UN reports leaves no room for justification of Israel's deadly flotilla raid

A report released this week by the UN Human Right Council's fact-finding mission branded Israel's deadly May 31 raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla brutal and disproportionate, making it clear that no case can be made for the raid's legality. The 56-page report lists a series of crimes committed by Israeli forces in the raid, including willful killing and torture, and maintains there is "clear evidence to support prosecutions." Examining the circumstances of the raid, which left nine Turkish peace activists dead, the panel concluded that a humanitarian crisis existed in Gaza on the day of the incident and "for this reason alone the blockade is unlawful and cannot be sustained in law." Turkey praised and expressed appreciation for the expert report, with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu hailing it as an impartial document based on the law and solid evidence.