Turkish court accepts indictment against top Israeli commanders

A Turkish high criminal court has accepted an indictment seeking life sentences for four top Israeli commanders, including the country's former chief of General Staff, involved in a 2010 Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that left eight Turks and one Turkish American dead. The Istanbul 7th High Criminal Court on Monday unanimously accepted the indictment submitted last week by Istanbul Specially Authorized Prosecutor Mehmet Akif Ekinci. The indictment seeks nine aggravated life sentences each for former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of General Staff Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, Naval Forces commander Vice Adm. Eliezer Marom, Israel's former military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin and former Air Force intelligence head Brig. Gen. Avishai Levy on charges of instigating premeditated murder. Ekinci submitted the document to the court on Tuesday and with the court's decision to accept it, charges have been officially filed against the Israeli commanders by Turkey. In the indictment, which is likely to further strain already deteriorating ties between the two regional powers, the prosecutor are seeking up to 18,032 years each for the commanders on various other charges, including attempted premeditated murder and causing injury. Ekinci's indictment only names the commanders who gave orders, with the soldiers who carried out the raid to be named in a separate indictment. The investigation into the soldiers' actions is reportedly still under way. While preparing the indictment, the prosecutor heard the testimonies of nearly 600 witnesses, including those who were aboard the Turkish ship and the relatives of victims, as part of the investigation. The unprecedented sentences the prosecutor is asking for are reportedly intended to be a reflection of the numerous victims affected by the Israeli military's actions.