‘Israel erred in navy raid’

ISRAEL: An internal inquiry found mistakes were made at a “relatively senior” level during Israel’s deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid boat but that the use of live fire was justified, officials said Monday.

“Mistakes were made in the various decisions taken, including within relatively senior ranks, which contributed to the result not being as we would have wished,” retired General Giora Eiland told journalists in Tel Aviv, presenting the results of the military probe.

“In this inquiry we found that there were some professional mistakes regarding both the intelligence and the decision-making process,” said Eiland, who chaired the panel tasked with examining how the operation unfolded.

The Eiland Committee began its work on June 7, exactly a week after Israeli commandos launched a pre-dawn raid on a Turkish ferry carrying more than 600 activists.

In the resulting fracas, nine Turks, including a US national, were shot dead and dozens of other people injured, including nine Israeli commandos. The raid, conducted in international waters, provoked a global backlash against Israel and prompted widespread calls for an international probe.

The Israeli Government rejected the demands and instead ordered the military to launch an internal investigation, and it set up a separate panel to look into the legality of the raid.

Chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi said the military report had found no evidence of “negligence.” Tel Aviv, Tuesday, AFP