MV Mavi Marmara

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MV Mavi Marmara
Mavi Marmara leaving port.jpg
MV Mavi Marmara leaving Antalya for Gaza on May 22, 2010.
History
Flag of the Comoros.svg Comoros
NameMV Mavi Marmara
Owner IHH (İnsani Yardım Vakfı) [1]
OperatorIHH (İnsani Yardım Vakfı) [1]
BuilderTürkiye Gemi Sanayii A.Ş. [2]
Yard number302 [2]
CompletedNovember 9, 1994 [3]
Homeport Moroni, Comoros (2010). Previously Istanbul, Turkey
Identification IMO number:  9005869 [4]
General characteristics
TypePassenger ship
Tonnage4,142  GT
Length93 m (305 ft) [4]
Beam20 m (66 ft) [4]
Draft4 m (13 ft) [5]
Installed power4,400 kW [3]
Propulsion2[ clarification needed ] [3]
Speedmax. 9.9 knots (18.3 km/h; 11.4 mph)- avg. 7.2 knots (13.3 km/h; 8.3 mph) [5]
Capacity1,080 passengers [6]

MV Mavi Marmara is a Comoros-flagged [7] passenger ship, which was formerly owned and operated by İDO Istanbul Fast Ferries Co. Inc. on the line Sarayburnu, Istanbul-Marmara Island-Avşa Island in the Sea of Marmara. Built at the Golden Gate Shipyard by Turkish Shipbuilding Co. in 1994, the ship has a capacity of 1,080 passengers. [6] It is best known for its participation in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and the deadly confrontation that took place on it during the Gaza flotilla raid.

Contents

History

Gaza Freedom Flotilla

The MV Mavi Marmara was purchased in 2010 by the IHH, a Turkish NGO active as a charity organization in more than 115 countries. [8] The group has represented its Turkish language name in English in various ways, "IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation" [9] among them. It has held Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2004, [10] [11] and is endorsed by international figures that include South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire. [8] [12]

The German IHH is classified in Israel and Holland as a terrorist organization. [13] Much of their money goes to the Union of Good, which is designated as a Specially Designated Terrorist Group by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control and banned by Executive Order 13224. [14] In 2010, the US State Department expressed great concern over the group's links with senior Hamas officials. [15] Israel's Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, 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. [8] [12] The IHH denies these claims, and Greta Berlin, a director of the Free Gaza Movement, called the claims "utterly scurrilous", characterizing them as an attempt by the Israeli government to discredit the movement. [8]

However, IHH Turkey has denied any links to the group in Germany [16] and, as of 2016, continues to work on projects in Gaza. [17] [18] Turkish legal authorities are investigating allegations that one of the key figures behind the May 2010 Gaza flotilla, Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım, was involved in transferring funds to al-Qaida, the Turkish daily Habertürk reported on June 15, 2012. [19]

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. [1] 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 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 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 [20] and from the UN report on the incident concluded that the Israeli military opened fire with live rounds before boarding the ship. [21]

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), [22] and a tenth died four years later of his wounds. [23] Several dozen activists were claimed to be injured, some seriously. Israel claimed 10 of its soldiers were injured, one seriously. [24]

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. [25] The Israeli government-appointed Turkel Commission 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 in May 2013. [26]


Release and return home

Mavi Marmara making a tour of Istanbul harbour on the occasion of her return to Istanbul Mavi Marmara 2010-12-26.JPG
Mavi Marmara making a tour of Istanbul harbour on the occasion of her return to Istanbul

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 and the third at the Port of Ashdod since their interception. Three Turkish tugboats 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. [27]

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 were visible in pictures released. The IHH emblem on the ship's port side was painted over in white. [28] 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. [29] The ship returned to Istanbul harbour on December 26, 2010, in a welcoming ceremony attended by thousands. [30]

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. [31] 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. [32]

Ship's registry

Sister ships

Related Research Articles

The Black Sea hostage crisis took place January 16–19, 1996 on the Black Sea during the First Chechen War. The Panamanian-registered ferry Avrasaya with 177 passengers and 55 crew members on board was hijacked in a Turkish port of Trabzon by an international armed group, which threatened to kill the more than 100 Russian passengers unless the Russian forces ceased its attack against the Chechen separatists in the Kizlyar-Pervomayskoye hostage crisis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Gaza Movement</span> Movement challenging the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip

The Free Gaza Movement (FGM) is a coalition of human rights activists and pro-Palestinian groups formed to break Egypt and Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip and publicise the situation of the Palestinians there. FGM has challenged the Israeli–Egyptian blockade by sailing humanitarian aid ships to Gaza. The group has more than 70 endorsers, including the late Desmond Tutu and Noam Chomsky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IHH (Turkish NGO)</span>

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation or İHH is a conservative Turkish GONGO, active in more than 120 countries.

Viva Palestina is a British-based organisation formerly registered as a charity. The body came into being in January 2009 with the initial intention of running a convoy of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Its aims are the "provision from the UK of food, medicine and essential goods and services needed by the civilian population" [of the occupied Palestinian Territories] and "highlighting the causes and results of wars with a view to achieving peace."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaza flotilla raid</span> 2010 Israeli military operation against a humanitarian ship convoy

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 of the flotilla passengers were killed during the raid, with thirty wounded. Ten Israeli soldiers were wounded, one seriously. The exact sequence of events is contested, in part due to the IDF's confiscation of the passengers' photographic evidence. The 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, intending to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Reactions to the Gaza flotilla raid on 31 May 2010 ranged from fierce condemnation to strong support for Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">İbrahim Bilgen</span> Turkish activist (1949–2010)

İbrahim Bilgen was a Turkish politician, electrical engineer and activist. He was born in Batman, Turkey and killed by the Israel armed forces in the Gaza flotilla raid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furkan Doğan</span>

Furkan Doğan was a Turkish American who was residing in Turkey permanently. He was the youngest person killed by the IDF on the MV Mavi Marmara, in the Gaza flotilla raid and became a political symbol after his death.

Many legal assessments of the Gaza flotilla raid were published subsequent to the event. International law experts differed over the legality of the action by Israel. The force necessary to respond to violent resistance and whether the force that was used was proportionate were disputed.

We Con the World is a 2010 video clip that satirizes the purportedly peaceful intentions of the political activists aboard the Turkish-owned flagship, MV Mavi Marmara, which led the Free Gaza flotilla. The video uses the tune and style of the 1985 video "We Are the World", with actors portraying the ship's captain and passengers while waving fake weapons as they sing in criticism of the activists' attempts to "make the world abandon reason" and ignore facts about Hamas as they try to breach the Gaza blockade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cevdet Kılıçlar</span> Turkish journalist (1972–2010)

Cevdet Kılıçlar was a Turkish journalist and photographer from Kayseri. He had been a correspondent of the daily newspaper Anadolu'da Vakit. He was an aid worker and responsible for website of The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief. He was married to Derya Kılıçlar and had two children, Gülhan and Ali Erdem. He was killed in the Gaza flotilla raid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaza Freedom Flotilla</span> 2010 aid flotilla from Cypriot to Palestinian water

The Gaza Freedom Flotilla was a small fleet of ships organized in 2010 by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH) carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials with the intention of breaking the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. In typical circumstances, aid is first brought to Israel to be inspected and then transferred to Gaza.

The Turkel Commission was an inquiry set up by Israeli Government to investigate the Gaza flotilla raid, and the Blockade of Gaza. It was led by Israeli retired Supreme Court Judge Jacob Turkel. The other initial members of the commission were former President of the Technion and military expert, Amos Horev, and professor of international law, Shabtai Rosenne, who died in September 2010. The probe was overseen by two International observers: William David Trimble, former Leader of the Northern Irish Ulster Unionist Party and Northern Irish First Minister, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Canadian former military judge Ken Watkin.

Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım is a Turkish lawyer and the current president of Turkish NGO, İHH which provided humanitarian relief in Libya, Pakistan, Russia, China, Kashmir, Darfur, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Somalia, Mauritania, Chile, the Philippines, Aceh, Myanmar, Greece, Crimea, and Haiti.

Erdinç Tekir is a Turkish member of the IHH of Abkhaz origin. He was previously convicted for his participation at the Black Sea hostage crisis. He worked for the IHH since he was released from prison and joined the Gaza Flotilla.

"Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human" was a flotilla that planned to break the maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip by Israel by sailing to Gaza on 5 July 2011. Ultimately, the sailing did not take place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Larudee</span> Iranian-born American political activist (born 1946)

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Media reactions to the Gaza flotilla raid on 31 May 2010 ranged from strong support to strong condemnation of Israel. Criticism included the deaths of civilians, the execution of the raid, increased sympathy toward Israel's opponents or enemies, and increased isolation of Israel.

The 2024 Gaza freedom flotilla is a planned international humanitarian relief effort organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. It is scheduled to leave from Turkey in April 2024 and bring aid to the Gaza Strip amidst the Israel–Hamas war and Gaza Strip famine. In mid-April, activists from the United States traveled to Turkey with plans to join the flotilla.

References

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