Witnesses cast doubt on Israel's convoy raid account
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/10208027.stmEyewitness accounts from ships raided by Israeli commandos have cast doubt on Israel's version of events that led to the deaths of at least nine people.
German pro-Palestinian activist Norman Paech said he had only seen wooden sticks being brandished as troops abseiled on to the deck of the ship.
Israel says its soldiers were attacked with "knives, clubs and other weapons" and opened fire in self-defence.
The raid led to widespread condemnation and the UN has called for an inquiry.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that Washington would support an Israeli investigation of the raid, but said it must be "prompt, impartial, credible and transparent", as called for by the UN.
The six ships, carrying aid and campaigners, had sailed from Cyprus in a bid to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Israel seized more than 670 people with the ships and deported 50 on Tuesday. The Israeli cabinet later announced that all those still being held would be deported within 48 hours.
'Act of piracy'
Speaking as he arrived back in Berlin wrapped in a blue blanket, Mr Paech, a member of a German opposition party, said Israel's operation "was not an act of self-defence".
"Personally I saw two-and-a-half wooden batons that were used... There was really nothing else. We never saw any knives.
"This was an attack in international waters on a peaceful mission... This was a clear act of piracy," he added.
Mr Paech had been a passenger on the Turkish passenger ship Mavi Marmara where most, if not all, of the deaths occurred.
Fellow German activist Inge Hoeger said they had been on the ships "for peaceful purposes".
"We wanted to transport aid to Gaza," she said. "No-one had a weapon."
She added: "We were aware that this would not be a simple cruise across the sea to deliver the goods to Gaza. But we did not count on this kind of brutality."
Activist Bayram Kalyon, arriving back in Istanbul, had also been a passenger on the Mavi Marmara.
"The captain... told us 'They are firing randomly, they are breaking the windows and entering inside. So you should get out of here as soon as possible'. That was our last conversation with him."
Meanwhile, in Nazareth, Israeli Arab MP Haneen Zuabi - who was on the flotilla - told a press conference that Israeli forces began firing while still in the helicopters hovering over the ships.
"We are calling for an international committee to investigate this tragedy," she said.
Diplomatic sources in Ankara have said at least four of those killed were Turkish. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the assault was a "bloody massacre" and must be punished. He said Israel should not test Turkey's patience.
Further criticism of Israel came from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday.
In an interview with the AFP news agency, he said Israel's blockade of Gaza was responsible for the deadly raid.
"Had Israelis heeded to my call and to the call of the international community by lifting the blockade of Gaza, this tragic incident would not have happened," he said.
Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called on Israel to release people and boats it had seized.
He spoke after an emergency meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels called by Turkey.
Topic: Isrealis attack Aid Convoy ships