Media reactions to the Gaza flotilla raid

Media reactions to the Gaza flotilla raid on 31 May 2010 ranged from strong support to strong condemnation of Israel. Criticism included the deaths of civilians, the execution of the raid, increased sympathy toward Israel's opponents or enemies, and increased isolation of Israel.

A survey of Israeli Jews published in Maariv on 2 June showed 94.8 percent agreeing that it was necessary to stop the boats, with 62.7 percent saying it should have been handled in a different manner. Only 8.1 percent thought Netanyahu should resign. The newspaper didn't say how many people were surveyed or give a margin of error.

Criticism within Israel on the flotilla operation has focused largely on the execution of the raid and not the blockade. The Israeli media, which had initially supported the IDF action and corroborated the IDF account of the incident, later criticized the operation as having been badly handled. Haaretz said that the Israeli army had fallen into a trap set by the flotilla organizers. While Israeli soldiers were supported, the government was chastised for putting Israel in a compromising situation.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz had a headline initially reading "Botched raid on Free Gaza Flotilla", the online headline was later changed to "Israel fears diplomatic backlash in wake of Gaza flotilla deaths", while Maariv went with "Flotilla Fiasco".

Israeli journalist Gideon Levy remarked in an opinion article, "Again Israel will pay a heavy diplomatic price, once which had not been considered ahead of time. Again, the Israeli propaganda machine has managed to convince only brainwashed Israelis, and once more no one asked the question: What was it for? Why were our soldiers thrown into this trap of pipes and ball bearings? What did we get out of it?"

Ferhat Kentel from Taraf, compared the victims of the Gaza flotilla raid to Hrant Dink. Soli Özel, an instructor of international relations at Bilgi University, a columnist for Habertürk newspaper and a frequent contributor to The Washington Post's "Post Global" in Istanbul said:

There is now civilian blood between the two countries. The natural arc of relations will have to change.

Cüneyt Ülsever, a commentator in the daily Hürriyet, has criticized the İHH, saying, "People will understand very soon that the İHH is harming Turkey, and warned that the effect of the crisis would be to persuade the West that Turkey is aligning itself with the likes of Iran, Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah."

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Wikipedia