Row comes amidst leak of UN report on Gaza-bound flotilla raid
Turkey expelled Israel’s ambassador and indicated Friday that it will cut military ties with its regional neighbour over its refusal to apologize for the 2010 killing of Turkish activists on board a Gaza-bound flotilla. The move came following a UN report investigating the incident, where Israeli commandos descended upon the Mavi Marmara and killed nine people. A copy of the report obtained by The New York Times concluded that although Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip is a “legitimate security measure,” the use of military force to stop the flotilla was “excessive and unreasonable.” The report indicated that most of the activists on board the ship were peaceful, while some armed themselves with iron bars and knives in order to resist the Israeli commandos. Officials from Israel told the Associate Press that the report does not demand an apology to Turkey, but instead indicates that Israel should express regret and pay reparations. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, speaking of the UN report, said “the first and foremost result is that Israel is going to be devoid of Turkey’s friendship.”