They came from the villages to aid the orphans

Two Turkish-speaking Israelis who helped translate for the passengers on the 'Free Gaza' flotilla reveal their up close and personal encounters.

By Amira Hass

The border control questions were laconic. "Your first time in Israel? Did you know that there was a military closure on Gaza? Did you know that you had entered Israel's territorial waters? Why did you set out on the journey? Why did you try to breach the maritime blockade? Where is your baggage? Do you feel well?"

At several stops the passengers were asked how much money they had in their possession. A few people lacked passports. The two interpreters believe the documents were lost in the confusion aboard ship, and not because of an order to get rid of them, as was claimed in some cases. All the detainees with whom they had contact, almost without exception, refused to sign the Israeli detention or expulsion orders. Other interpreters say they met detainees who agreed to sign. Perhaps it's because Alyon and Nahmyaz understood they had to explain to people that they were not obligated to sign.

By the time of the Interior Ministry questioning, the detainees were exhausted. One journalist, particularly nervous, mentioned breathing problems. Nahmyaz saw tears in her eyes. Aside from one student and several crew members, the people whose words she translated seemed to her "religious and having strong humanitarian motives." The translators concluded that the deck of the Marmara held activists from various organization with various objectives. Most of those with whom they spoke were not connected with Isani Yardim Vakfi, or IHH, the Turkish charity credited with organizing the "Free Gaza" flotilla. They came from villages and small towns, not from the big cities, and had responded to calls by various charitable organizations, not necessarily the IHH. Their degree of religious piety varied, say the interpreters. About a quarter of them were women. Only two, including one of the female journalists, were not wearing headscarves.

Full article-Haaretz