AJC Welcomes Israeli Independent Commission into Flotilla Raid

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Jun 14, 2010, 01:02 ET

NEW YORK, June 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Jewish Committee welcomed the announcement of the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, to form an independent commission that will examine the circumstances around the May 31 clash between the Israel Defense Forces and members of a flotilla organized by the pro-Hamas "Free Gaza" Movement. The commission includes distinguished Israeli and international politicians and experts.

"Israel has correctly decided that the commission is necessary. It is a commission that, as the U.S. Administration observed, meets the standard of a 'prompt, impartial, credible, and transparent investigation,' and should therefore be universally welcomed," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "The commission must now be allowed to examine all the facts and reach its conclusions without pressure or prejudgment."

The committee will be headed by former Israeli Supreme Court judge Jacob Terkel, along with international law expert Shabtai Rosen, and Maj.-Gen (res.) Amos Horev, who formerly served as president of the Haifa Technion. The international observers are Lord David Trimble, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for his efforts to bring peace to Northern Ireland, and Brig. Gen. Ken Watkin, the former judge advocate general of the Canadian armed forces.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee