Tel Aviv – Hundreds Of Israelis Protest at Turkish Embassy

Tel Aviv – Over 500 angry Israeli citizens demonstrated Monday night in front of the Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv, calling on their government to act firmly against the militants of the Flotilla ships and against the Turkish government who many believe to be responsible for organizing the flotilla and successfully touching off a diplomatic crisis for Israel.

The “Gaza Freedom Flotilla” set sail last week for the Hamas-controlled Gaza region, claiming to be carrying humanitarian aid. Israeli Navy ships requested late Sunday night that the activists change course from Gaza to Ashdod, where they would be able to unload their aid material, which would then be transferred over land to Gaza after undergoing security inspections.

The activists refused and IDF troops attempting to board a ship were attacked by activists wielding knives, clubs and guns. Nine militants were killed and several soldiers injured – one from a gunshot wound – during the clashes that ensued, creating a new public relations crisis for the Jewish state.

Grassroots voices throughout the country and several military analysts have noted that Navy officers did not take proper precautions by sending commandos to board the ships without the necessary back-up or cover. They pointed out that preparations for the operation should have taken into account that not all of the people on the flotilla were unarmed.

Roni Bialer, one of the protesters demonstrating in front of the Turkish Embassy, spoke with Israel National News, stressing that the protest is made up completely of private citizens and is not connected with or endorsed by any organizations or political entities.

“We want the Israeli government to act strongly instead of apologizing for the number of militants killed,” said Bialer. “We must blame (Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip) Erdogan. It does not make sense that Turkey sends a ship with [possible] arms and expects Israel to let it in. We want Israel to change its policy towards Turkey.”

Bialer further expressed support for Israel’s government and for the IDF, saying that the behavior of Israeli soldiers was necessary for the country’s defense. In addition to an abundance of Israeli flags at the demonstration, signs calling for a free Kurdistan were prominently displayed and Turkish flags were lit afire.

Turkey was until recently widely viewed as one of the Middle East’s more moderate regimes, like Jordan, Egypt and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, who enjoy arms and support from the United States while generally limiting their actions against Israel to anti-Zionist propaganda.

But in the last year, Turkey has moved increasingly closer to the more outwardly hostile Iran-Syria-Hizbullah-Hamas axis that opts for a more traditional military approach to destroy Israel. While Israeli government officials have exhausted attempts to reconcile with Turkey, many Israelis – such as the angry demonstrators in Tel Aviv – have called on their government to treat Turkey as an enemy state.