Report on Gaza flotilla attack examines Israeli and activist versions

The Timeline & Inconsistencies Report Relating to the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla Attack May 31, 2010 is sponsored by International Bureau of Humanitarian NGOs (IBH) of Geneva and Paris and Friends of Charities Association (FOCA) of Washington D.C. and available online for review.

Released October 6, 2010, The 100 page report examines the events, inconsistencies and actions that occurred leading up to and through the early morning attack on the international aid flotilla in international waters by the Israel Defense Forces. The primary key to the report is the 44 page, second-by-second timeline of events juxtaposing the conflicting narratives side-by-side with supporting documentation, citations and evidence. A novel approach to academic reporting, this format empowers both parties to the conflict, the Flotilla participants and the State of Israel to present their case in their own words with their own evidence.

The Flotilla version begins with the 1:02 raw footage taken by Brazilian journalist Iara Lee between 3:54 and 5 a.m. during the attack forms the backbone of the activist's story. Directly adjacent the official Eiland Team of Expert's July 13, 2010 video Flotilla Incident Timeline produced for the Israel Defense Forces forms the backbone of the Israeli narrative to the event. News coverage, individual testimony, ships logs, official reports, international law, testimony and official statements from both sides fill in the gaps to present a complete picture of exactly what transpired in the days and hours leading up to the attack and its aftermath in each side's own words.

Written and compiled by Los Angeles based researcher and author Laura D. Lewis and London based senior analyst and Middle East expert Tanya Cariina Hsu (Ed.), the unique approach to the report represents a departure from traditional academic and scholastic research papers and presents a template for future analysis of events in which conflicting narratives are present.