The leaked (PDF) release of a 105-page United Nations review of the 2010 Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara aid ship revealed that while the UN considers the Israeli naval blockade of the strip legal they see the killing of aid workers on the ship to be “excessive and unreasonable.”
Indeed, not only did the report criticize the killings of nine people on board, but said Israel’s decision to board ships “at a great distance from the blockade zone” was also excessive. Israel’s government declined official comment, but one unnamed Israeli figure claimed the report was vindication for the attack.
The report was repeatedly delayed as Turkish and Israeli officials tried to hammer out an official narrative that would satisfy both parties, though this does not appear to have accomplished anything and Turkey is still demanding an apology for the killings, while Israeli officials rule it out.
The report doesn’t appear to support an official apology either, insisting instead that Israel offer a “statement of regret” and give Turkey some money to look the other way. Even this is likely to be a difficult sell in Israel’s hawkish Foreign Ministry, which has cheered the killings as a victory over “terror.”
This is a political witewash.
The report of the committee explicitly states that its sources of information were strictly limited to reports obtained through diplomatic channels from Turkey and Israel. So, it completely ignored the evidence gathered by other international organizations and formal UN fact finding missions. The Committee further admits that it had no mandate or means to gather the information required to make legal determinations concerning either the facts or the law:
5. It needs to be understood from the outset that this Panel is unique. Its methods of inquiry are similarly unique. The Panel is not a court. It was not asked to make determinations of the legal issues or to adjudicate on liability.
6. In particular, the Panel’s means of obtaining information were through diplomatic channels. The Panel enjoyed no coercive powers to compel witnesses to provide evidence. It could not conduct criminal investigations. The Panel was required to obtain its information from the two nations primarily involved in its inquiry, Turkey and Israel, and other affected States. The position is thoroughly understandable in the context of the Panel’s inquiry but the limitation is important. It means that the Panel cannot make definitive findings either of fact or law. But it can give its [uninformed] view." — See pages 7-8
The inclusion of the statement that the blockade was legitimate and the implementation complied with the requirements of international law is neither a definitive finding of fact nor law and it is contradicted by official fact finding reports from other Secretariat officials.
ANTI WAR Please also publish a damning report by 'Gisha' an Israeli-based Legal centre to Freedom of Movement.
Piracy on the high seas murder,terrorsim,robbery,starvation of 1 million plus and this is what those reprehensible creatures can come up with. Is there an ounce of fairness left in any of them. Then we have bankeemoon a sock puppet for america, europe, and israel we are going nowhere as humans.
Israel is trying to say the Turkish people attacked full are Israel military with knives and clubs.Enyone that belives that is stupid they were not on a suicide missionb it was humanitary.1 of many illegal actions taklen by 1 of the2 biggest terrorist countrys in the world we all know America is just as bad but much more powerfull.Wonder why Israel has more influence on America than any other country.SEE (Israels Sampson Option) then you will see who the real danger is in the Mid East and possibly the hole world.
The headline on this article is very misleading. I truly don't think that is the relevant part but that the whitewash posing as an inquiry found Israel's inhumane blockade of Gaza to be legal. The other relevant and major point is that, whilst they may have said that Israel's response was unreasonably forceful and blah blah blah, they still called it "self defense" – But nothing else can be expected from the likes of Uribe, himself a war criminal and a genocidal maniac. And such are the US and Israel's friends and allies. Birds of a feather flock together.
The United Nations is the kitchen of the United States of Israel and the sour soups called resolutions, that are served hier, are prepared according to Israeli recipies, cooked with US ingredients and forced fed to the rest of the world.