Report to criticise flotilla raid
Israel's first internal report on the deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla will criticise the planning and intelligence-gathering that preceded the operation and not the commandos who conducted it, defence officials have said.
The report will not recommend dismissals but some senior officers could be ousted or demoted in ensuing shake-ups, said the officials, who were familiar with the report but spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of its formal release.
Israel has resisted calls for a UN-led inquiry into the raid, saying it would be biased. In addition to the investigation conducted for the military, Israel has appointed a civilian inquiry with a mandate limited to investigating the legality of the operation. Two international observers have been attached to the civilian commission, which is led by a retired Israeli Supreme Court judge.
The officials said the report, commissioned by the military and authored by a retired Israeli general, will not fault the commandos who opened fire after being confronted by violent pro-Palestinian activists on board one of the ships.
Eight Turks and one Turkish-American died in the raid, which provoked an international outcry and strained relations with Turkey.
Anger over the May 31 incident forced Israel to ease its land blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The naval blockade, meant to keep weapons from reaching Gaza's Hamas rulers, remains in place.