- 2 aug 2010
Turkish FM: Israel must apologize publicly for flotilla
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the international community expects Israel to apologize publicly for killing civilians on the Gaza-bound flotilla.
"Israel can apologize to Turkey, but the most important thing is that the apology be an open declaration to the international community," said the minister. Ankara issued its findings to the UN from its probe into the Israel Navy raid on the flotilla which claimed the lives of nine Turkish civilians.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3948162,00.html
Soldier confesses to looting Marmara
Military Prosecution set to file indictments against officer, two soldiers suspected of involvement in theft of laptops, other equipment from Mavi Marmara after it was seized by commandos. 'Their behavior was disgraceful,' IDF official says
Less than two weeks after Ynet reported on the looting of the Mavi Marmara, the Military Prosecution was expected to file an indictment Thursday against a soldier who admitted to stealing a laptop computer, two camera and a compass belonging to the passengers of the Turkish vessel, which was seized by Israeli commandos as it was making its way to Gaza.
Nine Turkish citizens were killed in the May 31 incident. The ship's passengers were detained and later released.
Indictments are expected to be filed against two other suspects in the coming days. One of the suspects is an officer. An army official called the affair "one of the most embarrassing the IDF has known in recent years."
The soldiers involved are expected to be charged with looting, theft, dealing in stolen property and behavior unbefitting a soldier.
IDF investigators obtained information indicating that computers stolen from the flotilla were being traded within the army. The probe found that among the suspects were commanders who were tasked with preventing unauthorized personnel from boarding the Marmara when it docked in Ashdod's port.
According to the investigation, the suspected soldiers purchased the stolen goods from the commanders.
One of the soldiers, who was arrested last week, admitted to taking the equipment. The officer, a second lieutenant, denied the allegations. However, Military Police believe he and a soldier stole a number of laptops, and then sold them to another soldier.
An indictment is also expected to be filed against a soldier suspected of stealing a laptop and an electronic game from the ship.
The soldiers who allegedly purchased the goods are also expected to stand trial, but the charges filed against them will apparently not be as stringent.
"The soldiers' behavior was disgraceful, and they should be brought to justice," an IDF official said.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3948049,00.html
Soldier confesses to looting Marmara
Less than two weeks after Ynet reported on the looting of the Mavi Marmara, the Military Prosecution filed an indictment Thursday against a soldier who admitted to stealing a laptop computer, two cameras and a compass belonging to the passengers of the Turkish vessel, which was seized by Israeli commandos as it was making its way to Gaza.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3948033,00.html
6 aug 2010
Uribe’s appointment to flotilla probe guarantees its failure
10 aug 2010
Barak: Flotilla, planned provocation
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has described a Gaza-bound aid convoy seized in Israel's May 31 commando attack as a "planned provocation."
"The flotilla of May 31 was a planned provocation," Barak said on Tuesday in sworn testimony before an internal panel set up to probe the legality of the onslaught and Tel Aviv's years-long blockade of the Gaza Strip, AFP reported.
Barak said discussions Israeli authorities held back to April had concluded that the organizations sponsoring the Gaza Freedom Flotilla "were preparing for armed conflict to embarrass Israel."
Barak said different alternatives were discussed weeks before the incident, adding he and other senior officers had considered the possibility that the activists would attack the troops when they tried to the planned takeover.
"We regret any loss of life," the minister said. "But we would have lost more lives if we had behaved differently."
He also defended Israel's naval blockade and border restrictions on Gaza as "absolutely essential to stop Gaza from transforming into a massive arsenal."
Barak's appearance before the Tirkel panel came a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's testimony before the five-member commission.
Netanyahu insisted Israel acted in accordance with international law when it stormed the boats, which led to the death of nine Turkish civilians onboard the civilian convoy. He also accused Ankara of looking to gain from a high-profile confrontation between Turkish activists aboard the Flotilla and the soldiers who attacked the 6-vessel fleet in international waters.
Israel's Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi is due to take the stand on Wednesday and is expected to be questioned on operational aspects of the raid.
The commission, headed by retired Israeli judge Yaakov Tirkel, And including two international observers, is allowed neither to quiz the soldiers involved in the May attack, nor to question the decision-making process.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138132§ionid=351020202
Barak contradicts Netanyahu's testimony on flotilla
Defense minister testifies before committee probing deadly IDF raid on Gaza-bound flotilla, says seven-minister forum dealt with both military, media aspects of operation. 'I take full responsibility for the orders given,' he adds
Speaking before the Turkel Commission probing the raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla in May, Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday contradicted statement's made by the prime minister on Monday, who told the committee the seven-minister forum only discussed the media aspects of stopping the flotilla and did not address the operational aspects.
"The decision to stop the flotilla, which was made by the prime minister and the seven-minister forum, was made after examining the entire situation and the dilemmas," Barak said, stressing that "the discussion that was held by the seven-minister forum dealt not only with the media aspects of stopping the flotilla, but also with the military aspects."
The defense minister said IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and the head of the military's research department were present at the meeting, and answered all the ministers' questions on the professional aspects of the operation. "During the deliberations, the chief of staff repeatedly expressed his concern with the public-media affect of using force to stop the flotilla, he stressed to the ministers, 'It won't be easy, but we will carry out the mission'," Barak told the panel.
'Military said: It will be difficult, but we will do it'
During the seven-minister forum discussion, Barak said, "colorful and detailed alternatives" were raised. He said there were those who proposed not stopping the sail and allowing it to enter Gaza.
"There was no way that people didn't understand the situation. Ministers without portfolios but with a lot of brains immediately raised questions." Ultimately, the defense minister said, the ministers supported stopping the flotilla despite what that would entail.
"I spent most of my life in operations," Barak said, "The difference between success and complications is as thin as a strand of hair. Here, the goal of stopping the sail was achieved. I salute the IDF fighters and expect them to learn all the lessons from the probes. We have an excellent military and chief of staff, and excellent fighters."
According to Barak, "There was confusion in the public debate regarding the political echelon and the military's authorities. The political echelon decides what needs to be done and takes responsibility. The military echelon decides how it should be done and takes responsibility. Obviously, the political echelon cannot assign tasks that cannot be carried out. In the case in question the military echelon did not say it cannot be carried out. They said, 'It will be difficult, but will do it.' They did not say how it should be done, and rightfully so. They said there would be distressing images."
Shorty after he began speaking at 9 am, Barak stated that he takes responsibility for the incident. "I take full responsibility for what occurs in the systems subordinate to me," Barak said.
"I take full responsibility for the political echelon's orders as they were given during the flotilla incident," the defense minister added, stating that even before the flotilla arrived efforts were made on the political, intelligence and military fronts, including preparations for a takeover.
'This is not America'
Barak added that the flotilla was a "planned provocation meant to embarrass Israel" and said other protest flotillas are still planning to set sail. "Israel is fighting for its right to exist in one of the toughest corners of the world. This is not America, this is not northern Europe," he said.
Barak said that on April 22 he asked the military men during a meeting, "What's the right thing to do and do you know how to do it?". According to the defense minister, the officers responded saying the military was prepared and capable of handling this flotilla, just as it had with previous flotillas, despite the difficulties. On May 6, the issue was raised once again, and Barak ordered the involvement of "additional elements to stop the flotilla". He defined this alignment as "special".
Judge Jacob Turkel, who heads the committee, interrupted Barak and asked, "Was it only the Navy's intelligence that was included and not other organizations?". Barak responded saying, "I was not aware of the problems between the Military Intelligence and other organizations. I was only exposed to this in hindsight."
When asked if the blockade on the Gaza Strip is in accordance with the law and whether upholding it is legal, Barak referred the committee's members to three documents %u2013 a letter by Amos Gilad which reviews that circumstances that led to the siege, a document by the attorney general addressing the blockade, and an overview by Major General Eitan Dangot on the civilian situation in the Strip.
Barak noted that at the time Hamas took over the Gaza Strip, the organization had hundreds of missiles %u2013 and now, it has 5,000. "The siege is necessary to stop Gaza from turning into a giant weapons store to be used against the citizens of the State," he explained.
The Turkel Commission entered its second day of work after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's testimony on Monday caused a storm, and led him to publish a clarification.
In his testimony, Netanyahu appeared to shift responsibility to the defense minister, who he said was the man in charge while the PM was abroad.
Later, Netanyahu published a clarification saying, "The overall responsibility is always mine %u2013 whether I'm in Israel or abroad."
In his testimony, the prime minister refused to answer a number of questions, and when he did respond, he indirectly placed responsibility with Barak. "I left instructions and asked the defense minister to activate me and the top ministers if necessary. I wanted there to be one address here in Israel and he (Barak) was that address," the prime minister said.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3933060,00.html
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said during his testimony before the Turkel Commission, which is examining the events surrounding the Navy raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla, that a week before the incident he warned that "preparations must be made for the possibility that terrorist elements may also be among the people on the ships."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3933139,00.html
Barak takes full responsiblity orders given during flotilla incident
Speaking before committee probing events of commando raid on Gaza-bound flotilla, defense minister says diplomatic, intelligence, military efforts made before raid, takes 'full responsibility for everything that occurs in systems subordinate to me'
Defense Minister Ehud Barak appeared before the Turkel Commission investigating the events of the commando raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla to give his testimony on Tuesday.
Barak said that efforts were made on the diplomatic, intelligence and military fronts before the flotilla incident, which included preparations for a takeover.
"I take full responsibility for everything that occurs in the systems subordinate to me, I take full responsibility for the political echelon's orders as they were given during the flotilla incident."
The committee entered its second day of work after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's testimony on Monday caused a storm, and led him to publish a clarification.
Before his testimony, Barak had kept silent following Netanyahu's testimony, in which he appeared to shift responsibility to the defense minister, who he said was the man in charge while the PM was abroad.
Later, Netanyahu published a clarification saying, "The overall responsibility is always mine %u2013 whether I'm in Israel or abroad."
In his testimony, the prime minister refused to answer a number of questions, and when he did respond, he indirectly placed responsibility with Barak. "I left instructions and asked the defense minister to activate me and the top ministers if necessary. I wanted there to be one address here in Israel and he (Barak) was that address," the prime minister said.
Minister Eli Yishai, a member of the seven-minister forum, said following Netanyahu's testimony: "The people of Israel need to know that the only person who receives all the intelligence, and therefore bears that utmost responsibility, is the prime minister of Israel. While he has the authority to place specific responsibilities on certain ministers, the final responsibility is on him."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3933060,00.html
Ban: UN Gaza flotilla probe won't assign individual responsibility
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
Panel probing deadly Israeli raid on Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship to seek 'fullest cooperation' from Israel, Turkey.
The four-member panel investigating the Israeli military interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla was instructed to seek the "fullest cooperation" from national authorities, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday, adding that the panel would not assign individual culpability.
Ban met with former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer and outgoing President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, who will co-chair the investigation, as well as Ozdem Sanberk of Turkey and Joseph Ciechanover of Israel at UN headquarters for their first meeting.
A statement from Ban's office said, "The panel will spend the coming days determining how they will undertake their task and in this effort, the secretary general stressed they should seek the fullest cooperation of the national authorities."
The panel was asked to discharge its mandate based on a UN Security Council statement issued following the May 31 incident, which called for a "full investigation" that should be "prompt, impartial, credible and transparent" in accordance with international standards.
The panel will submit a first progress report in mid-September, Ban said.
"The panel is not designed to determine individual criminal responsibility, but to examine and identify the facts, circumstances and the context of the incident, as well as to recommend ways of avoiding future incidents," the statement said.
"For that purpose, the panel will receive and review reports of national investigations into the incident and request such clarifications and information as it may require from relevant national authorities," it said.
On May 31, Israeli commandos stormed the Gaza-bound flotilla in efforts to prevent the aid ships from violating an Israeli-imposed naval blockade on the Palestinian territory. Aboard one of the ships, the Israeli soldiers were met with violent resistance, which resulted in a deadly clash in which 9 Turkish activists were killed.
On Monday, Ban denied he had agreed to keep Israeli soldiers involved in the raid off limits in the inquiry. A government source in Jerusalem, however, stressed that Israel would not cooperate with the UN probe if the panel decided to question Israeli soldiers. According to the source, the UN chief had agreed to keep the soldiers out of the investigation.
"There was no such agreement behind the scenes," he said when asked by reporters whether there was a deal with the Israeli government to open the UN inquiry.
"Their main work will be to review and examine the reports of the national investigations and liaise with the domestic authorities," Ban said. "Whatever is needed beyond that, they will have to discuss among themselves in close coordination with the national government authorities."
In addition to the UN inquiry panel, which was called for by the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva has also appointed a three-member "independent international fact-finding mission" to examine whether the raid violated international law.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/ban-un-gaza-flotilla-probe-won-t-assign-individual-responsibility-1.307207
UN secretary general meets flotilla probe committee
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is meeting with the team he appointed for investigating the Turkish flotilla affair. An Israeli representative is also present at the meeting in New York.
This is the investigative committee's first working meeting, taking place under the shadow of Israeli threats to discontinue cooperation if the committee insists on questioning IDF soldiers.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3933609,00.html
Turkish FM: Israel solely responsible for flotilla deaths
Israel should admit sole responsibility for the killing of nine activists during a raid on a Gaza aid flotilla, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday.
"No one else can take the blame for killing civilians in international waters," Davutoglu told journalists. "Israel has killed civilians, and should take the responsibility for having done so." The Turkish minister appeared to be responding to comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to a separate Israeli inquiry into the fatal raid.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3933380,00.html
Israel: UN won't question IDF soldiers in Gaza flotilla probe
UN Chief Ban denies having agreed to keep Israel's military personnel out of inquiry.
A government source said Monday that Israel would not allow a United Nations investigation into an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla to question Israeli soldiers. The source said that this "crucial" condition for Israel's cooperation in the investigation was made clear to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
The four-member UN panel appointed to investigate the Israeli raid aboard the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish activists on May 31, was to hold its first meeting with Ban on Tuesday.
The Israeli source said Monday that in accordance with a deal struck between Israel and the UN chief, the UN inquiry would base its conclusions on reports composed by Israeli and Turkish investigation commissions. The source further revealed that under the terms of the deal, any further inquiry the panel would wish to make would have to be coordinated with the appropriate Israeli authorities whose identity will be determined solely by Israel.
Ban, who said he would meet with the panel at UN headquarters to discuss its mandate on Tuesday, quashed what he called a "rumor" that he had agreed to keep Israel's military forces off limits in the inquiry.
"There was no such agreement behind the scenes," Ban said when asked by reporters whether there was a deal with the Israeli government.
"Their main work will be to review and examine the reports of the national investigations and liaise with the domestic authorities," Ban said. "Whatever is needed beyond that, they will have to discuss among themselves in close coordination with the national government authorities."
The Israeli government last week immediately welcomed the launch of the UN panel while Turkey withheld all reaction.
Israel has also conducted its own military investigation into the incident.
A Turkish diplomat said Ankara, which is one of the 15 UN Security Council members, will ask the UN panel to brief the body directly because it was the council that called for the full investigation and demanded that it be transparent and independent. Ban, who formed the panel on the council's instruction, said the panel will report back to him by mid-September.
Turkey will assume the council's presidency in September.
"The panel will find and review the facts and circumstances that led to the violence onboard one of the ships, and then decide what else is needed to fully investigate the incident," Ban said.
"The panel has a robust mandate to examine and identify the facts, circumstances and contexts of the incident as well as to recommend measures to avoid future incident," Ban told a news conference.
The UN commission is headed by former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer and outgoing President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, who will co-chair the investigation. The other members are Ozdem Sanberk of Turkey and Joseph Ciechanover of Israel.
Sanberk has served as ambassador to Spain, France, Britain and Germany, and Ciechanover is an expert on financial and security policy.
http://fwd4.me/05w2 6 jul 2011, 23:37 , Respect -
Maria 11 aug 2010
Turkish FM speaks out as UN panel begins Gaza flotilla probe.
'Turkey bears no responsibility'
Ankara bears "no responsibility in the attack on the Mavi Marmara flotilla," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday, the same day a UN panel that includes Israeli and Turkish representatives began its probe into the matter.
In an apparent answer to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who on Monday told the Turkel Commission in Jerusalem that Turkey did nothing to stop the flotilla, even though there were contacts between Israel and Turkey at the highest levels, Davutoglu said Israel should take responsibility for the incident.
Nobody can place the responsibility of killing civilians in international waters on the other party. There is a very clear situation that Israel killed civilians in international waters. First of all, they should bear that responsibility, the Web site of the Turkish daily Hurriyet quoted Davutoglu as saying during a press conference in Brussels, where he met his Belgian counterpart.
Turkey bears no responsibility in this case and is determined to protect the rights of its own citizens, Davutoglu said.
According to Hurriyet, Belgian Foreign Minister Vanackere said his country regretted the disproportionate use of force Israel employed against the aid flotilla and demanded an independent, impartial inquiry.
According to the report, Davutoglu expressed Turkey's confidence in the UN-led panel and its hopes that the panel would determine the responsible party for the incident in conformity with international law.
Davutoglu, however, may be disappointed, because a UN spokesman, following the first meeting of the panel set up by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said the panel was not established to determine criminal responsibility, but rather to probe the incident and give recommendations.
Ban, on his first meeting with the panel, said he hoped it would contribute to the peace process and to improving Turkish-Israeli relations.
He advised the panel to submit a progress report by September 15.
The panel is headed by former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer, with a former president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, serving as vice chairman.
After blogging their way through a meeting with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, a wine festival, the intricate web of the Old City's holy sites, Masada, the nightlife of Tel Aviv and more, a hand-picked group of four prolific online writers made their way to a hill in the capital's southern neighborhood of Gilo on Tuesday afternoon and gazed out over the sprawling hillsides and sun-kissed minarets of Palestinian Authority- controlled Bethlehem.
The idea was to shift the focus of the bloggers trip which until Tuesday had been spent familiarizing them with everyday life here and softer, domestic issues to the Joseph Ciechanover, while Turkey is represented by former senior Turkish diplomat Özdem Sanberk.
No information was disseminated about the panel's first meeting, held on Tuesday afternoon after its session with the Ban.
But several statements from the UN seemed intent on defusing tempers flared by Ban's statement at Monday's press conference that there was no agreement that the panel would refrain from questioning Israeli soldiers.
Asked twice by a journalist whose phrasing of the question revealed an anti-Israel agenda whether there was an agreement that the panel would not interview Israeli soldiers, Ban replied, There was no such agreement behind the scenes.
After Ban's statement, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office released its own statement saying that the prime minister makes it absolutely clear that Israel will not cooperate with and will not take part in any panel that seeks to interrogate Israeli soldiers.
On Tuesday, however, after noting that all four panel members including Ciechanover had attended Tuesday's meeting, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky repeatedly emphasized to the press that the cooperation of the parties is crucial to the panel's work.
When asked whether the panel would have the power to compel people to appear before it and testify, Nesirky responded, Absolutely not.
This is not a criminal investigation, Nesirky said. We've said that clearly and repeatedly, and it's not looking into individual criminal responsibility. That is not its role.
A statement released by the secretary-general's office after the press conference underscored the point, saying that the panel is not designed to determine individual criminal responsibility, but to examine and identify the facts, circumstances and the context of the incident, as well as to recommend ways of avoiding future incidents.
For that purpose, the panel will receive and review reports of national investigations into the incident and request such clarifications and information as it may require from relevant national authorities.
The secretary-general's statement also referenced the support received from both the Israeli and Turkish governments in establishing his panel.
Israel maintains that in understandings reached with Ban before Israel agreed to take part in the panel, it was agreed that the investigation would be based on reports from the investigative committees in Israel and Turkey.
Any requests to further question Israelis would have to be approved by Israel.
It did not appear, however, that these understandings were written and signed, leaving the panel's mandate somewhat murky and open to interpretation.
For instance, whereas Ban called the panel an investigative panel, Israeli diplomatic officials over the last few days have been calling it a review panel.
Ban, at his press conference on Monday, said the panel had a robust mandate.
It needs to examine and identify the facts, circumstances and the context of the incident, as well as to recommend ways to avoid future incident, he said.
Those are very important mandates.
The panel will decide what steps it may need to take, in cooperation with the national authorities, as their work evolves.
Though neither the Turkish nor Israeli national investigations into the May 31 incident are close to concluding, a representative of the secretary-general's office said on Tuesday that the UN panel does not have to wait for the completion because there is already a lot of information available.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=184343
High Court slams Turkel panel make-up
The High Court of Justice criticized the manner in which the state established the Turkel Commission, which is probing the May 31 commando raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.
"Did the government even see a list of potential female candidates?" Justice Miriam Naor asked the State's representatives during a hearing on a petition filed by women's rights groups.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3934028,00.html
Ashkenazi: IDF couldn't predict flotilla raid's outcome
Ashkenazi
After Netanyahu, Barak shift responsibility for decision to storm Gaza-bound flotilla to IDF, army chief tells inquiry commission operation's circumstances were 'unprecedented,' says soldiers displayed 'calm, bravery, morality'
After Defense Minister Ehud Barak shifted some of the responsibility for the decision to storm a Gaza-bound Turkish ship to the IDF, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told the panel investigating the raid that he "takes responsibility for the army's actions."
"The (committee's) decision to avoid summoning (Navy) commanders is correct," he said Wednesday morning, adding that he was "proud" of the soldiers who took part in the raid.
"The commandos exhibited calm, bravery and morality in accordance with IDF values," Ashkenazi told the committee.
Nine Turkish citizens on board the Mavi Marmara ship were killed in the May 31 raid.
Ashkenazi said the outcome of the raid was difficult to predict. "From the moment the operation began, it was clear that the circumstances were unprecedented," he said.
The army chief said during his testimony that the soldiers who raided the Marmara ship opened fire at the passengers because they felt their lives were in danger.
"The soldiers opened fire legitimately; they shot only those they had to," he said.
Addressing the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza, Ashkenazi said, "Hamas has come a long way; it carried out murderous attacks in city centers and seized Gaza in a brutal manner. Its extremist ideology rejects Israel's existence and poses a threat to the State of Israel. Thousands of rockets (fired from Gaza) led to the launching of Operation Cast Lead.
"Hamas has not abandoned the path of terror, but another, less conspicuous threat has developed alongside it," said the IDF chief.
According to him, Hamas is expanding its smuggling operation in order to obtain long-range rockets and anti-tank missiles.
"This process of strengthen would not have been possible without a policy that supports terror, particularly Iran's," Ashkenazi told the panel.
Barak blames IDF
In his testimony before the Turkel Commission on Tuesday, Barak assumed overall responsibility for the decision to send navy commandos to intercept the Turkish ship, but said it was the military's job to warn the government if the mission cannot be carried out."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the panel a day earlier that the so-called forum of seven ministers met before the navy operation, but only discussed the media and public diplomacy aspects of the mission.
However, Barak said the ministers who took part in the meeting also discussed military aspects of the operation, and received an intelligence briefing.
The panel is headed by former chief justice Jacob Turkel.
Hanan Greenberg and Ari Galahar contributed to the report
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3933948,00.html
Ashkenazi: I take responsibility for army's actions
IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi has begun his testimony before the Turkel commission of inquiry into the raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla and said he "takes responsibility for the army's actions."
"Personally, I'm proud that these are our soldiers," he noted.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3933964,00.html
Ashkenazi to testify before flotilla committee
IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi will give his testimony to the Turkel Committee investigating the Gaza flotilla incident on Wednesday.
He follows in the footsteps of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak who gave their testimonies earlier in the week.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=184383
Ashkenazi names IDF's prime error in deadly raid
IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi said that his and the IDF's prime error was that the commandos did not shoot at the activists that prevented them from reaching the Marmara deck.
Speaking before the Turkel panel Ashkenazi said," We thought there would be 10-15 people on the deck, we would throw shock-grenades, they would move and within a minute we could take out 15 fighters. This was the mistake. We should have used accurate weapons to incapacitate whoever was preventing them from coming down."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3934084,00.html
IDF chief to Gaza flotilla probe: Commandos acted proportionately
'From the moment the operation began, it was clear that the circumstances were unprecedented,' Gabi Ashkenazi tells Turkel Committee, claiming soldiers had not used excessive force in operation that killed nine civilians
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi on Wednesday morning testified before an internal probe into Israel's deadly raid on Gaza-bound aid convoy, defending the military from politicians' accusations that it botched the operation.
"The commandos exhibited calm, bravery and morality," Ashkenazi told the inquiry panel, headed by former chief justice Jacob Turkel. Their actions were "proportionate and correct", he said
Ashkenazi said the outcome of the May 31 raid, which left nine pro-Palestinian activists dead, was impossible to predict.
"From the moment the operation began, it was clear that the circumstances were unprecedented," he said.
The IDF chief, who is set to step down in February at the end of a four-year term that has seen him increasingly at odds with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, repeated the army's version of the raid, saying commandos used live ammunition only after they were attacked.
In testimony on Tuesday, Barak heaped blame on the IDF, telling the inquiry that the failure of the operation did not stem from the decision to carry it out but from its planning and implementation by the army.
On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also implied that the IDF, and not politicians, had been responsible for the controversial interception, which drew international condemnation and prompted the United Nations to set up its own inquiry.
Israel imposed its blockade on Gaza after Hamas militants seized power in the coastal strip in 2007, claiming that the measures are necessary to halt the entrance of rockets and other weaponry that has been used against its southern communities.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-chief-to-gaza-flotilla-probe-commandos-acted-proportionately-1.307307
Israel, U.N. Avoid Spat Over Gaza Flotilla Raid Probe
Investigations into Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla last May are in full swing, as Israeli leaders seek to defend the actions taken by their soldiers amid sharp international criticism.
The United Nations formally launched an inquiry in New York on Tuesday, while an Israeli investigation reached the midway point with testimony from Israel's highest elected officials, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Israeli officials appeared confident as they defended their decisions ahead of the May 31 incident in the Mediterranean that left nine Turkish activists dead after clashes with Israeli naval commandos. On Monday, they warned they might withdraw from the U.N. panel on the flotilla incident. But by Tuesday evening, Israeli officials confirmed they will continue to participate, but will not allow their soldiers to be interviewed by the U.N.
Israel has often accused the U.N. of bias, and the government has never taken part in a U.N. investigation.
Earlier, Israel accused U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of reneging on a deal under which Israel would cooperate with the world body in exchange for assurances that no soldier from the Israel Defense Forces would be interviewed. Although Ban denied such a deal, he did not explicitly state that IDF soldiers would be interviewed and said that the U.N. panel would not try and assign individual criminal responsibility.
Meanwhile in Israel, Barak said it was unnecessary for Israeli soldiers to appear before the U.N., adding he is sure Israel acted in full compliance with international law. In his testimony to the Turkel Commission, an internal Israeli inquiry into the raid, Barak described the flotilla incident as a planned provocation by pro-Palestinian activists. He said Israel had no choice but to take action against it.
Barak said that for more than a month prior to the incident, Israeli officials had been aware that some people involved in the flotilla planned to stage clashes in an attempt to embarrass Israel.
Although reporters were allowed into the courtroom to hear Barak's testimony Tuesday, no recordings were allowed. The hearing was also open to the Israeli public, but no private citizens showed up.
Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approx. 9:00 a.m. ET http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=3&prgDate=8-11-2010
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129117773
Ashkenazi takes pride in flotilla attack
Israel's army chief has defended Tel Aviv's deadly attack on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla in late May as 'proportionate and correct.'
Speaking before an internal panel set up to probe the legality of the onslaught and Israel's blockade of Gaza, Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi on Wednesday rejected the blame apportioned to the Israeli military for using excessive force when attacking the Mavi Marmara, claiming that his troops' use of live fire was legitimate.
Ashkenazi also praised his commandos for showing calm and morality during the May 31 attack on the Turkish flagship, which left nine civilian activists dead and many others wounded.
While the activists onboard the aid ships say Israeli commandos opened fire upon boarding the Mavi Marmara, Ashkenazi repeated the army's version of the attack and claimed his commandos used live fire only after a soldier was shot at by one of the activists.
"The soldiers legitimately opened fire and shot those who they needed to shoot and not those who they didn't need to shoot after underestimating the strength of resistance," Ashkenazi told the commission headed by retired Israeli judge Yaakov Tirkel and joined by two international observers.
Ashkenazi's claim that the flotilla activists initiated the attack comes as no guns were found aboard the ship.
Israel's army chief also rejected Turkish charges that some of the victims had been shot "execution-style" at point-blank, saying that shots had been fired at close range as part of a life and death struggle.
Turkish post-mortem examinations have revealed that a total of 30 bullets were found in the bodies of the nine dead activists. One of the activists had been shot four times in the head.
Ashkenazi, who has taken responsibility for the military's actions, is the only military officer scheduled to appear before the inquiry. He was the third senior figure to address Israel's self-ordered Tirkel commission after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
The commission is neither allowed to quiz the soldiers involved in the May attack, nor to question their decision-making process.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138313§ionid=351020202
New footage casts doubt on MK's version of events
MK Hanin Zuabi
Film appears to show Hanin Zuabi MK, who sailed aboard the Gaza-bound convoy, standing near activist armed with clubs.
Footage of Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound released Wednesday appears to contradict the account of Knesset member on board one of the boats, who claimed she had not come into contact with armed activists.
"There were no people carrying clubs near me," Hanin Zuabi MK, from the Arab Balad party, had told a news conference following the May 31 raid, in which nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed.
But film published by Army Radio appears to show Zuabi standing in close proximity to a group of men carrying heavy sticks.
(2:40) MK Hanin Zuabi's lies exposed
Footage of Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound released Wednesday appears to contradict the account of Knesset member on board one of the boats, who claimed she had not come into contact with armed activists.
"There were no people carrying clubs near me," Hanin Zuabi MK, from the Arab Balad party, had told a news conference following the May 31 raid, in which nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed.
But film published by Army Radio appears to show Zuabi standing in close proximity to a group of men carrying heavy sticks.
Zuabi had previously called on the Israel Defense Forces to release all of its video footage from the operation, which she said would prove her version of events.
Later in the clip Zuabi can be seen arguing with an IDF commando attempting to evacuate one of the wounded. According to Army Radio, Zuabi claimed she had cooperated with troops in helping to remove the wounded from the boat.
In mid-July the Knesset voted to revoke Zuabi's parliamentary privileges over her participation in the flotilla.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/new-gaza-flotilla-footage-casts-doubt-on-mk-s-version-of-events-aboard-protest-ship-1.307325
Kadima accuses Netanyahu, Barak of passing the buck
Livni says both used Turkel testimonies to evade responsibility.
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak both used their testimony before the Turkel Commission to evade responsibility for the mistakes in handling May's Gaza flotilla, Kadima leader Tzipi Livni said on Tuesday.
A Kadima spokesman accused Barak of breaking records of chutzpa previously set by Netanyahu by placing responsibility on soldiers for the government's failures. The spokesman said Netanyahu's government behaved irresponsibly by throwing its rubbish on the officers of the IDF who cannot defend themselves against the ministers of their own government.
Livni told Army Radio that the basic characteristic that must exist in a leader is the ability to come before the State of Israel innocently, cleanly and truthfully to explain the considerations, the explanations and the motivations behind their decisions.
Likud and Labor responded by accusing Livni and Kadima of political opportunism.
The attempts by Livni and Kadima to use the events of the Mavi Marmara as a political battering ram are unprecedented in their hypocrisy, said Likud MK Ophir Akunis, who heads the party's response team.
Instead of acting as a responsible and loyal opposition, once again Kadima under Livni has proven its shallowness and pursuit of spins and slogans. The public has already understood where Kadima's irresponsibility led Israel from failure to failure.
The Labor Party said it furiously rejects attempts by Kadima to place the IDF within their political game.
A party spokesman said Kadima members could learn about evading responsibility by looking at Livni's own testimony before the Winograd Committee that probed failures that occurred during the Second Lebanon War, when she was foreign minister.
Barak said in his testimony today before the Turkel Commission in an definite manner that he bears the responsibility for everything that occurs in the security forces, including the IDF, and that he bears full responsibility for the connection between the policy-setting level to the security echelon as occurred in the case of the flotilla, the Labor spokesman said.
National Union MK Arye Eldad said, Barak is convinced that the Turkel Commission isn't capable of chipping his Teflon coating. He is rich in experience of throwing responsibility on others. In the course of his military career, it was only the names of those guilty that changed, and it was always those above him or those below him. He is convinced that this time as well [it is] the sentry or the pilot who will take the fire instead of him.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=184373
'Navy prepared to handle future flotillas'
IDF chief speaks at sailors' course graduation ceremony, says, 'Flotillas aiming to deliver weapons to enemies will be halted by Israel's defensive shield'. Navy Commander Eliezer Marom says soldiers involved in Marmara raid 'acted swiftly, while upholding battle ethics'
Hours after taking responsibility for the takeover of the Marmara ship headed to Gaza in May, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi spoke at the Navy's sailors' course graduation ceremony in Haifa on Wednesday, and thanked the course's previous graduates. "Thanks to them we know that the coming flotillas and ships aiming to deliver weapons to our enemies will be halted by the State of Israel and the Navy's defensive shield," he said.
"These days, when the heart of sea and the Middle East's shores are more stormy than usual, our gaze is shifted toward the de-legitimization campaign our enemies are waging, and the future flotillas against the State of Israel," he added.
Navy Commander Major-General Eliezer Marom also addressed the flotilla and called it a hate sail of six ships towards the State of Israel. He said the Navy executed the task it was handed, stopped all six ships and led them to Ashdod Port.
"The soldiers encountered a group of terrorists on the Marmara murderers whose goal was to kill our soldiers. The force acted swiftly, while upholding the ethics of battle and high standards," Marom said.
He also noted that the nine people killed on the ship were "the murderers who tried to harm the soldiers."
Marom added that the Navy has examined the operation in order to be prepared for future operations as well. "I am proud to say that the Navy forces are prepared for any mission to be handed to them."
A total of 38 graduates completed the 121st sailors' course on Wednesday. There were no women among the graduates this year.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3934487,00.html
IDF chief: Future Gaza flotillas will be blocked
IDF chief: Future Gaza flotillas will be blocked by Israel's defensive shield.
Ashkenazi tells Turkel committee IDF troops were not ready for violent resistance they met when they boarded a Gaza-bound aid ship, killing nine pro-Palestinian activists in May.
Future aid flotillas traveling to Gaza to break the naval siege on the territory will be blocked by the Israel Navy's defensive shield, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said on Wednesday.
"If they come, they will be stopped by our defensive shield," Ashkenazi said in his address at the naval graduation ceremony in Haifa. "There is no doubt that you will manage to stop the nearing threats," he told the graduates.
Earlier Wednesday, Ashkenazi testified before an internal probe into Israel's deadly raid on the Gaza-bound aid ship, the Mavi Marmara, saying that the raid quickly became "chaotic," and the soldiers had no choice but to "continue with the plan."
IDF troops were not ready for the violent resistance they met when they boarded a Gaza-bound aid ship and killed nine pro-Palestinian activists, Ahskenazi told the inquiry, headed by former chief justice Jacob Turkel, adding that the outcome of the May 31 raid was impossible to predict.
"From the moment the operation began, it was clear that the circumstances were unprecedented," he said, adding that as commander he took full responsibility for the troops' actions.
Meanwhile, despite initial reports that military personnel would not testify before the Turkel committee, Ashkenazi has authorized Military Advocate General Brig. Gen. Avichai Mandelblit to testify before the panel.
Ashkenazi also approved the questioning of General (Res.) Giora Eiland, who headed the IDF's internal inquiry into the deadly raid.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-chief-future-gaza-flotillas-will-be-blocked-by-israel-s-defensive-shield-1.30741
Turkish FM speaks out as UN panel begins Gaza flotilla probe.
'Turkey bears no responsibility'
Ankara bears no responsibility in the attack on the Mavi Marmara flotilla, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday, the same day a UN panel that includes Israeli and Turkish representatives began its probe into the matter.
In an apparent answer to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who on Monday told the Turkel Commission in Jerusalem that Turkey did nothing to stop the flotilla, even though there were contacts between Israel and Turkey at the highest levels, Davutoglu said Israel should take responsibility for the incident.
Nobody can place the responsibility of killing civilians in international waters on the other party. There is a very clear situation that Israel killed civilians in international waters. First of all, they should bear that responsibility, the Web site of the Turkish daily Hurriyet quoted Davutoglu as saying during a press conference in Brussels, where he met his Belgian counterpart.
Turkey bears no responsibility in this case and is determined to protect the rights of its own citizens, Davutoglu said.
According to Hurriyet, Belgian Foreign Minister Vanackere said his country regretted the disproportionate use of force Israel employed against the aid flotilla and demanded an independent, impartial inquiry.
According to the report, Davutoglu expressed Turkey's confidence in the UN-led panel and its hopes that the panel would determine the responsible party for the incident in conformity with international law.
Davutoglu, however, may be disappointed, because a UN spokesman, following the first meeting of the panel set up by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said the panel was not established to determine criminal responsibility, but rather to probe the incident and give recommendations.
Ban, on his first meeting with the panel, said he hoped it would contribute to the peace process and to improving Turkish-Israeli relations.
He advised the panel to submit a progress report by September 15.
The panel is headed by former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer, with a former president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, serving as vice chairman.
After blogging their way through a meeting with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, a wine festival, the intricate web of the Old City's holy sites, Masada, the nightlife of Tel Aviv and more, a hand-picked group of four prolific online writers made their way to a hill in the capital's southern neighborhood of Gilo on Tuesday afternoon and gazed out over the sprawling hillsides and sun-kissed minarets of Palestinian Authority- controlled Bethlehem.
The idea was to shift the focus of the bloggers trip which until Tuesday had been spent familiarizing them with everyday life here and softer,domestic issues to the Joseph Ciechanover, while Turkey is represented by former senior Turkish diplomat Özdem Sanberk.
No information was disseminated about the panel's first meeting, held on Tuesday afternoon after its session with the Ban.
But several statements from the UN seemed intent on defusing tempers flared by Ban's statement at Monday's press conference that there was no agreement that the panel would refrain from questioning Israeli soldiers.
Asked twice by a journalist whose phrasing of the question revealed an anti-Israel agenda whether there was an agreement that the panel would not interview Israeli soldiers, Ban replied, There was no such agreement behind the scenes.
After Ban's statement, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office released its own statement saying that the prime minister makes it absolutely clear that Israel will not cooperate with and will not take part in any panel that seeks to interrogate Israeli soldiers.
On Tuesday, however, after noting that all four panel members including Ciechanover had attended Tuesday's meeting, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky repeatedly emphasized to the press that the cooperation of the parties is crucial to the panel's work.
When asked whether the panel would have the power to compel people to appear before it and testify, Nesirky responded, Absolutely not.
This is not a criminal investigation,Nesirky said. We've said that clearly and repeatedly, and it's not looking into individual criminal responsibility. That is not its role.
A statement released by the secretary-general's office after the press conference underscored the point, saying that the panel is not designed to determine individual criminal responsibility, but to examine and identify the facts, circumstances and the context of the incident, as well as to recommend ways of avoiding future incidents.
For that purpose, the panel will receive and review reports of national investigations into the incident and request such clarifications and information as it may require from relevant national authorities.
The secretary-general's statement also referenced the support received from both the Israeli and Turkish governments in establishing his panel.
Israel maintains that in understandings reached with Ban before Israel agreed to take part in the panel, it was agreed that the investigation would be based on reports from the investigative committees in Israel and Turkey.
Any requests to further question Israelis would have to be approved by Israel.
It did not appear, however, that these understandings were written and signed, leaving the panel's mandate somewhat murky and open to interpretation.
For instance, whereas Ban called the panel an investigative panel, Israeli diplomatic officials over the last few days have been calling it a review panel.
Ban, at his press conference on Monday, said the panel had a robust mandate.
It needs to examine and identify the facts, circumstances and the context of the incident, as well as to recommend ways to avoid future incident, he said.
Those are very important mandates.
The panel will decide what steps it may need to take, in cooperation with the national authorities, as their work evolves.
Though neither the Turkish nor Israeli national investigations into the May 31 incident are close to concluding, a representative of the secretary-general's office said on Tuesday that the UN panel does not have to wait for the completion because there is already a lot of information available.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=184343
250 bullets in the blue trace output Marmara
Port of Iskenderun of Hatay, the Israeli military's bloody raid on the ship seized by Mavi Marmara with paint and toothpaste meri is trying to conceal traces of close to 250, respectively.
ISKENDERUN - Iskenderun Prosecutor's Office completed the forensic examination of the ship and the Human Rights and Freedoms (IHH) Humanitarian Relief Foundation, was delivered.
Israel will be brought to the port of Iskenderun on Saturday July 10, anchored in berth No. 9 with a 7 Blue Marmara, Laurel A. In the port and Gaza, bomb disposal experts from the Atomic Energy Authority and Turkey (Taek) radiation measurements of the teams that the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Iskenderun then Mustafa Ercan's 18-person team led by forensic examination carried out has been completed.
WITH PAINT AND PASTE hidden
Especially the May 31 attacks in the nine individual graves, Mavi Marmara ship, the Israeli soldiers' bloody raid evidence Tips for searching from Ankara police crime scene investigation team, rigorous study to paint and putty is trying to conceal a lot of evidence out fished. Close to 180 teams gather evidence, paint and sealed with putty and numerous traces of the destruction of 250 shells were determined. Traces the bullet scraped paint and sealants to be removed, the number was. The provisions also thought to have been a particularly heavy work and the stench was affecting the team negatively.
Alexandria prosecutors, the investigation is completed and delivered three ships to the IHH officials. IHH officials, experts of insurance companies in the ship to do their work-related injury was reported.
http://bit.ly/9vvGEf 6 jul 2011, 23:38 , Respect -
Maria 12 aug 2010
Turkish commission will hear IHH's side, inspect ships
The new Turkish commission established to look into the Israeli raid on Gaza-bound aid ships will listen to all responsible parties including the organizers of the flotilla. The commission will submit a report to the UN's inquiry panel. Diplomats say the report needs to be ready by the end of the month, so that it can be submitted to the UN before its mid-September report is released
A Turkish commission set up to look into the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla will listen to all parties responsible, including the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or IHH, which organized the aid ships to break the Gaza blockade.
The commission will meet with everyone responsible including those who were aboard the ship from the Turkish side, a senior Turkish diplomat told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Thursday. There were claims that IHH members aboard the Mavi Marmara ship attacked by Israeli commandos May 31 lacked passports and a few of them were carrying only business cards.
Turkish officials, however, denied any contact with Israel, saying that the goal of the commission is to carry out an investigation in Turkey. The members of the commission, who held their first meeting Wednesday, will submit a report to the international inquiry set up by the United Nations earlier this month to look into the incident. Diplomats said the report needs to be ready by the end of this month, so that it can be sent to the U.N. panel before the latter's initial progress report is released in mid-September.
The members of the commission will also examine the three ships towed into the port at Iskenderun on Turkey's Mediterranean coast after the Israeli government allowed Turkey to take them back, diplomatic sources said. The vessels were part of a six-ship flotilla that tried to make a run on Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid. Turkish diplomats said the return of the ships has made an inspection easier.
Turkey established a committee in the wake of the May 31 incident made up of officials from the Justice and Foreign ministries and the Maritime Undersecretariat. Officials said, however, the current commission, which will work under the Prime Ministry, is a brand new body that will also provide information to the U.N. panel, which has the full confidence of Turkey, and is broader than the former committee as it also includes officials from the Interior and Transportation ministries.
Israel has set up two internal commissions into the raid, one military and the other a civilian committee that includes two international representatives. Asked if the Turkish commission will also include civilian figures for impartiality, the unnamed Turkish diplomat said: We'll speak with civilians, but whatever we do we cannot appear impartial. However much we don't see the Israeli commission as impartial, they too will not see ours as impartial.
He added: Only the state and its institutions have the capacity of conducting this inquiry. To what extent can we trust a civil society organization to do this?
Ambassador Mithat Rende will, in a way, head the Turkish commission as he will be the point of contact to help liaison between the members of the internal commission and the U.N. panel.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry declined to announce the other members of the commission apart from Rende.
The U.N. panel is chaired by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer, co-chaired by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and includes Israeli representative Joseph Ciechanover and Turkish representative Özdem Sanberk.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-sets-up-its-own-inquiry-into-israeli-raid-2010-08-12
The flotilla as metaphor
The negligence and arrogance that characterize this government's work, and which led to its military and diplomatic failures in handling the flotilla, are also reflected in subsequent developments.
The High Court of Justice yesterday rejected the government's excuses for failing to include a woman on the committee investigating May's raid on a Turkish flotilla to Gaza. In addition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman, responsibility for ignoring the obligation to uphold the law on women's equality rests with committee chairman Jacob Turkel, himself a former Supreme Court justice.
The negligence and arrogance that characterize this government's work, and which led to its military and diplomatic failures in handling the flotilla, are also reflected in subsequent developments. They reveal a basic flaw in the way the government operates and in the conduct of its senior ministers, including Netanyahu, Neeman, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (and it is puzzling that the latter has not been summoned to testify before the committee on the raid's diplomatic aspects ).
The key government officials who formulated Israel's position toward both the local and the international investigations failed, just as they failed in handling the flotilla itself. They established the Turkel Committee for a limited purpose: examining questions related to international law (imposition of the naval blockade, searching the ships, the use of force ). But the committee took the liberty of looking into other issues as well, which are more important from a public standpoint. The government decided that only Netanyahu, Barak and the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff would testify, but now it turns out that other generals will also be summoned.
It is good that the committee is doing so, but this in itself reveals the government's limited control over planning and execution. The committee grew from three to five members even before the subsequent addition of a woman (if the government accedes to the High Court's urging ). The two foreign observers are refusing to behave as puppets, and contrary to the government's decision, they will have access to classified material.
The Turkel Committee was meant to repel outside pressure to establish a UN committee. Israel first opposed the UN committee, and then reversed itself and agreed, arguing that it had nothing to hide. But it agreed only on the understanding that IDF soldiers would not be questioned - or in other words, it does have things to hide. Now, the UN secretary general has repudiated this understanding, and Israel is in trouble: It must either give in or quit the committee.
A government that behaves this way cannot be fixed. Israel's helm is not in good hands.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/the-flotilla-as-metaphor-1.307733
HRC pressed to scrap flotilla probe
The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) is facing intense pressure from several major countries to scrap its probe into Israel's deadly attack on Gaza Freedom Flotilla.
"Various key international players are trying to persuade the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to dismantle the flotilla probe it had set up," the Israeli Haaretz newspaper wrote.
In addition to a UN inquiry panel, set up by UN chief Ban Ki-Moon, the Geneva-based council has also appointed a three-member "independent international fact-finding mission" to investigate whether the attack violated international law.
The council has already charged Israel with war crimes during its military offensive on Gaza at the turn of 2009.
"Diplomats in New York said several heavyweight countries are now pressing the HRC to cancel its probe and leave the issue to the (four-member) committee Ban set up," the daily added.
Diplomats familiar with the issue have told the newspaper that the conclusions of Ban's panel would be considered more reliable and will overshadow the HRC's findings.
Ban appointed the former New Zealand prime minister, Geoffrey Palmer, and outgoing president, Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, who will co-chair the investigation, as well as Ozdem Sanberk of Turkey and Joseph Ciechanover of Israel to investigate the issue.
If the council fails to accede to this request, it will be setting itself up for humiliation because the conclusions of Ban's panel will be deemed more credible than those of the HRC panel, the same diplomats told the daily.
The report came a week after HRC President Sihasak Phuangketkeow rejected the notion that his organization's probe into the deadly raid was made redundant by the announcement of the higher-profile UN probe.
"There's a clear distinction between the two missions and the mandates given," Phuangketkeow told reporters, dismissing suggestions that the 47-nation council's probe was now superfluous.
On May 31, the Israeli military attacked the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla of international aid in the Mediterranean Sea, in international waters, killing nine activists onboard the Turkish-flagged M.V. Mavi Marmara, injuring about 50 other people who were part of the team on the six-ship convoy.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138393§ionid=351020202
Turkish team to probe Flotilla attack
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office is to preside over a board of inquiry, probing Israel's recent deadly strike on a Gaza-bound aid convoy.
The May 31 assault against the Freedom Flotilla killed nine Turkish human rights campaigners, who were among hundreds of other activists heading towards the Gaza Strip to break Israeli siege of the impoverished coastal sliver.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry announced the formation of the taskforce on Thursday, saying it is to "investigate the attack and the treatment the activists faced," AFP reported.
Dozens of the passengers suffered injuries during the onslaught and many reportedly had their belongings stolen.
The investigators would trust their findings with the United Nations fact-finding commission on the matter.
Tel Aviv, which has come under an avalanche of international reproach over the raid, has set up its own research committee. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi have so far appeared before the panel, defending the attack.
Israel has so far rejected Ankara's demands of offering an apology, compensating the survivors and easing the Gaza blockade.
Reports earlier said Israel had softened some of the restrictions on the transfer of goods into the impoverished coastal sliver, buckling under global pressure. Witnesses on the ground, however, have rejected any lenience on the part of Tel Aviv and said it continued to deprive the Palestinians of food, fuel and other necessities.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138422§ionid=351020204
Turkey sets up own Gaza flotilla inquiry
Probe will work under the office of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and present findings to UN, AFP news agency reports
Turkey has set up its own inquiry into Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound aid convoy that left none Turkish citizens dead, the AFP news agency reported on Thursday.
The probe will work under the office of Prime Minister's Recep Tayyip Erdogan and will "investigate the attack and the treatment the activists faced" before reporting on its findings, the ministry said in a statement.
Turkey said it plans to present its findings to another inquiry set up by the United Nations. Early this month, Israel agreed to participate in the UN probe, as well as setting up its own investigation, which this week heard teastimony from the Israeli prime minister, defense minister and army chief of staff.
Turkey's commission will include officials from the foreign, justice, interior and transport ministries as well as from the country's maritime agency.
Israel's May 31 raid on the Mavi Marmara, the Turkish-flagged lead ship in the flotilla, plunged relations between the erstwhile allies into deep crisis.
On Tuesday Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday that Israel should admit sole responsibility for the deaths aboard the Mavi Marmara.
"No one else can take the blame for killing civilians in international waters," Davutoglu told journalists. "Israel has killed civilians, and should take the responsibility for having done so."
The Turkish minister appeared to be responding to remarks made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday when he testified before an Israeli commission of inquiry into the same May 31 incident.
Netanyahu said Turkey had ignored repeated warnings and appeals "at the highest level" to halt the flotilla, which was organized by an Islamic charity based in Turkey.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/turkey-sets-up-own-gaza-flotilla-inquiry-1.307581
Livni on appointing woman to Turkel panel: Better late than never
In response to the State's claim that appointing a woman to the Turkel Commission would be futile at this juncture, Opposition leader Tzipi Livni said, "It's better to appoint a woman at this stage than to continue keeping women away from decision-making circles.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3934994,00.html
NOTE:
WANTED FOR WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES
AGAINST HUMANITY
Tzipi Livni
On the 12th of July 2006, the suspect along with her accomplices ordered the aerial bombardment and artillery assault on residential areas in Lebanon. For 34 days she authorized troops to make 12,000 aerial sorties, to fire 100,000 artillery shells, damaging 350 schools and destroying 15,000 houses in Lebanon. 130,000 homes were partially damaged. The attacks destroyed water sources, hospitals, power stations and other infrastructure essential to life. 900,000 people were forced to leave their homes and remain without shelter for many days. Some 1,200 people were killed, and 4,400 were wounded: approximately 30% of the dead, about 360, were children under the age of 13.
On 27th December 2008, the suspect and her accomplices ordered an aerial, ground and naval attack on densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip. The attacks again damaged houses, hospitals, schools and infrastructure, and killed more than 1,300 people, including hundreds of children. 20,000 houses were partially destroyed and 50,000 people were made homeless as a result of the suspects orders.
Attacking innocent people, shooting indiscriminately into residential areas, causing injuries, destroying essential infrastructure such as water, electrical plants and hospitals are all prohibited under International law and are war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Description of the suspect: a white woman, 50 years old, above average height, blonde hair.
http://wanted.org.il/tzipi_livni_en.htm
Footage doesn't show Balad MK in same frame as armed passengers.
(2:40) Israel releases bogus video to implicate MK Haneen Zoabi
Rivlin calls on A-G to probe Zoabi video
By Dr. Hanan Chehata
Passengers on the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza have asked the Israeli authorities repeatedly for the return of their belongings and the release of the video footage they shot during the Jewish state's attack on their boat, the Mavi Marmara, on 31st May. The Israeli assault took place over 10 weeks ago and yet it is only now that the authorities have released a 2 minutes 40 seconds video clip; but why now and why have the Israelis selected those couple of minutes from all of the hours of confiscated footage that they still have in their possession?
The Israeli authorities claim that the clip shows Knesset Member Haneen Zoabi in the presence of men from the charity group IHH armed with clubs, contradicting her claim that she did not see any flotilla members holding weapons. As a result of this video, there is now a call to investigate Ms Zoabi for her part in the violence that unfolded on board the Marmara.
However, in releasing this footage it looks as if the Israelis have shot themselves in the foot once again, because the film actually shows Israeli soldiers in a far worse light than Haneen Zoabi. In fact, it goes some way towards corroborating her version of events.
In the first of three short clips, Ms Zoabi is on screen for less than 10 seconds and she is simply in the distance walking towards the camera from the far side of the deck. There are more than 30 people milling around, only one of whom is shown for approximately six seconds holding what looks like a broomstick handle. The rest are tying on life jackets, filming the Israeli boats that are surrounding them and simply looking out to sea. At no point is Ms Zoabi seen anywhere near anyone with any kind of weapon.
In the second clip Ms Zoabi is standing in a stairwell. Blood from the victims shot by the Israeli commandos is already forming into pools on the floor of the landing a few steps up from where she stands; first aid is being administered to one of the wounded. In the stairwell she is surrounded by humanitarian flotilla members wearing orange life jackets, several with handheld cameras. On the section of the staircase directly above where she is standing - completely out of her line of sight - are three men holding what, again, look like broomstick handles. No weapons are in sight and once again it is clear that at no point is Ms Zoabi even in the visual proximity of anyone with a "weapon" even as flimsy as a broomstick.
In the third and final clip, Haneen Zoabi is in conversation with two armed Israeli soldiers. She is calm and confident but in no way aggressive at all. She is speaking in Hebrew but it is understood that she was trying to communicate to the soldiers that the wounded man in question did not want to be transferred to an Israeli hospital. Given the fact that he had just been shot by Israeli soldiers and nine colleagues had just been murdered by those same soldiers it is understandable that Ms Zoabi would do her best to ask the soldiers to let him be transferred somewhere other than Israel for medical attention! This does not contradict her claim that she later helped to facilitate the transfer of patients to get urgently needed medical treatment.
There are no guns, no knives, no clubs nor any other kind of weapon being held by anyone in this clip apart from, of course, those carried by Israeli soldiers, who are in full combat gear with their faces covered having a conversation with Ms Zoabi. Next to her is a man with a stethoscope around his neck while several men are lying on chairs, clearly having been wounded in the Israeli assault.
The content of the video, all two minutes and forty seconds of it, does not implicate Haneen Zoabi in the slightest. It actually supports her assertions about the events that unfolded. Claims by newspapers such as Jpost which state that the "video proves Zoabi knew activists [were] armed" are laughable. It does no such thing, so why release the footage? It's simple; it serves as a diversion. Haneen Zoabi has made it clear that she believes the release of this footage at this particular time to be an effort to divert attention from the investigation into the flotilla assault that is now taking place; more specifically, that its release was timed to coincide with the IDF Chief of Staff giving his testimony. It is no more than that.
Calls to investigate her are welcomed by Haneen Zoabi because, as she has said before, neither she nor any of the other passengers on board the Mavi Marmara have anything to hide. But the Israeli army must have lots to cover up, as is clear from its consistent refusal to release all of the stolen footage or to let its soldiers be questioned during the investigation, and the curt refusal to co-operate with a fair and objective international enquiry into Israel's murder of nine human rights activists in international waters.
Rivlin calls on A-G to probe Zoabi video
Footage doesn't show Balad MK in same frame as armed passengers.
A video clip released on Wednesday reawakened the public and political furor over Balad MK Haneen Zoabi's participation in the May 31 Gaza-bound flotilla.
Zoabi's critics said the footage from the Mavi Marmara, which was revealed by Army Radio, proves that the freshman lawmaker was aware of the violent intentions of the ship's passengers.
However, the footage never clearly shows Zoabi in the same frame as an armed passenger.
The material was passed on to the office of Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin (Likud) before Army Radio released the tape to the public. Rivlin determined that the tape should be passed on to the Attorney-General's Office for review, as well to the Knesset's Ethics Committee.
The attorney-general must examine the new material and determine if there are grounds to investigate Haneen Zoabi for criminal offenses, Rivlin explained. The Knesset does not judge its members, and it is not my job to do so as the speaker. The evidence must be checked, and the attorney-general must determine if Zoabi was a participant in any crime. That has been my stance from the beginning, when this affair was exposed, and is certainly correct now, as well.
Zoabi said on Wednesday that the video was released to further sully her name, and that she was not seen doing anything illegal on the brief tape.
The video, which was apparently filmed before, during and after the IDF's boarding of the Gaza-bound ship on May 31, contains segments that show Zoabi at various stages of the incident.
Zoabi's critics said the tape undermines her claim that there was no violent resistance aboard the ship, and that any injuries to IDF personnel were due to selfdefense by the passengers, who were helpless against the boarding party.
After repeated review of the 2 minutes and 39 seconds of the tape available to this paper, it appears that there is no moment in which Zoabi appears in the same frame as a person clearly bearing a weapon. The video which is widely available on the Internet has three separate and distinct scenes.
The first scene opens on a deck of the Mavi Marmara.
Activists at least one bearing a pole for possible use against IDF soldiers are seen milling about, preparing for the boarding. Passengers allegedly members of the radical Turkish IHH organization are seen wearing orange life vests, and are clearly opening packages of gas masks.
Toward the end of the brief scene, Zoabi is seen coming around a corner, and has not yet put on the life vest that she is seen wearing in the next scene. One man, walking toward Zoabi, was cited by at least one Israeli television station as carrying a weapon, but repeated examinations of the footage suggest that the split-second image merely showed a dangling strap.
The second scene was apparently filmed before or during the IDF's boarding of the ship and the violent assault on Flotilla 13 soldiers.
The scene opens in a stairwell, where a number of men are seen apparently brandishing metal batons and other possible weapons. The camera then focuses on a bloodstain on the metal deck, and then on what appears to be a wounded activist.
A conversation is heard that begins in Arabic, and ends in English, with one of the speakers apparently Zoabi, who is seen on the staircase, alone, now wearing a life vest. The MK clearly checks her watch, and then realizes that she is being filmed, and pushes the camera away. In no frame of this scene is she filmed alongside the batonbrandishers.
The third and by far the longest scene takes place in a cabin in the ship, where Zoabi is seen clearly negotiating with IDF medical officials.
Zoabi tells the IDF men and an off-camera army doctor that the wounded people in the cabin do not want to be taken to an Israeli hospital.
One of the soldiers tells her that the patients are not stable and that we need to take them to the hospital. That's it.
I said that I was willing to translate for those people, Zoabi told Channel 1 news on Wednesday. They were people with pride. They didn't want to be taken to a hospital by the people who send the army to attack them.
We convinced them, for their health, that would be better for them to go to the hospital, Zoabi added, deflecting claims that she had interfered with the IDF's attempts to provide immediate medical care for those wounded during the boarding of the ship.
There are two casualties who died between 5:30 and 6 [a.m.] who died there because they did not receive medical attention, she said.
Zoabi complained that the video failed to show hours when I calmed the spirits so that there would not be additional bloodshed.
She said that hope that the attorney-general will get all the material, unedited, from the IDF. And that they will question me. If I committed a crime, I am willing to be tried.
She accused the IDF or the media of creating a situation in which two minutes are connected together.
MK Miri Regev (Likud) said that Zoabi is not only a traitor, but also a liar.
Regev called for Zoabi's parliamentary immunity to be immediately lifted and for her to be investigated for harming national security while taking advantage of her status as an MK, as well as aiding the enemy.
The State of Israel cannot and should not allow an MK to commit treason against the country and to brazenly lie in a clear attempt to harm national security, Regev continued.
Zoabi's behavior is a clear violation of the rules and values of democracy in the State of Israel, and she must be tried.
Regev's comments were echoed by MKs from across the political spectrum, from Labor to the Right.
MK Ophir Akunis (Likud), a member of the Central Elections Committee, promised to work to disqualify both Zoabi and the Balad party from running for the next Knesset.
Rivlin said that he had accepted Zoabi's request that the Knesset's probe into the events of May 31 be accelerated in order to determine the truth.
Personally, these images cause disgust, and in light of the pictures I cannot find an explanation with which I can remain satisfied, the Knesset speaker continued. But as the person who is charged with running the temple of Israeli democracy, I must allow her to bring her position up for clarification. Even when my soul is repulsed by the actions, as speaker I also serve those whose positions differ from mine.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=184475
12 aug 2010
UN chief: Flotilla probe won't summon witnesses
Panel investigating deadly flotilla raid to submit interim report to Ban Ki-moon by September 15. UN chief says committee does not have authority to summon soldiers to testify
WASHINGTON - Following the many concerns raised in Israel that the UN team investigating the Gaza flotilla raid may attempt to summon soldiers to give their testimonies, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared the committee does not have the authority to do so.
The UN chief stressed that the committee does not have the power to probe suspicions of individual criminal responsibility in the deadly outcome of the takeover of the Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara.
On Thursday, just two days since the UN panel first convened in New York, a statement released by the panel said it will strive to submit an interim report to Ban by September 15 before the General Assembly's annual convention.
The panel's next meeting was set for early September.
Ban, who has expressed hope that the report's conclusions could help bridge the gap between Turkey and Israel instead of widening the rift between them, was pleased with the discussions' positive atmosphere and the good cooperation by the Israeli and Turkish representatives.
During the panel's two days of work, its members met with the UN chief and he outlined the nature of the task he envisaged for them.
The panel also met with UN secretariat bodies to ensure that administrative arrangements and support are either in train or have been established to enabling them to complete their work in the best possible manner.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3935443,00.html
IDF distances itself from Zoabi video release
The IDF Spokesperson sought to distance himself from the release of a video depicting MK Haneen Zoabi on the Mavi Marmara, in a statement released on Thursday.
"The IDF and the IDF Spokesperson division did not release photos or videos dealing with MK Hannen Zoabi to any media, including Army Radio," the statement said.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=184513
Ashkenazi: Next time, IDF will use snipers to halt Gaza-bound flotillas
In his first round of testimony to the Turkel Committee, the Chief of Staff took responsibility for the army's actions.
IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi completed his first round of testimony yesterday to the Turkel Committee, the Israeli panel investigating the deadly May raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.
Ashkenazi had the benefit of access to testimonies given by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak (except those delivered in closed-door testimony ), both of whom testified to the panel before him.
The primary difference between his and their testimonies lay in his tone. The chief of staff admitted mistakes, took responsibility for failings and directed only mild criticism toward the government his army answers to. (At least this was the case during the portion of testimony open to the public ).
The IDF chief was also gracious to his own subordinates. Mistakes made were "ours," he said, noting that "We erred."
"I take responsibility for every operation in the army," Ashkenazi said as the hearing began. "The decision to refrain as much as possible from summoning commanders [to testify] is the correct one. I represent them."
The flotilla raid, he added, was "proportionate and appropriate. The troops displayed calm, courage and dedication. I'm proud that these are my soldiers."
Unlike Barak during his testimony on Tuesday, Ashkenazi seemed to cautiously navigate the minefield between the military and political leaderships. Several times he described the army as acting in accordance with decisions made by the government. He also referred repeatedly to a letter he had sent to Netanyahu and Barak on May 13, two and a half weeks before the flotilla was due to set sail, asking that they exhaust other alternatives before making a decision to authorize a military operation.
Many saw Ashkenazi's remarks about the letter as a clear swipe at Netanyahu and Barak. That letter, however, can be found in a film screened last month for journalists by the Eiland Committee, the IDF's in-house inquiry into the raid. The film was replayed yesterday, with the letter quoted to members of the Turkel panel.
Ashkenazi told the commission yesterday that the primary lesson he had gleaned from the flotilla incident is the need to muster enough force in minimal time during any similar raid.
"Our fundamental problem, and mine as well, was exactly that," he said. "I estimated there would be 18 people on the upper deck, and that if we came with a helicopter and threw a stun grenade they would relent. We had to guarantee 'sterile' conditions for the unit."
Once forces came into contact with passengers, he said, "the navy commander made the right decision in taking over the bridge of the ship."
Ashkenazi said that if the IDF is faced with a similar situation in the future, there may be no alternative to deploying snipers to minimize troop casualties. "When people are looking for a fight, it usually happens," he said.
On the apparent faulty intelligence on the nature of the Mavi Marmara's mission, he said, "We need to know more."
Committee chairman Jacob Turkel expressed dismay at what he described as the absence of accurate intelligence on IHH, the Istanbul-based Islamist group that sent the flotilla.
"It seems a bit odd, in light of impressive prior achievements in preventing ships from arriving, and - according to foreign media reports - in thwarting weapons smuggling in places far from Israel," the retired Supreme Court justice said.
Ashkenazi replied, "It's true. I've already said we didn't know enough about the organization, that we hadn't investigated it enough. It wasn't on our list of priorities as were other groups... Turkey isn't an enemy country, and I hope it doesn't become one. We maintain military links with it, even during the current crisis. I myself was a guest of the Turkish chief of staff two weeks before the flotilla incident."
A picture of mistakes
The picture emerging from the testimonies offered to both the Turkel and Eiland committees is cause for concern. Not only does it appear that the political leadership was at fault, but the military command as well, in particular that of the navy. The incident will long be remembered as a resounding failure, even though the IDF had several months to prepare for the flotilla.
In the final analysis, military planning was ill-suited to the operation at hand, was based on faulty intelligence and was not flexible enough to allow troops to adequately confront the worst-possible scenario. As a result, when just such a scenario unfolded, soldiers were left alone to contain an angry, violent mob.
Just as in the first intifada of the late 1980s and early '90s, the Temple Mount riots of 1990 and 2000, and the October 2000 unrest across Israel and the territories, troops employed disproportionate force to get their comrades out alive.
The consequence, as is often seen in such cases, was the deaths of a number of people Israel had not planned to target, and untold damage to the country's image abroad.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/ashkenazi-next-time-idf-will-use-snipers-to-halt-gaza-bound-flotillas-1.307435
12 aug 2010
Analysis: Ashkenazi tries to save face
IDF chief could have been remembered as hero.
Had Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi's tenure as chief of the General Staff ended in mid- May, he would have been remembered as the army commander who restored the IDF to its former glory following the failed Second Lebanon War in 2006 and oversaw the successful Operation Cast Lead.
Instead, Ashkenazi will be remembered as the chief of staff who got into an unprecedented fight with his defense minister and as a result did not receive an extension to his tenure, who oversaw the botched raid on the Mavi Marmara and who appears to have lost control of his General Staff in what has led up to the infamous Galant Document.
On Wednesday, during his testimony before the Turkel Commission, Ashkenazi did what he could to restore something of his tarnished image by taking the high ground and openly accepting responsibility for the Mavi Marmara raid in late May, which ended with nine dead Turkish nationals.
In his testimony, Ashkenazi said all the right things from his subordinates perspectives.
He took responsibility for the commando raid and detailed some of the military's flaws, but overall did not try to push the responsibility up or down the ladder not to Defense Minister Ehud Barak, nor to Israel Navy commander V.-Adm.
Eliezer Marom as he easily could have.
This was a sharp break from the testimonies of Barak the day before, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu earlier in the week. In these cases, Netanyahu pushed the responsibility down to Barak and Barak pushed it down to the IDF, going as far as to say that the government tells the military what to do but not how to do it. It is the military's job, he said, to tell the government if it cannot carry out its assignment.
That is very convenient to say, but it is not exactly the case, at least not in the Israeli model of political-military relations something of which Barak, a former chief of staff, should be well aware.
Barak is also far from being a hands-off defense minister.
He has even said on more than one occasion that as defense minister, he gets down to the smallest details before approving operations.
He regularly holds discussions on operations before they are approved and is known to send the IDF back to the drawing board if the pending plan is not to his liking.
This is also in contradiction to the image Barak has tried to create for himself: the defense minister that this country desperately needs to counter the growing threats and challenges it faces. If that were the case, then where was Barak in the planning stages of the operation to stop the Turkish flotilla? Netanyahu's testimony is also slightly misleading. In his effort to pass the buck, Netanyahu claimed he had only discussed the media and hasbara (public diplomacy) ramifications of stopping the flotilla with his top cabinet, known as the septet, and had left the rest up to Barak.
This was contradicted by the defense minister, who claimed that the forum of seven top ministers had discussed the actual operation.
In this case, Barak is likely right.
After all, since this government took office in mid- 2009, Netanyahu and Barak have gone out of their way to stress how deep, thoughtful and comprehensive the septet's meetings are. Barak even said a few months ago that in his almost 40-year military and political career, he had never sat in such a serious forum that debated every issue down to the smallest detail.
So what went wrong with the Mavi Marmara? That will be up to the Turkel Commission to determine. Judging from the results of the Winograd Committee, which investigated the Second Lebanon War, Netanyahu and Barak are likely hoping for a similar outcome %u2013 that the IDF will take the fall.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=184480
State: Appointing woman to Turkel committee pointless
In response to appeal filed by women's groups, State says adding woman to committee probing Gaza flotilla raid futile as Netanyahu, Barak and Ashkenazi already testified
In the State's response to an appeal filed by women's rights groups with the High Court of Justice, former Supreme Court justice Jacob Turkel, who heads the panel probing the deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, said appointing a woman to the committee would be of no consequence as most of the testimonies have already been heard.
The court was expected to rule on the appeal later in the day.
According to the State's response, filed Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided not to debate the issue with his cabinet and asked Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman to ask for Turkel's opinion on the matter.
"The committee's chairman is of the position that since the panel has already heard the main testimonies from Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, appointing a woman or women to the panel would contribute nothing to its work," according to the State's response.
The State insists that "active efforts" had been made to seek out a female panel member.
The five members and two observers on the Turkel Commission are men, but women's groups are demanding that this be changed. The women's group, Itach Women Lawyers for Social Justice and the group WePower filed a petition against Netanyahu and the Turkel Commission with a demand that they appoint a woman to the commission.
The organizations also asked that an interim injunction be issued ordering the suspension of the commission's activities until the petition is fully deliberated and decided upon.
The petition claims that despite the importance of the commission's conclusions and its effect on Israel's international standing, the cabinet authorized the makeup of the Turkel Commission in complete opposition to the law of equality and women's rights. Even after the decision was made to expand the commission, the petition claims, the government made no effort to appoint at least one woman to the panel.
On Wednesday the High Court criticized the government for excluding women from the panel.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3934849,00.html
High Court to cabinet: Try appointing woman to Turkel Commission
High Court justices instructed the cabinet to discuss on August 29 the appointment of at least one woman to the Turkel Commission, charged with investigating the events around Israel Navy's raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.
The justices also ruled that if an appointment is offered to at least five women who had not previously been offered the position by the date of the cabinet deliberation, the government will have fulfilled its obligation. In the meantime, the commission will continue its work as usual.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3934865,00.html
State: Turkel against adding woman to Gaza flotilla probe
Jacob Turkel: Former Israeli Supreme Court justice.
In response to High Court of Justice, the state says it will not change its stance against adding a woman to the Gaza flotilla probe, citing Jacob Turkel's view that expanding the panel at this point might hurt its work.
Jacob Turkel, the head of Israel's probe into the IDF raid of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May, opposes adding one or more women to the commission panel, the state told the High Court of Justice on Thursday.
A day earlier, the court had instructed the state to review its stance regarding the inclusion of a woman in the commission which currently consists of three Israelis and two international observers, all men.
On Thursday, the state responded to the court, saying that its stance would not change, citing Turkel's position that the addition of a new member to the panel at this point would not contribute to the panel's work.
"After the panel has already heard testimony from the prime minister, defense minister, chief of staff, the chairman [Turkel] stands by his view that adding one or more new members to the panel would not contribute to the work of the panel and might even hurt it," the state's response said. "In light of the international developments on this matter particularly the creation of an international UN probe it is particularly necessary that the panel finish its work as quickly as possible."
Nine activists were killed in the May 31 raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla, when violence erupted as Israel Navy commandos boarded the Mavi Marmara, one of six ships in the flotilla. Both Israel and the United Nations are conducting investigations into the incident.
On Wednesday, High Court judges Miriam Naor, Uzi Vogelman and Salim Joubran hinted that they may order the inclusion of a woman on the panel, even at the expense of one of the men that currently make up the commission.
Last week, a Supreme Court judge ordered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the state and the Turkel Commission to expand the panel of the public inquiry to include a representative of the female population, as required by law.
The order came in response to a petition last month by the organizations "Women Lawyers for Social Justice" and "Women Power," following a government decision to expand the commission to include another two men. Before submitting the petition, "Women Lawyers for Social Justice" had requested in vain for the panel to include a woman.
Earlier this week, the state told court that before the makeup of the panel had been decided, it had invited three women who are experts in international law to join, but each had refused. The state also claimed that it had subsequently tried to recruit women panel members once the commission had been formed, but was equally frustrated.
http://fwd4.me/05w4