When placed under journalistic scrutiny, the IDF is being forced to admit that its claims about the flotilla’s links to international terror are based on innuendo, not facts. On June 2, the IDF blasted out a press release to reporters and bloggers with the shocking headline: “Attackers of the IDF soldiers found to be Al Qaeda mercenaries.” The only supporting evidence offered in the release was a claim that the passengers “were equipped with bullet proof vests, night vision goggles, and weapons.” A screen capture of the press release is below:
The IDF distributed this press release on June 2. The following day, it changed the headline, essentially retracting its lurid accusation.
Not content to believe that night vision goggles signal membership in Al Qaeda, reporter Lia Tarachansky of The Real News Network and I called the IDF press office to ask for more conclusive evidence. Tarachansky reached the IDF’s Israel desk, interviewing a spokesperson in Hebrew; I spoke with the North America desk, using English. We both received the same reply from Army spokespeople: “We don’t have any evidence. The press release was based on information from the [Israeli] National Security Council.” (The Israeli National Security Council is Netanyahu’s kitchen cabinet of advisors).
Today, the Israeli Army’s press office changed the headline of its press release (see below), basically retracting its claim about the flotilla’s Al Qaeda links. The new headline reads: “Attackers of the IDF Soldiers Found Without Identification Papers” (the top of the browser screen still contains the original headline about Al Qaeda). The more Israel’s claims about the flotilla’s terrorist links are challenged, the more they fall apart.
After admitting "there is no evidence" to back up its claim about the flotilla's Qaeda links, the IDF quietly changed the headline of its press release.
[...] Bluementhal, Max. June 3, 2010. “Under Scrutiny, IDF Retracts Claims about Flotilla’s Al Qaeda Links.” Accessed June 4, 2010: <http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/06/under-scrutiny-idf-retracts-claims-about-flotillas-al-qaeda-links/> [...]
[...] Kessler reports the IDF’s discredited claim that numerous Mavi Marmara passengers were terrorist “mercenaries:” The activists also [...]
[...] in the world that believes this. They claimed some on board had ties to Al Qaeda, then quickly retracted it when confronted by journalists asking for [...]
[...] Israel’s PR machine quickly went into overdrive — painting the humanitarian aid activists as “violent;” [...]
[...] Trouvées ici. La thèse du convoi terroriste a de plus en plus de mal à passer, a tel point qu’elle est désormais réfutée… [...]
[...] IDF wurde zwischenzeitlich überführt, frei erfundene Falschmeldungen mit Al-Qaeda-Bezug zum diskreditieren der Aktivisten verbreitet zu haben und die [...]
[...] from the helicopters, along with comical allegations and insinuations that the activists were “Al Qaeda mercenaries”, international terrorists, and thugs spoiling for a fight. Passengers were detained so the [...]
[...] up afterwards by releasing fake reports, doctored evidence and edited audio and video.Not only did the IDF have to retract an earlier claim that the flotilla was full of Al Qaeda terrorists. The photos of the “weapons haul” [...]
[...] only did the IDF have to retract an earlier claim that the flotilla was full of Al Qaeda terrorists. The photos of the “weapons haul” [...]
[...] Israeli government edited its own websites to remove Al-Qaeda assertions after it could not substantiate claims that flotilla passengers had [...]
[...] release was based on information from the National Security Council.” Hours later, the IDF retracted its claim, changing the title of its press release to, “Attackers of IDF Soldiers Found Without [...]
[...] mercenaries on board the Mavi Marmara was discredited as soon as the IDF Spokesman’s Office changed a headline on a press release about terrorist “mercenaries” to read, “Attackers of the IDF [...]
[...] was no humanitarian crisis in Gaza or IDF spokesmen claiming activists on the Mavi Marmara had ties to Al Qaeda.What Michael Chabon was doing was much more subtle. Realizing he had no way of rationally or [...]
[...] záznam, v ktorom mali údajne padnúť vyjadrenia o Osvienčime, tvrdenia IDF o “teroristoch z al-Kájdy” na palube, či popis fotky s ceremoniálnou dýkou Jambiya, o ktorej sa zmienil aj [...]
[...] IDF wurde zwischenzeitlich überführt, frei erfundene Falschmeldungen mit Al-Qaeda-Bezug zum diskreditieren der Aktivisten verbreitet zu haben und die [...]
[...] links to Al-Qaeda," despite the fact that independent journalist Max Blumenthal (MaxBlumenthal.com, 6/3/10) forced the Israeli Defense Forces to retract that false [...]
[...] The Israel Defense Force released a video yesterday that it claimed contained audio of a conversation between Israeli naval vessels and the Turkish-owned ship Mavi Marmara. The conversation is supposed to have occurred prior to the Israeli assault that killed at least 9 passengers and injured dozens more in the early hours of May 31 in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean. This audio clip, which has been given the title “Radio Transmission from Mavi Marmara to Israeli Navy”, appears to be an almost comical fabrication, utilizing separate pieces of audio spliced together to imitate a continuous interaction. Unlike other clips which contain moving images, this clip features only a still photo. It was released a day after Israel’s forced retraction of the claim that members of the aid flotilla were connected to Al-Qaeda. [...]
[...] flotilla fail” in “Midnight on the Mavi Marmara”, Seite 187; siehe auch http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/06/under-s… [↩] http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/06/idf-adm… [↩] Eine Liste mit den [...]
[...] charity and that some terrorist groups call themselves Islamic does not a connection make. And Israel had already tried that route and had to make yet another retraction and apology. But let’s turn Corbin’s syllogistic [...]
[...] http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/06/under-scrutiny-idf-retracts-claims-about-flotillas-al-qaeda-links/ [...]