After India joined the international condemnation of the strong arm tactics of the Israeli state against the storming of the humanitarian flotilla carrying aid to the embargoed civilians of Gaza, the Israeli embassy on Tuesday went into damage control mode.
It sent out statements questioning the bonafides of some of the charitable groups involved in the campaign to take aid to the long suffering civilians of Gaza.
But despite Israeli’s attempts to justify its military action, few in India are willing to buy that line. In fact, the Indian government for the first time in many years came out with a strong statement against Israel. Demonstrations are also being organised in Delhi and other Indian cities to condemn the brutal action.
Israel now claims that the Turkish Insani Yardin Vakfi (IHH) or Humanitarian Relief Fund, a charitable outfit which among others have organised the flotilla has radical Islamic roots and is close to Hamas.
In recent years it has prominently supported Hamas (through the Union of Good). In addition, in the past the IHH provided logistical support and funding to global jihad networks,’’ the Israeli embassy said, fishing out past reports to justify Israeli action.
The embassy also quoted a 2006 study by an American researcher Evan Kohlman, working in the Danish Institute for International Studies to prove that in the past the Turkish IHH had connections with al Qaeda and global jihad operatives.
Israel also claims that Turkish charity’s orientation is radical-Islamic and anti-Western, and it is close to the Muslim Brotherhood (Hamas’ parent movement).
