists to respond with live fire.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said earlier Monday that the organizers of the Gaza aid flotilla have connections to international terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Al-Qaida, and called the aid convoy a violent and provocative attempt to break the blockade on Gaza.

Ayalon, speaking at a press conference at the Foreign Ministry, said that Israel found weapons aboard the Gaza flotilla, which were used against IDF troops.

The deputy foreign minister said that the Gaza flotilla did not heed Israel’s calls to halt its movement toward Gaza on Monday morning, and stressed that no sovereign country would have allowed such a provocation to take place.

“We couldn’t allow the opening of a corridor of smuggling arms and terrorists,” said Ayalon.

The deputy foreign minister told reporters that Israel does not want to fight with any country, but that the incident on the Gaza flotilla is not yet over.

Meanwhile. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering the cancellation of his imminent trip to the United States, in wake of the deaths of at least 10 people after Israel Navy troops boarded a flotilla of ships heading to the Gaza Strip carrying aid.

Netanyahu was due to head to Washington at the invitation of President Barack Obama.

The Israeli military said at least 10 people were killed after its troops came under fire while intercepting the convoy as it headed for the Gaza Strip.

Trade and Industry Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer voiced regret Monday morning for deaths aboard the Gaza-bound ships.

“The images are certainly not pleasant. I can only voice regret at all the fatalities,” Ben-Eliezer told Army Radio.

This entry was posted on May 31, 2010 at 12:52 PM and is filed under Uncategorized. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.