U.N. Report Faults Both Turkish Charity and Israeli Navy in 2010 Flotilla Raid
September 2, 2011 | Read Time: 1 minute
A United Nations report expected to be released Friday says Israel’s Navy used “excessive and unreasonable” force in a fatal May 2010 raid on aid ships attempting to break the country’s Gaza blockade but also criticized the Turkish charity behind the flotilla, reports The New York Times.
The U.N. probe found that Israeli commandos who boarded one of the six boats met “organized and violent resistance” from some passengers. The report said there are “serious questions about the conduct, true nature, and objectives” of the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, known as IHH, the aid group that primarily organized the flotilla.
Eight Turkish nationals and an American of Turkish descent were killed in the raid.
The report states that Israel’s efforts to halt ships from reaching Gaza did not violate international law, though Turkey took issue with that conclusion, according to The Times. The incident soured relations between the two countries, and talks aimed at healing the rift and possibly blocking the report’s release were unsuccessful.
