U.N. to open inquiry into Israeli flotilla raid

Tuesday into Israel's interception of a humanitarian aid flotilla, in which nine people were killed. The investigation begins a day after Israel opened its commission to investigate the incident that left one Turkish-American and eight Turkish activists dead in the altercation.
Israeli commandos intercepted the flotilla at sea and stormed the largest vessel, the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara.
Israel has maintained its troops used force on the activists after they were attacked by those on board. Soldiers were attacked with knives, metal poles and other objects, Israeli officials have said. But passengers on board the boat insist they were fired upon without provocation.
The incident left a wide-ranging military and diplomatic alliance between the Jewish state and Turkey, its powerful regional ally, badly shaken and drew international outrage.
The ships were carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, organizers said. The Palestinian territory has been blockaded by Israel since its takeover by the Islamic movement Hamas in 2007.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the inquiry last week.

"For the past two months, I have engaged in intensive consultation with the leaders of Israel and Turkey on the setting-up of a panel of inquiry on the flotilla incident," Ban said in a statement. "This is an unprecedented development. I thank the leaders of the two countries with whom I have engaged in last-minute consultations over the weekend, for their spirit of compromise and forward-looking cooperation."

The panel will be led by Geoffrey Palmer, former prime minister of New Zealand, as chairman and Alvaro Uribe, former Colombian president, as vice-chair, Ban said. Representatives from Israel and Turkey will be the panel's other two members.
The panel will begin its work Tuesday and submit its first progress report by mid-September, the statement said. Ban said he hopes the panel's work will "give me recommendations for the prevention of similar incidents in the future."
He said he also hopes the agreement will "impact positively on the relationship between Turkey and Israel as well as the overall situation in the Middle East."
On the opening day of Israel's inquiry, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel operated within international law when it stopped the flotilla and raided the Mavi Marmara on May 31.
"I'm convinced that at the end of your investigation, it will be clear that the state of Israel ... operated in accordance with international law and that ... soldiers on the Marmara showed great courage in fulfilling their mission and acting in self-defense against real-life dangers," Netanyahu said Monday.

On Tuesday, Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak is expected to testify in the Israeli investigation.

CNN