Gaza Latest (15 June): US & Britain Welcome Israeli Enquiry; Abbas Opposes Lifiting of Blockade

UPDATE 0630 GMT: Mahmoud Abbas has denied the report that he opposed the lifting of Israel's blockade on Gaza.

Both the White House and Britain's Foreign Ministry moved quickly on Monday to welcome Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's confirmation that Israel would hold an internal enquiry into the assault on the Freedom Flotilla, with the three Israeli members buttressed by former Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble and Brigadier General Ken Watkin, a former judge advocate general of the Canadian Armed Forces.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs issued this official response:

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We believe that Israel, like any other nation, should be allowed to undertake an investigation into events that involve its national security. Israel has a military justice system that meets international standards and is capable of conducting a serious and credible investigation, and the structure and terms of reference of Israel's proposed independent public commission can meet the standard of a prompt, impartial, credible, and transparent investigation. But we will not prejudge the process or its outcome, and will await the conduct and findings of the investigation before drawing further conclusions.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague called the Israeli announcement "an important step forward" and said, "Clearly it is very important that it is a truly independent enquiry and a thorough investigation that the international community can respect".

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee quickly welcomed Washington's "dramatic and courageous statement", adding: "[We] call on the Obama administration to act decisively at the United Nations and other international forums to block any action –-- including alternative investigations supported by the Secretary General –-- which would isolate Israel."

Others were not as positive. Turkey continued to insist on an independent international investigation, as Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu declared, “We don't have any confidence at all that Israel will conduct an impartial investigation -- as a country which attacked a civilian convoy in international waters, thereby committing a violation of international law....Any investigation conducted unilaterally by Israel will have no value to us.”

Critics claimed that the "international" dimension of Israel's enquiry was already compromised by the appointment of Trimble, a fervent supporter of West Jerusalem. Ha'aretz noted that the Nobel Prize laureate --- ironically, the second laureate to be involved in this crisis, as Mairead Corrigan was a passenger on the Flotilla --- had joined the “Friends of Israel” initiative launched in Paris on 31 May, an initiative which includes  Israel’s former ambassador to the United Nations, Dore Gold, a close associate of Netanyahu.

In another Gaza development, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas said that the Israeli blockade should not be lifted before a reconciliation between his party Fatah and Hamas, Gaza's political leaders, and that the step should only come through a Palestinian Government led by the current Prime Minister of the PA, Salam Fayyad.

Gaza Flotilla LiveBlog (5 June): Israel Forces Board the Rachel Corrie

1930 GMT: The Israeli military has released an audio of its communications with the "7th flotilla ship" (no mention of the name "Rachel Corrie") to accompany its video of the boarding.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pU5HPudACE[/youtube]

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1920 GMT: Ha'aretz reports on demonstrations in Paris, Dublin, London, and Sydney. Swedish dockworkers will launch a week-long blockade of Israeli ships and goods.


1550 GMT: The Israel Defense Forces have issued a press release on the docking of the Rachel Corrie at Ashdod. The IDF is still omitting the name of the ship in the announcement (see 1000 GMT).

1445 GMT: The Rachel Corrie has entered the port of Ashdod in Israel.

1420 GMT: Pressing Israel. British Foreign Secretary William Hague has used today's events to reiterate a firm stance towards Israel on both Monday's attack and on the blockade of Gaza:

I am glad that the interception of the Rachel Corrie has been resolved peacefully....We want to see a full, credible, impartial and independent investigation into the events surrounding last week's interception of the Gaza flotilla, which resulted in the tragic deaths of nine people. We continue to stress to the Israeli government the importance of an investigation that ensures accountability and commands the confidence of the international community, and includes international participation.

We urgently need to see unfettered access to Gaza to meet the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza and to enable the reconstruction of homes, livelihoods and trade. That is why we continue to press the Government of Israel to lift Gaza's closure.

1305 GMT: Eyewitness Testimony from Monday. Two accounts from passengers on the Mavi Marmara, the lead Flotilla ship where nine people died: journalist Abbas Al Lawati offers a detailedrecollection for Gulf News (Part 1 and Part 2), and filmmaker Iara Lee c9mments in the San Francisco Chronicle.

1240 GMT: The Israeli military has posted aerial video of the boarding of the Rachel Corrie:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl_hXkYOy1c[/youtube]

1045 GMT: The Israeli military is already putting out its line: "The difference between today and Monday:on Monday Israel Defense Force was facing radicals with ties to terrorism who had prepared attack."

1000 GMT: An interesting side note: in its press release, the Israeli military refuse to mention the name of the ship: Rachel Corrie.

Corrie, a member of the International Solidarity Movement, was crushed to death when she stood in the path of an Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza Strip in 2003.

0940 GMT: The Israeli military reports, "The crew of the Rachel Corrie has permitted IDF [Israel Defense Force] soldiers to board....The Rachel Corrie will be brought to the Ashdod Port where goods will be inspected and transferred to Gaza via land crossings."

Israel Defense Forces have followed this with a press release on their website.

0905 GMT: The Israeli military has just released this video of their contact with the Rachel Corrie:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDkqYrwuDP0[/youtube]

0840 GMT: Israeli military reports that the Rachel Corrie has rejected a fourth command to divert to Ashdod.

0830 GMT: The US Position. A White House statement had urged the Rachel Corrie to accept the Israeli demand to go to the port of Ashdod in Israel. National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said the ship should do so "in the interest of the safety of all involved".

0800 GMT: With the only on-the-spot news coming from Israel's military --- communications with the Rachel Corrie are jammed --- little update in the last 90 minutes. The ship, having defied a third Israeli call to divert to Israel's port of Ashdod, is about 30 miles from the coast.

An eyewitness in Gaza claims that six Israeli gunships have appeared on the horizon.

0630 GMT: Israel military says Rachel Corrie has now ignored second call to divert to Israel.

0625 GMT: Israel Defense Forces update:

[An Israeli ship signalled, “This is the Israeli Navy. You are approaching an area of hostilities which is under a naval blockade. The Gaza area, coastal region and Gaza Harbor are closed to all maritime traffic. The Israeli government supports delivery of humanitarian supplies to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip and invites you to enter the Ashdod port. Delivery of the supplies in accordance with the authorities’ regulations will be done via the formal land crossings and under your observation, after which you can return to your home ports aboard the vessels on which you arrived.”

The ship organizers chose to ignore the invitation to dock at the Ashdod port where the cargo could be unloaded and transferred to the Gaza Strip upon inspection.

0615 GMT: Israel Defense Forces write, "IDF Navy began transmission to crew of Rachel Corrie telling them to dock at Ashdod [in Israel]; aid will be transferred via land crossings to Gaza."

0610 GMT: Monday's Attack. Yalcin Buyuk, the vice-chairman of the Turkish Council of Forensic Medicine, has said the nine slain passengers from the Mavi Marmara were shot a total of 30 times.

0605 GMT: An Israeli army officer tells Ma'an News Agency that the Rachel Corrie will not be allowed to dock in the Gaza Strip: "This has been our policy all along, and does not represent a change."

0525 GMT: We wait this morning to uncertainty over the situation with the MV Rachel Corrie, the merchant ship trying to deliver aid to Gaza. It is reported that the vessel is 50 miles off the coast, but Flotilla organisers, trying every two minutes, have been unable to establish communication.

The Israel Defense Forces say that an Israeli ship has made initial contact with the Rachel Corrie requesting under customary naval protocal, that they identify themselves. They deny denied that the ship has been boarded.

Meanwhile, the propaganda battle over the initial Israeli attack on Monday continues. Flotilla supporters have posted evidence that an audio circulated by Israel Defense Forces (see yesterday's updates), ostensibly claiming that passengers replied to commands to halt with insults like "Shut up, go back to Auschwitz", has been fabricated.