Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Sarah Mamula - Talk Radio News Service

Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said the individuals aboard the Gaza-bound flotilla raided by the Israeli military earlier this week were "hard core activists intent on violence."

Speaking on a conference call hosted by the Israel Project Tuesday, Kemp argued that the IHH, the Turkish humanitarian group on board, is linked to Union of Hope, an Iranian and Hamas sponsored group that supports radicalism.

"The IHH is connected to Hamas and the Union of Hope," Kemp said. "Hamas itself is sponsored, funded, equipped, directed by Iran and has strong connections to Hezbollah which is also is organized, directed and funded by Iran. Accepting the fact that both Hamas and Hezbollah are terrorist organizations there appears to be no doubt that the people involved in this operation were connected to terrorists."

Kemp said that although the Israeli military could have explored other options, such as blocking the flotilla with Israeli war ships or disabling the humanitarian vessels, the effects of these alternatives could have resulted in more casualties.

In addition, Kemp emphasized that the nine deaths resulting from the raid were not due to a wrong approach by Israel.

"None of those deaths would have occurred had the people on that ship not attacked the Israeli soldiers," Kemp said. "The Israeli's intercepted a number of other ships with no similar violence."

Added the British officer, "It's wrong to put the blame of those deaths at the door of the Israelis. It is right to put the blame for those deaths at the door of the people who carried out the attacks on the Israeli soldiers."