Almanar
03/06/2010 Hundreds of activists deported from the Zionist entity following the deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza aid flotilla returned to a hero's welcome in Turkey early Thursday as they accused Israelis of having opened fire without warning. Nine bodies were on the first plane.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc and several Turkish lawmakers welcomed them at the airport after Turkey pressured Israel to release the detainees, most of whom are Turkish. Others were from Arab countries, Europe and the United States. "They faced barbarism and oppression but returned with pride," Arinc said.
A few thousand jubilant relatives and supporters, waving Palestinian and Turkish flags, burst into applause outside the airport, chanting "God is Great!"
They later walked to the perimeters near the tarmac to see their loved ones.
Another crowd celebrated their return in downtown Istanbul. "Turkey is proud of you!" the crowd chanted as they shouted "Down with Israel!"
Three air ambulance planes carrying wounded activists had landed in Ankara earlier. They were bused to a medical center to undergo treatment.
In Greece, a plane carrying 35 activists from the aid flotilla landed at a military airport near Athens early Thursday, as more than a hundred relatives and supporters cheered and shouted pro-Palestinian slogans.
The military aircraft brought 31 Greeks, 3 French and one U.S. national released by Israeli authorities, the Air Force said.
Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas and Greek lawmakers were also at Elefsina Airport to meet the returning activists.
Seven planes were being used to deport 527 activists to Turkey and Greece, Israeli Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabine Haddad said.
After all the planes took off, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said three activists remained in detention over documentation and other issues, without elaborating. The three were from Ireland, Australia and Italy.
About a dozen female activists scuffled with security officers at the airport but were quickly subdued by authorities, Israeli officials said. Officials said no charges would be filed and the women were deported as planned.
Under fire internationally over the bloodshed, Israel claimed that the violence had been initiated by the activists, forcing its soldiers to use live fire in self-defense.
The Israeli soldiers "defended themselves from a lynching," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
But on their return home, many of the activists accused the Israelis of having opened fire without warning. "Israeli commandos started shooting from the air without warning," Kuwaiti lawyer Mubarak al-Mutawa, who was on the main vessel, the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, told reporters in Kuwait City.
Morrocan MP Abdelqader Amara said in a hotel in Amman: "The Israelis used live ammunition and showed us all the barbarism and cruelty in the world although all of us were unarmed."
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned earlier on Wednesday against any Israeli effort to prosecute the activists. "No one has the right to prosecute people kidnapped in international waters," he said.
Ireland's Foreign Minister Micheal Martin on Wednesday renewed an "urgent" appeal for the ship, reported to be carrying 15 people including a Nobel laureate from Ireland and a Malaysian MP, to be allowed to reach Gaza.
"It is imperative that there should be no further confrontation or bloodshed arising from what has been all along a purely humanitarian mission by those involved in the Gaza flotilla," he said.
Amid global outrage over the flotilla killings, Nicaragua on Wednesday became the first country to suspend diplomatic relations with Israel.
ACTIVISTS: WE HAVE FUNDING FOR ANOTHER LARGER GAZA FLOTILLA
Meanwhile, the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza announced on Wednesday that they received funding for three more ships to be part of a new Gaza-bound flotilla dubbed "Freedom 2".
Dr. Arafat Madi, the head of the group, based in Brussels, said that they are planning a new Gaza flotilla comprised of many more ships and pro-Palestinian activists than the first one.
"Following the massacre done by the Israeli army forces in international waters, the world's calls for another flotilla are even more pressing."
The new flotilla is expected to set sail in the coming weeks, and the head of the group didn't discount the possibility of Turkey's semi-official participation in funding or organizing.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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