IDF ‘Show Trial’ Resumes in Turkey
A Turkish court resumed proceedings on Thursday against several former Israeli military commanders for their role in the interception of the Mavi Marmara, one of the ships in the 2010 flotilla attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Israel has dismissed it as a politically motivated “show trial” that could only cause further harm to bilateral relations. The Foreign Ministry noted that the accused had not even been notified of the charges against them, which included multiple life sentences for alleged crimes leading to the deaths of nine Turkish nationals.
The trial in absentia of the group of the former senior officers, including former chief of staff Lt.-Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi, started in November but then recessed.
No Israeli officials are present at the trial to raise objections or conduct cross-examination of the witnesses.
According to an unconfirmed account, the first witness on Thursday was a crew member of the Mavi Marmara who testified that the IDF perpetrated an inhumane attack that caused him permanent health problems. The crew member testified that he was forced to enter Israel under gun point, was interrogated for hours and was treated as a terrorist.
This article appeared in print on page 9 of edition of Hamodia.
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