Israel military investigating deadly flotilla raid
JERUSALEM
The Israeli experts will review several internal military
investigations already under way. The military said it expects
findings by July 4 into what went wrong with last week's naval
operation.
Israeli commandos rappelled onto the deck of one of the ships
trying to break Israel's three-year-old blockade of Gaza. The
soldiers were intercepted by a crowd of activists, setting off a
clash that killed nine men -- eight Turks and a Turkish American.
Israel says its soldiers began shooting only after a mob of
pro-Palestinian activists attacked them -- a version backed up by
video footage released by the army. But the activists and their
supporters say Israeli commandos needlessly opened fire.
The incident triggered a storm of criticism of Israel, which has
rejected calls for an international investigation, saying it would
be biased against the Jewish state.
Russia's powerful prime minister, Vladimir Putin, added Moscow's
weight to the calls for such a probe.
"It has to be investigated specially," Putin said at a news
conference in Istanbul with Turkey's prime minister, a fierce
critic of Israel since its war in Gaza 18 months ago.
Israel has so far failed to defuse the calls as well as pressure
to end the blockade, part of a landslide of diplomatic fallout that
has included serious damage to its relations with Turkey, once the
Jewish state's most important Muslim ally. Israel says the blockade
is needed to prevent the ruling Hamas militant group from importing
weapons.
While Israel and Turkey still have strong military ties,
Turkey's government has been building closer alliances over the
past year with some of Israel's most bitter enemies, including Iran
and Syria.
Turkey unofficially sponsored the flotilla's lead ship, where
the violence occurred.
In Istanbul Tuesday, Turkey pushed a security summit of 22
nations to jointly condemn the May 31 raid and won Russia's
backing.
"We condemn this act," Putin said. "The fact that it was
conducted in neutral waters evokes special regret and requires
separate consideration."
A final joint declaration, however, included no condemnation. A
Turkish government official said earlier that Israel was trying to
block strong language. The official spoke on condition of
anonymity, in line with Turkish rules that bar civil servants from
speaking to journalists without authorization.
A day earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stood
side-by-side with Syrian President Bashar Assad -- whose country
plays host to Palestinian militant groups -- and accused Israel of
state terrorism.
In addition to the military inquiry, Israel's government is
seeking a formula for a broader probe that would defuse calls for
an impartial investigation.
Senior Israeli Cabinet ministers on Monday proposed establishing
a commission of Israeli jurists, joined by foreign observers, whose
mandate would be to examine the legality of the Gaza blockade and
the commandos' conduct.
The proposal has been shown to U.S. and international officials
to see if it meets their criteria for an impartial probe,
government officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity
because the plan has not been officially announced.
The U.S. Embassy had no comment on the details of the proposal.
Critics in Israel have faulted the proposal, saying it doesn't
empower commission members to investigate the political
decision-making that led up to the raid or intelligence failures
ahead of the deadly confrontation. In addition, soldiers would not
be questioned.
Past experience has made Israel wary of letting outside powers
lead an investigation.
A U.N.-appointed panel headed by veteran war crimes prosecutor
Richard Goldstone accused Israel of war crimes in the Gaza
offensive in the winter of 2008-2009. Israel rejected the
accusations.
In Gaza Tuesday, Palestinians said they retrieved the body of
two more militant divers killed in a clash with Israeli sailors off
the coast a day earlier. Israel's navy said Monday that it had
opened fire on Palestinians in diving suits whom it spotted in the
waters off Gaza. The military claimed, without providing details,
that its forces prevented an attack on Israel.
Four bodies were retrieved on Monday and Gaza health official
Dr. Moiaya Hassanain said two more bodies had been found Tuesday.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades said Monday that members of its marine
unit were training in Gaza's waters.