Israel clears its military over capture of Gaza aid ship

An ISRAELI inquiry has cleared the government and military of wrongdoing in the bloody seizure of a Turkish aid ship that tried to breach the Gaza blockade, provoking an angry response from Ankara.

The Turkel Commission - whose report will form the core of Israel's submission to a UN investigation into the incident on 31 May last year - endorsed the sea closure. However, it also called for reviews by Israel of how to direct its sanctions at Gaza's Hamas rulers and spare the civilian population.

"By clearly resisting capture, the Mavi Marmara had become a military objective," it said.

Israeli marines boarded the converted cruise ship at sea after it ignored orders to turn away.

Nine Turks were shot dead in the clash. The commission accused the IHH, a Turkish Islamist charity that owned the Mavi Marmara, "of planned and extremely violent" resistance which was "directly connected to the ongoing international armed conflict between Israel and Hamas".

Turkey said yesterday it was "appalled and dismayed" at the commission's findings.

It said its own panel's report on the incident - submitted to the UN in September - found Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip and its raid on the aid convoy had violated international laws.