THOUSANDS OF SUPPORTERS greeted the Mavi Marmara terrorist ship back to Turkey on Sunday.
Holding Turkish and Palestinian flags, people cheer as the Mavi Marmara, which was stormed by Israeli commandos on May 31, returns to Ä°stanbul. (Today’s Zaman)
“Peace” activists with links to Hamas and Al-Qaeda traveling on the Mavi Marmara beat Israeli soldiers with chains and threw stun grenades back in May. The activists stabbed, clubbed and threw Israeli soldiers off the deck resulting in 9 dead terrorists and several injured Israeli soldiers. The Mavi Marmara was told not to proceed into Israeli waters but disregarded the warnings.
On Sunday the Mavi Marmara returned to Turkey.
Several thousand supporters chanted “Allahu Akbar” as the ship pulled into port.
Fireworks greeted the ship back into port.
Today’s Zaman reported:
Thousands of people from Ä°stanbul and other Turkish cities attended the ceremony to welcome the ship. Fireworks greeted the ship as it entered the waters of the Bosporus. The posters of the nine peace activists killed by Israel hung from the ship.
The ship was part of an international flotilla carrying supplies to Gaza in a campaign to breach the blockade on Gaza when Israeli troops intercepted the convoy. Eight Turks and an American-Turkish teenager were killed in the violence that erupted on board the Mavi Marmara.
The incident aggravated relations between former allies Turkey and Israel that were already tense over Turkish criticism of Israel’s conflict with Palestinians. Turkey recalled its ambassador and pushed for international condemnation of Israel.
Turkey has since said it wants improved ties with Israel, but is not backtracking from its demands that Israel apologize for the raid and compensate victims before relations can return to normal.