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EGYPT COULD BE BEHIND MAVI MARMARA CRISIS, FORMER TURKISH ENVOY SUGGESTS
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
May 23 2014
ISTANBUL
by Barcın Yinanc
Oguz Celikkol, who was the Turkish ambassador to Israel during the Mavi
Marmara crisis, voices his suspicion about Egyptian manipulation in
the crisis after it was revealed that a member of Egyptian intelligence
was on the boat
One of the passengers on an aid flotilla raided by Israeli commandos
four years ago is suspected of being a member of Egyptian intelligence,
raising the possibilities of Cairo's involvement in the deadly
incident that brought Turkish-Israeli relations to an all-time low,
according to Ankara's then-envoy to Israel.
The Egyptian spy agency member might have exaggerated to Israeli
forces the existence of weapons on the Mavi Marmara, Oguz Celikkol
has said in a new book out today. Nine Turks were killed when Israeli
forces landed on the ship on May 31, 2010.
"I need to mention an incident during the evacuation efforts that
I still cannot explain fully," Celikkol said in the book, "From One
Minute to the Mavi Marmara."
Celikkol received instructions from Ankara to send every Turkish
national and those belonging to other nationalities who survived the
attack from Israel to Turkey. However, the embassy received information
that an Egyptian who boarded the plane in Israel disembarked at the
last moment. Israeli officials told the embassy that the Egyptian
left the plane of his own accord and was collected by an official
from Egypt's embassy in Tel Aviv, preparatory to being sent to Egypt.
"Yet the information we received later indicated that person to be
a member of the Egyptian intelligence organization and that he left
the plane upon instructions coming from Cairo," wrote Celikkol.
The former diplomat said it was well-known that Egypt cooperated
intensively with Israel in the implementation of a tight embargo
imposed on Gaza. Since it was routine for Omar Suleiman, the head
of the Egyptian intelligence service, to frequently visit Israel,
particular attention was not attached to a visit he made just a week
prior to the Mavi Marmara incident, said Celikkol.
"Yet some information we received later showed that Omar Suleiman
talked about the Gaza flotilla during this visit. The fact that Omar
Suleiman talked about the Mavi Marmara issue during this visit and the
presence of an Egyptian intelligence officer on the ship reveal the
probability that the intelligence agency of the [Hosni] Mubarak regime
could have given wrong and exaggerated information to Israel about the
ship, those present on the ship and even the presence of weapons and
armed militants on the ship. It is understood that Israeli soldiers
might have been in the conviction that there were weapons and armed
people on the ship while they were attacking the ship and that they
searched for weapons and were surprised when no weapons were found,"
wrote Celikkol.
According to Celikkol, Egypt had some reasons to scuttle
Turkish-Israeli relations, including worries about Turkey's increasing
visibility in the Middle East and its rhetoric aspiring to be a leader
for Arab nations. Egypt might have even sought to produce a physical
conflict between the two countries.
Celikkol also recounted how the Turkish side told the Israeli side
to act in restraint about the flotilla, saying the convoy wanted
to attract international attention and that it would divert to an
Egyptian port at the last minute. The message was given to Israeli
officials many times.
The former envoy was also part of the notorious "low-seat crisis"
when he was received in a lower seat by Danny Ayalon, the Israeli
deputy foreign minister at that time, before the Mavi Marmara incident.
Speaking about the crisis in detail, Celikkol said it was a plot
engineered by Ayalon, even though the latter used to have very close
relations with the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv. When Celikkol started
working in Israel, the information he received about Ayalon was that
he frequently visited the Turkish embassy before he was elected as
a parliamentarian and appointed deputy minister.
A company Ayalon founded with Dov Weissglas, one of the advisers of
former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, conducted lobbying activities
to counter initiatives against Turkey by Armenian lobbies in United
States and Latin America, Celikkol wrote in his book, adding that a
large amount of money was paid to Ayalon's companies.
May/23/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/egypt-could-be-behind-mavi-marmara-crisis-former-turkish-envoy-suggests.aspx?PageID=238&NID=66837&NewsCatID=510
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
May 23 2014
ISTANBUL
by Barcın Yinanc
Oguz Celikkol, who was the Turkish ambassador to Israel during the Mavi
Marmara crisis, voices his suspicion about Egyptian manipulation in
the crisis after it was revealed that a member of Egyptian intelligence
was on the boat
One of the passengers on an aid flotilla raided by Israeli commandos
four years ago is suspected of being a member of Egyptian intelligence,
raising the possibilities of Cairo's involvement in the deadly
incident that brought Turkish-Israeli relations to an all-time low,
according to Ankara's then-envoy to Israel.
The Egyptian spy agency member might have exaggerated to Israeli
forces the existence of weapons on the Mavi Marmara, Oguz Celikkol
has said in a new book out today. Nine Turks were killed when Israeli
forces landed on the ship on May 31, 2010.
"I need to mention an incident during the evacuation efforts that
I still cannot explain fully," Celikkol said in the book, "From One
Minute to the Mavi Marmara."
Celikkol received instructions from Ankara to send every Turkish
national and those belonging to other nationalities who survived the
attack from Israel to Turkey. However, the embassy received information
that an Egyptian who boarded the plane in Israel disembarked at the
last moment. Israeli officials told the embassy that the Egyptian
left the plane of his own accord and was collected by an official
from Egypt's embassy in Tel Aviv, preparatory to being sent to Egypt.
"Yet the information we received later indicated that person to be
a member of the Egyptian intelligence organization and that he left
the plane upon instructions coming from Cairo," wrote Celikkol.
The former diplomat said it was well-known that Egypt cooperated
intensively with Israel in the implementation of a tight embargo
imposed on Gaza. Since it was routine for Omar Suleiman, the head
of the Egyptian intelligence service, to frequently visit Israel,
particular attention was not attached to a visit he made just a week
prior to the Mavi Marmara incident, said Celikkol.
"Yet some information we received later showed that Omar Suleiman
talked about the Gaza flotilla during this visit. The fact that Omar
Suleiman talked about the Mavi Marmara issue during this visit and the
presence of an Egyptian intelligence officer on the ship reveal the
probability that the intelligence agency of the [Hosni] Mubarak regime
could have given wrong and exaggerated information to Israel about the
ship, those present on the ship and even the presence of weapons and
armed militants on the ship. It is understood that Israeli soldiers
might have been in the conviction that there were weapons and armed
people on the ship while they were attacking the ship and that they
searched for weapons and were surprised when no weapons were found,"
wrote Celikkol.
According to Celikkol, Egypt had some reasons to scuttle
Turkish-Israeli relations, including worries about Turkey's increasing
visibility in the Middle East and its rhetoric aspiring to be a leader
for Arab nations. Egypt might have even sought to produce a physical
conflict between the two countries.
Celikkol also recounted how the Turkish side told the Israeli side
to act in restraint about the flotilla, saying the convoy wanted
to attract international attention and that it would divert to an
Egyptian port at the last minute. The message was given to Israeli
officials many times.
The former envoy was also part of the notorious "low-seat crisis"
when he was received in a lower seat by Danny Ayalon, the Israeli
deputy foreign minister at that time, before the Mavi Marmara incident.
Speaking about the crisis in detail, Celikkol said it was a plot
engineered by Ayalon, even though the latter used to have very close
relations with the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv. When Celikkol started
working in Israel, the information he received about Ayalon was that
he frequently visited the Turkish embassy before he was elected as
a parliamentarian and appointed deputy minister.
A company Ayalon founded with Dov Weissglas, one of the advisers of
former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, conducted lobbying activities
to counter initiatives against Turkey by Armenian lobbies in United
States and Latin America, Celikkol wrote in his book, adding that a
large amount of money was paid to Ayalon's companies.
May/23/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/egypt-could-be-behind-mavi-marmara-crisis-former-turkish-envoy-suggests.aspx?PageID=238&NID=66837&NewsCatID=510