Israeli probe justifies flotilla raid, Gaza naval blockade

Israel's deadly commando raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that sparked global condemnation and its naval blockade of the coastal strip were today described as legal under international law by an Israeli probe and cleared the soldiers involved in the operation.

The Turkel committee report said Israel's actions had "the regrettable consequences of the loss of human life and physical injuries". Nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists were killed in the deadly Israeli raid in May 2010.

A separate UN inquiry last year said the Israeli Navy had shown an "unacceptable level of brutality".

"Nonetheless the actions taken were found to be legal pursuant to the rules of international law."

The commission also cleared the soldiers of any use of unnecessary violence.

"It is possible to determine that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers acted professionally and with great presence of mind in light of the extreme violence which they hadn't expected," the report said.

"This professionalism was evident in the fact that they continued to exchange their lethal weapons for the less lethal option and visa versa in order to give a response that was appropriate to the nature of the violence directed at them," it added.

The raid attracted widespread international condemnation and severely strained Israel's relations with long time ally, Turkey.

According to the commission, the soldiers were surprised by the violence when they boarded the Marmara.

"The decision-makers didn't have any prior knowledge of the violent reception planned by the IHH members and their inability to identify the intentions of the IHH directly affected the planning and execution of the operation," it said.

The commission members also ascertained that incomplete intelligence gathering wasn't the only reason for the lack of preparation.

"The possibility that an organised group, armed with lethal weapons was on board the Marmara and set to take active measures against attempts to board the ship wasn't taken into account," they noted.

The IDF received a great deal of praise from the Turkel committee for placing senior officers on the scene, including the navy commander.

"This increased the chain of command's awareness of the developments as they happened which helped them to receive decisions efficiently, at the right time as the incident developed," the report points out.

The 300-page report also found that Israel's naval blockade of Gaza was legal under the rules of international law.