The report said IHH leaders have met and coordinated activities with
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. On May 30, Iran sent a delegation to
a gathering that commemorated the first flotilla that sailed toward the Gaza
Strip. The flotilla, led by the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, was
intercepted by the Israel Navy and nine people were killed.
IHH, linked to Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, has been
identified as a leading anti-Israel movement. The group has blocked the
appearance of Israeli artists to Turkey as well as helped sponsor bloody
anti-Israeli protests in Jordan.
The Iranian delegation to the IHH commemoration in Istanbul was led by
Ayatolla Seyed Ghaemmagham, regarded as a leading state-aligned cleric. The
Israeli report said the Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah attended and played a
major role in the gathering, which included a night march by tens of
thousands of people.
"One of the reasons is that the organizations and networks promoting the
delegitimization campaigns in Western countries are concerned over the
possibility that Iran's direct involvement may put them at odds, politically
and PR-wise, with the governments and public opinion of their respective
countries," the report said. "On the other hand, the IHH, with its radical
Islamic orientation, has no qualms about having contacts with like-minded
elements in Iran which, in our understanding, work with the full knowledge
and blessing of the Iranian regime."
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