The United Nations report did

Aaron Carine — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:46:07 +0000

The United Nations report did support the Israeli claim that the soldiers met with armed resistance when they boarded, although it seems to regard the killings as unlawful--five shot from behind, one probably finished off after he was wounded, no evidence that the dead had been armed--and also says that prisoners were mistreated. It also questions the decision to board the ship. In short, not as hard on the IDF as the Turkish report, but still a verdict of guilty.

Netanyahu apologizes to

A Guy Called LULU — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 18:30:17 +0000

In reply to Netanyahu apologises to Turkish PM for Israeli role in Gaza flotilla raid (possibly under torture by Obama in an airport trailer?!)

Netanyahu apologizes to Turkey and that is a great diplomatic achievement. But, what exactly did Netanyahu apologize for?

The 'operational mistakes' that Netanyahu apologized for were killings. Israel was charged with war crimes and United Nations members overwhelmingly agreed that Israel was guilty of very serious human rights violations, as the majority of the victims, the UN investigation revealed, were killed "execution style". The semi-apology for 'mistakes' that president Obama arranged was to Turkey. Furkan Dogan was a U.S. citizen, he was apparently executed, but we do not get an apology. Who cares? Based on media mentions, hardly anyone.

From the Dag link with my emphasis:

"The prime minister made it clear that the tragic results regarding the Mavi Marmara were unintentional, and that Israel expresses regret over injuries and loss of life. In light of the Israeli investigation into the incident, which pointed out several operational errors, Netanyahu apologised to the Turkish people for any errors that could have led to loss of life and agreed to complete the agreement on compensation."

The following appears on pages 30 and 31 of the UN report into the Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla: Emphasis mine.

Furkan Dogan, a nineteen-year old with dual Turkish and United States citizenship, was on the central area of the top deck filming with a small video camera when he was first hit with live fire. It appears that he was lying on the deck in a conscious, or semi-conscious, state for some time. In total Furkan received five bullet wounds, to the face, head, back thorax, left leg and foot. All of the entry wounds were on the back of his body, except for the face wound which entered to the right of his nose. According to forensic analysis, tattooing around the wound in his face indicates that the shot was delivered at point blank range. Furthermore, the trajectory of the wound, from bottom to top, together with a vital abrasion to the left shoulder that could be consistent with the bullet exit point, is compatible with the shot being received while he was lying on the ground on his back. The other wounds were not the result of firing in contact, near contact or close range, but it is not otherwise possible to determine the exact firing range. The wounds to the leg and foot were most likely received in a standing position.
The autopsy report was never handed over to US authorities despite repeated requests to that effect.

On 3 June 2010, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed his death and said U.S. officials had met with Doğan's father to express their condolences. Clinton said,

"Protecting the welfare of American citizens is a fundamental responsibility of our government and one that we take very seriously. We are in constant contact with the Israeli Government, attempting to obtain more information about our citizens.

Are they still trying? Should we care? In May 2011, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the U.S. government to release documents related to its knowledge and role in the attack, which it has thus far blocked.

Details from the U.N. report of other death are here at Mondoweiss. One detail of the 'operational mistakes' is that an old man was shot by a bean bag at such close rage that it entered his skull and remained lodged there.

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/09/the-details-of-those-killed-on-the-mavi-ma...

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The United Nations report did

Netanyahu apologizes to