JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s defense minister told an Israeli panel that Cabinet members discussed the possibility of violence during the interception of a Turkish flotilla bound for Gaza.
Ehud Barak’s testimony Tuesday contradicts testimony given the previous day by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said discussion by his seven-member inner Cabinet focused on the international perception of the May 31 interception.
Barak told the Turkel Commission investigating the flotilla incident that he took "full responsibility" on a political level for the raid in which nine Turkish nationals, including one Turkish American citizen, were killed, but added that the outcome of the operation was the responsibility of the military.
He said an outline of the operation, which included intelligence, assessment and potential outcomes, was presented to the inner Cabinet in the days before the interception. The assessment included the possibility of what Barak called "extreme scenarios," according to reports.
