Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUnifeed
GENEVA / GAZA FLOTILLA
STORY: GENEVA / GAZA FLOTILLA
TRT: 2:15
SOURCE: UNTV
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
DATELINE: 27 SEPTEMBER 2010, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, conference
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Karl Hudson-Phillips, Chairman, International Independent Fact Finding Mission:
“Passengers were forced to kneel, handcuffed, on open decks in harsh conditions, and kept so for hours. Passengers were assaulted by being kicked and gun-butted. Many were denied access to toilets with the resulting personal indignity.”
3. Cutaway, delegates
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Karl Hudson-Phillips, Chairman, International Independent Fact Finding Mission:
“The Mission considers that the conduct of the Israeli military and other personnel towards the flotilla passengers was disproportionate and excessive and that they demonstrated levels of totally unnecessary violence. This resulted in the deaths of nine passengers and severe injuries to many others. The Mission finds that serious violations of both humanitarian and human rights law occurred during and after this incident.”
5. Cutaway, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Aharon Leshno Yaar, Ambassador of Israel:
“Israel decided not to participate with the work of this councils committee. Not for a lack of desire for the truth or a fear for the facts but a determined lack of faith in this Council; this one-sided and extreme findings of the Committee proved Israel right.”
7. Cutaway, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ibrahim Khraishi, Ambassador of Palestine:
“The offensive character of Israel made it kill those innocent civilians and you know and as the Committee knows as it heard in the testimonies there was not a single missile or bullet or a lethal tool on these ships they carried.”
9. Cutaway, delegates
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Oguz Demiralp, Ambassador of Turkey:
“The report shows how far the Israeli soldiers can go in disrespect of human life and dignity. While reading the report, I couldn’t help asking myself whether Israel has a heart in its chest or a stone.”
11. Med shot, delegates
The UN Human Rights Council is told today (27 September) that Israeli troops broke international law by storming an aid flotilla bound for Gaza.
Karl Hudson-Phillips, Chairman of the International Independent Fact Finding Mission, said the killings of activists on-board were “serious violations of both humanitarian and human rights law.”
Hudson-Philips said that “passengers were assaulted by being kicked and gun-butted,” adding that the conduct of the Israeli military “was disproportionate and excessive and that they demonstrated levels of totally unnecessary violence.”
Israeli Ambassador Aharon Leshno Yaar said that “Israel decided not to participate with the work of this councils committee” because of “a determined lack of faith in this Council.”
Today’s debate in Geneva follows the publication last week of a critical report on the raid on the flotilla on May 31 when nine activists on a Turkish ship were killed as they attempted to breach the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.
Palestinian Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi said that “the offensive character of Israel made it kill those innocent civilians” who did not carry “a single missile or bullet or a lethal tool on these ships.”
Turkish Ambassador Oguz Demiralp said “while reading the report, I couldn’t help asking myself whether Israel has a heart in its chest or a stone.”
The independent fact finding mission, which interviewed more than 100 witnesses in Geneva, London, Istanbul and Amman during the course of its work, also found that once the Israeli forces took complete control of the Mavi Marmara, passengers with few exceptions were kept handcuffed and kneeling for hours.
Download
There is no media available to download.
