142 Letter to the editor

May I thank E.E. (21/10/13) for drawing my attention to the 'Palmer Report' regarding the Israeli navy attack on the Mavi Marmara. Alltough I must concede that I had heard of the report, I had never read in full. However I find the report rather ambiguous to say the least, but nevertheless it makes some interesting observations. In its conclusion it states for instance, that the "blockade is illegal if imposed with the sole aim to starve a civilian population or if its effects on the civilian population are in excess of the achieved military advantage" (Has Israel not already have a significant military advantage over Gaza?). Furthemore: "the civilian population must be allowed to receive food and objects to its survival". The General Assembly of the United Nations of 27th September 2010 (17/HRC/15/21) in its final conclusion condemns unambiguously and downright the Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara. To my surprise I found that even one of the leading Israeli daily newspapers 'Haaretz' concluded that the Israeli action was unlawful.