UN accuses Israel of war crimes

The Human Rights Council has released a report condemning Israeli forces’ actions during the Gaza flotilla incident.

On May 31, Israeli forces boarded a ship of activists bound for Gaza and opened fire on passengers, killing nine Turkish men. Israel says its soldiers came under attack and were defending themselves, but a new report by a UN human rights panel says the country’s military should be prosecuted for war crimes. The report, authored by a former UN war crimes prosecutor, a Trinidadian judge, and a Malaysian women’s rights activist, says that seizing the ship on international waters was illegal and soldier’s treatment of passengers was brutal. The incident cooled previously close relations between Israel and Turkey, and caused Israel to loosen its blockade of Gaza. The UN has been accused before of having an anti-Israel bias.