Aftermath of Israel's attack on Gaza flotilla !
Early Monday morning, Israel attacked a flotilla of aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip; at least 16 people were killed in the pre-dawn raid, according to organisers and media sources.
We'll be live-blogging the aftermath of this incident throughout the day; keep checking back for international reaction, news from our correspondents on the ground, photos and video. (All times are GMT, except where noted.)
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Update, 11:51am: Bill Burton, a spokesman for the White House, issued a very short statement this morning from Chicago, where President Obama is spending the weekend:
The United States deeply regrets the loss of life andinjuries sustained, and is currently working to understand thecircumstances surrounding this tragedy.
The US is just waking up; I'm sure we'll see a longer White House statement today, plus further reactions from members of Congress, lobbying groups and other organizations. Remember, though, that this is a holiday weekend in the US -- today is Memorial Day -- so this story might receive less attention than it ordinarily would.
Update, 11:28am: Nabil al-Sharif, Jordan's minister of communication and media affairs, gave a statement to reporters a few minutes ago; he called the Israeli attack an "ugly, unacceptable crime."
Jordan is very concerned, and is following up on the fate of its 25 passengers aboard the flotilla, and holds Israel completely accountable and responsible for any harm caused to the Jordanians on board.
Jordan calls on the international community to take firm and immediate action to pressure Israel to lift its siege on Gaza.
A few other reactions: A spokesman for German chancellor Angela Merkel said that, at first glance, the raid does not appear "proportional," which would make it a violation of international law; Britain's foreign secretary, William Hague, said there was a "clear need for Israel to act with restraint"; South Africa condemned the attacks; and Austria's foreign ministry has summoned the Israeli ambassador.
Update, 11:18am: Lebanon's foreign minister, Ali al-Shami, said a few moments ago that his government will ask the UN Security Council to condemn the Israeli attack.
Protesters in Amman, Jordan [AFP]
Lebanon currently holds the rotating presidency of the council -- but that presidency expires at the end of May.
Update, 11:15am: The Egyptian foreign ministry has summoned Israel's ambassador to Egypt, according to Egyptian state television.
Update, 11:11am: Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, called for a full investigation of the flotilla attack during a press conference today in Kampala, Uganda.
It is vital that there is a full investigation to determine exactly how this bloodshed took place. I believe Israel must urgently provide a full explanation.
Other UN officials have offered harsher statements: Robert Serry, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, and Filippo Grandi, the commissioner-general of UNRWA, said they were "shocked" by the attack and "condemn[ed] the violence."
Update, 11:06am: Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is cutting short an official visit to Latin America to return to Turkey.
Update, 11:03am: The Palestinian Ma'an News Agency is reporting (in Arabic) clashes between "Palestinian youths" and Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem's Old City; one soldier was lightly wounded in the fighting, according to Ma'an. Shopkeepers in the Old City are reportedly closing their businesses in protest of the Israeli attack on the flotilla.
There have also been other scattered demonstrations throughout the West Bank, including one in Nablus, according to Palestinian media reports.
Update, 10:59am: Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, reporting from Ashdod, just tweeted that a second boat from the flotilla is approaching the port (the first one arrived about an hour ago).
Update, 10:57am: Israel's National Security Counter-Terrorism Bureau just issued a travel warning for Turkey, warning of the threat of "violent outbreaks" against Israeli citizens traveling there.
It advises Israelis to postpone any trips to Turkey; for Israelis currently in Turkey, it recommends that they "should remain in their places of residence, avoid city centers and sites in which demonstrations are being held, and monitor developments out of concern that the situation could worsen."
Update, 10:53am: Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the emir of Qatar, was one of the first Arab leaders to condemn the attack; he called it an "act of piracy" in a speech earlier this morning.
Before I conclude I must briefly refer to what happened this morning: The Israeli act of piracy against Arab and foreign activists, who tried to break a non-humanitarian, unjust siege imposed on our fellow citizens in the Gaza Strip, [imposed] for no reason but [that] they exercised their democratic right of choice. The crimes perpetrated this morning against the civilians supporting the Palestinians remind us of the unjust siege, the open bleeding wound in the [Gaza] Strip. All those who preach freedom, justice and democracy are required now to move, and to act to break this siege, so the blood of these free men does not go down the drain. This is a message addressed to the Arab states, who were brought to the moment of justice by those free men on board."
Update, 10:48am: The BBC is reporting that the Greek government canceled joint military exercises with Israel in protest over the attack.
Protesters in Nablus [AFP]
Turkey's deputy prime minister announced a few moments ago that Turkey, too, is canceling joint drills with Israel.
Update, 10:43am: We're still trying to track down information about today's victims (various reports now put the death toll between 16 and 20).
We do know that the majority of the people on board the ships were Turkish. The passengers also include people from Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Norway, Palestine, Serbia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
At least three of the German passengers were members of parliament.
Update, 10:38am: The Los Angeles Times is reporting a crowd of roughly 10,000 demonstrators in Istanbul today; they marched from the Israeli consulate to Taksim Square.
Turkish media, meanwhile, are reporting that the foreign ministry recalled Turkey's ambassador to Israel.
Update, 10:32am: The Egyptian foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the flotilla attack, according to Al Jazeera's Amr El-Kahky, who sends this note from Cairo summarizing the statement.
The spokesman sent his condolences for the families of the victims. He added that such actions remind the world that Gaza is still entirely under occupation calling for the immediate lifting of the blockade. He vowed that Egypt will continue to ease the suffering of Gazans by allowing more individual passage to and from the coastal strip and making sure aid heading for Gaza is delivered to the beseiged Palestinians.
The Egyptian government temporarily opened the Rafah border crossing with Gaza earlier this month, but it generally maintains tight controls over the movement of people and goods.
Jordan's government is expected to issue a formal statement in about a half-hour.
Update, 10:10am: We're hearing from Iraq that Moqtada al-Sadr has called for a large anti-Israel rally across from the Green Zone in Baghdad. The rally is scheduled to start around 5pm local time (2pm GMT).
Update, 10:04am: Raed Salah, a senior member of the Islamic Movement in Israel, was reportedly seriously wounded during the attack, and is being treated in a hospital in Israel.
Salah's deputy, Sheikh Kamel Khatib, told an Israeli radio station that Israel would be "directly responsible" if Salah was killed.
Update, 9:53am: More international condemnation continues to roll in:
Pakistan's foreign ministry issued a statement that "strongly condemns the use of brazen force by Israel."
The Jordanian foreign ministry has summoned the Israeli charge d'affaires, the ranking official at the Israeli embassy in Amman.
Saeb Erekat, the chief negotiator from the Palestinian Authority, called the Israeli attack "a war crime."
Update, 9:14am: The Stop the War Coalition and several other organisations are planning a rally this afternoon at 2pm local time (1pm GMT) outside the UK prime minister's residence.
Update, 8:59am: I just spoke with Greta Berlin, one of the flotilla's organisers, who said her organisation (the Free Gaza Movement) has had no contact with the passengers and crew on board the ships since they were attacked.
Berlin also strongly rejected the Israel's claim that the activists were the first ones to start shooting. She said there were no weapons on board the boats, and that any violence from the activists would have been in self-defense:
People certainly have the right to resist if they're being attacked. We taught our Free Gaza Movement people to be non-violent, and the Turks did the same, but if anyone resisted, it was in response to soldiers opening fire on them when they hit the deck.
Berlin also said organisers are still hoping to launch a second flotilla of boats, most of which remain at port in Cyprus.
We need to find out where the passengers are, where the crews are... and then we need to assess - we split up our flotilla, we have a second set of boats.
But Berlin said she didn't know when that second launch would happen; she expects it will be several days until everyone on board the first flotilla is accounted for.
Update, 8:43am: A statement from Saad Hariri, the Lebanese prime minister, who called the attack "dangerous and crazy":
The Israeli attack on the aid convoy is a dangerous and crazy step that will exacerbate tensions in the region.
Lebanon firmly denounces this attack and calls on the international community, notably major powers... to take action in order to end this continued violation of human rights and threat to international peace.
Update, 8:31am: Spain's foreign ministry has also summoned the Israeli ambassador for questioning. And Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, described himself as "profoundly shocked" over the attack.
Update, 8:24am: An observation: We've heard a lot from the Israeli army, the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, the European Union, and a number of other governments.
The one party we haven't heard from in the last few hours is the organisers of the flotilla. Obviously it's impossible to reach those activists who were on board; and I haven't been able to reach their on-shore counterparts. The group's Web site hasn't been updated in the last few hours.
Update, 8:17am: This video, a report from Iran's state-run English-language Press TV network, shows a large crowd of protesters gathered outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul this morning.
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Update, 8:05am: Turkish media are reporting protests throughout the country, particularly in Istanbul (several of the ships, and many of the activists on board, are Turkish). 300 people tried to storm the Turkish consulate in Istanbul early this morning; a larger protest is planned for 12:30 local time (9:30GMT).
"Massive" security is reported around the Israeli embassy in Ankara, and around the residence of Gaby Levy, the Israeli ambassador.
There are also reports of a small demonstration outside the US consulate in Adana, a city in southern Turkey.
Update, 7:53am: A few more international reactions:
The European Union has called for an inquiry into the attack. Individual European governments are also starting to issue statements: Sweden's foreign minister, Carl Bildt, said his government summoned the Israeli ambassador "to get information."
The Syrian government has called for an Arab League meeting to discuss the attack.
Kuwait's parliament is due to hold an emergency meeting today to discuss the raid. Waleed al-Tabtabai, a member of parliament, was one of 16 Kuwaiti nationals on board the ships.
Update, 7:47am: We're getting reports of a protest planned for later this morning outside the prime minister's office in Amman, Jordan. The organisers are reportedly demanding the closure of the Israeli embassy in Amman.
Update, 7:39am: If you haven't seen it, here's the report our Jamal Elshayyal filed shortly before communications from the ships were cut off.
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Aftermath of Israel's attack on Gaza flotilla
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