ISRAEL IS considering whether to co-operate with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) investigation into the maritime raid on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla after prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu described the probe as “similar to the Goldstone committee, with unsympathetic trends, to say the least”.
No official announcement has been made, but a number of Israeli officials indicated that Israel will opt not to co-operate with the three-member team appointed on Friday in Geneva to investigate Israel’s interception of the flotilla on May 31st, which resulted in the death of nine Turkish activists.
The team, which plans to visit Israel, Gaza and Turkey before presenting its findings in September, comprises Desmond de Silva of Britain, the former chief prosecutor of the UN war crimes tribunal on events in Sierra Leone; International Criminal Court judge Karl Hudson-Phillips of Trinidad; and Mary Shanthi Dairiam of Malaysia, a women’s rights activist.
Fearing another critical report similar to the probe into the Gaza war headed by retired South African jurist Richard Goldstone, some ministers at yesterday’s cabinet meeting in Jerusalem suggested a policy of non-cooperation or even a ban on the three panel members entering Israel.
Mr Netanyahu said the question will be discussed in coming days, and Israel is in contact with UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon on ways to co-operate with a separate probe Mr Ban set up, headed by former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer. The cabinet approved two more members for Israel’s investigation committee into the flotilla raid: former foreign ministry director-general Reuven Merhav and law professor Miguel Deutsch.
They will join retired supreme court justice Jacob Turkel, retired Maj Gen Amos Horev, international law expert Shabtai Rosenne, and international observers David Trimble and Ken Watkin.
Meanwhile, Israel is bracing itself for another flotilla, with reports that two ships are planning to sail from Lebanon shortly. Defence minister Ehud Barak said: “We view the Lebanese government as responsible for ensuring this flotilla will not leave, and if it will, it will be escorted by the Israeli navy to Ashdod port.”
Israel has decided to release unconditionally the Mavi Marmaraand two other Turkish boats that took part in the May flotilla, after initially insisting the owners had to promise the vessels would not be used in future flotillas.