MV ''Mavi Marmara'' is a
Comoros
The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It ...
-flagged passenger ship, which was formerly owned and operated by
İDO Istanbul Fast Ferries Co. Inc. on the line
Sarayburnu
Sarayburnu ( tr, Sarayburnu, meaning ''Palace Cape''; known in English as the Seraglio Point) is a promontory quarter separating the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara in Istanbul, Turkey. The area is where the renowned Topkapı Palace and Gülh ...
, Istanbul-
Marmara Island
Marmara Island ( ) is a Turkish island in the Sea of Marmara. With an area of it is the largest island in the Sea of Marmara and is the second largest island of Turkey after Gökçeada (older name in Turkish: ; el, Ίμβρος, links=no ''Im ...
-
Avşa Island
Avşa Island ( tr, Avşa Adası) or Türkeli is a Turkish island in the southern Sea of Marmara with an area of about . It was the classical and Byzantine Aphousia ( el, Ἀφουσία or Ἀφησιά) and was a place of exile during the Byzant ...
in the
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via the ...
. Built at the Golden Gate Shipyard by Turkish Shipbuilding Co. in 1994, the ship has a capacity of 1,080 passengers.
It is best known for its participation in the
Gaza Freedom Flotilla
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla, organized by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH), was carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials, with the intention of breaking ...
and the deadly confrontation that took place on it during the
Gaza flotilla raid
The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six civilian ships of the " Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea. Nine activists and no Israelis were killed on one ship dur ...
.
History
Gaza Freedom Flotilla
The MV ' was purchased in 2010 by the
IHH, a
Turkish NGO active as a charity organization in more than 115 countries.
The group has represented its Turkish language name in English in various ways, "IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation" among them. It has held
Special Consultative Status
The consultative status is a phrase whose use can be traced to the founding of the United Nations and is used within the UN community to refer to "Non-governmental organizations (Non-governmental organisation, NGOs) in Consultative Status with the ...
with the
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...
since 2004,
and is endorsed by international figures that include South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire.
The German IHH is classified in Israel and Holland as a terrorist organization. Much of their money goes to the Union of Good
The Union of Good (UG; ar, ائتلاف الخير, Itilaf al-Khayr or Ittilaf al-Kheir), also known as the Charity Coalition, is an umbrella organization consisting of over 50 Islamic charities and funds which funnel money to organizations belon ...
, which is designated as a Specially Designated Terrorist Group by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the U.S. Treasury Department. It administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions in support of U.S. national security and foreign policy ob ...
and banned by Executive Order 13224. In 2010, the US State Department expressed great concern over the group's links with senior Hamas officials. Israel's Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), also known as Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in honor of Meir Amit, is an Israeli-based research group with ties to the Israel Defense Forces and support from the ...
, an NGO with close ties to the Israeli Defense Forces, along with multiple Israeli governmental officials have alleged that the IHH supports terrorism, has smuggled arms on behalf of terrorist groups, and has links to al-Qaeda and other Jihadist groups.[ The IHH denies these claims, and Greta Berlin, a director of the ]Free Gaza Movement
The Free Gaza Movement (FGM) is a coalition of human rights activists and pro-Palestinian groups formed to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip and publicise the situation of the Palestinians there. FGM has challenged the Israeli–Egyptian ...
, called the claims "utterly scurrilous", characterizing them as an attempt by the Israeli government to discredit the movement.[
However, IHH Turkey has denied any links to the group in Germany and, as of 2016, continues to work on projects in Gaza. Turkish legal authorities are investigating allegations that one of the key figures behind the May 2010 Gaza flotilla, ]Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım
Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım (born 1966 in Erzurum, Turkey) is a Turkish lawyer and the current president of Turkish NGO, İHH (İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri, İnsani Yardım Vakfı) which provided humanitarian relief in Libya, Pakistan, Russia, Chi ...
, was involved in transferring funds to al-Qaida, the Turkish daily Habertürk reported on June 15, 2012.
The IHH acquired the ''Mavi Marmara'' at a cost of $800,000, to be defrayed by public donations, as no shipowner was willing to risk their vessel on the journey. The ship took part in a flotilla of ships operated by activist groups from 37 different countries with the intention of directly confronting the Israeli blockade over Gaza. On May 30, 2010, while in international waters
The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regiona ...
and en route to Gaza, Israeli Naval Forces communicated that a naval blockade over the Gaza area was in force and ordered the ships to follow them to Ashdod Port
The Port of Ashdod ( he, נמל אשדוד) is one of Israel's three main cargo ports. The port is located in Ashdod, about 40 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, adjoining the mouth of the Lachish River. Its establishment significantly enhanced the c ...
or to be boarded. The ships declined and were boarded in international waters. The boarding started at 2 am on May 31, 2010, and was completed by 8 am. Reports from journalists on the ship and from the UN report on the incident concluded that the Israeli military opened fire with live rounds before boarding the ship.
Violent incident
Passengers on the ship actively attempted to thwart a landing on the ship by Israeli commandos. In the violent clash that followed, nine activists were killed (according to the UN Report), and a tenth died four years later of his wounds. Several dozen activists were claimed to be injured, some seriously. Israel claimed 10 of its soldiers were injured, one seriously.
The U.N. report stated that knives from the ship's kitchens (plus one traditional, ceremonial knife), some catapults (slingshots) and metal pipes the passengers cut from the ship's railings were found. Turkey unveiled its final report on the Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound aid convoy on February 11, 2011. The Israeli government-appointed Turkel Commission
The Turkel Commission (officially The Public Commission to Examine the Maritime Incident of 31 May 2010) is an inquiry set up by Israeli Government to investigate the Gaza flotilla raid, and the Blockade of Gaza. It is led by Israeli retired Supr ...
unveiled its final report in January 2011, and found both the blockade and the force used by the Israeli soldiers to be legal. A Polish authority on admiralty law, Professor Andrzej Makowski of the Polish Naval Academy in Gdynia, also upheld this view in an extensive article in the ''Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs
The Israel Council on Foreign Relations (ICFR) is an independent, non-partisan forum for the study and debate of foreign policy issues, especially those relating to the State of Israel and the Jewish people. The ICFR publishes a triannual policy a ...
'' in May 2013.
No humanitarian aid
The ''Mavi Marmara'' was a passenger ship and did not carry any humanitarian aid, though other ships (four of the six in the convoy) did carry aid supplies.
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
said that they found knives, metal and wood sticks in the ship. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed, that the humanitarian aid found, was scattered and thrown onto piles and not packed properly for transport, i.e. on wooden bases, and some of the equipment was crushed by the weight in transit. Medicines had already expired, or expired soon after the unloading, and a large part of the equipment (shoes, clothing) was worn and second hand, sterile equipment was carelessly wrapped.
Release and return home
The Israeli government decided on July 23, 2010, to release the three ships of the Gaza Freedom flotilla, two of which had been moored at the Port of Haifa
The Port of Haifa ( he, נמל חיפה) is the largest of Israel's three major international seaports, the others being the Port of Ashdod, and the Port of Eilat. It has a natural deep-water harbor, which operates all year long, and serves both pa ...
and the third at the Port of Ashdod
The Port of Ashdod ( he, נמל אשדוד) is one of Israel's three main cargo ports. The port is located in Ashdod, about 40 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, adjoining the mouth of the Lachish River. Its establishment significantly enhanced the ...
since their interception. Three Turkish tugboat
A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...
s were dispatched to bring the ships back to Turkey. The ''Mavi Marmara'' was towed by the ''Ocean Ergun'' in a two-day ride to the Port of Iskenderun, arriving an August 7, 2010.
Nobody was permitted to board the ''Mavi Marmara'' due to investigations underway by the public prosecutor, but broken windows and bullet holes on the glass of the pilothouse
The interior of the bridge of the Sikuliaq'', docked in Ketchikan, Alaska">RV_Sikuliaq.html" ;"title="Research Vessel ''RV Sikuliaq">Sikuliaq'', docked in Ketchikan, Alaska
file:Wheelhouse of Leao Dos Mares.jpg, Wheelhouse on a tugboat, topp ...
were visible in pictures released. The IHH emblem on the ship's port side
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
was painted over in white. According to Turkish news, forensic teams identified some 250 bullet holes in the ship, many of which they claim were painted or plastered over by Israel. The ship returned to Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
harbour on December 26, 2010, in a welcoming ceremony attended by thousands.
Freedom Flotilla II
A coalition of 22 NGOs announced on May 9, 2011, that a "Freedom Flotilla II" was planned for the third week of June 2011. The ''Financial Times'' reported on June 17, 2011, that the ''Mavi Marmara'' would not be sailing, as previously announced. The IHH said that after damage caused last year to the ship, that it was not in a position to put to sea. The group stressed that it would still be part of the new flotilla; members of the group will board other ships in the effort.
Ship's registry
* ex MS ''Beydağı''
Sister ships
* ''TDI Karadeniz'', since renamed ''Dream''.
References
External links
*
U.S. Officials Doubt Israeli Claims About Terrorists in Gaza Flotilla
''Newsweek'' (June 3, 2010)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mavi Marmara
1994 ships
Gaza flotilla raid
Passenger ships of Turkey
Ships built in Istanbul