The organizers of the Gaza flotilla announced in advance (30 May) their intention of using violence against Israeli forces if the latter tried to prevent the ships from reaching Gaza. Weapons Found on Board the Ship A. One hundred ceramic vests imprinted with the Turkish flag. They were worn by IHH operatives as well as doctors and correspondents (as part of preparations for violence). B. Two hundred gas masks. C. A large number of slingshots. D. Eight axes taken from fire-fighting stations aboard the ship. E. Dozens of knives, most of them taken from the ship’s kitchen and six cafeterias. A switch-blade was also found. F. Steel cables and metal rods sawn off the ship’s railings. G. Wooden clubs. H. Hammers and other tools. I. Metal screw-nuts which were strewn on the upper deck to impede the movements of the soldiers. J. Paint rollers from which the sponges had been removed, to be used as clubs. The Identity of the Dead 20. Eight of the nine operatives killed were identified during the questioning of the passengers as IHH operatives and volunteers. One of them was an IHH photographer The following are three clips from the MEMRI TV Project on the Gaza flotilla. In the first, Gaza-based Yemeni professor Abd Al-Fatah Nu'man states that as much as the heroes on the flotilla want to reach Gaza, the option of martyrdom is more desirable to them (Al-Aqsa TV, May 28, 2010; to view, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2490.htm). The second is a report on the flotilla prior to its departure for Gaza, showing activists on board chanting Intifada songs and praising martyrdom (Al-Jazeera, May 28, 2010; to view, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2489.htm). In the third clip, Ahmad Hassan Omar, a member of the Egyptian Association for International Law, stated that Turkey and other countries should use aid convoys to transfer weapons to Gaza and return refugees to Acre (Al-Jazeera, May 18, 2010; to view, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2478.htm). Dr. Abd Al-Fatah Nu'man: "The word 'fleet' and all the talk about its commander, Bülent Yildirim, reminded me of the days when the Mediterranean Sea was full of Islamic fleets. Today, once again, we smell the scent of the fleet. True, the current fleet does not bear weapons or carry armies, but it carries the same scent – believing men, armed with faith. "Yesterday, I was following the news agencies, and they reported the threats of the Zionists to detain the convoy and to prevent it from reaching Gaza. On the other side, there are people armed with faith and resolve, who chant – even while hearing the threats: 'Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Muhammad will return.' A woman stood on the deck, and said: "We await one of two good things – to achieve martyrdom or to reach the shore of Gaza." "This scent is a message to the Islamic nation worldwide: Islam is coming, and Gaza is the spearhead that sets the nation in motion. [...] "What they fear today is the awakening of the Islamic nation. The issue is not the entrance of a convoy or the arrival of aid. The fear of the convoy and of Gaza is, in fact, the fear of the Zionists and of the [Arab] rulers. These rulers, who weigh heavily on the Arab and Islamic nation, are no less terrified than the Zionists of those actions that awaken the shackled, persecuted, and oppressed nation. "My message is to those heroes who are, as we speak, at mid-sea, in pitch darkness under the skies, their palms raised to Allah in supplication. What are they asking for? The Prophet Muhammad said: "He whose feet have been covered with dust for the sake of Allah is saved from the Hellfire, and he who has fought even for only the time it takes to milk a she-camel secures a place in Paradise." These heroes were selected by Allah to carry out this mission – the mission of awakening the nation, and this will bring honor upon them. "Yesterday, the commander of the fleet said: 'We will not allow the Zionists to come near us, and we will wage resistance against them.' With what will they wage resistance? With their fingernails. These are people who wish to be martyred for the sake of Allah. As much as they want to reach Gaza, the other option is more desirable to them. "We pray to Allah that they be awarded both good things: That they reach the shore of Gaza safe and sound, and that they be granted martyrdom, along with us, on the walls of the Al-Aqsa Mosque – as conquerors." Reporter: "Despite the Israeli threats and some unexpected obstacles, the arrival of the ships at the rendezvous, in preparation to set sail to Gaza, has kindled the emotions and enthusiasm of the participants." Crowd chanting: "Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Muhammad will return." Reporter: "Through songs about the Palestinian Intifada, the participants expressed their longing to reach Gaza." Participant 1: "The brothers here are shouting and are full of enthusiasm. They are waiting to leave soon, with the ships around us in the sea. Allah willing, we will make our way to Gaza." Participant 2: "We are now waiting for one of two good things – either to achieve martyrdom, or to reach Gaza." Interviewer: "A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry said that the ['Freedom Fleet'] campaign was a provocation and a violation of Israeli law. How are we to understand this, from a legal perspective?" Dr. Hassan Ahmad Omar: "Resolution 3103 of the UN General Assembly, issued in 1973, affirmed the basic rights of combatants against foreign, racist, occupying forces. According to this resolution, all the counties in the world have the right – and even the obligation – to aid the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, in the form of food supplies and weapons. Moreover, the time has come to implement Resolution 194, regarding the return of the Palestinian refugees. "These convoys could carry food supplies and weapons, as well as Palestinian refugees, who want to return to their homeland. [...] "Israel, which imposes a siege on the Gaza Strip, cannot talk about legal channels for providing aid. In my view, Turkey..." Interviewer: "But such channels exist, don't they?" Dr. Hassan Ahmad Omar: "The siege that Israel is imposing... It is necessary to provide Gaza not only with food, water, and building supplies, but also with weapons. Weapons must be provided, because these are weapons of revolutionaries, and aid must be provided to the Gaza Strip. "It is necessary [to help] the refugees return to the Gaza Strip, as well as to the Acre region, because according to the partition plan, it belongs to the Arab state of Palestine. [...] "The various countries have an obligation to provide these weapons and food to Gaza, and [to enable] the return of the refugees. "Turkey could revive the commission consisting of Turkey, France, and the US, which was mentioned in Resolution 194 regarding the return of the refugees, thus facilitating the return of the refugees to Acre – at least the half million refugees from Lebanon – in accordance with article 6 of Security Council Resolution 1559. "These aid campaigns should not be restricted to food and water. The [ships] could also include returning refugees and weapons for the Palestinian revolutionaries. [...] "I would like to recommend that the brothers in Turkey use the hovercraft as a means of transportation." Interviewer: "But all these proposals require official international support for these ships. Does this campaign enjoy such support?" Dr. Hassan Ahmad Omar: "UN Resolution 3103 obliges these countries to provide aid to the Gaza Strip. The hovercraft can carry all the cars and all the aid. Since the Gaza port is not ready, the amphibian hovercraft can reach the very sands of Gaza. "In all future aid campaigns for Gaza we can use the hovercraft. I have approached the International Islamic Bank, and proposed that they buy hovercraft, and give them to countries that want to provide aid to Gaza." Portrait of IHH 1. Prominent among the coalition organizations participating in the aid flotilla scheduled to arrive in the Gaza Strip in the coming days is the Turkish IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi, IHH, “humanitarian relief fund”). It is a radical Islamic organization which was established in 1992 and formally registered in Istanbul in 1995. It is headed by Bülent Yildirim. 2. IHH has a broad program of important activities in distressed areas. They include sending food and support to orphans, establishing educational institutions, hospitals and clinics, programs for vocational education, supplying medicines, building mosques and preventing the violation of human rights in various Islamic locations throughout the world. In recent years it has begun widening its activities to European countries, in part by establishing branches which bear its name. 3. In practice, besides its legitimate humanitarian activities, IHH supports radical Islamic terrorist networks. In recent years it has prominently supported Hamas (through the Union of Good). In addition, the ITIC has reliable information that in the past IHH provided logistical support and funding to global jihad networks. IHH Links To Hamas 4. IHH’s orientation is radical-Islamic and anti-American, and it is close to the Muslim Brotherhood(Hamas’ parent movement). IHH supports Hamas and does not hide the connection between them.Hamas also considers its links to IHH and Turkey to be extremely important, and regards Turkey as a target audience for its propaganda network (Palestine-Information, Hamas’ main website, has a Turkish version, and as of the end of 2009, the website of its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, has also appeared in Turkish). 5. In recent years, especially since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip, IHH has supported Hamas’ propaganda campaigns by organizing public support conferences in Turkey. At those conferences, which featured the participation of senior IHH figures, the heads of IHH expressed their support for Hamas and its strategy (including the armed struggle it favors), in defiance of the Palestinian Authority, Hamas’ rival. 6. IHH is a member of the Union of Good, an umbrella organization of more than 50 Islamic funds and foundations around the globe, which channels money into Hamas institutions in the Palestinian Authority-administered territories. As a Union of Good member IHH has connections with other worldwide Islamic funds and foundations which support Hamas. Among other things, the support includes initiating and conducting joint projects whose objectives are to bolster the de facto Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip and Hamas’ civilian infrastructure in Judea and Samaria, which also supports terrorism (the infrastructure is under pressure from the Palestinian Authority security services). IHH, which has become an important factor in global fund-raising for Hamas, transfers significant amounts of money to Hamas institutions in Judea and Samaria, including the Islamic Charitable Society in Hebron and the Al-Tadhamun Charitable Society in Nablus (Hamas’ two central “charitable societies,” both outlawed by Israel). 7. IHH operates widely throughout the Gaza Strip. To promote its activities it opened a branch there, headed by Muhammad Kaya, who recently stated that IHH intended to send other aid flotillas to the Gaza Strip (See below). In January 2008 an IHH delegation met with Ahmed Bahar, a senior Hamas activist who is acting chairman of Hamas’ council in the Gaza Strip. At the meeting the delegation revealed the extent of the aid it had given Hamas in the Gaza Strip during the preceding year and said it intended to double the sum in the future. In January 2009 IHH head Bülent Yildirim met with Khaled Mashaal, chairman of Hamas’ political bureau in Damascus, and Mashaal thanked him for the support of his organization. Israel Outlaws IHH and Expels an IHH Activist 9. Israel outlawed IHH because of its affiliation with the Union of Good and because it is an important factor in Hamas’ global fund raising. It was included in a decision made by Defense Minister Ehud Barak in 2008 which outlawed 36 associations which belonged to the Union of Good (IHH appeared as number 36 on the list4). 10. In November 2009 IHH sent one of its activists, a man named Izzat Shahin, to Judea and Samaria to open an office (in addition to its Gaza Strip office). Shahin started work supporting Hamas “charitable societies.” He transferred tens of thousands of American dollars from IHH to the Islamic Charitable Society in Hebron and Al-Tadhamun in Nablus, two of Hamas’ most important “charitable societies.” His activities were thwarted by the Israeli security forces. In April 2010 he was detained for questioning on suspicion of involvement in financing terrorism and supporting Hamas, and was deported from Israel immediately after his interrogation in compliance with an official Turkish request. IHH’s Links with the Global Jihad 11. The ITIC has reliable information indicating that in the past IHH had links with global jihad and Islamic terrorist elements in the Middle East. As part of its connections with the global jihad it supported jihadist terrorist networks in Bosnia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya. 12. That was manifested by logistic support for the transfer of weapons and money. This information verifies findings of a study conducted by a Danish research institute into IHH’s past links with Al-Qaeda (See below). 13. We do not have updated information about current IHH links with global jihad elements, however, its activities in the past may indicate its nature. Danish Research Institute Exposes Past IHH Links with Al-Qaeda 14. In 2006 a Danish research institute called the Danish Institute for International Studiesconducted a study which reported that in the past IHH had connections with Al-Qaeda and global jihad operatives.5 The well-documented study was conducted by Evan Kohlman,6 an American researcher who specializes in Al-Qaeda and related subjects. It deals with the involvement of Islamic charity funds and foundations in supporting terrorism. Pages 10-14 relate to IHH. 15. According to the study, the Turkish authorities began investigating IHH at least in December 1997, after having received information that senior IHH figures had purchased automatic weapons from radical Islamic organizations. The office of the organization in Istanbul was consequently raided and activists were arrested. During the raid the Turkish security forces found weapons, explosives, instructions for making IEDs and a flag with a jihad message. An examination of the documents found in IHH office indicated that IHH members were planning to take part in jihad activities in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Chechnya. 16. The study quotes a French intelligence report stating that in the mid-1990s IHH leader, Bülent Yildirim, was directly involved in recruiting “veteran soldiers” to organize jihad activities. According to the French report, a number of operatives were sent by IHH into war zones in Islamic countries to gain combat experience. The report also stated that IHH transferred money, “caches of firearms, knives and pre-fabricated explosives” to Muslim fighters in those countries. 17. The study also states that an examination of IHH’s telephone records in 1996 showed repeated calls in 1996 to an Al-Qaeda guest house in Milan and to Algerian terrorists operating in Europe (one of whom was notorious Al-Qaeda figure Abu Ma’ali [Abd al-Qadr Mukhtari], who operated in Bosnia). IHH’s name was also mentioned during the trial of Ahmed Ressam held in the United States in 2000 (Ressam was a senior Al-Qaeda operative active in Canada, who at the end of 1999 entered the United States in a car carrying 600 kilograms (1320 pounds) of explosives. He planned to carry out a mass-casualty attack at the Los Angeles International Airport on the eve of the millennium.) The United States federal prosecutors called Jean-Louis Bruguière, a leading French investigating magistrate in charge of terrorism affairs, as an expert witness. He testified that IHH had played an important role in Al-Qaeda’s planned attack. According to Bruguière, IHH served as a cover for Al-Qaeda and acquired forged documents, enlisted operatives and transferred weapons. 18. According to the study, following the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, Bülent Yildirim and IHH played a key role in anti-Western incitement among Turkish Muslims. At the end of 2000 IHH organized protests against the attempt to overthrow Saddam Hussein, during which Israeli and American flags were burned. In December 2004 IHH organized an anti-American march in Istanbul. During the march Bülent Yildirim told the Turkish Anatolia News Agency that the intelligence cooperation between the United States, Britain and Turkey had to stop, otherwise IHH would organize actions in front of every consulate, and if necessary organize 50,000 or 100,000 people in front of the American consulate. At a demonstration held in December 2004, anti-American slogans were shouted, including “Murderer sent by the murderous United States, get out of the Middle East,” and “Long live the resistance.” The Central Role of IHH in the Aid Flotilla Sailing to the Gaza Strip 19. IHH is prominent among the many pro-Palestinian organizations in Turkey participating in the aid flotilla, which will reach the Gaza Strip in the coming days. Its participation is part of the massive aid it gives Hamas and its desire to make propaganda capital for Hamas and itself. 20. To that end IHH purchased three ships (of the nine in the flotilla): a passenger ship named the Mavi Marmaris and two cargo ships (one named “Gaza”). The Mavi Marmaris left Istanbul on May 22 en route to Antalya, where 500 passengers were expected to board it. The three ships will sail from Turkey to Cyprus to join the others, and from there they will sail together to the Gaza Strip (where they are apparently expected to arrive on the morning of May 29). In addition, in recent months IHH aided the de facto Hamas administration’s ministries of transportation and of public works by carrying out various projects in the 21. On April 7, 2010, IHH head Bülent Yildirim told a press conference in Istanbul that the flotilla would be a “test” for Israel. He said that should Israel oppose the flotilla it would be considered “a declaration of war” on the countries whose activists arrived on board the ships (IHH website, April 7, 2010). In a fiery speech given at the launching of the Mavi Marmaris on May 23, he said to Israel, “Handle this crisis well. If you prevent [the flotilla from reaching the Gaza Strip] you will remain isolated in the world and harm yourselves” (IHH website in Turkish, May 23, 2010). On May 21 Muhammad Kaya, head of IHH’s branch office in the Gaza Strip, said there was a plan to send flotillas to the Gaza Strip every month (Al-Jazeera-Info website, arabianawareness.com, May 21, 2010). The ceremony marking the departure of the Mavi Marmaris from Istanbul, organized by IHH. In the first row, second from the right, is Ra’ed Salah, head of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement in Israel. Fourth from the left is Kazem Sawalha, a Hamas activist affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, who found refuge in Britain. He was one of the chief organizers of the previous aid convoys (LifeLine) to the Gaza Strip (IHH website, May 23, 2010). 2 http://hurryupharry.org/2010/04/14/oh-jesus , 3 http://www.velfecr.com/gazze-de-goz-yasartan-buyuk-bulusma-video-foto-1408-haberi.html , January 7, 2010. 4 For further information see the date bulletin The war on financing terrorism: Defense Minister Ehud Barak signed an order outlawing 36 global “Union of Good” Islamic funds which raise money for Hamas institutions in the Palestinian Authority-administered territories. The money supports Hamas in building a political alternative to the PA and maintain a terrorism-supporting system at http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/financing_0708e.pdf 5 http://www.diis.dk/graphics/Publications/WP2006/DIIS%20WP%202006-7.web.pdf. The Danish institute which published the study is an independent institution which deals with interdisciplinary research about international issues, especially international conflicts. Its staff includes dozens of researches, many of them with PhDs (http://www.diis.dk/sw241.asp). 6 Evan Kohlman is American researcher specializing in terrorism who worked for the FBI and other American government organizations. He has a law degree and a degree in international politics and Islamic studies. In the past he interned in Washington for The Investigative Project, an anti-terrorism think-tank, and is currently head of NEFA, the Nine/Eleven Finding Answers Foundation. He served as an expert witness in the trials of several jihadist operatives in the United States, the Hague and Denmark, and is a senior terrorism commentator for NBC. He wrote a book about the jihad movement in Europe which was published in 2002 by the Oxford University Press and has published numerous articles about radical Islamic movements (From : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Kohlmann and.http://www.ie.edu/IE/site/php/en/school_communication_detail.php?id_new=111)
There was a very good reason for this, that is Arms trafficking. No humanitarian aid vessel carries
A pro-Palestinian flotilla operative raising a metal pipe
to strike IDF soldiers
A pro-Palestinian flotilla operative raising a metal pipe
to strike IDF soldiers
An Israeli Naval soldier is thrown by demonstrators onboard the flotilla from the top deck by the ship. Photo: 
Pictures taken by security cameras aboard the Mavi Marmara document the preparations
made by the pro-Palestinian operatives to attack the IDF (IDF Spokesman, June 3, 2010).
19. The following weapons, which according to statements had been prepared in advance:
Slingshots found on board the ship (IDF Spokesman, June 30, 2010).
The one in the center is inscribed “Hizbullah.”
Some of the knives found on board the ship which were prepared in
advance for the confrontation (IDF Spokesman, June 30, 2010).Special Dispatch|2986| May 31, 2010
Palestinians
MEMRI TV Clips on the Gaza Flotilla: Activists On Board Chant Songs of Martyrdom at Departure
Gaza-Based Yemeni Professor Abd Al-Fatah Nu'man: As Much As the Heroes on the Flotilla Want to Reach Gaza, the Option of Martyrdom Is More Desirable to Them – Al-Aqsa TV, May 28, 2010
Al-Jazeera TV Report from "Freedom Flotilla" Before Its Departure for Gaza: Activists On Board Chant Intifada Songs and Praise Martyrdom – May 28, 2010
Egyptian Expert on International Law Ahmad Hassan Omar: Turkey and Other Countries Should Use Aid Convoys to Transfer Weapons to Gaza and Returning Refugees to Acre – Al-Jazeera, May 18, 2010
IHH head Bülent Yildirim
(www.ihh.org.tr, April 7, 2010)
IHH logo: The dove of peace appears at the lower right of the globe.
Bülent Yildirim and Khaled Mashaal (January 2009).1
Bülent Yildirim meets Ismail Haniya and other important people in the Gaza Strip (January 7, 2010).3 
Bülent Yildirim and de facto Hamas administration head Ismail Haniya (January 7, 2010).2
Part of a document seized by the IDF during Operation Defensive Shield (2002): A table prepared by the Union of Good containing the names of shaheeds who carried out mass-murder suicide bombing attacks in Israeli cities. It was used to arrange payments to the suicide bombers’ families though the Hamas-affiliated Islamic “charitable society” Al-Tadhamun in Nablus. It is one of the charitable societies Izzat Shahin transferred money to after he was appointed IHH representative in Judea and Samaria in 2009. 
Title page of the Danish Institute’s study.
Passage from the study quoting a French intelligence report. It deals with the
involvement of IHH and its leader in global jihad activities during the 1990s.
Passage from the study dealing with IHH cover for the global jihad.
Passage from the study dealing with IHH’s anti-American activities in Iraq.
The flotilla’s route to the Gaza Strip. The red line refers to the Rachel Corrie, sailing from Ireland.7
The rally in Turkey accompanied preparations for the ship’s departure. The participants are holding Turkish, Palestinian and Hamas flags, and flags of organizations affiliated with Hamas and radical Islam (the shahadah is inscribed on the green flag) ( IHH website, May 23, 2010).
1 http://www.spittoon.org/archives/4168 .
http://www.velfecr.com/gazze-de-goz-yasartan-buyuk-bulusma-video-foto-1408-haberi.html.
Thursday, 12 August 2010
IHH, which plays a central role in organizing the flotilla to the Gaza Strip, is a Turkish humanitarian relief fund with a radical Islamic anti-Western orientation. Besides its legitimate philanthropic activities, it supports radical Islamic networks, including Hamas, and at least in the past, even global jihad elements.
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