Knives found aboard the “humanitarian” voyage. (IDF)
South African Police has announced it intends to arrest four former senior IDF officers for their actions in the 2010 Mavi Marmara provocative flotilla against Israel.
South Africa’s police have issued arrest warrants against four former Israeli military commanders on Tuesday.
The four, former IDF chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former Navy commander Eli Marom, former head of Military Intelligence Amos Yadlin and former head of Air Force Intelligence Avishay Levy commanded IDF forces while overtaking the hostile Mavi Marmara voyage from Turkey to Gaza in May 2010.
The Mavi Marmara was part of a flotilla of vessels traveling to Gaza, ostensibly to deliver humanitarian aid and medical supplies, but in reality it was simply an attempt to defy Israel’s sovereignty and was meant to support the Palestinian Hamas terror organization, which rules Gaza. The only humanitarian aid found on board were boxes of expired medications.
IDF forces boarded the ship and were viciously assaulted. They killed 10 Turkish nationals while defending themselves, and several IDF soldiers suffered wounds as well.
Acting in accordance with arrest warrants issued by a court in Istanbul in 2014, the SA Directorate of the Priority Crimes Investigation Unit (DPCI) said these commanders will be arrested upon entry into South Africa.
If they are arrested, Interpol SA will arrange with Turkish authorities for their extradition, South Africa’s the Citizen reported.
“The specialized units of the SAPS [SA Police Service] and the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] must be commended, they have reaffirmed the rule of law and complied with South Africa’s international treaties,” stated Ziyaad Patel, an attorney for the complainant Gadija Davids.
Mavi Marmara activists prepare to attack IDF soldiers. (IDF)
“They have protected a South African citizen and taken decisive action against the unlawful activities and war crimes committed against Ms. Davids,” he further claimed.
Davids, a journalist who was on the Marmara, laid the first complaint with the SA police in 2011.
Spain also issued arrest warrants against six Israeli leaders on Sunday, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under a similar pretext.
Responding to the warrants, the Foreign Ministry said that after several years of legal deliberations, “the State of Israel and the embassy in Madrid have been in communication with legal authorities in Spain and handling the issue. We hope that the case will be closed soon, as it should have been a long time ago.”
The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor recently announced she would not pursue a case against Israel over the incident, despite repetitive requests by various pro-Palestinian entities.
By: United with Israel Staff