Israeli military probes flotilla raid

Occupied Jerusalem: The Israeli military yesterday said it had set up an internal team of experts to examine last week's deadly commando raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, while the government sought a broader formula to meet mounting international calls for an impartial probe into the incident.

The military said the team would review various internal investigations already under way and expects some findings by July 4.

Nine pro-Palestinian activists — eight Turks and an American-Turkish teenager — were killed after a squad of naval commandos stormed a ship trying to breach Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The incident triggered a storm of criticism of Israel, which has rejected calls for an international probe, saying it would be biased against the Jewish state.

The international community questions the ability of the Israeli military to credibly investigate its own actions, especially after it only acknowledged occasional mistakes in its much-criticised war in Gaza 18 months ago.

War crimes

A UN-appointed panel headed by veteran war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone later accused Israel of war crimes in that offensive, a charge Israel rejects.

Israel's experience with the Goldstone commission has only reinforced its resistance to a UN-led investigation of the flotilla raid.