Mavi Marmara group welcomes Spanish judge's remarks

Mavi Marmara Freedom and Solidarity Association has welcomed a Spanish judge’s recent remarks over the 2010 Gaza flotilla incident during which he hinted at the possibility of reopening the case if Israeli premier enters Spain.

“The decision is very pleasing for us,” Ismail Yilmaz, the association’s founder, said.

Israeli actions are always full of lawlessness, Yilmaz said, adding that Israel was an “occupier state”.

He also said that Israeli lobbies in Spain had tried to hamper the reopening of the Mavi Marmara flotilla case.

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On Friday, Spanish Judge Jose de la Mata ordered local police and civil guard to inform him whenever Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ex-premier Ehud Barak, ex-foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, ex-interior minister Eli Yishai, Knesset member Benny Begin and Israeli naval commander Eliezer Marom enter Spain “since their visit could reopen a case filed against them in Spain for the attack on the Freedom Flotilla in 2010”.

In June, the same national court judge had advised the Spanish government to submit the case of the 2010 Israeli attack on the Turkish-flagged aid flotilla to Gaza to the International Criminal Court.

The judge was eventually forced to close the investigation due to Spain’s legislative reforms in March 2014, which restricted the courts’ powers in international trials.

Two Spanish activists and a journalist, who were on the Mavi Marmara and then detained by Israeli authorities, had filed a case against Netanyahu, and six other officials, accusing them of illegal arrest, torture and deportation.

The International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, opened a preliminary investigation in May 2013 against Israel. However, in November 2014, the court decided not to investigate, saying the case “would not be of sufficient gravity to justify further action by the ICC”.

Six civilian ships in the humanitarian aid flotilla were attacked in international waters by Israeli forces on May 31, 2010, as they tried to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Nine Turkish citizens were killed and 30 others injured, including one who died nearly four years after the incident.