One day prior to the report on Saturday, Voice of Israel government radio reported that the Egyptian government denied an Israeli request not to allow the Iranian flotilla to use the Suez Canal to reach Gaza, in violation of the Israeli sea embargo on the Hamas-controlled area.

International agreements require Egypt to keep the Suez open even for warships, but the armada, led by the USS Truman with 5,000 sailors and marines, was the largest in years. Egypt closed the canal to fishing and other boats as the armada moved through the strategic passageway that connects the Red and Mediterranean Seas.

Despite Egypt's reported refusal to block the canal to Iranian boats, the clearance for the American-Israeli fleet may be a warning to Iran it may face military opposition if the Iranian Red Crescent ship continues on course to Gaza.

The warships may exercise the right to inspect the Iranian boat for the illegal transport or weapons. Newsweek reported that Egyptian authorities could stop the ship for weeks, using technicalities such as requiring that any official documents be translated from Farsi into Arabic.

The magazine's website also reported that the Iranian navy is the weakest part of its armed forces. Tehran has already backed down from announced intentions to escort the Iranian ships with "volunteer marines" from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

The Iranian news site Hamsayeh.net reported, "The move might be in connection to U.S. self-inflicted embargo against Iran aimed at inspecting Iran bound ships for suspected goods related to the country's nuclear program."

Another battle on the high seas may involve one, and possibly two, Lebanese vessels that are aimed at challenging Israel's sovereignty over the Gaza coastal waters. Hizbullah, gearing up for a reaction to a possible clash between the Israeli Navy (pictured) and the Lebanese boats, has delayed rocket units near Lebanese ports, according to unofficial military sources.

Israel has warned U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Israel will use force, if necessary, to stop the boats, one of which is carrying approximately 70 women passengers and crew organized by Hizbullah support Samar al-Hajj. Her husband is one of several jailed suspects involved in the assassination for former Lebanese anti-Syrian Prime Rafik Hariri.

Hizbullah has denied it is connected with the Lebanese flotilla, but it has been reported that Al Hajj met with Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah last month. (IsraelNationalNews.com)

Related Links:
?Turks Help Hamas Welcome Anti-Israel Ships
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More flotillas for Gaza, Lebanese army joins Hizballah war alert
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report June 19, 2010, 9:56 PM (GMT+02:00)

Hizballah commandos trained by Iran's Revolutionary Guards

Officers of Hizballah's Iranian-trained marine arm and surface rocket units were sighted Saturday, June 19, going in an out of the small Lebanese Navy's bases in Beirut and Juniya. debkafile's intelligence sources report the Lebanese army and Hizballah are pooling their military resources to be ready for any Israeli action against Lebanese ships heading for Gaza.
The tiny Lebanese Navy, no more than a handful of fast coastal guard boats, has been placed on alert, as have Hizballah's coastal rocket positions. The Shiite terrorist group has also deployed marines in Beirut harbour against a possible Israeli naval commando raid.

Lebanese ship or ships bound for Gaza are potentially a more dangerous spark for a regional conflagration than even the convoys Ankara and Tehran - although all of them are pledged to the same mission of busting the Israeli blockade of Gaza and may mount a concerted assault.
All three are clearly coordinated: The two-ship Lebanese convoy planning to sail 70 women from different countries to Gaza is funded by Yasser Qaslaq, a Palestinian who in the guise of a Lebanese businessman acts as money courier between Tehran, Hizballah and extremist Palestinian organizations.
Israel's UN ambassador Gabriela Shalev warned Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that Israel reserves the right to use "all necessary means" to stop the Lebanese boats. Attempts to sail from Lebanon, which maintains a state of war with Israel, she said, would raise regional tensions.
But instead of dealing with the mounting crisis, Ban again demanded that Israel accept an international investigation of its raid of a Turkish ship on May 31 and the nine deaths aboard.
Anxious to keep its head down, Hizballah claimed Saturday that it was not involved in the Lebanese flotilla, thereby trying to pass the buck to Beirut and Jerusalem. But its spokesmen pointedly avoided a guarantee to stay out of it if the Israel navy boarded Lebanese ships. The Iranian-backed terrorists, who in the name of "resistance" maintain a separate armed force armed with advanced weapons in violation of several UN Security Council resolutions, could not stand aside if Beirut accused Israel of an act of war.
The first Lebanese boat heading out for Gaza waters therefore holds the potential of scuppering the Lebanese-Israel truce under the UN Security Council Resolution which cut short the 2006 war, required the Hizballah militia to disarm, and posted UN-flagged German, Spanish and Italian naval units opposite Lebanon's Mediterranean coast.

Their mission was - and is - to prevent Hizballah receiving weapons smuggled by sea or taking up an active presence in Lebanese ports and anchorages. However, the peacekeepers have never proved able to stop Hizballah building up one of the biggest rocket and missile arsenal in the Middle East - by sea and by land.
Today, the Lebanese army is reverting to its 2006 collaboration with Lebanon that permitted Hizballah missile teams to use its coastal radar stations to fire the Silkworm C-802 missiles which crippled the Israeli Hanit missile boat.
Beset by international censure, the Israeli government does not appear to have a clear policy for contesting the expanding pressure by hostile nations and entities for smashing its blockade against a Hamas regime which, like Hizballah, is dedicated to total war on Israel. They have hit on a winning ruse: Civilian vessels are used for apparent "humanitarian aid" missions. Easing the goods embargo has not done Israel any good at all.

Egypt has folded under the pressure and rejected Israel's request to close the Suez Canal to Iranian ships heading for Gaza by invoking the Istanbul Treaty which authorizes Cairo to deny access only to ships of nations at war with Egypt. At the same time, Cairo could if it wished stop ships for inspection and keep them hanging about for a long period.
Not only is Egypt avoiding this, but its government and Tehran are in talks for Iranian flights bearing equipment for Gaza to land at Cairo and El Arish airports. One will carry a large Iranian parliamentary delegation lead by Speaker Ali Larijani, who is determined to pose on the Gaza-Israeli border and make a speech opposite Israeli border positions.

This incident highlights Israel's error in abandoning the key southern Gaza Philadelphia route in 2005 after disengaging from the Gaza Strip. Iranian ships can accordingly touch land by sailing along the seam line between the waters of Egypt and the Gaza Strip, exactly opposite the Mediterranean end of the Philadelphia route. They can unload their cargo and send it into the Gaza Strip through the Philadelphi corridor without hindrance, unless Israel is prepared to venture into Egyptian territory to stop them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hamas Urges Rocket Attacks from Judea and Samaria

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Hamas spokesman Mahmoud al Zahar called on the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria to allow terrorists to launch rockets at all of Israel. Short-range Kassam rocket fired from Arab villages in western Samaria could easily reach and explode in Netanya and metropolitan Tel Aviv.

Speaking with the Arabic Al Quds newspaper published in Jerusalem, Zahar criticized the Fatah-led PA for searching for Hamas terrorists instead of encouraging the "resistance," the Arabs' code word for terrorist attacks on Israelis.

PA security forces and the IDF occasionally have discovered rockets or explosives for rockets in communities in Judea and Samaria. However, rock throwing and firebomb attacks in PA-controlled areas have continued unabated. One Israeli vehicle sustained damage in a rock attack near Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, Sunday morning.

Zahar, in an unusually aggressive tone against Fatah, accused party leader PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas of taking power away from Hamas in Judea and Samaria by virtue of its allegedly helping Israel maintain the "occupation."

Hamas overthrew Fatah control in Gaza three years ago in a bloody militia war, in which dozens of Fatah terrorists were killed or wounded.

The interview was conducted as Hamas and Fatah dig in their heels on an Egyptian-sponsored effort for the two parties to return to a unity government. Zahar maintained that countries, including several Arab states, have cut off ties with Hamas to gain favor with the American government.

He said Hamas is not interested in "forfeiting rights" in order to gain meetings with officials in the Obama administration. (IsraelNationalNews.com)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terrorist States Iran and Turkey Join Forces to 'Fight Terror'

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Iran and Turkey, which boast support of the Hamas terrorist organization, now are cooperating "closely in fighting terrorism," according to Iran's Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar.

As both Muslim countries tighten their new-found alliance, the Iranian-funded Press TV reported that the Iranian minister also told Turkish Ambassador to Iran Umit Yardim that the "two nations enjoy great potential to further boost already flourishing ties in all areas." Yardim added that Iran now is a choice destination for Turkish tourists.

The Turkish envoy returned the compliments and called for further promotion of ties between the two nations, both of which support Hamas, outlawed by the United States as a terrorist group.

Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Hizbullah terrorist organization that is supplied with money and weapons by Iran, recently was invited by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to visit.

Turkey's support for Iran's nuclear development program was expressed two weeks ago when it and Brazil were the only two United Nations Security Council members to vote against a new round of sanctions against Tehran in an effort to convince it to allow UN-supervised inspections of its nuclear facilities.

Iran has complimented Turkey for sponsoring the flotilla, which included the Mavi Mamara ship, on which 50 Turkish terror activists violently attacked Israeli Navy commandos who eventually overpowered the vessel to prevent it from reaching the coast of Hamas-controlled Gaza. (IsraelNationalNews.com)

Related Links:
?John Bolton: Israeli Attack is Only ‘Iranian Option'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Turkey Admits to Killing 120 Kurds Last Month

by Hana Levi Julian
Turkey admitted Friday to slaughtering as many as 120 Kurdish rebels in raids on their hideouts in northern Iraq last month.

The Kurds have been using northern Iraq as a staging ground for attacks in their 26-year battle to create their own autonomous state in the southeastern portion of Turkey. Turkish Kurdistan - or Northern Kurdistan - comprises nearly a third of the area of Turkey, including some 17 provinces, and is different from Iraqi Kurdistan, which runs along its border.

The Turkish government does not allow education in the region's schools to take place in the Kurdish language. Moreover, the language is barred from use in parliament and other official settings.

As many as 40,000 people have died in the conflict, which has cost Turkey hundreds of millions of dollars in defense spending at the expense of domestic infrastructure projects such as the construction of hospitals and schools.

Allegations of Turkish brutality and the restriction of Kurdish rights have also been instrumental in damaging the country's human rights record - which has, in turn, hurt its chances for entry into the European Union.

On the other side of the coin, most of the rebel fighters belong to the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers Party. The organization has been labeled a terrorist group by the West because it has murdered civilians in civilian bombings, arson and assassination attacks.

According to the Turkish military, some 4,000 rebels are based just across the border in Iraq, and another 2,500 operate inside Turkey.

The Turkish military has recently been using unmanned drones purchased from Israel to attack Kurdish positions. The rebels were located with the use of intelligence apparently provided by the United States, according to a report by the Associated Press.

The Turkish government on May 20 had attacked rebel positions in the Hakurk region of northern Iraq, killing about 100 rebels in what was the largest such air assault since 2008. Another 20 were killed in a ground operation by Turkish commandos near the border town of Uludere.

Major-General Ferit Guler, secretary-general of the Turkish military, stressed Friday that the state should "use economic, socio-cultural and propaganda measures in coordination at the international level for an effective struggle against terrorism."

Kurdish rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan said May 31 in a message released through his lawyers from the island where he is imprisoned that he was giving his forces in northern Iraq permission to attack freely, after his calls for dialogue with the Turkish government were ignored. The PKK declared an expanded war one day later, on June 1. (IsraelNationalNews.com)

Related Links:
?Israel Reportedly Training Kurdish Forces
?Increased Violence in Turkish-Occupied Kurdistan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

House of Hussein spares no $PENDING when it comes to Israel's Enemies in GAZA

Mannie, I hope you followed your earlier inclination to go back to bed and pull the covers over your head -- because if you didn't then, you will now. Got word of this from a friend in Istanbul, believe it or not.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/06/143317.htm

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced today that the United States will be making an additional contribution of $60.3 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to support UNRWA's core budget and special projects in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. The $60.3 million contribution will provide critical services, including health, to 4.7 million Palestinian refugees. Of this contribution, $5.7 million will support nine special projects, including reconstruction and rehabilitation of schools in Jordan, Syria, and the West Bank, an afterschool program for refugee children in Lebanon, and a referral system to help refugees facing gender-based violence. UNRWA currently faces a shortfall of $161 million, including $91 million for core expenses such as salaries for teachers educating nearly 500,000 Palestinian refugee children across the region.
With this contribution,
the U.S. will have provided
more than $225 million to UNRWA in 2010
including
$120 million to its General Fund,
$75 million to its West Bank/Gaza emergency programs,
$20 million to emergency programs in Lebanon, and
$10 million for the construction of five new schools in Gaza.
The U.S. commitment to the welfare of the Palestinian people was further underscored by the President's June 9 announcement that the United States will move forward with $400 million for .... West Bank and Gaza. As UNRWA's largest bilateral donor, the U.S. recognizes the critical role UNRWA plays in assisting Palestinian refugees and maintaining regional stability and calls upon other donors to enhance their support for UNRWA.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

German Public TV Exposes ‘Peace' Flotilla as Mask for Radicals

Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbCGeKuyc_c&feature=player_embedded
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Support for Israel in the flotilla clash three weeks ago has come from Germany's second largest public broadcasting company, Sudwestrundfunk, which headlined its inquiry, "Questionable Peace Mission."

For email readers, click here to see the video.

The investigative report, based on interviews with peace activists on the lower decks of the ship Mavi Mamara, reveals that they did not question or ask about the radical and racist terror activists who organized the voyage and boarded the ship in Turkey.

"It was like being at a bazaar for me. There was a buzz of activity." said peace activist Norman Paech, who assumed the boat was carrying humanitarian aid to Hamas-controlled Gaza, despite Israel's embargo on sea traffic to the Gaza coast. IDF videos of the cargo unloaded from the Mavi Mamara showed there was no aid at all on the boat.

The German TV station, after showing interviews of activists, displayed the farewell party for the IHH terror activists, whose members are seen and heard shouting, "The army of the prophet Mohammed will return… Intifada until victory!"

Islamic specialist Michael Kiefer told the television channel, "These are not normal peace activists." One previously unpublished video clip shows the leader of the "violent and racist" BBP party on board the Mavi Mamara.

Mete Curukeu, editor in chief of Sudwestrundfunk, asked German leftist legislator Annette Groth, one of the passengers on the ship, if she bothered checking out who organized the flotilla.

After she replied that she was not the address for the question, Curckeu concluded, "By refusing to answer the question, you seem not to have bothered from the outset about who would travel with you." (IsraelNationalNews.com)

Related Links:
?Turks Help Hamas Welcome Anti-Israel Ships