- 9 jan 2011
Deadline for UN probe into deadly flotilla raid postponed yet again
A U.N. inquiry into the Mavi Marmara tragedy has again postponed the release of its report. The report will be released in April. Nine Turkish activists were killed in a raid by Israeli soldiers last May as the Mavi Marmara sailed toward Gaza as part of an international aid flotilla, largely freezing relations between the once-friendly states. Reconciliation efforts between Turkey and Israel received a jump-start with meetings between high-level officials in Geneva last month but ultimately failed to produce results.
As the possibility of reconciliation at a bilateral level between Turkey and Israel has dimmed, the focus has turned one more time to the U.N. inquiry into Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that left nine Turks dead.
The deadline for the U.N. probe, announced last August, has been postponed once more to April. The Turkish side remains anxious to finish the inquiry before May 31, the anniversary of the deadly incident. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had set mid-September last year for the panel to submit a first progress report. Chaired by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer, the panel included an Israeli and a Turk among its four members. Turkey handed its own report into the incidents on Sept. 1, as both countries were asked to present their national inquiries to the panel by that date.
Israel's acquiescence to cooperating with the U.N. probe was unprecedented, and came as a result of months-long negotiations on the panel's mandate. Yet as Israel has not presented the panel its own investigation report, the deadline for the work of the panel had been first postponed to the end of February.
As Israel continued to delay handing in its report, a move that is expected to finally be done in the second half of this month, the deadline of the panel's work has one more time been postponed to late March-early April, the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review has learned. The panel plans to start work in the second week of February. We don't want any further postponement. The panel's work should finish before May 31, said a Turkish official familiar with the process.
Israel concerned by prosecution of its citizens
The May 31 incident further deteriorated the already strained relations between the two countries.
A meeting in Geneva last month of senior officials from Turkey and Israel to mend fences failed to produce results. Turkey asks for a formal apology as well as compensation for the victims families.
The Geneva talks followed Turkey's decision a week prior to send two aircraft to help fight a forest fire in Israel.
Despite statements to the contrary, diplomatic sources say a formula can be accepted by both sides including a formal apology, yet Israel's concern of a possible prosecution of its citizens remains the main stumbling block to an agreement. Turkey is not in the position of providing the guarantee sought by Israel, as it cannot exert pressure on its own citizens to not seek justice through international channels. Furthermore, citizens from other countries were also on the ship attacked by Israel.
The Israeli state is concerned that by agreeing to apologize it would open the way to judicial cases being opened against its citizens. Turkish sources say there are also ways to overcome that problem, one of which includes an exchange of letters between the two countries, whereas Israel says it considers the case closed and won't accept any further inquiry.
The International Criminal Court was asked by lawyers acting on behalf of Turkish citizens injured or killed during the May incident to prosecute members of the Israeli armed forces last October. The court has not yet announced how it will proceed with the request. Experts say it might take years for the court to come up with a decision.
The likelihood of Israel being prosecuted for its actions in Gaza has long attracted controversy. Neither Turkey nor Israel is party to the treaty that established the international court. Turkish lawyers claim there is an overwhelming case for prosecution by the court, which some experts say has jurisdiction to prosecute those involved in the raid despite Israel not recognizing its jurisdiction.
The flotilla was made up of six ships and crewed by activists from a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups trying to break an embargo on ships entering Gaza.
Hundreds of Turkish activists were on board one of the vessels, the Mavi Marmara, when it was raided by Israeli commandos in international waters.
The activists said the commandos opened fire when they boarded the ship, but the Israelis say their troops were attacked by the activists.
The U.N. Human Rights Council's international, independent fact-finding mission concluded in September that Israeli forces violated human rights and international humanitarian law during the incident.
In a 56-page report, the fact-finding mission found that the actions of the Israeli forces in intercepting the Mavi Marmara on the high sea was clearly unlawful.
http://bit.ly/hABC34
10 jan 2011
Turkel committee interim report to be published within a week
The Turkel Commission of inquiry, formed to investigate the flotilla raid last may is scheduled to submit its interim statement within a week, sources familiar with the commission%u2019s work told Ynet on Monday.
According to estimates, the committee has completed its work, which primarily deals with the legality of the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.
http://australiansforpalestine.com/36157
20 jan 2011
Flotilla raid probe: IDF acted properly
First part of Turkel report on lethal flotilla raid in May 2010 to be published Sunday, expected to rule that troops acted properly during takeover of Turkish ship; experts say world unlikely to endorse findings.
Some eight months after the lethal IDF raid on the Turkish Marmara vessel, the Turkel Committee charged with probing the incident is set to submit the first part of its report.
The report's first chapter, to be published Sunday, is expected to rule that IDF troops acted properly in taking over the Gaza-bound ship.
A source who is well familiar with the committee's work said all its members, including the two foreign observers involved in the probe, agreed that Israel's Navy commandoes did not violate international law, even after the operation aboard the Marmara encountered unexpected entanglements.
Professor Yossi Shain, an international relations expert at Georgetown University and the head of Tel Aviv University's diplomacy program, said that any professional observer would view the Turkel Committee as a serious, distinguished team. He added that the Irish and Canadian observers appointed by the committee further boosted its credibility.
However, despite this, Shain said he expects the world to treat the committee's findings with suspicion.
"Almost naturally, committees established by Israel draw a suspicious attitude in the world," he said. "There will always be a perception whereby Israeli committees take Israel's side."
"In any case, the UN committee would have to address the Turkel report and examine the differences between its findings and UN decisions in order to find out the reason for this," he said.
Shain stressed that in his view the Turkel Committee aimed to uncover the truth, and therefore its recommendations are expected to be accepted by bodies considered objectives. However, he added that in certain international forums the battle for Israel's image is a lost cause.
"The Turks and those who are hostile to Israel, who already rushed to draft their conclusions and rule that it was murder, will have no interest in the Turkel report," he said.
Similarly, legal commentator Dror Arad-Ayalon said that in any case, regardless of Turkel's findings, "Those who have a biased view to begin with or are a party to the de-legitimization campaign against Israel will likely not be impressed by the probe."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4016792,00.html
Turkel committee to submit partial conclusions on Sunday
The Turkel Committee, probing the Navy raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, is scheduled to submit the first part of its conclusions report to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
This part of the report examines the legality of the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip and its enforcement, as well as the actions of the flotilla passengers and their identity.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4016489,00.html
'Turkel C'tee likely to find Israel innocent of war crimes'
Source who has been working closely with Gaza flotilla commission says conclusions will show Israel acted in accordance with int'l law.
A source who has been working closely with the Turkel Committee said Thursday that its members were likely to find Israel innocent of war crimes when they release a report of its conclusions, Army Radio reported.
He said that the committee set up to investigate the events of the May 2010 raid of the Gaza flotilla will likely conclude that the way in which the IDF took control of the Mavi Marmara aid ship was in accordance with the rules of international law.
According to the source, the conclusions, which will be released next Monday, were adopted by all members of the committee and two foreign observers, who are experts in dealing with terrorism.
The report will focus on whether the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza was legal and complied with international law.
IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi took responsibility for the botched flotilla raid in October when he testified before then Turkel Committee.
Ashkenazi told the committee that he was responsible for all IDF operations and that as the representative of the entire military there was no reason to summon additional officers or soldiers to testify before the committee.
Ashkenazi praised the commandos from the Navy%u2019s Flotilla 13 %u2013 known as the Shayetet %u2013 who boarded the ship and, according to the IDF, were lynched by a group of mercenaries. He said that the second soldier who fast-roped onto the boat from a helicopter was immediately shot.
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=204441 7 jul 2011, 01:27 , Respect -
Maria 23 jan 2011
Hamas condemns Turkel probe's exoneration of Israel
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- The Islamic resistance movement Hamas strongly denounced the results of the Turkel probe into the lethal attack by Israeli troops on the Freedom Flotilla during an attempt to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
The board released a report Sunday concluding that the attack did not contravene with international laws.
Hamas said the report reveals the panel's political role in legitimizing Israeli aggression and that facts were distorted.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum confirmed his party's rejection of the board, saying it is not plausible that the offender is the judge at the same time.
"It is an attempt to display [Israel's] image as civilized and democratic and save the occupation government from its predicament stemming from its involvement in terrorist acts," he said.
The investigation concluded Israel's siege on Gaza and attack on the Freedom Flotilla were done in accordance with and did not constitute any violation of international law
According to Yakoub Turkel, chairing the probe, Israel has fulfilled the obligation of supplying the strip's medical needs throughout the siege and did not deliberately starve the population there.
Turkel claimed clear evidence implies the naval convoy was trying to break the Gaza siege and extremist Islamic elements were among the Turkish activists on board and directly took part in "hostile acts".
Israeli media outlets earlier expressed belief that the internationally questionable probe would exonerate Israel of any suspicions around the attack against the fleet's Mavi Marmara that left nine dead.
http://bit.ly/gaMwQF
Panel blasts 'wild' Flotilla attack
A relative reacts during the funeral of a victim of the Israeli commando attack.
A Turkish committee investigating a deadly Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound aid convoy Freedom Flotilla has condemned the military's unbridled application of force.
The team released its preliminary findings on Sunday, saying, "The Israeli Army used excessive force against the Mavi Marmara (the lead ship of the six-vessel fleet),%u201D AFP reported.
Israeli commandos attacked the convoy in international waters on May 31, killing nine Turkish activists and injuring about 50 others.
The fleet was carrying around 10,000 tons of humanitarian supplies for the Gaza Strip, which came under a tight land, naval and aerial Tel Aviv-imposed blockade in mid-June 2007. The restrictions have been depriving 1.5-million Palestinians in the sliver of food, fuel, medicine and other necessities.
The activists, who survived the attack, were subsequently expelled and the cargos transferred to the Israeli port of Ashdod in the south of Tel Aviv.
Much of the international community united in expressing outrage over the incident and a United Nations inquiry found -- by complete contrast -- that the forces had shown %u201Can unacceptable level of brutality.%u201D
The Turk investigators, who interviewed Turkish and foreign human rights campaigners activists on the Flotilla, likewise said the force used on Mavi Marmara %u201Cexceeded the limits of what was appropriate and necessary."
The commission criticized the "disproportionate nature of the attack" and called on Tel Aviv to compensate the survivors of the assault.
An Israeli probe, however, claimed that both the attack and the siege were %u201Clegal pursuant to the rules of international law.%u201D
The May incident has caused Ankara's ties with Tel Aviv to hit their lowest ebb.
Israel has so far rejected to either apologize for the incident or pay any compensation -- two measures it has been obliged by Turkey to take to make amends.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/161600.html
Turkey 'appalled' at Israeli panel on Gaza raid
Turkey said on Sunday it was "appalled and dismayed" at the findings by an Israeli inquiry that cleared the Israeli government and military of wrongdoing in the raid on a Turkish aid ship bound for the Gaza Strip.
Turkey also said its own panel's report into the May 31 incident, which it submitted to a UN inquiry in September, had found that Israel's blockade on the territory and "attack against the humanitarian aid convoy" had violated international laws.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4017782,00.html
Turkey shocked at Israel Flotilla claims
Turkey is dismayed over an Israeli investigation panel's attempt at rationalizing Tel Aviv's deadly strike on the Gaza-bound convoy, Freedom Flotilla.
Ankara said it was %u201Cappalled and dismayed%u201D at the Israeli panel's findings, which had called both the assault and Tel Aviv's siege of the Gaza Strip 'legal.'
Israeli commandos attacked the convoy in international waters on May 31, killing nine Turkish activists and injuring about 50 others.
The fleet was carrying around 10,000 tons of humanitarian supplies for Gaza, which came under the tight land, naval and aerial blockade in mid-June 2007. The restrictions have been depriving 1.5-million Palestinians in the sliver of food, fuel, medicine and other necessities.
The activists, who survived the attack, were subsequently expelled and the cargos transferred to the Israeli port of Ashdod in the south of Tel Aviv.
Much of the international community united in expressing outrage over the incident and a United Nations inquiry found -- by complete contrast -- that the forces had shown %u201Can unacceptable level of brutality.%u201D
Headed by former Israeli judge Yaakov Turkel, however, the six-member committee concluded that "the actions taken were found to be legal pursuant to the rules of international law," AFP reported.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/161575.html
Turkish PM dismisses Israeli report on flotilla
JERUSALEM %u2013 Turkey's prime minister is dismissing an Israeli inquiry's findings defending the actions of Israeli troops in the deadly interception of a Turkish-led protest flotilla to Gaza last year.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Ankara on Sunday that the Israeli report had "no value or credibility."
The Israeli inquiry found that the actions of troops who met violent resistance aboard one ship were legal under international law. Israeli troops killed nine of those on board.
The report said soldiers were attacked by activists upon landing on the 600-passenger Mavi Marmara and used lethal force because their lives were in danger.
The flotilla was dominated by an Islamic charity from Turkey and had the unofficial backing of Erdogan's government.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
JERUSALEM (AP) %u2014 An Israeli inquiry commission defended the actions of the country's troops during last year's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound protest flotilla sailing from Turkey, finding in a report released Sunday that Israel had not violated international law.
While offering some criticism of the way the takeover was planned, the commission's conclusions exonerated the government, the military and individual soldiers of wrongdoing. The findings were unlikely to put to rest the international controversy over Israel's actions, which badly damaged its relations with Turkey and led to the formation of a U.N. investigation.
Israeli naval commandos killed nine activists aboard the Turkish protest ship Mavi Marmara on May 31 after passengers resisted the takeover of the vessel in international waters. The condemnation that followed the bloodshed forced Israel to ease the blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
The nearly 300-page reported released Sunday by the government-appointed commission said the naval blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza, the decision to intercept the protest flotilla in international waters and the soldiers' use of lethal force "were found to be legal pursuant to the rules of international law."
The commission, headed by a retired Supreme Court justice, included four Israeli members and two international observers %u2014 David Trimble, a Nobel peace laureate from Northern Ireland, and Brig. Gen. Ken Watkin, Canada's former chief military prosecutor. All signed off on the conclusions.
A fifth Israeli participant, 93-year-old international law expert Shabtai Rosenne, passed away during the deliberations.
Soldiers rappelling from helicopters onto the deck of the Marmara, with some 600 passengers on board, were mobbed by several dozen activists as they landed on deck one by one.
Soldiers were beaten, and some were thrown onto a lower deck. According to Sunday's report, two of the soldiers were shot, apparently with weapons taken from the Israelis themselves. Both soldiers and activists have said they acted in self-defense.
The commission faulted the military planners of the mission for not taking into account the possibility of serious violence, saying "the soldiers were placed in a situation they were not completely prepared for and had not anticipated."
However, looking at 133 individual cases in which soldiers used force %u2014 16 of them involving shooting to kill %u2014 the commission found soldiers had acted properly and that their lives had been in danger. The soldiers, the report said, "acted professionally in the face of extensive and unanticipated violence."
Alan Baker, former legal adviser to Israel's Foreign Ministry, said the report will likely be accepted and rejected by countries based on their prior feelings toward Israel.
He said the committee's makeup should boost its credibility among Israel's allies. He also expected the U.N.'s commission to take it seriously.
"Whether this will persuade Turkey is doubtful. Whether this will persuade the Arab countries is very doubtful. I think the serious countries will take it very seriously because of the people who were involved and because of the international observers," he said.
"I doubt very much whether it will make an impression on those elements of the international community who are pushing the anti-Israel hostility," he added.
http://yhoo.it/i07HAq