Nine Turkish activists were killed by Israeli commandos who were attacked when they boarded the Mavi Marmara ship as it tried to breach the maritime blockade on the Gaza Strip in May , and a 10th died in hospital in The raid exacerbated an already frosty relationship, with both countries withdrawing their respective ambassadors from the country capitals, though diplomatic ties were never fully severed.
Prosecutors had been seeking life sentences for the alleged involvement of former IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former navy chief Eliezer Marom, former military intelligence head Amos Yadlin and former Air Force intelligence chief Avishai Levy, who were all put on trial in absentia in Israel also agreed to allow Turkish aid to reach Gaza as part of the agreement.
The Istanbul court ruling came exactly a week after a Turkish prosecutor called for the charges to be dropped following the diplomatic reconciliation. Israel and Turkey held their own inquiries, submitting the findings to an international panel set up by the UN, chaired by a former New Zealand Prime Minister, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, and including an Israeli member and Turkish member. Turkey's report, drawn up by government officials, accused Israeli commandos of "excessive, brutal and pre-meditated" conduct.
It concluded their action boarding the Mavi Marmara was "unlawful" and breached human rights. Results of post-mortem examinations had earlier suggested a total of 30 bullets were found in the bodies of the dead activists, including one who had been shot four times in the head. The Turkish panel also deemed the Gaza blockade "unlawful". The Israeli inquiry , headed by Judge Jacob Turkel, and including five Israeli members and two international observers, found the actions of the navy and Israel's blockade of Gaza were legal under international law.
However, it offered some criticism of the planning of the military operation. It also referred to "the regrettable consequences of the loss of human life and physical injuries". In September , the UN panel concluded in a repeatedly-delayed report that the loss of life and injuries resulting from the use of force by Israeli troops was "unacceptable". However, the commandos did face "significant, organised and violent resistance", requiring them to "use force for their own protection", the panel found.
Nevertheless, no satisfactory explanation was provided by Israel for any of the deaths, and the "forensic evidence showing that most of the deceased were shot multiple times, including in the back, or at close range" was not accounted for, the report said. There was also "significant mistreatment" of passengers by Israeli authorities after the takeover of the vessels, including physical mistreatment, harassment and intimidation, unjustified confiscation of belongings and the denial of timely consular assistance, it added.
At the same time, the panel said that the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza was imposed as a "legitimate security measure" to prevent weapons from entering Gaza by sea and its implementation complied with the requirements of international law. The flotilla acted "recklessly" in attempting to breach the naval blockade of Gaza, and more could have been done to warn flotilla participants of the potential risks involved and to dissuade them from their actions, according to the report.
In November , a preliminary examination by the International Criminal Court's Chief Prosecutor concluded that it should not take further action despite a "reasonable basis to believe that war crimes… were committed", because it had to prioritise war crimes on a larger scale. The flotilla incident caused a deep rift between the former allies. In the immediate aftermath of the flotilla raid, Turkey withdrew its ambassador from Tel Aviv and then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for Israel to be punished for its "bloody massacre".
Joint military exercises were also cancelled. Following the publication of the Palmer report, which was delayed several times as diplomats tried to repair relations, Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador in Ankara. The Turkish government had insisted on receiving an Israeli apology by the time the report was released.
Israeli officials noted that the UN report did not demand a full apology, establishing only that Israel should issue an "appropriate statement of regret" and "offer payment for the benefit of the deceased and injured victims and their families". In November , a court in Istanbul began trying in absentia four retired Israeli commanders over the raid.
Among the charges was "inciting murder through cruelty or torture". The Israeli embassy in Ankara called the trial a "unilateral political act with no judicial credibility". Premium Digital access, plus: Convenient access for groups of users Integration with third party platforms and CRM systems Usage based pricing and volume discounts for multiple users Subscription management tools and usage reporting SAML-based single sign-on SSO Dedicated account and customer success teams.
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