Officer held for stealing, selling Gaza flotilla laptops
Second lieutenant arrested along with six other soldiers earlier this week on suspicion of stealing at least six laptop computers from Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
By Fadi EyadatAn Israel Defense Forces officer suspected of stealing laptop computers from passengers on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that the navy raided in May, and then selling them to other officers, was remanded by a military court yesterday.
Two other soldiers, who had been detained for questioning on suspicion of buying the computers, were released.
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Illustrative image |
| Photo by: Archive |
The officer, a second lieutenant, was arrested along with six other soldiers earlier this week on suspicion of stealing at least six laptop computers from the aid flotilla.
The officer allegedly sold some of the computers directly to other soldiers and sold the remainder with a mediator's help. The mediator allegedly bought a laptop for himself from the officer for NIS 1,200, then brokered deals to sell the others to three other soldiers.
The suspected mediator was one of the two soldiers released yesterday. His attorney denied the allegations and said his client did not know the laptops had been stolen from the Turkish ship.
Haaretz reported in June that an Italian journalist detained by the IDF following the flotilla raid said his credit card was used to purchase items after it was confiscated by the Israeli authorities.
Manolo Luppichini was aboard the Sfintoni-8000, one of the smaller boats in the flotilla, when naval commandos took it over. The soldiers searched every passenger and confiscated everything they found, he said.
"They took two cameras, microphones, a stand and other equipment from me and my photographer," he said. "They took my wallet, passport, bag and all my personal effects."
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So tell us again why it is that Netanyahu who was in Canada (not the White House as he testified before the Israel Equiry, under oath) when the raid took place will testify to the UN Investigation however the soldiers who took part in this raid in international waters will not. If the soldiers do not take part in the raid we will never know the truth or answers to many questions that need answering and I do not give a hoot about saving any politicians career in Israel or any place else. It is time we all began thing of the people who live in these ghastly cirmcumstances everyday not the idiots who are the cause of them. Make the soldiers testify and if they do not then apply crippling sanctions against Israel until they do. I do not give a toss about his career - he does not give a toss about Israelis or Palestinians.
Having worked for humanitarian groups who routinely shipped items from the US to the Palestinian territories through Israeli customs, I can guarantee that hundreds of thousands of dollars of humanitarian goods, supplies, books, computers, medicine, vitamins etc... showed up missing from shipments or entire shipments were confiscated and redistributed to Israeli's as part of a government policy. To now punish a few soldiers for doing what the state has been doing for at least the last 20 years is a farce. Everyone who works in the humanitarian field knows this happens, Israeli's know this happens, the US government knows this happens, and they gleefully turn a blind eye but yet are willing to torture these soldiers who are simply doing exactly what they have seen others do, but for the benefit of the government, not themselves. Perhaps that is the real issue. These were the governments computers to steal not the peoples, perhaps that is what is upsetting the Israeli government. Someone is stealing the goods they wanted to steal.
Big deal. This is a story?
busha v'cherpa
Do these soldiers think that they can get away with this stuff. Their mandate is to protect...not steal.
Taking that many laptops can not be an "individual"act . Other soldiers around have had to see and let it happen and the fact that there was no intervention by anyone is the more serious question .
What a disgrace. The IDF need to send a clear message to their own that act in this sickenning way. Throw them in Jail , throw them out of the army with criminal record, and publicy name and shame them. Period
Nothing to say... just 'a big shame'...
It is not only about the value end ethics of the IDF forces, what about a minimum of internal security. Tomorrow they will sell a tank or a plane...
even though Israeli's assert that there were attempts to kill Israeli soldiers on the vessel. Obviously Israel had decided no such thing had happened (as we saw on Panorama this week) and therefore the Mavi Mara was a free for all for every pirate on that raid.
Reshet Bet reported that some of Port of Ashdod employees also stole from the ship. 43 years of occupation, sieges, oppression, corruption, take their toll on an individual's innate ability to tell right from wrong. We're now getting the bill. The leadership needs to take decisions. Can this leadership do it? You tell me!
the number of other stuff floating around/ sold/ traded that hasn't been caught and shouldn't these laptops be under lock and key for intense scrutiny since all those on the floatillas were "secretly jihadis" and seeking to undermine the security of israel?
You made us cheap in front of the whole world.
A disgrace and an embarrassment to Israel, they should have been thrown into the sea,not stolen.
Israel can arrest the soldeirs for steeling a dam laptop but couldnt do a single move to the soldeirs who killed nine activist. Nice one Israel
he comes out much better than Barak, who took the bull by the horns and wasn't afraid to investigate the facts, slowly and carefully. Once everything was parsed out, he was confident enough to let the truth stand for all to see. If I recall, Barak, upon witnessing the accident at the military exercise . . . chose to speak out about the officers "on the ground". With Ashkenazi the shekel stops at his desk, while Barak, I fear lets the pennies drop on his subordinates.
At least we know that when IDF soldiers do do something wrong, they will be held accountable. At least they are going to do something about it, it's not all bad.
Didn't these individuals take the piracy in open sea seriously? Why do the Israeli's get upset? It was a part of the game for those taking part in the piracy act! Ask the Somali pirates if they do that differently!
i was just watching an excellent propaganda piece on the bbc about this whole flotilla incident. according to the bbc all israeli soldiers involved were brave men defending the good people of israel from evil gun-wielding islamic terrorists (they dropped their guns into the water, much like saddam dropped his wmds into the water). i wonder how this meshes with their report. perhaps the good soldiers were merely installing the bbc toolbar onto the evil terrorists' computers prior to returning them, thereby educating the poor deranged lads.
If they understood that is allowed to kill unarmed people of course they thought that is allowed to steal their objects.
There has been revealed in recent years a pattern of moral failure amongst the members of the IDF which can neither be denied, or excused. Clearly there has been a breakdown of moral fiber in the IDF, and thus we might conclude in Israeli society. This kind of breakdown cannot exist without acceptance and tolerance at the top long before it drifts down to the bottom.
These IDF soldiers are pirates of Mediterranean Sea.They storm the ships they take over the ship and they sell whatever they confiscate.Just like those pirates on Somalian Coastline
Luckily they did not sell the ship.There is no limit when one lacks of moral values.Keep going cheap soldiers.
But really... Seriously?!
its a shame the one or two IDF soldiers who are greedy show up the rest of the team. didnt the israelis get enough bad press - do we really need more?????
yes it is a shame that these two rotten apples are shaming everyone else....like that other rotten apple that took pictures with the prisoners...oh and the other rotten apple who shot a blindfolded Palestinian at a checkpoint...and all the other rotten apples that keep on spoiling the show for the Oh so good IDF.....
These solidiers should be kicked out of the IDf and imprisoned
That doesn't sound too good. By the way, has anyone seen the BBC broadcast "Death on the Med"? It gives a pretty good overview on this and other issues of the Gaza flotilla. Google it.
For an even better and more realistic overview on the BBC's coverage of Israel and Gaza, Google "Eretz Nehederet BBC".
'Death on the Med' has received tens of thousands of complaints due to it's totally biased and untrue reporting by the BBC in Israel's favour. An Israeli producer was involved in it's production also.. There is a demonstration at the headquarters of the BBC on Sunday in protest. 'Panorama' the programme on which it was aired , will never have the same respect as before.