Israel threatening to quit UN flotilla probe
Do I get to say "I told you so" yet?Israel is threatening to quit the UN probe into the flotilla fiasco. Israel Radio has just reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu said this evening in response to a statement by Ban Ki-Moon that Israel would not cooperate with any international probe that attempts to call IDF soldiers as witnesses. Netanyahu further says that the agreement with respect to the probe was that the only material Israel would provide to the UN is the Turkel report (hearings started today) and the results of the IDF investigation released last month (Hat Tip: Gershon D).
Israeli officials said the agreement to take part in the U.N. probe was conditional on the panel relying on reports from Israel's own military inquiry, not testimony from soldiers.Canada's National Post is reporting that the arrangement regarding IDF soldiers was supposed to be secret (Hat Tip: NY Nana).
But at a Monday news conference at U.N. headquarters, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was asked whether he had agreed not to summon Israeli soldiers before the panel.
"No, there was no such agreement behind the scenes," Ban said, adding that the panel is supposed to work with the Israeli and Turkish inquiries. "And whatever is needed beyond that, they will have to discuss among themselves, in close coordination with the national government authorities, that they can take their own future steps," he said.
In response, the Israeli Prime Minister's office issued a harsh statement. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes it absolutely clear that Israel will not cooperate with and will not take part in any panel that seeks to interrogate Israeli soldiers," it said.
...
A senior Israeli official said the advance agreement with Ban was that requests for additional information or clarifications from the panel would be routed through the Israeli representative, and soldiers would not be called for testimony.
"This was and remains a vital condition for Israeli participation in the panel," he said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he went beyond the government statement. This appeared to leave the door open for Israel to resume its cooperation if soldiers are exempted from testifying.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:58 AM
6 Comments:
PM Netanyahu never mentioned the 8000 rockets, including several in the last month, including the last two killed by them being a Thai and a Jordanian... as the reason that the blockade cannot be lifted. And therefore, blockade runners, including Obama's posse, need to be stopped.
I can't imagine not delineating the Israeli side of the situation (rockets shot into civilian areas) as they did the flotilla event delineation. They must be doing it on purpose. Makes no sense to me.
Carl,
Thanks for the hat tip.
No matter what Israel does, the UN will try to 'get' Israel...I do not think that Bibi would give in on this.
Re the article in the National Post? I read it on line every day, as it has more pro-Israel articles and comments than any other paper, and in adddition also goes after Israel's enemies, and those in favor of the mosque at Ground Zero. I wish an American paper was as friendly to Israel and the Jews, and also to those who do not want the mosque, not at any price.
So the UN lied to Israel?
And chief dhimmi Jew Netanyahu is shocked, shocked and shocked that Moon gave no undertaking the UN would not under any circumstances, interrogate IDF solders?
Well, its time for Israel to pull out to spare itself from the inevitable UN lynching. If any one in Israel thought the Palmer investigation might be fair, that illusion has now been dispelled.
In a fair world, Turkey and Hamas would be under investigation. Why in the world does Israel need to justify the obvious to a body packed with Israel's enemies?
You can ask Netanyahu what good he thinks is going to come out of placing his own country in the defendant's seat at the UN, knowing full well what the outcome is going to be even before the so-called inquiry even begins.
What could go wrong indeed
Anybody remember the last time the UN investigated 9 civilian deaths? And questioned the soldiers involved?
Looks like Bibi got snookered by Obama. Again.
This is garbage. What was the last country investigated by not one but two UN panels for 9 civilian deaths? When as the last time a UN tribunal questioned soldiers?
GET OUT NOW!
Sunlight,
If you read his opening statement to the Turkel Commission (I posted an excerpt and a link on Monday), I think he actually did discuss it.
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