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Begin criticizes report on Gaza flotilla

JERUSALEM, June 14 (UPI) -- A report criticizing the Israel's handling of the 2010 Gaza flotilla shows it is easy to be wise after the event, Minister Benny Begin said Thursday.

Begin, a member of the Likud Party and minister without portfolio in the government, acknowledged the government made mistakes, Ynetnews.com reported. Begin is the son of Menachem Begin, who served as prime minister during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

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"I've learned from my father that wisdom in hindsight is still wisdom, but it should be qualified as such," he said. "After all, it's obvious that we made mistakes in planning the operation … . I don't think that we should draw conclusions from the report about the government's conduct in general."

Nine men, all of them Turkish nationals, including one with dual U.S. citizenship, were killed when Israeli forces boarded the Mavi Mamara. Begin said if the government had realized how fierce the resistance might be, it would have planned the operation differently.

State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss prepared the report. He criticized the planning of the raid and Israel's release of information afterwards.

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