A Spanish judge has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and six other former and current Israeli officials for their role in the deadly 2010 attack on the Freedom Flotilla headed for Gaza.
Spanish national court judge Jose de la Mata ordered both the Spanish police and the civil guard to notify him if Netanyahu or any of the Israeli officials cross Spain's border, as they could be arrested and tried for their involvement in the attack.
The other officials are former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, former defense minister Ehud Barak, former minister of strategic affairs Moshe Ya'alon, former interior minister Eli Yishai, minister without portfolio Benny Begin and vice admiral of the navy, Eliezer Marom, who was in charge of the operations, according to the Independent.
The charges were brought against the men following the 2010 attack by Israeli security forces against the Freedom Flotilla aid ship Mavi Marmara, the main civilian vessel in a fleet of six ships that were carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The ships, carrying some 500 passengers, attempted to break through an Israeli blockade of Gaza, which resulted in the Israeli Defense Force storming the ship in a raid that left nine human rights activists dead in international waters, more than 90 miles from Gaza. One more person died later as a result of wounds sustained in the raid.
The United Nations said that "Israel's decision to board the vessels with such substantial force at a great distance from the blockade zone and with no final warning immediately prior to the boarding was excessive and unreasonable," according to RT.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nachshon told the Jerusalem Post that the Spanish arrest warrants are considered "to be a provocation."
"We are working with the Spanish authorities to get it cancelled. We hope it will be over soon," he said.
