Turkey remembers Mavi Marmara
(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) The activists on the ship planned to break the blockade of Gaza in 2010 and were raided in international waters by Israel after refusing to change course.
Izzet Sahin, a board member of the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, an Istanbul-based aid group which organized the commemoration events, estimated more than 100,000 people participated.
He told Al Jazeera, "Although five years have passed since the incident, the motivation of the people to achieve justice is alive more than ever."
Young activists performed a play by the Bosporus, depicting challenges caused by the barrier between Israel and Palestinian territories, and the treatment of Palestinians by Israeli security forces.
Activists also took a bike tour of the European part of Istanbul waving Palestinian and Turkish flags in honor of those who died in the attack.
In the evening, crowds walked to the graveyard where the victims were buried and concluded with prayers at their graves.
In Ankara, a group of IHH members held prayers by the Israeli ambassador's residence.
There were separate commemoration events held around the world, including Gaza.
Israeli forces killed eight Turkish nationals and an American-Turkish activist onboard the Mavi Marmara that fateful day. Another Turkish national died last year after falling into a coma following the incident.
In April 2013, Turkish and Israeli officials met to negotiate compensation for the families of the victims. The month prior, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to then-Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the 2010 raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla.
Sitting on the UN committee investigating the Mavi Marmara incident, Ã-zdem Sanberk, President of the International Strategic Research Organization (USAK), was interviewed by Today's Zaman during the preliminary negotiations in 2011.
When asked to comment on why Turkey and Israel need each other and on the tension over the plight of the Palestinians in Israel he said, "There has never been bloodshed between Turkish and Jewish people before. We were never at war. That is why we demand an apology. Our relationship is different than the relationship between Israelis and Arabs, and it is different than the relationship between Europeans and Israelis."
"We would like Israel to demonstrate its capacity to act in a rational way. Israel expects an understanding that it has a security problem, but the Palestinians also have a security problem and they are entitled to enjoy the blessings of peace and prosperity just as Israelis are. Yes, we respect our heritage with the Israelis. We have a unique relationship with Israel, but we stand in solidarity with the Palestinians, too," he said.
#FreePalestine was trending around the world as the commemoration events took place.
Currently, those Israeli soldiers and officials who conducted the attack are being tried in absentia for war crimes in Turkey.
Izzet Sahin, a board member of the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, an Istanbul-based aid group which organized the commemoration events, estimated more than 100,000 people participated.
He told Al Jazeera, "Although five years have passed since the incident, the motivation of the people to achieve justice is alive more than ever."
Young activists performed a play by the Bosporus, depicting challenges caused by the barrier between Israel and Palestinian territories, and the treatment of Palestinians by Israeli security forces.
Activists also took a bike tour of the European part of Istanbul waving Palestinian and Turkish flags in honor of those who died in the attack.
In the evening, crowds walked to the graveyard where the victims were buried and concluded with prayers at their graves.
In Ankara, a group of IHH members held prayers by the Israeli ambassador's residence.
There were separate commemoration events held around the world, including Gaza.
Israeli forces killed eight Turkish nationals and an American-Turkish activist onboard the Mavi Marmara that fateful day. Another Turkish national died last year after falling into a coma following the incident.
In April 2013, Turkish and Israeli officials met to negotiate compensation for the families of the victims. The month prior, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to then-Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the 2010 raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla.
Sitting on the UN committee investigating the Mavi Marmara incident, Ã-zdem Sanberk, President of the International Strategic Research Organization (USAK), was interviewed by Today's Zaman during the preliminary negotiations in 2011.
When asked to comment on why Turkey and Israel need each other and on the tension over the plight of the Palestinians in Israel he said, "There has never been bloodshed between Turkish and Jewish people before. We were never at war. That is why we demand an apology. Our relationship is different than the relationship between Israelis and Arabs, and it is different than the relationship between Europeans and Israelis."
"We would like Israel to demonstrate its capacity to act in a rational way. Israel expects an understanding that it has a security problem, but the Palestinians also have a security problem and they are entitled to enjoy the blessings of peace and prosperity just as Israelis are. Yes, we respect our heritage with the Israelis. We have a unique relationship with Israel, but we stand in solidarity with the Palestinians, too," he said.
#FreePalestine was trending around the world as the commemoration events took place.
Currently, those Israeli soldiers and officials who conducted the attack are being tried in absentia for war crimes in Turkey.
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