I have posted about this U.N. report before, and Turkey's attempts to prevent its release or at least modify the findings.Considering that this is a U.N. report, and the U.N. almost never is fair to Israel, the findings are astounding. As reported by The NY Times:
A United Nations review has found that Israel's naval blockade of Gaza is legal and appropriate but that the way its forces boarded a Turkish-based flotilla trying to break that blockade 15 months ago, killing nine passengers, was excessive and unreasonable.
The report, expected to be released on Friday, also found that when Israeli commandos boarded the main ship they faced "organized and violent resistance from a group of passengers" and were therefore required to use force for their own protection. But the report called the force "excessive and unreasonable," saying the loss of life was unacceptable and the Israeli military's later treatment of passengers was abusive.
The full report is here.
Turkey will be angry, as The Times notes:
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey says an apology and compensation would not be sufficient to return his ambassador to Tel Aviv. Israel also has to end its naval blockade of Gaza, he insisted.
The report does recommend that Israel should make "an appropriate statement of regret' and pay compensation, but the Turks say that formula does not express sufficient remorse.
The report is close to a total vindication of Israel. It affirms the legality of the Gaza blockade, which I have noted is designed to prevent shipments by sea of sophisticated weapons from Iran, as well at the fact that the reaction to the Israeli boarding of the ships was met with organized violence. While the report does say Israel used excessive force, that finding now takes place in the context of a legal blockade and a reaction to violent attacks from Islamists on the ships.
This will piss off some Anti-Israel people I know that harp about the "illegal" blockade. Heh, your own precious UN fucked you.