Israel Admits Fatal Blockade 'Mistakes'

Israel's own inquiry into the May 31 Gaza flotilla raid has admitted commandos were under-prepared and mistakes were made at a senior level, but stopped short of calling the mission a failure or recommending any dismissals in response to the raid. The report criticized the operation's planners for not having a backup plan if the raid turned violent, but praised the Israeli commandos involved, the BBC reports.

"In this inquiry we found that there were some professional mistakes regarding both the intelligence and the decision-making process and some of the operational mistakes," the lead investigator said. "But also, we did find some very positive findings, and one of them that should be emphasized is the very professional and courageous way that the Israeli commando behaved." Israel has resisted calls for a UN Human Rights Council inquiry into the raid.
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