Former intelligence chief speaks of Mavi Marmara ‘mistakes’

The former head of military intelligence told Turkish media in an interview published Tuesday that both sides made mistakes when dealing with the Mavi Marmara ferry in 2010 when nine Turkish citizens died as IDF commandos stormed the ship.

Amos Yadlin, who was director of the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate at the time of the incident, made the comments during an interview with the Turkish Anadolu Agency. When asked if he would act in the same way again, Yadlin replied that the incident would not repeat itself these days and that he wished it had never happened at all.

The report initially quoted Yadlin as saying that “what happened on the Marmara was a big mistake.” However, in an interview with Channel 2 published on Wednesday, Yadlin vehemently denied the specific comment and explained he had said that both sides made mistakes.

Yadlin was one of the core team of military leaders who oversaw the mission in May 2010 when IDF naval commandos attempted to take over the Mavi Marmara that was carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists to Gaza in an effort to break Israel’s naval blockade of the coastal enclave. The raid became a melee as around 40 activists violently fought against the soldiers who, feeling their lives were in danger, eventually resorted to using live ammunition, killing nine of those on board.

The incident caused a crisis in diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkey that have remained frosty despite an official apology by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in March.