IDF soldiers suspected of theft from Gaza flotilla ship
At least four soldiers being detained on suspicion of stealing and selling laptops belonging to activists aboard the Mavi Marmara ship, Israeli media report.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Israel news Gaza flotilla IDFMilitary Police arrested an Israel Defense Forces officer suspected of stealing laptop computers from activists aboard the Gaza-bound aid ship raided by Israeli commandos in May and selling them to other officers.
The officer allegedly sold the computers to a friend, who in turn sold them to friends of his. Three officers who are suspected of having bought the computers have also been detained for questioning.
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The Mavi Marmara, aboard which Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla resulted in the deaths of 9 Turkish activists, leaving Haifa on August 5, 2010 |
| Photo by: AP |
The officer, who holds the rank of first lieutenant, allegedly stole between four and six computers from activists on the Mavi Marmara, which was trying to break the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip when Israel raided it, leaving nine Turkish activists dead.
Israel Navy commandos boarded six ships that made up the Gaza-bound flotilla on May 31, in an effort to prevent them from breaking through an Israeli marine blockade and reaching Gaza.
The naval commandos who boarded the sixth ship - the Mavi Marmara - were met with violence and nine Turkish activists were killed in the subsequent clashes.
News of the officers' arrests was first reported by Ynet, which quoted a high-ranking officer who said, "The investigation has just begun, but as it appears now it will prove embarrassing and shameful. These are soldiers who don't understand what their uniform represents."
Israel Radio reported that cellular phones were also stolen from the activists.
The IDF Spokesman’s Office said the Military Police had opened an investigation, but said it remains unclear if the computers in question were indeed stolen from the Mavi Marmara activists.
In June, an Italian journalist who was detained by the IDF following the raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla says his credit card was used to purchase items after it was confiscated by the Israeli authorities.
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You are known to be the best army. What happened now? The moral values of this generation are going down.
sorry folks, but what happened is truly pathetic, and this really gived the idf a very bad name. if the soldiers did it, what kind of training are they getting? are their superiors ordering them to do this? are their "superiors" into this lowly scam? i really wish the idf would be more ethical, but it seems that they´re in it for the business. only people with very low moral standards would do things like this.
Because of Turkey's war crimes against Kurds, it should be expelled from NATO and UN. Needless to say, its road to EU entry should be blocked, too. Shame on you, fascist Erdogan's Turkey!
Question: This is news, but why is this headline news? Answer: It is part of the far left Haaretz campaign to undermine the state and its institutions.
Although it may have provided the circumstances for it happening...by witholding the possessions of the passengers when they were released, as some have reported.
For I remember how a gold neck chain (around $2K worth then) that belonged to my mother, which she kept below the pillow in my parents' bedroom, was stolen as soldiers with their captain came1987 around 2 a.m. to take me as I was attending high school in Nablus at that time; they spread in entire house as they came inside, including my parents' bedroom, where those who stole the chain apparently took advantage of my parents leaving their bedroom. Even though we reported the crime to Israeli authorities in Nablus then, the investigation brought us nothing, except that they told us after a follow-up with them long time after the investigation started that that captain and his group were connected to other theft incidents that took place in Nablus area, as they entered other houses.
The "most moral" again and again.
Blood was fake, being thrown down was fake, the axes and clubs and bars were fake, the ammo was fake. And they played shesh-besh and stole their laptops on the pauses of the lynching.
...............the MOST MORAL army in the world.
So much for the most ethical army in the world. What with the facebook pictures this week - the mask is slipping guys.
FROM OF ACT OF PIRACY....
Quite a difference from the days when a substantial number of officers were reared on Kibbutzim.
Although it may have provided the circumstances for it happening...by witholding the possessions of the passengers when they were released, as some have reported.
The best and fastest way to lose it is handling domestic issues publicly. Why not solve those behind closed doors? If someone has (which seems not yet been even confirmed) stolen a few laptops so who cares? Was it impossible to let the IDF take care of the case without useless publicity? Never give any kind of free weapons to your opponent!
Also to show the world they are open minded and can beat themselves with a stick no need for others to do it for them
THE MOST MORAL FORCE IN THE WORLD?
Pirates! I knew it!
I was looking in a dictionary and this is defined as "piracy". Sorry guys!
This can't be... inconceivable! I can predict the future... ready ? The stolen equipment will never be found, or it will be returned, but with all data erased or covered over, thus giving the IDF an excuse, scapegoating the lieutenant. I know, it's crazy, isn't it?
I would have posted the boats up for sale on Ebay rather than give them to Turkey.
Facebook photo's showing soldiers dehumanizing Palestinians, using people as human shields during Operation Cast Lead, and with this article, theft from the flotilla boats. Combine this with the right wing calling any Jew who works for or voted for Obama a self hater and anti semite states one very obvious fact.... this is not the Israel of David Ben Gurion.
most moral army in the world be renamed as 'once, the most moral army in the world'?
Job well done Israel...Need I say more...
The most Moral Army in the world. Stolen Laptops, cellphones and credit cards. Photos of prisoners posted on Facebook as an element of Israeli Army officer humor. And this is done by officers. Now I know where the normal soldier gets his moral compass. . . I always thought that Israel was better than this. I wait to be proved right by the prosecution of all theives of the flotilla equipment.
didn't one of those turrists claim that someone had been using their credit card?
ENOUGH SAID....
Tell us something we didn't know.Activists have made many accusations of theft against the most moral army in the world.We already know the Idf is not honest!
...anything else? I'm surprised the IDF didn't steal the aid meant for Gaza and sell it...
The noble IDF does not pay its gallant warriors all that much. Sooo what's wrong with making a little extra on the side specially when the pickings are easy?
in any muslim state, the military police would have demanded some of the stolen property. in the Jewish state, the thieves will go to jail. So no matter how much the islamist haaretz and its minion of Jew haters try to spin this, the fact that we are a nation of laws prevails.
Lies to incriminate these honorable men from the most respectful and holy army of this world. We must ask who is behind these lies.
If any person is found guilty of having stolen these laptops and other items belonging to the so called peaceniks. Charge them prosecute them and jail them. On teh other hand the entire ship and its contebnts were seized including teh personal belongings of everyone on board. The government can do with these seized articles as it pleases including givening them back or selling them as seized items. But that is teh government, not the IDF. Fix this and make it fast
What has happened to the IDF? From Galant to the grunts there is some sort of meltdown going on.
Classy...
Should not put yourself up on a pedestal as the 'most moral" army in the world when it is simply an occupation army with all the baggage that comes with it.
more fodder for the intl. community to shoot at us. disgraceful
this is only what the people aboard have been saying for, oh, three months now, despite the idf's repeated denial of their claims! i am truly shocked and appalled by this revelation!!!!!
Hurrah!
We''ve waited so long to dust ourselves out a bit. Examples need to be made here. No leniency.
Scandal after scandal, definately not isolated incidents!!
the most moral army in the world . . in your dreams!!!
but please don't come back!!!!!!!
If this keeps up the Israeli solders will end up with the laptops, cellphones and credit cards, but mark my words Israel's enemies will in the end eat it's lunch. Wake up Israel!
Perhaps the argument by the IDF will be that the computers had belonged to aid activists who had been killed and so no longer were owned by anyone.......
strikes again! The occupation is rotting the soul of Israel.
There seems to be a prevailing attitude within the IDF that plundering is just part of the job, so it will be interesting, if these officers are found guilty, to see whether they are punished severely to send a message or given the IDF's typical slap on the wrist.
At least our soldiers are creating some deterrence when our government is too busy returning the ships of terrorists and those who try to harm our soldiers, they encourage more provocations, none of the property should have been returned to those who engage in terrorism against our country or our soldiers, I have NO sympathy whatsoever for the Turks and their possessions if they act in a criminal way, hey there will be consequences. The govt. should have confiscated all their possessions and thrown them in jail instead of immediately releasing these wanna be shahids.
Well, what can you say? Is this news the very last nail in the coffin of what used to be called "The World's most moral army"?
but ofcourse IDF denied it
That stole the whole ship,and the lives of those on it.
Were the computers spoils of war--free for the taking--or evidence that should have been given to Mossad or other investigative authorities or personal property of other persons aboard the mavi marmara? Let's see what evidence IDF presents against its officers to show theft.
the soldiers who have been taped breaking the bones of young Palestinians near Nablus 15 or 20 years ago were only few soldiers who have behaved in this unacceptable way, the recent female soldier who posted her best times posing behind Palestinians detainees was also representative of herself not the IDF, and now the thief soldiers are only a few and not representative. So its all about statistics and generalization. However, the regularity in reading stories of this kind only proves one main thing that is: the IDF is an army of occupation and such instances is supposed to be a common behavior among the soldiers. Something relevant to the current story, during the invasion of the westbank in 2003, lots of money, mobile phones, jewelers, etc were stolen from invaded houses. It seems the IDF finally decided to unveil its Burqa' so the world can see their ugly face!
Photographs, although not allowed by commanders were clearly accepted as 'one of those things', now this.... They don't shoot unarmed foreign protesters too do they? Surely not - they're more disciplined than that....
Sad sad sad. Shayetet and sayeret matkal fighters are supposed to be the best and brightest, instead some of their number apparently are thieves. The same kind of morality that brought us Eden Abergil.
a few bad apples, then a few more, just a few more acting independently, another few bad apples, some others acting alone, some Americans with bad parenting, a couple more psychopaths who got through the most rigorous testing in the world, so overall nothing really to worry about!
The underlying problem is the spread of "Ars" values in Israeli culture. We encourage our children to take pride in deception and manipulation, to feel shame when being considerate to strangers or compromising, to regard bullying and extortion as sources of pride and signs of strength, and to see successful evasion of responsibility for one's actions as a sign of intelligence. We're raising a generation of sociopaths. These soldiers, like Eden Abergil, reflect the society from which they were drafted.
the clever activists had fail-safe engines in their laptops, tracing them.
Beware these were supposed to be educated officcers and not some low level soldiers.Can you win a war with this kind of attitude speading in the IDF from top to bottom from Generals to officers to soldiers?
I'd like to see the die hard Islamaphobes and blind supporters of Israel try to defend this one. I wouldn't be surprised if they come back with "Come on, it was war, everyone steals"! lol
and yet you call it the most moral army in the World!!
Yeah.... RIGHT!
How long are we going to keep reading bogus stories about the terror boat masquerading as humanitarian gesture? Enough already--get over it and investigate Turkey's use of chemical weapons against the Kurds if you want to find some real war crimes.
we talked about both? i didn't think so