Israel keeping flotilla ships until inquiry ends

JERUSALEM — Israel will hold on to the six ships from the international flotilla that sought to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip at least until it completes its investigation into a deadly raid on one of the vessels, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

Israel towed the boats to a northern port days after naval commandos stormed the ships, killing nine Turkish activists on board the lead vessel. Some boats remain moored in Haifa port with cargoes of cement and steel still on board, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.

Although Israel has said the soldiers acted in self defense, the bloodshed provoked an international outcry that forced Israel to it to ease the Gaza blockade.
But it has rebuffed pressure from the United Nations and Turkey to agree to an international inquiry. Instead, it has formed its own commission, headed by a retired Israeli Supreme Court Justice Yaakov Turkel, to conduct a limited investigation of the raid. Its deliberations are expected to take months.

"One thing is certain. Nothing will be done with these ships until after the Turkel inquiry because they might want to inspect them," Defense Ministry spokesman Shlomo Dror said.

On Sunday, Channel 10 TV showed footage of Israeli fisherman fishing off the flotilla's Turkish lead ship, the Mavi Marmara. All the deaths during the raid took place on that vessel, where activists clashed with the commandos. Each side has accused the other of attacking first.

The raid has battered already strained relations between Israel and Turkey, once a strong ally in the Muslim world.

Ceylam Ozem, a spokeswoman for the Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv, said her government has asked "from day one" for the ships to be returned. "They are Turkish owned. The Israelis have still not answered our demand," she said.

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