BICOM

The Turkel Commission, which is investigating the events that took place on the Mavi Marmara ship last year, in which nine Turkish activists were killed, released the first part of its report on Sunday. The Commission concluded that the IDF acted legally when it opted to stop the flotilla in international waters as it made its way toward Gaza, after the flotilla’s crews had been warned that Gaza was under blockade. The Commission also determined that the naval blockade on Hamas-controlled Gaza is in accordance with international law. The Commission offered some criticism of the performance of bodies tasked with intelligence provision, whose faulty assessments ended with naval commandos being sent onto the Mavi Marmara armed with non-lethal weapons. Overall, however, the report is seen as largely a vindication of the IDF’s performance. The report was endorsed by its two international observers, Lord David Trimble and Canadian Brigadier General (Ret) Kenneth Watkin. The observers described the inquiry as independent and rigorous. 

Its results were dismissed yesterday in a statement by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyep Erdogan. 

For a full  briefing see – BICOM Briefing: The Turkel Committee findings