Will this increase or decrease the likelihood of terrorist actions in America, Europe and the rest of the world?

If you were a member of a family murdered in this conflict, would you be seeking revenge?

Should Tzipi Livni and Ehud Olmert, be tried for war crimes if or when this conflict comes to an end?

What will the price of oil be in 4 weeks time?

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what a strange chap you are tanks

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good bye

Turkey expels Israeli ambassador over Gaza flotilla row

Today was the deadline set by Tukey for Israel to apologise for the killing of people on the flotilla and compensate their families.

Turkey has expelled the Israeli ambassador after details emerged of a UN report into last year's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.

Officials in Ankara said it was also suspending all remaining military agreements with Israel.

Turkey is expect to apply sanctions to Israel and some other countries are expected to follow.

The BBC's Jonathan Head, in Istanbul, says relations between Turkey and Israel have been frozen since last year's flotilla incident, but now they are being downgraded to the lowest possible level.

A leaked copy of the United Nations report says Israeli forces did use excessive force when they intercepted the Turkish-led flotilla trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.

The overall result is further isolation of Israel.

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The dealine was set for today because the UN report was supposed to be published today instead of which it has been leaked today.

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Israel has decided to form a special legal team to fight possible lawsuits against its military staff in the international criminal courts.

The Israeli Attorney General and Ministry of Justice have been bracing for likely lawsuits against Israels military personnel who participated in the lethal attack of the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship that killed nine activists on board, Israeli media outlets said.

According to reports, the team consisting of legal experts and consultants will weigh all judicial and legal dimensions enveloping the possibility. The Israeli military leadership has already officially approved the move.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed last month to move to Plan B should Tel Aviv continue to refrain from apologizing over the attack before the release of the Palmer report.

The UN commissioned report into the attack was officially slated to be released Friday but was leaked to the New York Times earlier on Thursday.

According to the Plan B, Turkey threatened to diminish its diplomatic, military, and economic relations with Israel. On Friday, after the report was released, the Israeli ambassador to Turkey was expelled and military ties were frozen.

Top Israeli legal experts told media outlets that the Palmer report could open the door for the prosecution of Israeli military personnel.

Report: Turkey navy to escort aid ships to Palestinians in Gaza

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday that Turkey could not "accept the blockade on Gaza."

"We cannot say that the blockade aligns with international law," he said, adding that the stance taken by the Palmer Commission Report was the author's "personal opinion, one which does not correspond with Turkey's position."

Speaking in an interview with Turkish station TRT on Saturday, Davutoglu said that Ankara was preparing to appeal the international court in The Hague, reiterating the official Turkish position which rejects the finds of the Palmer Commission report.

He added that Ankara was planning to initiate the Hague appeal as soon as next week, saying: "We are bound by the International Court of Justice. We say that the ICJ decides."

The Turkish FM also indicated that the flotilla raid was the first time Turkish civilians had been killed by a foreign army, adding: "We cannot remain silent in the face of that."

"If Israel persists with its current position, the Arab spring will give rise to a strong Israel opposition as well as the debate on the authoritarian regimes," he said.

The Turkish FM's announcement came after Turkish officials told the Hurriyet Daily News that Ankara was also planning to take military action to enforce its interpretation of the blockade, saying that the Turkish navy will significantly strengthen its presence in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

"The eastern Mediterranean will no longer be a place where Israeli naval forces can freely exercise their bullying practices against civilian vessels," a Turkish official was quoted as saying.

As part of the plan, the Turkish navy will increase its patrols in the eastern Mediterranean and pursue "a more aggressive strategy."

According to the report, Turkish naval vessels will accompany civilian ships carrying aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Turkish foreign minister Ahmed Davutoglu warned the Israeli occupation state of a massive Arab uprising against it sooner or later if it persisted in its criminal policies.

Davutoglu made his remarks in a closed meeting of the European foreign ministers which was held last Saturday in Poland, according to Turkish news reports on Monday.

"Because of its intransigence and its arrogant policies, Israel closed the door of hope for peace in the region, so it is more likely that the Arab nations, who are rising in revolt for freedom and democracy, would stand up massively and strongly against Israel, Turkish news agencies quoted the foreign minister as saying.

Davutoglu noted that Israel's deadly attack on Freedom Flotilla aid convoy in late May last year was not something personal between Ankara and Tel Aviv, but something related to the latter and its respect of the international community, and the global rights and ethics.

The Turkish minister also warned the European union that the coming Arab intifada against Israel might expand and turn into an anti-Europe wave if it continued to cover up for Israel's actions.

"The European union should avoid dealing with the issue of the Arab spring with the mindset of colonizers and crusaders or through the use of coercion, but it should evaluate this matter according to the values of freedom and democracy, and the Arab yearning for them," the minister added.

ironic that the meeting was held in Poland-national home to Nazi death camps and Poland being the most antisemitic country in the western world.

It is the usual problem of a misguided person linking anti-Israel feeling with anti-semitism. Even the Palestinians are not anti-semitic. The only repost Israel ever has to criticism is that it is anti-semitism.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israelis-could-face-trial-in-the-hague-if-palestinian-statehood-recognized-at-un-experts-warn-1.383144

Israelis could face trial in The Hague if Palestinian statehood recognized at UN, experts warn

According to the statute of the court, the direct or indirect transfer of an occupiers population into occupied territory constitutes a war crime.

Recognition of a Palestinian state could, in theory, lead to Israeli officials being dragged repeatedly before the International Criminal Court in the Hague for claims regarding its settlement policies in the West Bank, legal experts say.

According to the statute of the court, the direct or indirect transfer of an occupiers population into occupied territory constitutes a war crime.

The jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in the Hague is a complementary jurisdiction, meaning that the court will not intervene in cases when a war crime complaint is being investigated by Israel and those responsible are prosecuted, explained Prof. Robbie Sabel, a former legal adviser to the Foreign Ministry and an expert in international law.

But in instances in which Israel is not conducting a war crime investigation and is not trying to ascertain the guilt of the accused, the court may get involved, he said.
The settlements are a prime example of this, since in theory one could say that we are talking about a war crime, that Israel is not investigating it and not bringing those responsible to justice. Thus, the court could get involved and investigate.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/erdogan-turkey-warships-will-escort-any-future-gaza-aid-flotilla-1.383300

Erdogan: Turkey warships will escort any future Gaza aid flotilla

Turkish PM also says that his country had taken steps to stop Israel from unilaterally exploiting natural resources from the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkish warships will escort any Turkish aid vessels to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said in remarks broadcast on Al Jazeera television on Thursday.

Erdogan also said that Turkey had taken steps to stop Israel from unilaterally exploiting natural resources from the eastern Mediterranean, according to Al Jazeera's Arabic translation of excerpts of the interview, which was conducted in Turkish.

Last Saturday, Turkish officials told Hurriyet Daily News that the Turkish navy will significantly strengthen its presence in the easter Mediterranean Sea, as one of the steps the Turkish government has decided to take following the release of the UN Palmer report on the 2010 Gaza flotilla.

"The eastern Mediterranean will no longer be a place where Israeli naval forces can freely exercise their bullying practices against civilian vessels," a Turkish official was quoted as saying.

As part of the plan, the Turkish navy will increase its patrols in the eastern Mediterranean and pursue "a more aggressive strategy".

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=237827

UN experts: Israel's blockade of Gaza illegal

GENEVA - Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip violates international law, a panel of human rights experts reporting to a UN body said on Tuesday, disputing a conclusion reached by a separate UN probe into Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship.


http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/un-independent-panel-rules-israel-blockade-of-gaza-illegal-1.384267

UN independent panel rules Israel blockade of Gaza illegal

Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip violates international law, a panel of human rights experts reporting to a UN body said on Tuesday, disputing a conclusion reached by a separate UN probe into Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship.

The so-called Palmer Report on the Israeli raid of May 2010 that killed nine Turkish activists said earlier this month that Israel had used unreasonable force in last year's raid, but its naval blockade of the Hamas-ruled strip was legal.

A panel of five independent UN rights experts reporting to the UN Human Rights Council rejected that conclusion, saying the blockade had subjected Gazans to collective punishment in "flagrant contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law."

UN independent panel rules Israel blockade of Gaza illegal

Well I never!

USA going to use its veto.

Should endear them even more to the M.E..

Price of oil next year will be?

There is pressure on the US not to use its veto. Saudi Arabia has said it will be very 'disappointed' if the US uses its veto and the close partnership with the US may be in danger. Saudi has said that it would act in a more independant way in future and not consider the US's interests. Palestine may want the US to veto full membership as it isolates the US as well as Israel.

The next step would be membership via a vote through the general assembly of the UN, which it would get easily, as at least 150 of 193 countries countries would vote in its favour. The actualnumbers may be even more. Even membership via the general assembly gives Palestine the right to refer Israel to the International Courts of Justice for war crimes, illegal settlements and the illegal blockade of Gaza. Court proceedings of this nature could generate international arrest warrants making foreign travel for government and army members impossible.

it would be a disgrace to allow palestians in to nato .
they voted for a terrorist gov in hamas and till they are voted out
no one should even talk to them