Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Could Technically Be Arrested if He

A judge has found a legal loophole that would allow Spanish authorities to apprehend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and six other Israeli government officials for questioning in response to a lawsuit filed by activists over the Israeli Navy’s raid of their Gaza-bound flotilla in 2010.

A Spanish court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials for their role in the 2010 attack on the Freedom Flotilla heading to Gaza, local media reported on Friday.

Speaking on the matter, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon said, “This is an issue that has been subject to legal proceedings for several years now. We hope that this will be over soon”.

Six civilian ships in the humanitarian aid flotilla were attacked in worldwide waters by Israeli forces on May 31, 2010, as they tried to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Spanish judge Jose de la Mata ordered both the police and guardía to notify him should Netanyahu or one of six other Israeli officials cross Spain’s border. The tenth activist later died in hospital after sustaining wounds in the debacle.

Autopsies revealed the nine Turkish men were shot with 30 bullets and five were killed with close-range bullets to the head.

The Israeli officials facing arrest in Spain are former defence minister Ehud Barak, former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, former strategic affairs minister Moshe Yaalon, former interior minister Eli Yishai, minister without portfolio Benny Begin and vice admiral in charge of the operation, Maron Eliezer, the report said.

A United Nations panel that reviewed the case later denounced the Israeli attack on the vessel as “excessive and unreasonable”. However, the Israeli government denied that any such warrants were issued. A court in Istanbul issued arrest warrants for the four in 2014.

Attorney Ziyaad Patel, who represented Davids, in conjunction with the Muslim Lawyers Association (MLA) said: “The specialised units of the SAPS (SA Police Service) and the NPA (National Prosecuting Authority) must be commended, they have reaffirmed the rule of law and complied with South Africa’s worldwide treaties”.