Palestinians lash out at UN Freedom Flotilla report

The leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said the UN report on inquiry into last year's Freedom Flotilla incident violated international laws. The Palestine News Agency (WAFA) quoted a PLO Executive Committee member, Hanan Ashrawi, as saying that the report was a "dangerous political and legal setback" because it stated that the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza was legal and legitimate. "Attacking a ship in international waters and killing people on board is an act of piracy punishable by international law, especially since Israel is an occupying state," Ashrawi said. The executive committee of PLO, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people on the international arena, said in a statement that it would continue diplomatic efforts to prove that the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip contradicts international laws. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed nine Turkish activists aboard the Freedom Flotilla as they were trying to breach Israel's embargo on the Gaza Strip. The UN secretary general's Panel of Inquiry set last year to investigate the incident last week laid the blame on Israel, Turkey and the trip's organizers. The report says that "the naval blockade was imposed as a legitimate security measure in order to prevent weapons from entering Gaza by sea and its implementation complied with the requirements of international law."After the report leaked to the press before its official publication, Israel said that it will not send an official apology to Turkey over the deadly Gaza flotilla raid. Turkey responded by saying that it would minimize diplomatic relations with Israel and freeze cooperation in the military sphere.