Israel Cites India, Pakistan Violence In Defense Of Flotilla Attack
Yamini Kaul – AHN News Contributor
Tel Aviv, Israel (AHN) – Apparently upset over global criticism for its attack on an aid flotilla in Gaza, Israel took an unusual step on Wednesday and trained its diplomatic guns on India and Pakistan.
Israel said that while the world continually "ignored" violent incidents happening in countries such as India and Pakistan, it was being criticized for its "unmistakably defensive actions."
Citing incidents from the past one month, Israel said that almost 500 people were killed in violence in countries like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Thailand and Iraq. According to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, "While the international community remained silent and passive, and generally ignored the occurrences, Israel is being condemned for unmistakably defensive actions."
Israel's comments have brought about a new turn in its relationship with India.
Israel's outburst against India could be attributed to a statement by India's external affairs minister, S.M. Krishna, in which he said India "deplored the tragic loss of life and the reports of killings and injuries to people on the boats carrying supplies to Gaza." India condemned the Israeli action with strong words such as "there can be no justification for such indiscriminate use of force, which we condemn."
At least nine Palestinian activists were killed when Israeli soldiers intercepted their boat, which was headed toward the Gaza strip on Monday.
The Israeli foreign ministry told the United Nations in a written statement that the attack on the aid flotilla was about the "basic right of Israeli soldiers to defend themselves against an attack by a gang of thugs and terror supporters…"
In an emergency session, the U.N. Security Council demanded a probe into the deadly commando raid. Israel refused to accept the U.N. resolution and said that such a proposal would not help peace and stability in the Middle East.
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