Israel report: 'errors' led to nine Turkish activist deaths
An Israel Defence Forces report compiled by an investigation team headed by Major-General Giora Eiland has found that a series of intelligence and operational errors led to the situation on board the Mavi Marmara ship, in which nine Turkish citizens were killed
Eiland, a former head of the IDF's Planning Division and of the National Security Council, found that a series of intelligence and operational errors led to the situation on board the Mavi Marmara ship, in which nine Turkish citizens were killed. The 100-page report included no personal recommendations for further action against IDF officers involved in the events.
Nevertheless, the report includes trenchant criticism of a number of aspects of the planning and execution of the operation. Eiland criticised the apparent absence of a 'back up plan' in the raid's preparations. He said that once the navy ships had sailed alongside the Marmara, and noted that there were activists on board who appeared prepared to resist any attempt to board the vessel, the decision to rappel naval commandos directly onto the ship should have been delayed.
The investigation also noted that bullets found in the bodies of soldiers wounded in the course of the raid did not come from Israeli ordnance, indicating that some of the activists appear to have been armed and to have fired at the soldiers. Eiland was also critical of Military Intelligence, noting that the Turkish IHH group, which organised the flotilla, had not been designated a target for IDF intelligence gathering.
However, in this regard, some sources dispute Eiland's conclusions, arguing that Military Intelligence did have information on the IHH which was made available, but that the navy failed to make appropriate use of this information. The report was issued as another ship, this time chartered by Libya, heads for the Gaza Strip. The IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi has indicated his willingness to accept the conclusions of the IDF probe.
