Families of Turks injured or killed when the Israeli Navy boarded a ship trying to evade the Gaza blockade in 2010 said they will sue Israeli soldiers and their commanders despite a compensation agreement between Turkey and Israel.
Under the agreement, the families would receive up to 20 times the compensation they were seeking in civil lawsuits, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınc said May 12.
Two rounds of compensation talks have been held. A third round will be held to finalize the agreement, according to the Turkish newspaper Zaman.
Turkey and Israel agreed to normalize ties after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in March apologized for Israel’s May 2010 action on the ship, the Mavi Marmara, as it attempted to evade a maritime blockade of Gaza.
In addition, Israel agreed to compensate the families of nine Turks killed when Israeli naval commandos boarded the ship.
Turkey withdrew its top diplomats from Israel and froze deals with Israel’s military after the Mavi Marmara incident.
As part of Israel’s agreement on compensation, it wants lawsuits against Israeli soldiers dropped, according to reports.
An Istanbul court is holding a trial in absentia against four Israeli military commanders responsible for the raid. They could be sentenced in absentia to life in prison. — jta