Pyotr Lukimson, Israel. Exclusively to VK
Israel didn’t react to the report on a Turkish claim against Israel demanding compensation equal to 10 million Turkish liras (about 21 million Israeli shekels) to victims of Mavi-Marmara’s offensive. Simultaneously Israeli lawyers discussed the possibility of filing a counter-claim on the equal sum.
33 people filed the claim to the Turkish court, including those who represent families of three out of nine died participants of the fleet “Freedom to Gaza” (Furkan Duan, Jibdat Kilichar, and Nidzhat Ildrym) and 30 aggrieved from actions of Israeli military men. They state in their claim that they became victims of illegal actions by Israeli soldiers, responsibility for whom lies on the state of Israel.
Previously the Istanbul Court on Criminal Cases received the claim from the government against four former top officers of the Israeli Defense Army – head of the headquarters Gabi Ashkenazi, head of the Army Intelligence Service general Amos Yadlin, commandant of Naval Forces admiral Eli Meroma, and commandant of Air Entry Avishai Levi. These four people were accused of murder of nine and injuring 144 pro-Palestinian activists aboard of Mavi-Marmara. According to the Turkish prosecution, the defendants should be sent to prison for 18 000 years.
The prime minister’s office, the Ministry of Justice, and the Foreign Ministry of Israel state that this claim has no legal grounds as the UN committee defined the blockade of Gaza is legal, and Israel had the right to arrest Marmara. However, some Israeli lawyers are sure that if Turkish court issues paying compensation to the aggrieved, it might lead to certain financial steps against Israeli companies working in Turkey and worsen complicated relations between two countries.
In this situation it would be reasonable to make counter-claims on behalf of military men who were hurt during the fight aboard Marmara, including the soldier who was shot in stomach. The investigation failed to find the man who shot. Israel states that along with axes, knives, and baseball bats there were guns on the ship, which was sunk in the sea later. The passengers of the ship say that the soldier was injured by his own gun which was whipped away.
Many Israeli experts believe in reality such court wars are senseless, as they will lead to nothing but new escalation of tension. It would be better to try to find a compromise at the governmental level, after which any claims would be irrelevant.
