Israeli Report: Flotilla Raid Planning was Flawed

Tel Aviv, Israel, incomplete intelligence-gathering and planning led to the botched and deadly Israeli raid on Gaza, to protest flotilla, the security forces underestimating the potential of violence, the official report released on Monday.
The report, however, highly appreciated the Commandos who participated in the operation, saying they justified in opening fire and killing nine after the press by the violent pro-Palestinian activists on board one of the ships;
The report concluded that intelligence-gathering was incomplete, and that the various intelligence units could not communicate properly with each other. It criticizes the activities of the planners for not having backup plan in case of violence.
It does not offer any dismissals, although it is possible that some high-ranking officers will be out or demoted in further shake-up.
"We found that there were some errors on the professional intelligence and decision-making process, and some operational errors," the report authors, retired General Giora Eiland, told reporters at the Defense Ministry press conference, where the declassified sections of the report were discussed.
Some errors in the high-level command, he added, giving few details. The report itself will not be published.
The criticisms that were broadcast to the briefing, as well as praise for the soldiers who participated in the raid - has been widely reported inside Israel since the May 31 attack.
Video footage Israeli Commandos to be beaten by activists on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which is accompanied by the international outcry over the bloodshed, has led Israel to close ranks around their military.
But the raid also had an effect opposite the one Israel is desirable. It is mainly international attention on the three-year blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and Israel to ease movement of goods through land crossings.
Israel's naval blockade of the territory, meant to keep weapons from reaching Hamas militants, remained on the spot. Later this week, the blockade will be challenged again, this time a libyan protest ship.
A statement that Israel's military Chief of Staff, Lt. General Gabi Ashkenazi, said he could not identify failures or negligence, but "open errors that need to be corrected further cases.
Military officials briefing reporters said that as a result of lessons botched raid and the inquiry, the navy will be able to stop such vessels in the future. However, if the activists attacked the soldiers on board with the plan to kill themselves, that may well happen.
Public officials are monitoring the footage after playing that he has shown, passengers aboard the Mavi Marmara, saying they want to die as martyrs. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they went beyond the conclusions of the inquiry.
On Maritime five other ships, there was only passive resistance.
Organizers libyan ship, which was sent to a charitable group headed son of libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, said they are not seeking confrontation with Israel, but are determined to reach Gaza.
"This ship is to carry out humanitarian aid and its organizers are looking for a political campaign or media campaigns or any provocation," said Youssef Sawani, executive director of Gadhafi International Charity and Development Foundation, which sent a protest ship.
Sawani is hoped that the ship that reach Gaza on Tuesday.
Boat can bypass Gaza in general, however, head straight and related Egyptian port of El-Arish.
Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the boat was a welcome port of El-Arish if organizers made a request and then the resolution will help to transfer land in Gaza.
Israel resisted calls for UN-led investigation into raid, saying it would be biased. In addition to the investigation conducted for the military, Israel has appointed a civil investigation with the limited mandate of investigating the legality of action.
International observers are two of the civil commission, headed by a retired Israeli Supreme Court judge.
Is unrelated news, the Israeli military said Monday that he plans to investigate the death of a Palestinian man was killed by tear gas canister fired by Israeli security forces during protests against Israel's West Bank separation barrier 15 months ago.
Military said that the reopened investigation, because new information came to his attention. The B'Tselem group, which investigates alleged Israeli human rights abuses in the West Bank, pressed for an investigation and rejected the military's initial contention that Bassem Abu Rahmeh was standing behind a group of Palestinians hurling rocks at troops.
Video footage showed him shouting, no throwing stones when he was shot.
Also Monday, Jerusalem city committee has approved construction of 32 housing units in the Jewish neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem. The U.S. and the Palestinians object new construction there. Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as their capital. Several steps remain in approval process, and actual construction is likely to be years away.