The stakes are high -- a year ago, nine Turkish activists, including a dual US-Turkish national, were killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers who raided a Gaza-bound convoy in the eastern Mediterranean.Israeli-Turkish relations neared breaking point after the bloodshed and an international outcry led to Israel easing its land blockade of the Gaza Strip.Israel has urged foreign governments not to let the new convoy of about 10 ships get under way. Organizers in Athens have accused Greece, where some of them are docked, of raising bureaucratic obstacles and bowing to Israeli pressure.Flotilla groups and Israel have also used YouTube to make their case -- in at least one instance in a video that looks to have been a hoax.Organizers of the convoy said the propeller of one ship was cut in Piraeus harbor near Athens on Monday, and they accused Israel of sabotage. A video uploaded to YouTube by "digital flotilla" showed the damage and an interview with the boat's captain.Another YouTube video featured a man who identified himself as "Marc," an American gay rights activist. He said he had offered flotilla organizers the support of a network of gay activists but they had turned him down."It was hurtful," he complained, accusing Hamas of homophobia. Israel's Government Press Office and the Foreign Ministry, as well as an intern in Netanyahu's office linked to the video on their Twitter feeds.
Gaza flotilla makes Internet splash
Before convoy sets sail, social media clashes come in from both sides; IDF vows to stop flotilla before it reaches Gaza.
The stakes are high -- a year ago, nine Turkish activists, including a dual US-Turkish national, were killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers who raided a Gaza-bound convoy in the eastern Mediterranean.Israeli-Turkish relations neared breaking point after the bloodshed and an international outcry led to Israel easing its land blockade of the Gaza Strip.Israel has urged foreign governments not to let the new convoy of about 10 ships get under way. Organizers in Athens have accused Greece, where some of them are docked, of raising bureaucratic obstacles and bowing to Israeli pressure.Flotilla groups and Israel have also used YouTube to make their case -- in at least one instance in a video that looks to have been a hoax.Organizers of the convoy said the propeller of one ship was cut in Piraeus harbor near Athens on Monday, and they accused Israel of sabotage. A video uploaded to YouTube by "digital flotilla" showed the damage and an interview with the boat's captain.Another YouTube video featured a man who identified himself as "Marc," an American gay rights activist. He said he had offered flotilla organizers the support of a network of gay activists but they had turned him down."It was hurtful," he complained, accusing Hamas of homophobia. Israel's Government Press Office and the Foreign Ministry, as well as an intern in Netanyahu's office linked to the video on their Twitter feeds.