Flotilla probe finds errors, not failures

High-level military officials made mistakes in their handling of the Israeli interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla, but there were “no failures,” an Israeli military investigation found.

The official Defense Ministry internal investigation report by a committee headed by Maj.-Gen. (Res.) Giora Eiland, the former head of Israel’s National Security Council, was handed over July 12 to the army’s chief of staff and several high-ranking officers.

The report, focusing on the military’s preparations for the flotilla’s arrival and the carrying out of the interception on May 31, states that preparation for the interception and that the battle guidelines issued to the commandoes were equally “flawed.”

The committee also concluded that the passengers on the deck of the Turkish-flagged ship Mavi Marmara had begun the violence, which resulted in the death of nine Turkish passengers. — jta