Spanish court shelves probe into Gaza flotilla raid
After five-year investigation, war crimes accusations abandoned, though case could be reopened if Netanyahu visits
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJudah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
A Spanish court has shelved its war crimes investigation against Israel for its 2010 raid on the Mavi Marmara flotilla to Gaza, local news sites reported on Thursday.
Spain, one of the few countries that prosecutes crimes against humanity that occur outside of its own borders, warned that it is prepared to reopen the case if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other Israeli politicians visit the country, Reuters reported.
The case was officially closed on Thursday with a written court order.
Eight Turks and one Turkish-American were killed and several other pro-Palestinian activists were wounded when Israeli commandos intercepted the Mavi Marmara ship on May 31, 2010, as it attempted to bust Israel’s naval blockade on the Gaza Strip. Several Spanish pro-Palestinian activists were on board the ship.
The Israel Defense Forces said its soldiers acted in self-defense after they were attacked with lethal weapons. Several soldiers were seriously injured in the fracas.
Judge Jose de la Mata has also encouraged the justice minister and the government of Spain to file the case with the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, the Spanish language El Mundo newspaper reported.
The ICC investigated the Mavi Marmara incident in 2013, but decided not to continue in November 2014, saying it “would not be of sufficient gravity to justify further action by the ICC.”
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