ICC Not to Investigate Deadly ’Israeli’ Attack on 2010 Turkish Flotilla

Local Editor

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court [ICC] have decided not to open a probe into a 2010 "Israeli" attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that left nine Turkish activists dead.

Despite a "reasonable basis" to believe that "Israeli" forces committed war crimes in a deadly attack on Turkish humanitarian flotilla bound for seized Gaza in 2010, the International Criminal Court [ICC] decided such crimes are "not of sufficient gravity" to fall under the court's jurisdiction.

"The information available provides a reasonable basis to believe that war crimes under the Court's jurisdiction have been committed in the context of interception and takeover of the Mavi Marmara by "IDF" ["Israeli" War Forces] soldiers on 31 May 2010," the court paper reads.

The court took up the petition in March 2014 and announced it would launch an investigation into the case. However, after reviewing the petition, the ICC found that while there was a "reasonable basis" to believe "Israeli" soldiers had committed war crimes, they were not of sufficient gravity to fall under the court's jurisdiction, the court papers added.

A lawyer for the victims, Ramazan Ariturk, told the press at the time that, "The evidence of "Israeli" aggression was presented to the court. The accused include "Israeli" officials involved in the raid, including the "Israeli" prime minister, [war] minister and the chief of staff of the "Israeli" military."

The lawsuit against "Israel" was filed in The Hague in May 2013 on behalf of Turkey's Humanitarian Aid Foundation [IHH] and victim's families.

On May 31, 2010, "Israeli" commandos attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea, killing nine Turkish citizens, including a teenager with dual Turkish-US citizenship, on board the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara and injuring about 50 other people who were part of the team on the six-ship convoy.

The flotilla was attempting to break the "Israeli" naval blockade of the seized Gaza Strip, carrying aid to Palestinians in the enclave as it has been blockaded since June 2007.

The 2010 atrocity caused international condemnation where only three years after the raid, in March 2013, Turkey received an official apology from "Israel".

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team