On 10 August 2010, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with the members of the panel of inquiry established in order to examine and identify the facts, circumstances, and context of what has come to be known as the "Gaza flotilla incident". Headed by former New-Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer, this panel is expected to deliver its first progress report by 15 September 2010.
On 31 May 2010, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an operation to stop a flotilla of six ships that set sail from Turkey with the intention of breaking the naval blockade Israel has imposed over Gaza. During the takeover of the Mavi Marmara, the largest ship in the flotilla, nine people were killed in a violent confrontation with Israeli naval commandos. The next day, the U.N. Secretary General stated that "it is vital that there is a full investigation to determine exactly how this bloodshed took place".[1] Approximately two months later, on 2 August 2010, he announced the establishment of a panel of inquiry that would investigate the flotilla incident with the agreement and cooperation of both the Israeli and Turkish Governments.[2]
In addition to former Prime Minister Palmer, who serves as its chair, the four-member panel is composed of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who was appointed vice-chair. It also includes representatives of the Israeli government and the Turkish government: Joseph Ciechanover, the former Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and Özdem Sanberk, a senior Turkish diplomat.
The panel's mandate is to examine and identify acts and circumstances surrounding the flotilla incident, but not to determine individual criminal responsibility. In order to conduct its inquiry, the panel will receive and review the investigations and reports of each country and will request clarification and additional information from national authorities as necessary.[3] The panel is scheduled to meet in early September and is expected to submit its first progress report to the Secretary General by 15 September 2010.
Although the Israeli Government has agreed to cooperate with the panel of inquiry, it staunchly refuses to allow the panel to interview or investigate IDF soldiers.
This UN panel of inquiry is one of several investigative bodies examining the events of 31 May 2010. The other investigative bodies include an Israeli national fact finding committee (the Turkel Committee),[4] a parallel Turkish fact-finding committee,[5] and the U.N. Human Rights Council's International Fact Finding Committee.[6] It remains to be seen what degree of cooperation each investigative mission will receive, and what the relationship will be between these investigative missions and the reports produced.