Amid harsh international criticism of its deadly raid on a humanitarian aid ship headed to Gaza, Israel took a hard line yesterday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the raid and said Israel will continue its Gaza blockade. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon declared: "We do not need to apologize for defending ourselves." The comments came as organizers of the attacked flotilla said another cargo ship is now en route to Gaza, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Turkish prime minister said the "bloody massacre" ensures that "nothing will ever be the same again" between onetime allies Turkey and Israel.
Israeli officials say that commandos, who killed 10 people, were defending themselves from attack by protesters wielding knives, pistols and metal poles. But activists said "extremely brutal" troops beat them and used stun guns, and fired indiscriminately into protesters, reports AP. The UN has called for an investigation. The crisis has Israelis sharply divided: Newspapers in the country called the raid a "fiasco," and some called on Defense Minister Ehud Barak to resign. (More Turkey stories.)
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