West kept reticence concerning Marmara attack

Western media kept a political reticence concerning the Israeli attack in 2009 on a siege busting flotilla that was heading for the besieged Gaza Strip, a senior Iranian pro-Palestinian activist slammed.

Managing director of the Qods News Agency (Qodsna), Mehdi Shakibayi was speaking in a 33^rd meeting on Gaza siege that was held in Tehran on Wednesday.

The pro-Palestinian activist said the Zionist circles in the world seek to manipulate all mainstream media so that they reflect their views.

Shakibayi added however that the emergence of independent media worldwide helped break the monopoly and let the world public opinion to know about the realities on the ground including in Palestine.

The Qodsna managing director said the 2008 war on Gaza was a first case where the independent media took to the field and relayed the Israeli brutalities to the world.

Shakibayi touched on the Israeli assault on the Gaza siege busting Marmara flotilla the following year and said the western media initially dealt with the deadly assault as a plain news item however they found it impossible to overlook the incident after independent media covered the attack, especially in social media.

“Western media then sought to question the very mission of the siege busting flotilla and tried to present it as a cheap action so as to keep Israel from the negative impact of the attack,” he said.

The Qosdna managing director said the Marmara incident showed the Muslim community must strive to expand independent media so that it could leave behind the dominance of the western governments.

Next, official in charge of international affairs in the pro-Palestinian Iranian NGO, United Umma presented a report on international efforts to break the siege on Gaza.

Seyyed Sarbaz Ruhollah Razavi said the Palestinian issue has already turned into a human issue and the composition of the nations that are involved in various siege-busting ships stands as a proof to the claim.

Then, aide to the Iranian foreign minister, Hussein Sheikholeslam said the Marmara mission helped falsify the Israeli claims concerning its relations with Turkey.

He ministerial aide said the incident must be kept alive in the regional public opinion, adding nation of Turkey like the Iranian nation run against the Zionist regime.

Sheikholeslam said while the military option was a must in the combat against Israel, it was only the public ranks that may defeat the regime.

The diplomat added however that the Palestinian nation suffers lack of an influential, powerful leader.