Turkish court rejects Interpol Red Notice request for arrest Israeli generals.

Turkish court rejects Interpol Red Notice request for arrest Israeli generals.(TZ).

An İstanbul court which is hearing the case opened against retired Israeli military officicers over the raid of the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara humanitarian aid ship in May 2010 has rejected lawyers' request for an Interpol Red Notice for several high-ranking retired members of the Israeli army.

One plaintiff's lawyer, Cüneyt Karaman, told the judge that it is not possible to conduct a trial without suspects being present at the court, and thus the court should pursue an Interpol Red Notice for the accused former Israeli army members. However, the request was denied by the court.

The hearings were adjourned to March 27, 2014.Members of nongovernmental organizations on Thursday gathered outside the Çağlayan Courthouse and expressed their frustration over the trial not being brought to a conclusion. 

A crowd consisting of members of the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) and Freedom Association (Özgür-Der), gathered outside İstanbul's Çağlayan Court with Palestinian and Turkish flags in their hands on Thursday, while the court was holding the 7th hearing of the trial, in which several high-ranking retired members of the Israeli military are accused of responsibility for the killing of eight Turks and one Turkish-American in the 2010 raid.

Several foreign plaintiffs who were present in the flotilla during the raid were also present at the court. Italian activist Manulo Luppicini explained how the Israeli forces raided the flotilla and stated that he was stripped of all his belongings by the Israeli soldiers and that he realized some amount of money had been taken from his bank accounts when he returned to Italy.

Numerous lawyers from Egypt, France, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Greece and Britain were also present at the hearing.The trial began on Nov. 6, 2011, and saw the attendance of a large number of attorneys from both Turkey and abroad as well as the flotilla activists and families of the victims.

The court is hearing charges filed against four of Israel's most senior retired commanders, including the ex-army chief, in absentia. Prosecutors are requesting life imprisonment for the officers who directed the raid.

Following Israel's recent apology to Turkey for the raid, the two countries began talks of compensation to be paid to the families of those who were killed or injured on the Mavi Marmara. Although there is an agreement with Israel over the parameters within which the compensation will be paid, a precise amount has not yet been determined.

Israel wants the lawsuits against its military officers to be dropped as part of the agreement on compensation.

The text of the apology offered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on March 22 said the two sides had agreed "to conclude an agreement on compensation [and] non-liability" of the Israeli military officers.

The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has identified the four accused as former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of General Staff Gen. Rau Aluf Gabi Ashkenazi, Naval Forces Commander Vice Adm. Eliezer Marom, Israeli military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin and Air Force Intelligence head Brig. Gen. Avishai Levi.