Jason Koutsoukis, Jerusalem
August 4, 2010 - 3:00AM
August 4, 2010 - 3:00AM
FORMER New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer will head a United Nations inquiry into Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish citizens.
This brings to five the number of inquiries set up to examine the events surrounding the May 31 interception of the flotilla as it tried to breach Israel's naval blockade of the tiny Palestinian enclave that is home to 1.5 million.
The four-person UN-panel will include outgoing Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, plus a panel member chosen by Israel and another by Turkey.
The quasi-judicial inquiry will begin its work next week, and is due to deliver a first interim report by the middle of next month. A final report is due by February.
''This is a very sensitive matter,'' said Mr Palmer, a former law professor who succeeded David Lange as prime minister of New Zealand in 1989. ''It's a quasi-judicial inquiry, so it is really very important to maintain a sense of detachment.''
After at first steadfastly refusing to co-operate with any possible UN inquiry, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had nothing to hide.
''It is in the national interest of the state of Israel to ensure that the factual truth of the overall flotilla events comes to light throughout the world,'' Mr Netanyahu said.
He said Israel had decided to participate only after it had been assured that the inquiry would be charged with a fair and balanced mandate.
Next week Mr Netanyahu, along with Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Israel Defence Forces chief Gabi Ashkenazi, will testify before Israel's own commission of inquiry into the raid being headed by former Israeli Supreme Court justice Jacob Turkel.
Last month, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights announced its own inquiry into the raid.
This followed a military review conducted by former IDF senior commander Giora Eiland.
Israel's State Comptroller, Micha Lindenstrauss, is also investigating the raid.
After Israel refused to co-operate with a UN Commission on Human Rights inquiry into the 2008-09 conflict in Gaza, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Israel's decision to participate in the flotilla inquiry was an ''unprecedented development''.
''I thank the leaders of the two countries [Israel and Turkey] with whom I have engaged in last-minute consultations over the weekend, for their spirit of compromise and forward-looking co-operation,'' Mr Ban said.
He said he hoped that the inquiry would ''impact positively on the relationship between Turkey and Israel, as well as the overall situation in the Middle East''.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the UN probe an important step, saying the investigation ''demonstrates that every UN member is accountable for its actions''.
The announcement of the inquiry was also welcomed by the United States ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, who said it represented a positive step towards repairing the once strong ties between Israel and Turkey.
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