UK activists sue Israel over raid on Gaza-bound flotilla

A group of British activists has filed a lawsuit against Israeli troops over a 2010 attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that left 10 Turkish activists dead.

Lawyers of the activists have asked Scotland Yard to open a probe into the incident to find whether Israeli special forces committed war crimes.

The lawyers, representing 13 of the 34 Britons on the Turkish-flagged MV Mavi Marmara, want the Israeli soldiers, who participated in the deadly attack, in the UK to face prosecution.

Five Israeli military commanders have been accused of war crimes, according to evidence passed to the Metropolitan Police.

Lawyer Rodney Dixon QC said it was “not possible to extradite the Israeli commanders allegedly responsible,” adding, however, that “if they travel here and the police have sufficient evidence, they could arrest them and they can be prosecuted here.”

“Some have traveled to the UK before and we’ve provided that information and have asked the police to monitor the situation. At this stage we have filed the complaint with the police and requested they work as quickly as possible,” he said.
On May 31, 2010, Israeli commandos attacked the Freedom Flotilla in high seas in the Mediterranean Sea, killing nine Turkish citizens, including a teenager with dual Turkish-US citizenship, and injuring about 50 other people who were part of the team on the six-ship convoy. A 10th died recently after four years in a coma.

The flotilla was attempting to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, carrying aid to the Palestinians in the impoverished enclave.

Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007, which has caused a decline in the standards of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.

The attack sparked international outcry and plunged relations between Tel Aviv and Ankara to an all-time low at the time.