Yesterday saw the publication of a report into Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, the
Hamas-run part of the Palestinian crypto-state, and the Israeli military’s raid on a flotilla of aid ships bound for the coastal enclave last year.
The inquiry, headed by former judge Yaakov Turkel, argued that:
“The naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip… was legal pursuant to the rules of international law” The inquiry defined the fight between Israeli forces and Hamas and other Gaza-based militant groups as “an international armed conflict”.
Critically, the panel’s two international observers – former Northern Ireland first minister David Trimble and Brigadier-General Ken Watkin of Canada – both agreed with the report’s conclusions and issued a statement saying: “We are glad the commission made ongoing efforts to hear both sides,” adding “We have no doubt the commission was independent.
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