Jerusalem- Amidst widespread condemnation and calls by various governments and the United Nations' Security Council for an investigation, Israeli leaders are working hard to defend the IDF's actions in stopping an international Gaza-bound flotilla.

On Monday morning the six-ship flotilla was stopped on its way to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. When IDF naval commandos boarded one of the ships, activists bearing knives and metal clubs beat the soldiers, throwing one off the ship's deck.

In response to what Israel is calling an attempted lynching, and following gunshots at Israeli servicemen on the remaining boat, IDF forces opened fire, killing nine of the attacking passengers.

The other five ships did not resist Israeli forces and were brought unharmed into the Port of Ashdod, north of Gaza.

According to Israeli intelligence sources as well as the Turkish IHH movement, the flotilla was organized in part by Hamas operative Mohammad Sawalha in London. The organizers of the flotilla have publically endorsed terrorism and violence, as previously reported by the 5 Towns Jewish Times. According to the IDF, weapons had been prepared beforehand in order to attack IDF troops.

Israeli authorities had earlier offered the flotilla organizers the option of unloading their cargo of humanitarian supplies in Israel for transfer to the Gaza strip. However, Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza Movement responded to the Israeli offer by stating that the activists' purpose was to roll back Israeli control over the Hamas controlled coastal territory. Israel passes an estimated fifteen thousand tons of humanitarian supplies to Gaza on a weekly basis through land crossings in the western Negev.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak noted that "Israel appealed to the flotilla organizers prior to it sailing and also upon its approach to Gaza, in warning and inviting the flotilla to arrive to the Ashdod harbor, and offering to transfer the aid cargo to Gaza after having it undergo security examinations. All of these appeals - prior to the flotilla setting sail and afterwards - were refused."

"We are distressed by all cases of injury, but the responsibility lies upon the organizers of the flotilla," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel has no argument with the population of Gaza and that any humanitarian aid can enter if passed through Israeli channels. Netanyahu stressed, however, that given Hamas' attempts to smuggle arms and the organization's history of launching rockets at Israeli targets, Israel's blockade is justified. The Prime Minister also reaffirmed his support for the IDF's actions. "Israel would not allow its soldiers to be lynched and neither would any other self-respecting country," he stated.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon echoed Netanyahu's sentiments in a speech given to a gathering of Israel supporters from around the world. "We do not need to apologize for defending ourselves," Ayalon said. "The armada of hate and violence is merely one manifestation of the constant provocation Israel faces."

"The organizers are well-known for their ties to Global Jihad, Al-Qaeda and Hamas," he alleged.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said that Israel has "legitimate security concerns," citing "Hamas' interference with international assistance shipments, and its use and endorsement of violence, complicates efforts in Gaza."

Crowley may have been referring to the Israeli embargo on certain dual-use types of construction supplies in the wake of Hamas' appropriation of concrete intended for reconstruction in order to build fortified military outposts and bunkers.

He noted that "mechanisms exist for the transfer of humanitarian assistance to Gaza by governments and groups that wish to do so."

A diplomatic backlash against Israel was quick in coming, with the European Union and United Nations condemning Israel's actions and calling for an independent investigation of the matter.

The UNSC issued a statement saying that it "condemns those acts which resulted in the loss of at least ten civilians" and called for "the immediate release of the ships as well as the civilians held by Israel." The United Nations expressed its condolences to the families of those killed and wounded.

The United Nations reiterated "its grave concern at the humanitarian situation in Gaza and stresses the need for sustained and regular flow of goods and people to Gaza as well as unimpeded provision and distribution of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza."

The UN high Commissioner for Human Right, Navi Pilay, condemned the Israeli interception and what she called a "disproportionate use of force." She urged Israel to heed the “almost unanimous international view that the continued blockade of Gaza is both inhumane and illegal.”

However, Israel's foreign ministry replied that "maritime blockades are a legitimate and recognized measure under international law" and that Israel is currently in a state of armed conflict with the Hamas regime that controls Gaza.

According to Hebrew University international legal scholdar Dr. Robbie Sabel, "a state, in a time of conflict, can impose an embargo, and while it cannot carry out embargo activities in the territorial waters of a third party, it can carry out embargo activities in international waters."

According to the Oslo accords in the Gaza-Jericho agreement " As part of Israel's responsibilities for safety and security within the three Maritime Activity Zones, Israel Navy vessels may sail throughout these zones, as necessary and without limitations, and may take any measures necessary against vessels suspected of being used for terrorist activities or for smuggling arms, ammunition, drugs, goods, or for any other illegal
activity."

The British government has also come out against Israel's closure of the strip. Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters in London that Israel must "act with restraint" and "in line with their international obligations." Hague stated that Israel's response to violence from flotilla activists was "an overreaction."

After calling on Israel to allow "unfettered access for aid to Gaza because of a serious humanitarian [crisis]", Hague said that "there will be enormous international pressure on Israel." The Foreign Secretary also called for an end to Hamas rocket fire.

Israeli-Turkish relations have been hit hard by the incident, with a senior Israeli official telling Reuters that most of the dead were Turkish citizens. The Turkish IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi) was one of the primary organizers of the flotilla. The IHH has self-declared ties to the Hamas administration and has posted pictures on its website showing leaders of the two organizations together. The IHH website also detailed supplies given directly to Hamas leaders.

Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Israel in the wake of the violence while Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the boarding operation "inhuman state terrorism."

Dr. Aaron Lerner of the Israeli media website IMRA said that the Turkish government lied when it claimed that all passengers aboard the ships were screened for weapons. The Turks are in large part responsible for yesterday's violence in light of the weapons later found on the ships, he said.

The IDF published pictures and videos of metal rods, slingshots, knives and other arms used by flotilla passengers to severely wound several IDF servicemen, some critically.

Alon Liel, the former director-general of Israel's foreign ministry, told reporters that the current crisis could potentially engender a complete breakdown of already strained Ankara-Jerusalem relations.

The widespread condemnation of Israel and its blockade constitute a significant gain for Hamas which had hoped that Turkey's involvement in the flotilla would bring about precisely this sort of diplomatic crisis.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has been in touch with his European counterparts and is currently trying to manage the diplomatic fallout.

Lieberman stated that in speaking with European leaders, he said that Israeli leaders " expect a balanced, responsible reaction and not a reaction which is actually a surrender to extremists, a surrender to terror, to the same anarchist groups that incite controversy and war, support Hamas and other terrorist organizations throughout the world."

Lieberman attacked those who criticized Israel for stopping the ships in international waters. Israel "cannot agree to an attack on its sovereignty. Every state has the right to check every ship that enters its territory, or intends to enter its territory," he stated.

Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke with President Barak Obama and the two agreed to postpone their upcoming meeting in light of recent events. According to the White House, the President "expressed the importance of learning all the facts and circumstances around [these] tragic events as soon as possible."

Israeli-Arabs have begun rioting throughout the country in protest of Israel's actions and Knesset member Hanin Zoabi, who was aboard one of the ships, was taken into custody and later released.