FORMER ISRAELI NAVY OFFICER DETAINED AT HEATHROW

London, 12 Dzulhijjah 1434/17 October 2013 (MINA) – A Former Israeli naval commander, Major General Eli Marom, was detained this morning on his arrival at London’s Heathrow airport.

General Marom was the commander of the Israeli navy during Operation Cast Lead and during the Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara in 2010.

Now retired, he is being tried in absentia in Turkey for his role in the Mavi Marmara incident, which saw the death of 9 Turkish activists, according to Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reports quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA), Wednesday (11/10).

It is not known why General Marom is visiting the UK, but upon his arrival he was briefly held at the airport by the UK Border Agency.

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During the brief detention General Marom contacted the UK Ministry of Justice. Israeli newspapers compared his brief detention to previous attempts to arrest Israeli officials, including Tzipi Livni for their roles in Israeli war atrocities.

However, unlike his Israeli colleagues who were granted “special mission” status preventing their arrests, it is not clear whether General Marom has been granted this status.

The Foreign Office and the Home Office are yet to issue a statement on the incident, though both have been contacted for comment.

Eliezer “Eli” Marom born in 1955. He was the Commander of the Israeli Navy in the years 2007-2011.

Marom’s parents met in China. His father, a German Jew, was living as a refugee during World War II. His mother was born in China; her mother was a Russian Jew who had emigrated to China, and her father was a Chinese man who converted to Judaism.

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Marom’s parents later moved to Israel, where he was born. Marom grew up in Moshav Sde Eliezer in the Hula Valley. He studied Marine Engineering in the Israel Nautical College in Akko, and began his career in the Israeli Navy in 1975 after completing a naval officers course.

Over the course of his career, Marom has held most of the senior positions in the Israeli Navy. According to Haaretz, Marom is widely praised for his abilities as a commander, but concerns about his character led to him being passed over as head of the Navy in 2004. However, Marom was finally appointed to the post in 2007. He was charged with rehabilitating the Navy after the 2006 Lebanon War, in the wake of a Hezbollah missile strike on INS Hanit.

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In March 2009, Marom was embroiled in a scandal after he was caught partying at a strip club in Tel Aviv. MK Nachman Shai called for Marom’s resignation and IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi verbally rebuked him for his behavior. Ashkenazi did not, however, attach a reprimand to Marom’s personal file.

Marom was still head of the navy during the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid. In June 2011, as the Free Gaza Movement was preparing to launch Freedom Flotilla II to Gaza, Marom was quoted as calling the action a ‘hate flotilla’.(T/P012/P04).

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)