4 top Israeli officers indicted in Turkey

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ISTANBUL, Turkey, May 28 (UPI) -- A Turkish court said Monday it accepted indictments against four high-ranking Israeli military officers, charging them with murder during a 2010 naval blockade.

Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, Adm. Eliezer Marom, Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin and Brig. Gen. Avishai Levy are charged with instigating premeditated murder in the deaths of eight Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American when the Israeli Navy attacked an international aid flotilla attempting to break an Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, the Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reported Tuesday.

With the Istanbul 7th High Criminal Court's decision to accept the indictment, charges against the Israeli commanders, calling for up to 18,032 years in jail per person on a variety of counts including premeditated murder and causing injury, have been officially filed, the newspaper said, adding the indictment will likely cause further strain in the deteriorating ties between the two countries.