Remembrance

On my way home from work, I took this quick shot of the memorial to the victims of the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara.

On 31 May 2010, Israeli naval forces carried out an attack on the Mavi Marmara, one of the ships of the Freedom Flotilla. The attack occurred while the ship was in international waters and travelling towards the Gaza Strip, carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza's civilian population. The attack resulted in the killing of nine civilian solidarity activists and the wounding of at least 50 others, many of them Turkish.

Israel carried out an investigation, but it failed to meet international standards. So, under the emerging principle of universal jurisdiction, Turkey indicted four senior Israeli military commanders for a plethora of crimes, including voluntary manslaughter, attempted voluntary manslaughter, and intentionally causing grievously bodily harm. The trial involves 490 victim-complainants from 36 different countries.

The first session of the trial took place from 6-9 November in Istanbul.

As I was taking this photo, I was suddenly startled by the loud crack of a rocket exploding nearby. I think it landed in the sea, but I didn't see or capture it.

A tentative ceasefire took effect here in Gaza an hour ago. Usually, there are a few failed attempts at ceasefire before one holds. Holding our breath . . .