RUTHFULLY YOURS

A statement from Prime Minister’s Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the commission would be chaired by retired Israeli supreme court judge Yaakov Tirkel, while the peer, the former First Minister of Northern Ireland, would be one of two foreign observers along with retired Brig Gen Ken Watkin, the former chief military prosecutor in Canada.

“In light of the exceptional circumstances of the incident, it was decided to appoint two foreign experts who will serve as observers,” the statement said.

But it added that Lord Trimble and Brig Gen Watkin “will not have the right to vote in relation to the proceedings and conclusions of the commission”.

The Obama administration and the UN have urged Israel to involve foreigners in the investigation, while Turkey and others have demanded an inquiry without Israeli involvement.

The US said they expected the investigation to be carried out “promptly”.

“While Israel should be afforded the time to complete its process, we expect Israel’s commission and military investigation will be carried out promptly,” said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

“We also expect that, upon completion, its findings will be presented publicly and will be presented to the international community.”

The announcement came after Tony Blair, the Middle East envoy, said he hoped to see movement in the next few days on easing the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under rising pressure to ease the embargo since a deadly raid on a Turkish-backed aid ship heading to Gaza last month, held talks on the issue with former British Prime Minister Mr Blair on Friday.

Asked when supplies could begin getting through to Gaza, Blair told the BBC: “I think it’s got to be pretty soon.”

“As fast as the next few days I hope we can get significant movement on this because otherwise I think the pressure will build up,” he said.

“As Benjamin Netanyahu has quite rightly said today, there is a way to distinguish between the security aspect and the daily life aspect. And if we keep that distinction in our mind then I think we will get the right answer and we can start that quickly,” he said.

Mr Blair said the Palestinian authorities and the European Union, as well as Israel, could play a role in policing the flow of goods into Gaza.

“There are all sorts of different ways that you can help police this material, the main thing is to make whatever policing system you have effective,” said Mr Blair, the envoy for the Quartet of international powers – the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia – seeking peace in the region.

Israel says the embargo it imposed when Hamas rose to power in 2006 is aimed at preventing weapons from reaching the Iranian-backed Islamists who have refused peace initiatives with Israel because they reject its right to exist.

Mr Blair said he believed reconciliation between Hamas and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction was possible.

“For people like myself it would be far better if we were engaging with Hamas constructively. The difficulty is when Hamas are still prepared to say ‘we don’t give up the use of violence …’,” he said.

“I hope they decide they do want to be part of it (the peace process) because the door is open if they want to go through it,” he added.