In Turkey, state prosecutors are preparing an indictment seeking life sentences for four former Israeli military commanders over their alleged involvement in the killing of nine Turks on a Gaza-bound ship ‘Mavi Marmara’ (pictured) in May 2012. The Turkish newspaper ' Sabah' reported that Istanbul’s chief prosecutor still had to approve the indictment before it could be sent to court.
The indictment reportedly accuses the former IDF Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and three other retired senior military commanders of involvement in the raid, referring to them as “fugitive suspects”, ‘Sabah’ reported. The 144-page-long indictment, the paper said, had been prepared after testimony from some 600 people, including 490 passengers from the six-ship flotilla and relatives of those who had died. Correspondence from the Turkish Prime Minister’s Office, the Foreign and Justice Ministries and the intelligence service had also helped the prosecutor draw up the indictment, ‘Sabah’ wrote.
Relations between Ankara and Jerusalem deteriorated sharply after Israeli commandos raided the ‘Mavi Marmara’ to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Turkey expelled Israel’s ambassador and froze all military cooperation after a UN report into the incident released last September largely exonerated the Jewish state. Israel has always maintained that its soldiers acted in self-defense after being attacked with clubs and knives by some of the activists aboard the 'Mavi Marmara'. A large number of such weapons were later discovered on the ship (picture left).
‘Sabah’ said it had seen details of the indictment prepared by Istanbul State Prosecutor Mehmet Akif Ekinci and that it called for ten life sentences to be given to each of the four commanders. Turkey had previously said it would try to prosecute all Israelis responsible for crimes committed during the raid and the prosecutor had written to Israel seeking the names of those involved, but had received no answer.
