Legal assessments of the Gaza flotilla raid

Who is Legal assessments of the Gaza flotilla raid?

Many legal assessments of the Gaza flotilla raid were published subsequent to the event. International law experts differed over the legality of the action by Israel. Most agree that Israel is entitled to impose and enforce a naval blockade, that Israel can intercept a ship in international waters headed for a belligerent territory, that Israel may use force when intercepting such ships, and that there must be a proportional relationship between the threat and response. The force necessary to respond to violent resistance and whether the force that was used was proportionate were disputed.

Approximately one year after the event, the UN investigative committee for the 2010 Flotilla to Gaza concluded that the blockade is legal, Israel was "justified in stopping vessels even outside its territorial waters," Israel's decision to board the vessels with such force was "excessive," Israeli forces "faced significant, organized and violent resistance from a group of passengers" that required them to use force for their own protection, and the loss of nine lives was "unacceptable."