Report of the Secretary-General’s Panel of Inquiry on the 31 May 2010 Flotilla Incident

Here are some points of the most ridiculous report that the UN has ever made. A report made by two position: Turkey and Israel.

Turkey:

The convoy had a purely humanitarian purpose and represented no security threat to Israel.32 Its intention was to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, responding to the call made by the United Nations Security Council in its resolution 1860 (2009) and a statement by a senior UNRWA official.33 The convoy consisted of six vessels: Mavi Marmara (Comoros); Sfendoni (Togo); Challenger I (USA); Gazze I (Turkey); Eleftheri Mesogeio (Greece); Defne-Y (Kiribati).34

Those on board the vessels were civilians, including politicians, academics, journalists and religious leaders.36 The vessels were carrying in excess of 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian supplies.37 There were no guns or other weapons on board.38 All passengers and baggage were thoroughly screened prior to boarding,

Israel:

The main goal of the flotilla participants was to bring publicity to the humanitarian situation in Gaza by attempting to breach the blockade.140 The flotilla was organized by a coalition of a number of organizations, of which the leading organization was the IHH.141 The Commission describes the IHH as a “humanitarian organization with a radical-Islamic orientation”142 which provides support to radical-Islamic and anti-Western terrorist organizations, including Hamas,143 and has been declared an “impermissible association” in Israel.

Turkey:

Pushed, shoved, kicked and beaten, with numerous cases of severe beatings at Ben Gurion airport; The mistreatment continued once the vessels had docked at the Israeli port of Ashdod and passengers had been disembarked. Passengers were taken to a specially prepared detention area for processing, with some also transferred to prison facilities prior to deportation.

Subjected to verbal and physical harassment, intimidation and humiliation; Interrogated, with interrogations secretly filmed without consent. Edited video footage was released, providing a distorted picture of what was said; Forced to sign incriminating statements to the effect that they had illegally entered Israel, such statements often provided only in Hebrew without translation;

Israel:

The vessels arrived in Ashdod from 11 a.m. on 31 May.222 Passengers were disembarked and underwent security screening, issuance of a detention order, medical examination and taking of fingerprints and a photograph.223 In general physical searches were not conducted; where they were, they were carried out by male or female personnel as appropriate.224 Some of the passengers refused to cooperate and had to be physically dragged through the screening process by security staff.225

After screening had been completed, passengers were transferred to prison facilities, where they were kept in open cells, given food and personal effects and permitted to meet with legal counsel and consular officials.226 Passengers were not handcuffed during transfer227 and reasonable force was only used on one occasion in order to control a passenger who had confronted security staff.228

Now the position of the UN:

The fundamental principle of the freedom of navigation on the high seas is subject to only certain limited exceptions under international law. Israel faces a real threat to its security from militant groups in Gaza. The naval blockade was imposed as a legitimate security measure in order to prevent weapons from entering Gaza by sea and its implementation complied with the requirements of international law.
Is it legitimate to let the people die of hunger and thirst?

Although people are entitled to express their political views, the flotilla acted recklessly in attempting to breach the naval blockade. The majority of the flotilla participants had no violent intentions, but there exist serious questions about the conduct, true nature and objectives of the flotilla organizers, particularly IHH. The actions of the flotilla needlessly carried the potential for escalation.

In short, the UN, as always, justify Israel, the most They can say is this:

Israel’s decision to board the vessels with such substantial force at a great distance from the blockade zone and with no final warning immediately prior to the boarding was excessive and unreasonable.

Ie: They exaggerated, it is true, but they are fighting for peace, if someone dies in this fight, it’s nobody’s fault.

michael