(U//FOUO) Central Florida Intelligence Exchange Gaza Flotilla Protest Warning
December 21, 2010 in Florida, Intelligence Fusion Centers
CENTRAL FLORIDA INTELLIGENCE EXCHANGE
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
- 1 page
- For Official Use Only
- June 2, 2010
On May 31, 2010, Israeli soldiers boarded six humanitarian aid ships that were headed towards the Gaza Strip, carrying thousands of tons of supplies as well as hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists. The convoy, which was organized by the ‘Free Gaza Movement’, was intercepted by Israeli naval forces while attempting Israel and Gaza Humanitarian Convoy to break the naval blockade off the Gaza Stip. There were more than 10 people killed and several injured, including Israeli soldiers, during this incident. Statements regarding the events have differed greatly. The pro-Palestinian activists are reporting that the Israeli soldiers boarded the ship with no warning and began shooting sleeping civilians as soon as their feet hit the deck. Conversely, the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement advising that Israeli naval forces boarded the ships after issuing several warnings that were ignored. Once on the ships, Israeli soldiers were attacked by the activists with live fire as well as other weapons such as knives and clubs.
Actions taken by Israel during this event have been met with harsh criticism by many countries across the globe. Many of these countries, such as Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Iran, are calling for action to be taken against Israel for what they are calling ‘state sponsored terrorism’. Protests have been held in numerous countries, with some resulting in violence:
- Britain: Protestors demonstrating against the Israeli attack attempted to storm the entrance of BBC, claiming that they were dissatisfied with BBC’s coverage of Israel.
- Greece: Several thousand protestors rallied outside the Israeli Embassy chanting “Free Palestine”. Police fired teargas in the crowd after having chunks of marble, stones and bottles thrown at them.
- Israel: During an anti-Israeli protest being held at a check point between the West Bank and Israel, an American student lost their eye after being shot in the face with a teargas canister.
- France: Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protestors threw rocks and beer bottles at police officers while en-route to the Israeli Embassy
- U.S.: Outside the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles, a Jewish high-school student was surrounded by what news reports call “a lynch mob” of pro-Palestinian protestors chanting “Allahu akhbar”
A national organization, the Muslim American Society, is calling for a “Week of Action” from May 31st through June 6th in response to the Israeli Attack on the Gaza humanitarian convoy. There have already been protests held in Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C. in front of the White House.
The Central Florida Intelligence Exchange (CFIX) has no specific information regarding organized protests in Region 5 at this time; however, pasts incidents between Israel and Gaza have resulted in protests being held throughout the state. If you have or receive any information regarding events in your jurisdiction, please contact CFIX at (407) 858-3950.
Related Material From the Archive:
- (U//LES) Central Florida Intelligence Exchange BP Protest Warning
- (U//FOUO) Israel Defense Forces Free Gaza Flotilla Briefing
- Israel Kills At Least 15 People on Aid Flotilla in International Waters
- Israel Rejects UN International Inquiry into Flotilla Raid
- Reut Institute Report on Gaza Flotilla and Israel’s “Political Firewall”
- Israel to deport Gaza boat activists
- (U//FOUO) Open Source Center Israeli Government Uses Social Media to Counter Flotilla Criticism
- Allies push Israel for Gaza probe
In footage captured on the Mavi Marmara, activists are seen attacking the soldiers with a stun grenade, a box of plates, and water hoses as the soldiers attempt to board the ship. the activists are also waiving around metal rods and chains later used to attack the soldiers with. The IDF soldiers were armed with paint b…all guns (used for riot dispersal) and pistols which they were ordered to use only as a last resort.
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Special Alert: Boats, Bias and Big Lies.
Special Alert: Boats, Bias and Big LiesA simple click can help win the battle and turn the tide of public opinion and media reporting of the Gaza flotilla incident.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG0EfG8mnAo&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6sAEYpHF24&feature=player_embedded
In some of the latest video footage released by the IDF, it is clear that the Israeli naval commandos were certainly unprepared for the violence they encountered, including being attacked with live fire.
- Real weapons, real weapons!
- They have real weapons?
- Yes, yes, real weapons. They are firing on us!
It’s not too late to counter the wave of anti-Israel sentiment unleashed by the events surrounding the boarding of the Turkish Mavi Marnara ship and the deaths of nine of its passengers. For the claims of so-called “peace activists” that they were unarmed and non-violent victims of Israeli brutality is laughable in the face of the openly available video evidence taken during the incident.
Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief David Horovitz explains the powerful effect of the IDF’s video footage:
for some of the foreign press, who had been less willing to accept [IDF Spokesman] Benayahu’s improbable account of commandos overpowered by civilians, the footage was a revelation.
“I saw it, and I realized I had done Israel an injustice,” one of my foreign colleagues said on Monday, with admirable candor. “At that point, and only at that point, I understood what the Israelis had been saying.”
The IDF videos reveal the truth about what took place. But we can’t rely on the media to spread the word to the general public. We must make every effort to forward the videos and updates to our networks and post them across the Internet.
Media Unable to Ignore the Evidence
When confronted with the compelling video evidence, many media outlets (though not all) have been unable to bat away the images of Israeli soldiers attacked with clubs, iron poles and knives.
The UK’s Channel 4 News invited a British naval analyst and counter-terror expert to analyze IDF footage:
Also: http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e150.htm