The web site of the IHH, a Turkish charity tied to the Global Muslim Brotherhood and sponsor of the June 2010 Gaza flotilla that was involved in a violent altercation with Israeli naval forces, has reported on commendation ceremonies in Gaza and Turkey on the 2nd anniversary of the event. According to the IHH report:
The victims of an Israeli attack on Freedom Flotilla which claimed the lives of nine peace activists in 2010 have been commemorated with a ceremony in Gaza. While the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation last week organized a commemoration ceremony on board the Mavi Marmara ship and a march in Taksim Square in ?stanbul to commemorate Mavi Marmara martyrs, our brothers and sisters in Gaza also commemorated the victims and sent their greetings to Turkey. The commemoration ceremony which took place in front of the Mavi Marmara Martyrs’ Monument at Gaza Sea port attracted huge interest from the world media. ‘We respectfully commemorate our brothers who sacrificed their lives for the cause of Palestine and voice our gratitude to Turkey,’ said the participants of the ceremony. Public authorities from Gaza and Palestine who delivered speeches at the event said they will never forget the martyrs, Turkey’s support and sufferings for Gaza. Many Palestinian families, particularly children also attended the ceremony. Holding Turkish flags in their hands, Gazans said: ‘Thank you Turkey.’ IHH Gaza representative Mehmet Kaya who attended the ceremony, gave some information about the IHH’s relief activities in Gaza and talked about the Mavi Marmara attack and the ensuing developments.
‘We met at this square in order not to forget the attack on Mavi Marmara. The aid ships of the flotilla set sail in order to alleviate the pains of Gazans but they were attacked by Israel on their way to Gaza. Thanks to the sacrifices of our martyrs, we won, Mavi Marmara won, Gaza won, the resistance and Palestinian cause won. There are a lot of things to do. Our goal is to ensure the freedom of Palestine and al-Quds. We will do our best to this effect. Mavi Marmara continues its voyage. Mavi Marmara continues its voyage having the support of Tunisia, Libya and Egypt [which toppled their despotic leaders]. This process will continue with Syria. The despotic administration in Syria will also be overthrown and the people will win. Arab Spring is the Spring of Islam and we will see more beautiful days. We will continue our struggle until Masjid-i Aqsa is free. Allah willing, we will pray at Masjid-i Aqsa. The world will hear the voice of Muslims. Israel was isolated after its attack on Mavi Marmara. It lost the support of Egypt, its relations with Turkey hit a deadlock. Our nine brothers were martyred but we did not give up from our struggle. Thanks to the sacrifices of our martyrs, thousands of Furkans, Ali Haydars, Cevdets and Fahrettins [names of the some of the Mavi Marmara victims]will be raised. Before the launch of a case in Turkey against perpetrators of the Mavi Marmara attack, some people were saying that it is impossible for such a case to be filed in Turkey but it did take place. There are courageous people in our country. Every Israeli soldier who took part in the Mavi Marmara attack will give an accounting of their actions.’
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) has published report titled “Turkey, the Global Muslim Brotherhood, and the Gaza Flotilla” by analyst Steven Merley. The report abstract states:
There is strong evidence for Turkish governmental involvement in the Gaza flotilla incident, with Turkish government support channeled through the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood network. Since 2006, Turkey has become a new center for the Global Muslim Brotherhood. The IHH was not acting alone but rather was an integral part of a Turkish Muslim Brotherhood network.
With respect to the Global Muslim Brotherhood, report’s second conclusion states:
The Gaza flotilla incident brought into sharp focus an even more significant long- term development: the growing relationship between the Erdogan government and the Global Muslim Brotherhood, which has given rise to some of the most notorious Islamist terrorist groups – from al-Qaeda to Hamas. Since 2006, Turkey has become a new center for the Global Muslim Brotherhood, while the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip acted as the main axis for this activity.
With respect to the above characterization of the flotilla as a humanitarian effort, the report’s third and forth conclusions state:
Although IHH declared that the flotilla was humanitarian in nature, the history of IHH suggests that it is not only a humanitarian organization…..Aside from these terrorist connections, this report demonstrates that IHH and the rest of the Turkish/MB network are in fact Islamist, politicized organizations. ….Whether or not the violence was planned, this report demonstrates that the intent of the flotilla was breaking the Gaza blockade and delegitimizing Israel.
The JCPA report contains extensive information on the extremist/terrorist ties of IHH. Read the rest here.