Tzipi Livni, pictured at a news conference in Jerusalem, March 3, 2009. (UPI Photo/Debbie Hill) |
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JERUSALEM, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- The sea blockade of Gaza must be viewed in the context of Israeli-Palestinian agreements concerning sea access, a former Israeli leader said Monday.
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni, testifying before the Turkel Commission investigating the circumstances of Israeli commandos boarding a Turkish-flagged ship in May and killing nine passengers, tried to explain the previous government's policies in enacting the blockade on Hamas-controlled Gaza, The Jerusalem Post reported.
"These policies are relevant in relation to the circumstances that led to the flotilla and the broader context in which the flotilla events were received in the national and international arenas," Livni, a former foreign minister and deputy prime minister, said before her formal testimony.
Israel came under international criticism for the commando raid on a humanitarian aid ship. Israel said its commandos were attacked by the ship's passengers and were justified in firing their guns. Israel also said some of the activists had ties to terrorist organizations.
Authorities in Gaza "never legitimately had control of access to the sea as determined by Israeli-Palestinian agreements from the years of 1994-1995," Livni said. "The port was not part of the arrangements that were recognized by the world community."
The opposition chairwoman said the flotilla had succeeded in capturing world support because of the lack of peace talks with the Palestinians at the time, Ynetnews.com reported.
"Turkey's policies are changing, and Israel is only a small part of this," Livni said. "At a certain stage, Turkey took advantage of the political vacuum, with the provocative aim of creating legitimacy for Hamas."
