The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Israeli Army chief defends Gaza flotilla raid..[ 1623 ]

Israeli military chief defends Gaza flotilla raid

Soldiers 'shot those who they needed to shoot' on board Mavi Marmara after underestimating strength of resistance
Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi, the Israeli military chief, at the flotilla raid inquiry
 
Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi, the Israeli military chief of staff, arrives to give evidence at Israel's Gaza flotilla raid inquiry. Photograph: Pool/Getty Images
Israel's chief of staff has defended his troops' actions during the lethal raid on the Gaza aid flotilla as "proportionate and correct".
Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi rejected the blame apportioned to the military for the disastrous outcome during testimony to the inquiry by Israel's defence minister, Ehud Barak.
"The commandos exhibited calm, bravery and morality", Ashkenazi told the hearing, adding that he took responsibility for the military's actions.

Nine Turkish activists were killed when the flotilla was intercepted in international waters. It had been attempting to deliver aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. Ashkenazi said he was proud of the soldiers who came under attack by a group of militants on board the lead ship, the Mavi Marmara.
"From the moment the operation began it was clear the circumstances were unprecedented," he said.
"The soldiers legitimately opened fire and shot those who they needed to shoot and not those who they didn't need to shoot."

The military's main mistake, he said, was to assume there were only 10-15 people on the deck of the Mavi Marmara. "We thought we could throw stun grenades, clear (the passengers) and then fast-rope soldiers on to the boat. This was the mistake. We should have used precise fire to incapacitate those preventing the soldiers from boarding the ship to reduce the risk to our soldiers."

He said the Israeli military was a transparent organisation that conducted investigations into its own actions and learned lessons from each operation.

An earlier internal inquiry into military and intelligence planning of the operation found there were serious mistakes in underestimating the strength of resistance Israeli forces would encounter.
Ashkenazi's evidence follows that of Barak and the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, before a five-man panel headed by the former supreme court judge Jacob Turkel.

A UN investigation just launched in New York has already run into a dispute over whether Israeli soldiers can be called to give evidence. Israel is adamant that no IDF soldier will be interviewed.
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