ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center
SOURCE: Shalom Life
25January2011 10:17amEST
GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: The Turkel Commission, created to investigate the flotilla incident on May 31, has unanimously agreed that Israel’s military actions in capturing the Mavi Marmara were in accordance with international law.
The commission is officially known as the Public Commission to Examine the Maritime Incident of May 31, 2010. It is chaired by Jacob Turkel, a former Israeli Supreme Court Justice who is an expert in civil law. The commission is comprised of four Israelis and 2 international observers, one of which is retired Canadian Forces Brigadier General Ken Watkin. The commission has been tasked with releasing two reports regarding issues raised by the government over the flotilla incident.
The first report released on Sunday addressed the military action taken by Israel and the legality, under international law, of the naval blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip.
According to the concluding remarks of the committee members and observers, “The naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip - in view of the security circumstances and Israel’s efforts to comply with its humanitarian obligations - was legal pursuant to the rules of international law. The actions carried out by Israel on May 31, 2010, to enforce the naval blockage had the regrettable consequences of the loss of human life and physical injuries. Nonetheless, and despite the limited number of uses of forces for which we could not reach a conclusion, the actions taken were found to be legal pursuant to the rules of international law.” (read full report)
