An Israeli official said Sunday that UN chief Ban Ki-moon is moving ahead with plans for an international commission to investigate Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. Ban wants former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer, a maritime law expert, to head the panel, which would include Israeli, Turkish and US representatives, the Foreign Ministry official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because Ban has not announced details of his proposal. The push for an international inquiry puts Israel under further pressure to explain how its attempt to stop the aid ship from breaching a blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza turned deadly. The outrage over the deaths has also prompted calls from many nations, including the United States, for at least a partial lifting of a blockade that Israel says is necessary to isolate the Islamic militants of Hamas and keep them from boosting their arsenals. Eight Turks and a Turkish American were killed in the May 31 raid, and a preliminary autopsy report released by Turkey on Saturday said they were shot a total of 30 times. On Saturday, Israel took over another aid ship without incident. All 19 activists and crew are to be deported Sunday, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabine Haddad said. Israel has resisted an external investigation into the first raid, saying it is capable of investigating itself. It also resists subjecting its soldiers to an international inquiry. International involvement in the inquiry, however, could ease the diplomatic strains with Turkey. An inner Cabinet of senior ministers was to meet later Sunday to discuss Ban's proposal and other options.
