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Israel
Terrorism Information Center: Iran Participates In PR For IHH,
Turkey Sponsored Gaza Flotilla By
Joel Leyden Jerusalem, Israel ---- June 12, 2011 .... As the International Red Cross declares that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the true motives for a "Freedom Flotilla" to Gaza now emerge. Iran, which has declared war on Israel and Western democracy, is taking Islamic Jihad to new depths of propaganda that has not been seen since the days of the Nazis. According to the The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in Israel a delegation from Iran participated in events held by the IHH in Istanbul on the anniversary of the Marmara Gaza flotilla, focused on fostering the myth of the “Marmara shaheeds”. The Iran delegation raised the flags of Iran and Hezbollah, and held meetings with IHH activists and Islamic terror elements affiliated with it. As part of the public relations media campaign intended to build support for the upcoming free Gaza flotilla, the IHH and its allies from Turkey and elsewhere held a week of events in Turkey on the anniversary of the Mavi Marmara incident. Those invited included delegations and activists from all over the world involved in or sympathizing with the flotilla's so-called Gaza campaign. They took advantage of their stay in Istanbul to participate in the propaganda activities and hold meetings with IHH activists. What is becoming very transparent is that the so-called Freedom Flotilla to Gaza is not about land but rather about Islamic Jihad or holy war against Jews and Christians. Of particular
note was an Iran delegation whose members took advantage of their
stay in Istanbul to show support for the flotillas campaign, emphasizing
Hezbollah’s place among the organizations fighting to "wipe
Israel off the map" and holding meetings with the IHH and
its Islamist allies. The delegation, headed by Ayatollah Seyyed
Ghaemmaghami, was involved in an attempt to contribute to the
mythic narrative around those killed on board the Mavi Marmara,
using the image of an Iran youngster who had sacrificed himself
in the war against Iraq. The foreign visitors included guests
from Israel, such as Sheikh Raed Salah, the leader of the northern
branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel (who had taken part in
the Mavi Marmara flotilla) and Muhammad Zaidan, head of the High
Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel.
One of the main events that took place in Istanbul was a mass procession held on the night of May 30-31, attended by tens of thousands of Turks and foreign delegations, including the one from Iran. The procession moved along Istiklal Avenue to Taksim Square in downtown Istanbul. The mass rally held there included speeches by IHH leader Bülent Yildirim and representatives of the foreign guests. The procession participants carried posters with photographs of the nine Mavi Marmara shaheeds and chanted slogans against Israel and for Islamic solidarity, such as “Wait, Palestine, Mavi Marmara is coming”, or “Islamic solidarity is standing against the Zionist blockade”. One of the foreign delegations that took part in the procession along Istiklal Avenue was a delegation from Iran, headed by Ayatollah Seyyed Ghaemmaghami, which had come to Istanbul to participate in the IHH campaign. The ten-member delegation was given a welcome by IHH activists at the Istanbul airport, where they raised a large poster with photographs of the nine people killed on board the Mavi Marmara. During its stay in Turkey, the Iranian delegation visited the IHH headquarters in Istanbul and met with the organization’s activists. It also met with the families of the Mavi Marmara victims. The Iranian delegation was headed by Ayatollah Ghaemmaghami, an Iranian cleric and a head of an association dedicated to the commemoration of an Iranian youngster named Hossein Fahmideh, who became an icon after blowing up an Iraqi tank in a suicide attack during the Iran-Iraq War. The aim was to draw a parallel between the Iranian myth surrounding Fahmideh and the myth of the Mavi Marmara shaheeds, which the IHH is busily spreading among the Turkish public as part of its anti-Israeli PR effort. Prior to the departure of the delegation, the Iranian association launched a blog and a Facebook page calling for interested people to take part in the Iran delegation to Turkey, under the slogan “We shall meet with the Marmara Shaheeds”. There is a possibility (based on publications in Iranian blogs) that the Fahmideh commemorative association works under the auspices of Iran’s Martyrs Foundation, established to assist the families of those killed and wounded in the Iran-Iraq War. During the procession which passed through Istiklal Avenue on the night of May 30, members of the Iranian delegation carried Iranian flags and a poster that drew a parallel between the Iranian shaheed and the youngest of the Mavi Marmara shaheeds. The poster featured the flags of Iran and Turkey and the photographs of the two martyrs: the 19-year-old Furqan Dogan, killed on board the Mavi Marmara,1 and the 14-year-old Mohammad Fahmideh, the Iranian boy killed in the Iran-Iraq War. The caption on the poster read “We shall meet with the Marmara Shaheeds”. Another poster carried by the delegation members featured the Hezbollah logo and the photograph of Hassan Nasrallah, as well as a citation (in Turkish) from a speech given by Nasrallah “As far as the Islamic nation is concerned, defeatism is over. Israel is weaker than spider webs” (www.velfecr.com, June 1, 2011). One of those who welcomed this delegation of terror organizations was a journalist named Nureddin Sirin, known for his anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic and anti-Western views, and affiliated with the IHH. On Nakba Day, Nureddin Sirin headed a group of Turkish Islamist activists that went to Jordan, some of whom, in our assessment, were IHH activists. The group was confronted by Jordanian security forces and some of its members were injured. Nureddin Sirin also headed a delegation of activists who had taken part in the Mavi Marmara flotilla. The delegation was invited by Iran’s President Ahmadinejad to attend the anniversary of the Islamic revolution in February 2011. The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center states that Iran is actively involved in attempts to delegitimize Israel and shows solidarity with the flotillas and convoys campaigns. However, it takes pains to avoid directly and openly taking part in the campaigns. One of the reasons is that the organizations and networks promoting the delegitimization campaigns in Western countries are concerned over the possibility that Iran’s direct involvement may put them at odds, politically and PR-wise, with the governments and public opinion of their respective countries. On the other hand, the IHH, with its radical Islamic orientation, has no qualms about having contacts with like-minded elements in Iran which, in our understanding, work with the full knowledge and blessing of the Iranian regime.
One expression of Iran’s sympathy for the IHH can be found in an August 2010 interview given by Yazdan Karimi, an Iranian researcher referred to as “expert on Palestine affairs”, to Fars News Agency, which represents the conservative bloc and is closely affiliated with Ahmadinejad. Following on the heels of a multi week visit to Turkey, the interview dwelt at length on the IHH and its background, and included a biased, distorted account of the fighting on board the Mavi Marmara.3 In the interview, the Iran expert stressed Khomeini’s influence on the methods employed by the IHH, and concluded by saying that the members of IHH believe in Khomeini’s famous saying: “If every Muslim pours out one bucket of water, Israel will be swept away in the resulting flood.” According to the Iranian expert, this quote could be seen in the hall where, in late July 2010, a memorial service was held for the shaheeds of the Mavi Marmara. One practical illustration of Iran’s support for the flotillas and convoys campaigns and an example of the Iran regime’s attempt to use it for the promotion of anti-Israel and anti-American propaganda was the “Asian convoy” affair which took place in December 2010. The passage of the convoy, which had departed from India and was crossing Iran on its way to the Gaza Strip, was used by the Iran regime for an anti-Israeli and anti-Western propaganda campaign. The convoy, which arrived in Iran on December 7, 2010, was given a welcome by the president of Iran and other top officials. The issue of the so-called humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip (the stated purpose of the convoy) was neglected during the ceremonies, with the emphasis placed instead on discrediting Israel and praising the Iranian regime. A US Justice Department document shows that Fenton Communications, a left wing US public relations firm, has been working for "Al Fakhoora," a Qatar based pro-Palestinian initiative that participated in the illegal flotilla from Turkey to Gaza and urged action against Israel . According the group's director, Al Fakhoora has "launched an advocacy campaign to file legal charges against Israel and change the public perception in the West about its actions." Al Fakhoora is supported by the office of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, the second wife of the emir of Qatar. According to a document filed by Fenton under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, Her Highness' office agreed to pay Fenton approximately $240,000 for communications services rendered from March 1 - Aug. 31, 2010. Fenton also distributed materials through Al Fakhoora's Web site, which includes a Facebook page and a "Flotilla Action Alert" urging activists to oppose Israel's security blockade on Hamas controlled Gaza . Israel considers
Gaza bound convoys a security risk and has implemented an internationally
legal maritime blockade on Gaza because of Hamas' continuing efforts
to smuggle rockets from Iran and other weaponry since the Iran-backed
group overthrew the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in a bloody
coup there in June 2007. Historically, ships bound for Gaza have
carried tons of weapons among their cargo. What worries many Western terrorism and security analysts, is that while Iran, Syria and Turkey coordinate PR efforts to discredit Israel and distract the global media from government sponsored murders taking place in the streets of Iran, Syria and Libya by activists demanding democracy, US President Barack Obama is calling upon Israel to withdraw to indefensible 1967 borders. Obama's irresponsible actions can only feed an inciteful and violent campaign by Iran, Syria and Turkey resulting in a regional war.
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