A dispute has arisen in Israel over the Israeli government’s attempt to discredit the organizers of the flotilla. On Monday, Israeli military spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibowitz publicly claimed there were “radical elements” among the activists participating in the sea convoy.

Israeli military spokeswoman, Avital Leibowitz: “It has come to our attention recently that the organizers of the flotilla are more violent than it first was perceived. We know for a fact today that the organizers of the flotilla are planning to use sulfuric acids against IDF soldiers.”

Earlier today, several Israeli ministers accused the army of pushing disinformation. The Israeli newspaper, Maariv, quoted several unnamed members of Israel’s security cabinet as saying that the army’s claims were “media spin” and “public relations hysteria.” Security cabinet ministers told the paper they were given no such information when they were briefed on the flotilla this week.