An Israeli commission of inquiry has largely exonerated the Israeli military in an inquiry over the navy's assault on a Gaza-bound Turkish ship last May, Israel Radio reported Sunday, dpa reported.
The radio report came as the public commission headed by retired Israeli supreme court judge Jacob Turkel submitted its findings to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the May 31 incident when
Israeli commandos killed nine pro-Palestinian activists on the ship.
The conclusions by the panel were to be made public later Sunday, with Turkel reading the report to journalists.
But Israel Radio cited the panel as concluding that the navy had acted "properly" in its action.
It quoted the report as saying international activists had no right to ignore Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, even if they opposed it, and that Israel had the right under international law to enforce the blockade also in international waters.
The Israeli commandos did not use excessive force, it ruled.
But the panel did criticize the Israel Navy for having been ill- prepared.