Israel threatens to withdraw from flotilla probe

Israel on Tuesday threatened to pull out of a UN probe into its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla to keep the panel from questioning its soldiers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was a discreet arrangement to exclude military personnel from the probe, which is due to start Tuesday.

Reuters

"The prime minister said Israel would not cooperate with any commission that would ask to question soldiers," said Netanyahu’s spokesperson Nir Hefetz. "Before Israel gave the green light to its participation in the panel we had discreet negotiations in order to ensure that this commission would not harm the vital interests of Israel.”  

Ban on Monday denied he had struck an agreement that would bar the UN panel from interviewing troops involved in the operation in which Israeli commandos killed nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists.

 “The interest is focused here 99 per cent on the domestic commission appointed by the Israeli government; the Tirkel Commission," says correspondent Peretz Kidron. "In addition to all the international difficulties that the Israeli government faces, now this commission is bringing out some very serious differences within the establishment.

“There’s already a row between the Defense Minister and the Commander of the Army; now there seems to be another row brewing between the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister - and some nasty accusations creeping out in the course of the testimony.”

Israel’s internal military investigation of the incident found that mistakes were made at a
"relatively senior" level but that the use of live fire was justified.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak took the stand in the Israeli inquiry, the Tirkel Commission, today. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified.

Netanyahu on Monday said Israel had acted in line with international law and accused Turkey of seeking to gain from a high-profile confrontation.

Tirkel panel members are not authorised to probe the decision-making process which led up to the operation, and they do not have the authority to question troops involved in storming the boats.

Ban’s panel is chaired by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer and includes representatives from Israel and Turkey.