Why would Omar Faruk, a member of the board of the Turkish N.G.O. which financed the flotilla, be thankful to the Israeli authorities?
We became famous.
Source
For once, the Insani Yardim Vakfi (known by its Turkish initials, IHH) is famous for something other it's ties to the financing of terrorist activities.
Yet, the phenomenon of charitable front groups that provide support to Al-Qaida is by no means exclusively limited to the Arabian Peninsula. Indeed, elsewhere in the Muslim world, other such entities have been established with near equal success – as in Turkey, with the so-called Foundation for Human Rights, Liberties, and Humanitarian Relief (IHH). Turkish authorities began their own domestic criminal investigation of IHH as early as December 1997, when sources revealed that leaders of IHH were purchasing automatic weapons from other regional Islamic militant groups. IHH’s bureau in Istanbul was thoroughly searched,and its local officers were arrested. Security forces uncovered an array of disturbing items, including firearms, explosives, bomb-making instructions, and a "jihad flag." After analyzing seized IHH documents, Turkish authorities concluded that "detained members of IHH were going to fight in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Chechnya."
Source: Danish Institute for International Studies
Read the full report for information about the role IHH played in Al Qaeda's failed 2000 Millennium bomb plot in the United States. Or you could read comments made to the AP by France's former top anti-terror judge. The IHH reportedly has links to terror groups in Iran and is a member of the Union of Group, an umbrella group of organizations designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of Treasury and banned by Israel for its ties to Hamas.
Given the IHH's ties to terrorism, it should surprise noone that Israel vowed that the flotilla would not be allowed to reach Gaza. A flotilla financed by associates of Hamas, the ruling party of Gaza which continues to launch rockets into Israel, which will not recognize Israel's right to exist, and which continues to hold hostage an Israeli soldier kidnapped from Israeli soil, nearly a year after Israel did what the international community had been demanding for decades, withdrew from the Gaza strip.
The Israelis knew that this was a lose-lose situation from the moment the "peace" advocates announced the flotilla. They could not allow a "charity" with such deep terrorist ties to break the blockade, but a confrontation between the "activists" and the IDF would be a PR disaster for the Israelis. Both Israel and Egypt reached out to relevant authorities to make arrangements for the Israel to transport the goods. But a peaceful transfer of supplies did not meet the goals of the IHH, who was seeking fame, or Hamas, which was seeking humiliation for Israel.
"If the ships reach Gaza, it’s a victory for Gaza," the Prime Minister [Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya] shouted to the crowd of about 400 cheering officials and party faithful. "If they are intercepted and terrorized by the Zionists, it will be a victory for Gaza, too, and they will move again in new ships to break the siege of Gaza."
Globe and Mail
Today, Politico reported that the diplomatic fallout from the flotilla raid has forced a delay in the vote for sanctions against Iran over it's nuclear technology program. More than a year of diplomacy by the Obama administration, countless meetings trying to bring the Chinese and Russians on board for tougher sanctions might be to naught. For what? A publicity stunt? Fame for the IHH? An PR victory for Hamas?
An organization with terrorist ties financed an operation to put well-meaning activists on the path of confrontation with the Israeli military. A ship full of human shields and a handful of terrorist sympathizers intent on provoking the IDF and humiliating the state of Israel. Because one side had guns and the other did not, because one side is Israel and the other is not, there is a rush to judgment around the world. Before the dust settled there were calls for UN resolutions and boycotts and anti-Israel protests. Perhaps we should slow down, look at this event from all perspectives, and ask some very tough questions.
Who financed this operation? How deep are their terrorist ties? How much was this flotilla coordinated with Hamas? And what were their real goals? Were all of the activists on the ships aware of IHH's trouble past?
Why does Israel need this blockade? What can the international community do to ensure the safety of the Israeli people while protecting the dignity and well-being of the Palestinian people?
Before we rush to punish the state of Israel, we need to answer these questions and come up with real solutions to the security crisis in the Middle East.