UN: Israel Not Cooperating in Flotilla Probe

Israel Declines Comment on Investigation

by Jason Ditz, August 24, 2010

The international investigation into the May 31 Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara, which left nine aid workers dead, is going extremely poorly according to UN officials, because Israel is refusing to cooperate and has not allowed the investigation team to visit the nation.

Israel surprised many by agreeing to cooperate with the probe in the first place, particularly after officials claimed that those calling for the probe were inherently anti-Israel. But that cooperation flagged earlier this month when Israeli officials claimed a “secret deal” existed with Ban Ki-moon that granted blanket immunity to all commandos from testifying.

The claim was immediately denied by the UN, prompting official “outrage” by Israel and threats to withdraw from the probe entirely. So far they haven’t withdrawn, but they also aren’t cooperating.

Israel is declining to comment on the investigation, or on their lack of cooperation with the investigation. The Israeli government claims that the ship was secretly full of al-Qaeda terrorists who were heavily armed, though no one from the ship was detained as a terrorist and no guns were found.

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