Turkey to bring Israel to UN court

Turkey plans to initiate a legal challenge Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip at the International Court of Justice.

Turkey plans to initiate a legal challenge Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip at the International Court of Justice.

The move comes despite a United Nations report that found that the blockade was legal.

Turkey will apply to the court at The Hague next week, foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu told state-run TRT television in an interview.

Mr Davutoglu's comments came the day after Turkey suspended military agreements with Israel and moved to downgrade diplomatic relations.

READ MORE

Prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has said it will take action against Israel for refusing to apologize for the killing of nine of its citizens on a flotilla to Gaza last year.

It is also demanding compensation and the lifting of the blockade. Israel says its soldiers acted in self-defence and has expressed regret for the incident.

A UN report obtained by the New York Times and posted on its website last week said Israel used excessive force against the flotilla, though its blockade of Gaza was legal.

Mr Davutoglu told TRT that the report was written by politicians, not judges, and therefore didn't have legal status.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that while his government regrets the deaths caused by the flotilla raid, "we need not apologize for the fact that naval commandos defended their lives against violent activists."

Mr Netanyahu added that Israel would defend the soldiers who took part in the flotilla raid "everywhere and in every forum."

His remarks to the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem were sent in an statement. Israel has said that in the confrontation followed numerous warnings for the ships to change course.

It also said its soldiers were attacked with knives and clubs after boarding the Mavi Marmara, one of six vessels in the flotilla, and seven were wounded, including by gunfire, after volunteers aboard the ship grabbed Israeli firearms.

The UN report cited forensic evidence indicating that the dead were shot "multiple times," including in the back or at close range.

The findings also said Israeli soldiers faced "significant, organized and violent resistance" from a group of passengers on the vessel.

Israel says it needs to maintain a naval blockade on Gaza to prevent arms smuggling to Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the European Union and the United States.

Palestinians say the blockade causes undue suffering on the entire population of Gaza and violates international law.

The Irish-owned MV Rachel Corrie was among the ships that attempted to break Israel's blockade of Gaza last year. It was carrying 11 activists included former UN assistant secretary general Denis Halliday, Nobel laureate Maireád Corrigan Maguire and Dundalk film-maker Fiona Thompson.

Reporting: Bloomberg / Reuters