Nine people were killed, and dozens wounded, when Israeli troops boarded a flotilla of ships carrying aid for Gaza on 31 May 2010. It was the ninth attempt since 2008 to break an Israeli and Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip by sea, but the first that resulted in bloodshed. The findings of a UN inquiry on the raid are expected to be officially published soon
How did the confrontation begin?
The six ships were boarded in international waters, about 130km (80 miles) from the Israeli coast. Commandos landed on the largest ship, the Turkish-owned Mavi Marmara, by descending on ropes from helicopters. They were attacked by the activists on board and opened fire.
Who started the violence? This is disputed. The activists say the commandos started shooting as soon as they hit the deck. Israeli officials say the commandos opened fire only after being attacked with clubs, knives and a gun which was taken from them. Video released by the Israeli military stops just before the shooting begins. A UN inquiry was apparently unable to determine at exactly which point the commandos used live fire.
Where were the dead activists from? They were all Turkish, including one who had a dual Turkish-US nationality. All were travelling on the large lead ship in the flotilla, the Mavi Marmara.
What was the purpose of the flotilla? It wanted to deliver aid to Gaza, breaking an Israeli and Egyptian blockade on the territory. The ships were carrying 10,000 tonnes of goods, including school supplies, building materials and two large electricity generators. The activists also said they wanted to make the point that, in their view, the blockade was illegal under international law.
Who organised it? A group called The Free Gaza Movement, an umbrella organisation for activists from numerous countries, and a Turkish group called the IHH (Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief).
The Israeli government says the IHH is closely linked to Hamas, which it views as a terrorist group, and is a member of another organisation, the Union of the Good, which supports suicide bombings.
However, the Turkish government regards the IHH as a legitimate charity, and had urged Israel to let the flotilla through.
Why did Israel want to stop the flotilla?
Israel prevents a large range of goods from reaching Gaza, in order to put pressure on the Hamas government. These include cement and scaffolding, which it says can be used to make launchers for rockets.
Following international outcry over the raid, Israel eased its blockade somewhat, allowing in most consumer goods that have nothing to do with stated security concerns. Egypt reopened its Rafah border crossing. The naval blockade of Gaza - which extends three nautical miles off the coast - remains in place.
Israel also wanted to check that the ships did not contain deliveries of weapons or cash. It offered to allow the flotilla to land in an Israeli port, and to deliver by road any goods that passed its checks.
Some previous flotillas had been allowed to reach Gaza, others were turned round and sent back.
How did the international community react? There was widespread condemnation of the violence. The UN Security Council issued a statement calling for a "prompt, impartial, credible and transparent" inquiry into the raid.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Israel to lift the Gaza blockade.
What have inquiries found? In September 2010 a UN Human Rights Council report said Israel's military broke international laws, that the action by commandos, which left nine dead, was "disproportionate" and "betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality". Israel rejected the report as "biased" and "one-sided".
Israel and Turkey held their own inquiries into the raid, submitting the findings to an international panel set up by the UN. The findings were conflicting.
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".
An Israeli inquiry, headed by Judge Jacob Turkel, with five Israeli members and two international observers, delivered its report in January. It found the actions of the navy and Israel's blockade of Gaza were legal under international law and but 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".
What happened to the UN report? UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced an investigation into the raid back in August 2010. The former New Zealand Prime Minister, Geoffrey Palmer, was appointed to preside over a four-member panel that included an Israeli and a Turkish member.
Publication of the report has been repeatedly delayed, apparently to allow Israel and Turkey to continue reconciliation talks.
A leak of the report published by the New York Times says Israel used "excessive force" in its raid but that the naval blockade was legal and legitimate to stop weapons reaching militant groups.
The UN also found that Israeli commandos were met with "organised and violent resistance" when they boarded the Mavi Marmara, according to the paper.
Israel is said to feel vindicated by the report while Turkey is disappointed.
How have relations between Turkey and Israel been affected? The deep rift between these two former allies has worsened.
Following the leak of the Palmer report, Turkey expelled the Israeli envoy and suspended military cooperation. It had insisted on an Israeli apology by the time the report was published. Israeli officials say the report does not demand a full apology, establishing only that Israel should express regret and pay reparations.
In the immediate aftermath of the flotilla raid, Turkey had already withdrawn its ambassador from Israel and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for Israel to be punished for its "bloody massacre". Joint military exercises were cancelled.
Behind-the-scenes diplomacy and Turkey's decision to send planes to help fight fires in northern Israel last November only temporarily improved relations slightly.
What protests have taken place since? Less than a week after the deadly confrontation on board the Mavi Marmara, another vessel - the Irish-owned MV Rachel Corrie - tried to sail into Gaza. It was intercepted by Israeli troops, with no apparent confrontation. Other boats were later diverted to the Egyptian port of el-Arish.
One year after the raid, plans were announced for another aid flotilla to set sail for Gaza. This time the IHH did not take part. More than 300 protesters on 10 ships, from North America and Europe, were due to join.
The Israeli military was under orders to prevent them from reaching the Palestinian territory.
Greece prevented several vessels from setting sail from its waters. Some crews claimed their ships were sabotaged to stop them joining the flotilla. Israel dismissed this as "ridiculous".
Another initiative by pro-Palestinian activists was the so-called "flytilla". Hundreds planned to fly to Israel's Ben Gurion airport and declare their intention to visit the occupied West Bank for peaceful activities. Most were stopped from b
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment