Gaza aid flotilla raid: Turkey criticises Israel report

Results of post-mortem examinations suggested one activist was shot four times in the head

Turkey has condemned an Israeli inquiry that said the Israeli navy acted lawfully during a deadly raid on an aid flotilla trying to reach Gaza last May.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the report had neither value nor credibility.

The raid, in which nine Turkish activists were killed, attracted widespread international condemnation.

A separate UN inquiry last year said the navy had shown an "unacceptable level of brutality".

The military operation severely strained relations with Ankara - a long-time ally of Israel.

The 300-page Turkel Committee report found the actions of the Israeli navy in the raid and Israel's naval blockade of Gaza were both legal under international law.

The panel of inquiry was headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Jacob Turkel, working alongside five Israeli members and two international observers.

Turkey has long accused Israel of launching the raid illegally and using unjustified violence during it, and Mr Erdogan challenged the report's worth.

"This report was prepared under direct orders," he said. "How can there be any value or credibility to such a report which the [accused] country itself created within its own borders?

"To my judgment there is no value, nor credibility to this report."

'Banditry and piracy'

The Free Gaza Flotilla, which had more than 600 pro-Palestinian activists aboard several aid ships, was trying to break Israel's blockade of the territory when it was intercepted by Israeli navy commandos on 31 May.

Israel says its commandos used live fire only after being attacked with clubs, knives and guns.

But activists on board the Turkish-owned Mavi Marmara say the commandos started shooting as soon as they boarded the vessel.

The Turkel Committee report said Israel's actions had "the regrettable consequences of the loss of human life and physical injuries".

"Nonetheless... the actions taken were found to be legal pursuant to the rules of international law," it said.

The report did offer some criticism of the planning of the operation, saying "the soldiers were placed in a situation they were not completely prepared for and had not anticipated".

The inquiry heard testimony from high-ranking Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Ehud Barak and army chief General Gabi Ashkenazi, as well as several Israeli-Arab lawmakers who were travelling with the flotilla.

None of the military personnel directly involved in the raid was authorised to provide testimony.

In August, Mr Netanyahu told the inquiry that Israel "acted under international law" when it intercepted the flotilla.

He said the Gaza blockade was legal and that Israeli troops used force only when their lives were in danger.

After its own inquiry, Turkey described the attack - which took place in international waters, about 130km (80 miles) from the Israeli coast - as a violation of international law, "tantamount to banditry and piracy", and described the killings as "state-sponsored terrorism".

Results of Turkish post-mortem examinations have suggested that a total of 30 bullets were found in the bodies of the nine dead activists, including one who had been shot four times in the head.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked for reports from both the Israeli and Turkish inquiries to be submitted as part of a wider UN inquiry to be held later this year.

Blockade eased

After criticism from its allies over the flotilla incident, Israel considerably eased its blockade of Gaza - allowing in more food and humanitarian goods.

The Mavi Marmara and other vessels were intercepted last May by Israeli navy commandos

Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade on the coastal territory when the Islamist militant group Hamas seized control of it in 2007.

Israel said it was intended to stop militants in Gaza from obtaining rockets to fire at Israel.

The restrictions were widely described as collective punishment of the population of Gaza, resulting in a humanitarian crisis.

But in the report released on Sunday, the Turkel Committee said: "The imposition and enforcement of the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip does not constitute 'collective punishment' of the population of the Gaza Strip."