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Minister Çiçek: Turkish citizens were subjected to torture
Speaking to Today’s Zaman, Çiçek also said Tel Aviv knows what steps it has to take to normalize ties between Turkey and Israel and that he is not going to go into the matter now.
Nine Turkish activists died on May 31 after Israeli commandos boarded the Mavi Marmara, an ageing Turkish ship leading a six-boat convoy. The flotilla, which was in international waters at the time of the attack, had planned to deliver aid to Gaza in defiance of an Israeli blockade.
The Turkish citizens who were injured or killed were subjected to serious torture, and this much is evident from traces left on their bodies as well as from bullet shots, most of which were fired at close range, Çiçek said.
“This is a crime committed against humanity. Where is Amnesty International [AI] to investigate this act of torture and inhumane treatment? They rush to Turkey when there are reports of torture. AI should also be sensitive over the raid on the activists by Israeli commandos,” Çiçek said.
Çiçek also called on the 32 nations that had citizens on board the ships carrying humanitarian aid to defend their legal rights.
The Turkish minister stressed that the incident occurred in international waters and that it is meaningless for Israel to impose a blockade in international waters.
“According to this logic, Israel can extend its blockaded area up to the oceans. This is not a correct logic. US Vice President Joe Biden’s claim that Israel has the right to stop ships destined for Gaza for humanitarian aid in international waters is also not correct. Turkey has primarily taken action to have this incident addressed from the point of view of international law. Turkey has taken some steps in having the incident recognized as a violation of international law and that it took place in international waters,” he said.
‘We are against anti-Semitism’
The Turkish government is not targeting the Israeli people over the bloody raid but their government, he said.
“Turkey has always been against anti-Semitism, whether in Turkey or outside the country. Our government has stressed that the problem stems from the Israeli government’s ill-defined policies. The Israeli government has acted in a savage manner and violated the law,” Deputy Prime Minister Çiçek said.
Because the raid took place in international waters, Turkey has been seeking a resolution of the dispute within the context of international law, he said. It is therefore not easy to get results in a short time, Çiçek said. The United Nations has decided to set up a commission to investigate the incident.
“Soon after the raid on the Mavi Marmara, the Turkish government’s priority was to bring back Turkish citizens who were killed, injured or detained in Israel as soon as possible. And we did that. The second step can be seeking compensation from those Israelis responsible for the military operation on the ship.
There is serious evidence that those injured or killed were subjected to torture as well as verbal assault. Israeli commandos fired at close range. I saw that during my visit to the hospitals where those injured are being treated. The prosecutors’ offices are conducting an investigation,” said Çiçek.
Israel on June 2 deported more than 120 foreign peace activists, mostly Turkish, two days after the Israeli military raid on the aid flotilla killed nine people.
It is undeniable that Turkish-Israel relations are cool due to the incident, Çiçek said.
“For the normalization of ties, Israel knows what steps it has to take. I am not going to disclose them. We are awaiting positive steps from Israel. As of now we have recalled our ambassador to Israel, cancelled military exercises and halted mutual visits,” the Turkish minister said.
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