Ban. Accepted delay
Photo: AP
Flotilla report delayed at Turkey's behest
After Palmer report finds Gaza blockade legal, Turkey requests delay for talks with Israel
Though an inquiry committee investigating the 2010 flotilla has already drawn conclusions, the UN has agreed to postpone its due date for the report until Turkey and Israel come to an agreement on its content, Israeli officials say.
A UN spokesman said Thursday that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will allow the sides until June 27 to file the Palmer report.
The request to delay the report came from Turkey. Its findings, some of which have already been published, indicate that Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip is legal as well as its raid of the Mavi Marmara.
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On Thursday morning the Palmer commission, made up of international experts as well as representatives from Turkey and Israel, convened in order to accept from each side its responses to the findings. The Turks then requested a delay for additional talks with Israel, which Ban approved.
Israeli representative Joseph Ciechanover then met with his Turkish counterpart in New York in order to attempt to come to an agreement.
The UN has refused so far to comment on what it plans to do with the report's findings, but Ban has stated in the past that he appointed the commission in order to help Israel and Turkey come to an understanding about the flotilla raid, which killed nine Turks, and not to point fingers.
The commission found that Israel acted too soon in its raid of the Marmara, but that its actions were legal as well as the naval blockade on Gaza. It also heaps criticism on Turkey, finding ties between the state and the IHH as well as direct official involvement in the flotilla.
However sources say Israel will not take advantage of the findings to blame Turkey for the incident, but rather continue its efforts at improving relations with the state despite its insistence that Israel apologize for the raid and compensate the victims.
Yitzhak Benhorin contributed to this report
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