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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| Israeli military: 'Mistakes were made' in deadly flotilla raid | |
| 2010-07-13 | |
Nine activists, all Turks, died and dozens were wounded in the assault. One of those killed had dual U.S.-Turkish citizenship. The investigation, which was headed by Maj. Gen. (Reserves) Giora Eiland, found that while high-level officials had committed errors in judgment, no one in the military had behaved negligently. The report avoids recommendations that would have led to the demotion of military personnel or other strong actions. "We found that there were some professional mistakes regarding both the intelligence and the decision-making process and some operational mistakes," Eiland said. Parts of the report were declassified and given to reporters Monday by an official who insisted on being identified only as a senior military official involved in the investigation. The full, 100-page report was given directly to Israel Defense Forces head Gabi Ashkenazi and several other high-ranking military officials. Ashkenazi announced that he'd adopt all of its recommendations. The main incident probed was the IDF's handling of the Mavi Marmara, the largest vessel of a six-ship flotilla originating in Turkey that attempted to break Israel's sea blockade of the Gaza Strip on May 31. The Israeli navy stopped all six ships, as well as the The report praises individual commandos who took part in the raid, but cites "flawed intelligence" for underestimating the potential for violence on the Marmara. Despite three months of preparation before the flotilla arrived, various intelligence-gathering units in the Israeli military didn't communicate with one another, it says. It says the IDF failed to prepare a backup plan in the event of violence. Among the approximately 600 passengers on board the Mavi Marmara, accounts varied as to how the violence began. Several passengers said the IDF fired on the boat before landing. The report says activists on board were the first to open fire. A gun that probably was seized from the first soldier to rappel onto the ship from a Black Hawk helicopter was used to fire on the second soldier who descended onto the ship, according to the senior official involved in the report. He added that a bullet extracted from the knee of one of the soldiers was not of a sort the IDF uses, proving that the passengers had their own weapons, ammunition and a readiness to instigate violence. He said that only a small number of people on the Mavi Marmara had engaged in violence, but that they'd taken over the ship. A Palestinian official who's involved in the Turkish organization that sponsored the Mavi Marmara, the IHH, said the report showed "that the IDF has a vivid imagination. Instead of truly investigating their own criminal behavior they chose to accuse peaceful activists of starting the violence." "We hope that the international community continues to call for an independent inquiry so that we can learn what truly happened that day," he said. The official spoke only on the condition of anonymity, fearing retribution from Israel. | |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #1 I think the mistake was admitting a mistake was made. |
| Posted by: Jeremiah Flainter9609 2010-07-13 05:07 |