Turkey's 'Photo of the Year' Is a Bleeding Israeli Soldier

You probably recall the Gaza flotilla raid of last May and the ensuing controversy that resulted when the international community rallied to criticize Israel--but in case  you don't, here's the background:

Nine ships carrying hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid and 600 pro-Palestinian activists are bound for the Gaza Strip today in an attempt to break through Israel's 3-year-old blockade of the Hamas-run coastal territory.

What then happened was this:

Israel's Navy commandoes raided and took over the Marmara on May 31 of last year after it attempted to breach the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip. Among its passengers, the vessel carried members of the IHH terror group who ambushed the soldiers. Several troops were assaulted and abducted into the ship. The unexpected violence forced commandoes to resort to live fire, killing nine passengers.

About a week after the incident, the Turkish media published photos of bleeding and beaten up IDF troops.

Photojournalism award, Turkish-style: The picture of a bleeding IDF [Israeli] soldier aboard the Marmara won Turkey's 2010 Photo of the Year Award in the News category; the contest was held by the Turkish photojournalism association.

...

The photograph shows a beaten up IDF soldier with his face and head bloodied while three Marmara passengers grab him and twisting his arm. The picture was shot by a Turkish photographer who hid copies in a hidden pocket and managed to smuggle them out of Israel.

Though our photo blurs the bloodied face of the Israeli soldier, Turkish media outlets have reportedly published a clean, non-blurry version of this picture. H/T Hot Air.