Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has said his country will in future escort aid ships travelling to the Gaza Strip.

Reacting to Israel’s refusal to apologise and a UN report on last year’s Gaza flotilla incident, which failed to condemn the killing of the nine Turkish activists, Erdogan said, “Turkish warships, in the first place, are authorized to protect our ships that carry humanitarian aid to Gaza…From now on, we will not let these ships be attacked by Israel, as happened with the Freedom Flotilla.”

Turkish demands for an official apology from Israel and compensation for the families of the raid’s victims have not been met. Israel has, however, downplayed the diplomatic standoff, saying relations with Turkey are strong enough to weather the current differences.

However, Turkish officials described the standoff as a serious crisis.

“We waited fifteen months for an Israeli apology, but it never came,” said Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Selcuk Unal. “Throughout this period, we continued to consult with Israeli authorities and made our demands clear. But so far Israel has chosen to ignore our demands.”

A UN report commissioned by the UN Secretary General to investigate this incident – The Palmer Report - was leaked on September 1 saying the Israeli soldiers used “excessive and unreasonable” force against passengers of the Mavi Marmara but, contrary to what Turkey has argued, it found that the Israeli blockade of Gaza is legal, a sharp contradiction to the UN commissioned report presented to the UN Human Rights Council almost a year ago, in September 2010.

The report from the UN Human Rights Council found that not only the siege and the attack on the Mavi Marmara was illegal, but that “There is clear evidence to support prosecutions of the following crimes within the terms of article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention: wilful killing; torture or inhuman treatment; wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health.”

It found that the Israeli blockade on Gaza is illegal, and said, “There is clear evidence to support prosecutions of the following crimes…wilful killing; torture or inhuman treatment; wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health.”

It added: “The conduct of the Israeli military and other personnel toward the flotilla passengers was not only disproportionate to the occasion but demonstrated levels of totally unnecessary and incredible violence. It betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality,” the report said.

Erdogan said the raid, which took place in international waters in the Mediterranean, was “inhumane” and “an act of state terrorism and savagery” and asserted that the UN panel’s report “holds no value for us.”

“If the measures [we have] taken so far [against Israel] are part of a Plan B, then there will also be a Plan C. Different steps will be taken depending on the course of developments…We are totally suspending our commercial, military and defense ties. They are being frozen entirely,” he added, without clarifying what the next round of sanctions might include.

Human right groups have slammed Palmer panellists for announcing that it believed Israel’s naval blockade was legal when in the same report declares that the legality of the blockade was not in the panellists remit.

“The Palmer Report was a product of deliberations by two ex-premiers, together with representatives of Israel and Turkey – in contrast, the UN Human Rights Council report was written by three internationally renowned lawyers, who interviewed over 100 passengers,” said a Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) spokesman.

Sarah Colborne, PSC Director, and a passenger on the Mavi Marmara which came under attack, told The Muslim News: “Israel’s desperate attempt to use the Palmer report to justify its blockade, and its attack on civilians in international waters, has run aground. The report clearly states that the loss of life and injuries resulting from the use of force by Israeli forces during the take-over of the Mavi Marmara was unacceptable, and that Israel did not ‘adequately account’ for the forensic evidence showing that seven of those killed were shot multiple times, including in the back, or at close range.”

Turkey has already cut military ties and expelled Israel’s Ambassador.

It has also said it will challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza at the International Court of Justice.
Relations between Turkey and Israel have worsened since Israeli forces boarded the Mavi Marmara aid ship in May last year as it was heading for Gaza. Nine Turkish activists were killed during the raid.

Spokesman of Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation, Salih Bilici, who organised the flotilla told The Muslim News that they were “not expecting any apology or compensation from Israel. We are waiting for international action.”