Yesterday in Jerusalem, Israel’s prime minister said that the Turkish activists who battled Israeli naval commandos in a deadly clash last week had prepared for the fight — boarding the ship separately from other passengers after they organized and equipped themselves.
The comments from Benjamin Netanyahu were the latest in an Israeli campaign to defend the May 31 crackdown that killed nine activists on a flotilla headed to the blockaded Gaza Strip with hundreds of activists and humanitarian supplies on board.
The operation has drawn fierce international condemnation, seriously damaged Israeli ties with Turkey, and brought heavy pressure to lift the 3-year-old closure of Gaza.
Netanyahu told his Cabinet that “dozens of thugs’’ from “an extremist, terrorism-supporting’’ organization had readied themselves for the arrival of the naval commandos.
“According to the information currently in our possession, this group boarded separately in a different city, organized separately, equipped itself separately, and went on deck under different procedures,’’ he said.
“The clear intent of this hostile group was to initiate a violent clash with IDF [Israeli] soldiers.’’
Netanyahu did not say where the information came from, but Israeli military officials have contended that there is strong evidence that the men who fought the soldiers were mercenaries.
The organizers deny the allegations.
Netanyahu rejected a proposal by Ban Ki-moon, United Nations secretary general, for an international commission to investigate the raid, officials said.
The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement, said Netanyahu was open to an inquiry, but did not agree with the format the UN chief suggested.
Late yesterday, Netanyahu’s office said he discussed the international criticism with world leaders, including Vice President Joe Biden, the president of France, and the premier of Canada. Netanyahu told them any country would act in self defense if it were targeted by thousands of rockets as Israel has been by Gaza militants.
Israel has said it would explore ways to allow more civilian goods into Gaza without allowing Hamas to bring in arms.
Videos released by the Israeli army have shown a crowd of men attacking several naval commandos as they landed on a ship from a helicopter, beating the soldiers with clubs and other objects.
The fighting took place on the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, and the dead included eight Turks and a Turkish-American man. The ship was organized by the IHH, a Turkish Islamic charity Israel has outlawed because of its close ties to the Hamas militant group.
In Turkey, IHH head Bulent Yildirim, IHH head, said all passengers had boarded the ship in the Turkish port of Antalya, and rejected suggestions that those who clashed with the soldiers were trained militants.
