UN Rights Body Condemns Israel for Flotilla Raid

GENEVA -- The U.N. Human Rights Council on Wednesday condemned Israel for its "outrageous attack" on a flotilla carrying aid to the Gaza Strip and established an international fact finding mission into possible violations of international law.

The resolution proposed by Islamic nations was adopted with 32 "yes" votes, 9 abstentions and three "no" votes cast by The United States, Israel's closest ally, Italy and the Netherlands.

At U.N. headquarters in New York, meanwhile, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held a series of separate meetings with ambassadors from Israel, Turkey, Arab nations and the five permanent members of the Security Council to discuss how to implement the council's call for "a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards."

Ban said an investigation should deal with all aspects of the incident -- not just legal violations -- and he told reporters there were "various options."

But he cautioned that "you may have to wait some time before I make a decision."

The secretary-general explained that there must be "common denominators, common understandings among the parties concerned" on an investigation and at the moment "the views are different, diverse."

"Therefore, I need to refine some elements which can get support from all the parties concerned including the Israeli government," Ban said.

Israel has refused to cooperate with previous investigations ordered by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council. That includes an investigation into the 2009 Gaza war headed by former U.N. war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone which concluded that both the Israelis and Hamas, which controls Gaza, committed war crimes.

The Israeli government also expressed opposition to the Security Council statement adopted early Tuesday calling for an investigation.

Ban said the Israeli authorities "must provide as soon as possible a full accounting of the incident" and he demanded that Israel lift the blockade of Gaza immediately.

Noting his repeatedly calls in the past for the blockade to be lifted, Ban said "if this had been done, this tragedy would have been avoided."

Israeli commandos stormed a six-ship aid flotilla Monday in international waters that was heading to Gaza to break the blockade, setting off clashes that killed nine activists and wounded dozens.

Another aid ship is already heading to Gaza, and Ban said "everything must be done to prevent another incident of this kind."

Earlier Wednesday, Mexico's U.N. Ambassador Claude Heller, the current Security Council president, told a news conference that the probe is "a matter of first importance" and "the secretary-general has to be involved in this process" and initiate an investigation.

After the council adopted the statement early Tuesday calling for an investigation, Heller said he believes that "impartial" means "independent."

But U.S. deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff disputed this interpretation, saying "we believe the Israelis are capable of conducting a full investigation," which the secretary-general called for.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, however, appeared to back down from that position later Tuesday when asked whether it was important that the investigation be run by the Israelis and whether President Barack Obama wants the international community to be involved. "Obviously, we are open to ways to assure a credible investigation, including international participation," Gibbs replied.