Turkey's reports on Mavi Marmara raid rebuts Israel's self-defense argument

An interim report prepared by Turkish officials rebuts Israeli arguments that its forces acted in self-defense during last May's naval raid on a Gaza aid flotilla, stating that there was no justification for an attack in international waters on a civilian convoy carrying humanitarian assistance to a territory that is illegally blockaded. Turkey's report, already submitted to the United Nations in September, puts Israel's ongoing occupation and blockade of Gaza in the spotlight under UN Security Council Resolution 1860, which outlines support for sending humanitarian assistance to Gaza and ending the blockade on Gaza to help its socioeconomic reconstruction. The report states that Israel's claims of self-defense under international law are shaky at best, and also stresses that Gaza's blockade is illegal. A UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission already ruled last September that Israel had used "totally unnecessary violence" and an "unacceptable level of brutality" during its interception of the Gaza-bound flotilla. The soldiers' conduct toward the passengers onboard was "disproportionate and excessive," it said. Israel has refused to cooperate with the mission appointed by the Human Rights Council, which it accuses of being biased against it.