USELESS UN TO DELIVER TO GAZA

U.N. to deliver Gaza cargo on ships seized by Israel By Patrick Worsnip – 5:30 PM JUNE 15,10

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations has agreed to deliver to Gaza cargo aboard three aid ships seized by Israel on May 31 and has won the consent of Israel and the cargo's Turkish owners to do so, a U.N. envoy said on Tuesday.Israel's navy took control of a six-ship convoy trying to run the Jewish state's blockade of Gaza and forced it to dock in Israeli ports. Nine people were killed aboard one vessel, the Turkish-registered Mavi Mara, provoking an international outcry. Israel said its commandos acted in self-defense.U.N. Middle East envoy Robert Serry told the Security Council the United Nations was ready to take responsibility for delivery of the aid cargo on an exceptional basis.The world body has obtained the consent of the cargo owners of the three Turkish-registered vessels to take possession of and responsibility for the entire cargo and ensure its timely distribution in Gaza for humanitarian purposes as determined by the United Nations, Serry said.The government of Israel has agreed to release the entire cargo to the United Nations in Gaza, again on the understanding that it is for the United Nations to determine its appropriate humanitarian use in Gaza,he added.Serry said he had reason to believe that the de facto authorities in Gaza -- a reference to the Hamas militant group that controls the Palestinian territory -- would allow the United Nations to determine where the aid went.Israel has blockaded the territory since Hamas took it over three years ago, allowing in only what it considers essential goods. An Israeli cabinet minister said on Tuesday that the Jewish state is examining ways to ease the blockade.

SOON AS POSSIBLE

The U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees runs an extensive aid and education operation in Gaza.Serry, who was making a regular monthly report to the Security Council on the Middle East, said the United Nations would begin the distribution effort as soon as possible.He said the United Nations had not so far been approached about the cargo aboard other diverted aid ships, including the Rachel Corrie, boarded by the Israeli navy on June 5 and sailed to the port of Ashdod, but would try to help if it was.Serry also made clear that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's proposal for a full international inquiry into the May 31 storming of the aid flotilla was in addition to the investigation Israel itself plans to carry out.Israel's cabinet on Monday approved the Israeli inquiry, whose panel will include two foreign observers.The United Nations said on Monday the Israeli probe could fit with Ban's proposal, which it said remained on the table.The two (inquiries) combined would fully meet the international community's expectation for a credible and impartial investigation,Serry said. The two approaches are complementary.Diplomats say Ban wants a neutral inquiry panel led by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer and including Israeli and Turkish representatives.Serry said that during a closed-door discussion in the Security Council on Tuesday,I think there was support expressed for what the secretary-general tries to do.

Israel has failed evacuated Gaza settlers: study by Gavin Rabinowitz – JUNE 15,10

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel has failed the 8,000 Jewish settlers who were pulled out of the Gaza Strip in 2005, with most still languishing in caravan parks five years on, a report said on Tuesday.The state of Israel failed in its treatment of the evacuees,said the 488-page report which looked at how the government dealt with those evacuated from Gaza and from four small settlements in the northern West Bank under the 2005 disengagement plan.In the wake of the pullout, a state commission of inquiry was set up to examine how the settlers have fared since, the conclusions of which were presented to the government on Tuesday.The commission, chaired by retired supreme court judge Eliyahu Matza, found that most of the evacuees had not been properly resettled.The vast majority are still living in temporary caravan parks, the building of most of the permanent homes has not even begun,the report said.The unemployment rate among the evacuees is double that of the general population, the economic situation among some of the evacuees is harsh, with many in need of assistance from welfare services.Israel's handling of the evacuees has been widely seen as a test case for a potentially much larger withdrawal from the West Bank under any future peace deal with the Palestinians.

After receiving the report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the government would work to resolve the problems. Our aim is to ensure that every one of the evacuees is living in permanent housing; that's our commitment as a government.The Yesha Council, which represents the Jewish settlers, slammed the report, saying the commission had failed to examine the effects of the withdrawal on the political situation in the region.The broader issues of how policies of disengagement from Israeli territory are fundamentally harmful to our long-term security interests have never been adequately addressed,council chairman Naftali Bennett said in a statement.Two years after the pullout, Gaza was forcibly taken over by the radical Hamas movement which has since fired thousands of rockets into southern Israel. That prompted the Jewish state to wage a devastating 22-day war on the territory at the end of 2008, in which 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.There is no reason to believe that disengaging from territory under Israeli sovereignty will ever lead to a peaceful resolution with our neighbours. This should be the ultimate conclusion of any real commission of inquiry,Bennett said.

Lebanese women to send aid ship to Gaza: organisers
JUNE 15,10

BEIRUT (AFP) – An aid ship transporting medical supplies to Gaza is to leave Lebanon in the coming days with dozens of women activists on board, one of the organisers told AFP on Tuesday.We are all independent women who believe in breaking the (Israeli) siege on Gaza,said Samar Hajj, who is coordinating the trip.But Israel warned that it will not allow the boat to pass or for Lebanon's Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah to use it to transport arms to the Gaza Strip.We will not let Iran or an organisation like Hezbollah bring weapons and rockets into Gaza which could kill Israelis,a senior Israeli government source told AFP, insisting the boat would not be allowed to reach Gaza.And a senior defence official, quoted by Israel's army radio, said Israel would hold the Lebanese government accountable if Hezbollah was involved in the aid shipment.Hajj, meanwhile, stressed that the women were not affiliated with Hezbollah or any other political organisation.This has nothing to do with Hezbollah even though it is an honour for us to be supporters of the resistance,said Hajj, whose husband Ali Hajj was one of four generals detained for nearly four years in connection with the 2005 car bombing that killed former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri and 22 others.Ali Hajj, who was domestic security chief, was released from prison in April 2009 after a UN-backed tribunal said there was insufficient evidence against the generals.

Hajj's wife said so far 50 women -- Muslim, Christian and secular -- had signed up for the trip on board the cargo ship Mariam.Among them were 30 Lebanese and 20 foreigners, including several European nationals.She said all the logistics for the trip had been handled by the Free Palestine Movement, a non-governmental organisation.We are going there because it is our duty, she said.The ship will be leaving very soon,she added, without giving an exact date.Preparations are also underway by other pro-Palestinian activists to send an aid ship carrying educational supplies and journalists from Lebanon to Gaza.The planned trips come following Israel's raid on May 31 on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that left nine pro-Palestinian activists dead and sparked international outrage.Last year, a Lebanese freighter which tried to deliver aid to Gaza in defiance of the blockade was intercepted at sea by the Israeli navy.

Hamas TV forced to halt broadcasts to Europe By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer – Tue Jun 15, 3:08 pm ET

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – A France-based satellite provider is halting broadcasts of the Hamas TV channel to Europe and parts of the Arab world because of concerns that it spreads incitement, a station official said Tuesday.The decision will deprive Gaza-based al-Aqsa TV of most of its viewers, said the channel's head, Hazem Sharawy.

The Hamas station — best known for its children's programs glorifying violence against Israel — is the centerpiece of a growing media operation of Gaza's Islamic militant Hamas rulers. Losing the satellite provider will hamper the group's attempts to spread its message and raise funds abroad.The decision to cut off the Hamas station came six years after a similar move by France and the U.S. against al-Manar, the channel of Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah.In Paris, Eutelsat spokeswoman Vanessa O'Connor said that last week the French broadcasting regulator CSA ordered it to stop beaming the Hamas channel into Europe by June 26. Al-Aqsa TV is part of a package of channels transmitted by Bahrain-based satellite operator Noorsat, which passes them in a single signal to Eutelsat, O'Connor said.Eutelsat has passed on the CSA's order to stop transmitting al-Aqsa TV to Noorsat. O'Connor said it was up to Noorsat to block the al-Aqsa TV signal. She would not comment on what would happen if Noorsat doesn't comply with the CSA order by the June 26 deadline.Sharawy said Noorsat called late Monday, telling al-Aqsa TV that its programs incite to hatred.The al-Aqsa chief alleged that the decision was politically motivated and meant to silence criticism of Israel. The enemy (Israel) can kill us, destroy our lands and blockade us. But we aren't allowed to expose them,Sharawy charged.The Hamas channel immediately flipped into campaign mode Monday. The top left hand corner of the channel showed a countdown and read time remaining for broadcast.The satellite broadcasts, which reach Europe, North Africa and parts of the Gulf, are expected to be halted Thursday, Sharawy said. The channel is not beamed to the U.S.Al-Aqsa's second satellite provider only reaches viewers in the Middle East, he said. Viewers can also still watch the station on the Internet.

Sharawy said he did not know how many viewers the station had, but that viewer phone calls and text messages indicate the bulk are from outside Gaza. He said the station's coverage during Israel's three-week war with Hamas in Gaza that ended in January 2009 dramatically boosted al-Aqsa TV's popularity.During the war, the station's building was bombed and employees broadcast from a secret location.In the past, Israel and others have repeatedly accused al-Aqsa TV of inciting against Israel, especially in children's programs.One of its most criticized programs, Tomorrow's Pioneers, once featured a high-pitched Mickey Mouse rip-off called Farfour who encouraged children to fight against the occupiers of Muslim countries, while taking calls from kids who were praised for singing about fighting Israel.

After a wave of criticism, the station killed off Farfour with mock-Israeli soldiers beating him to death. But it has not toned down the message of its children's programs.The station is popular with conservative Muslims in Gaza for its Islamic-based programming. Women wear headscarves and sometimes face veils on morning talk shows. Music videos show girls modestly dressed in headscarves singing, as well as gunslinging militants fighting Israel and chanting for revenge. The channel's lengthy interview programs provide the Hamas viewpoint to the world.

Hamas sees media outreach as a vital part of the movement's success.

It has another television channel that broadcasts from Lebanon, several affiliated Web sites, a radio station, a glossy magazine for its military wing and two newspapers printed in Gaza. The militant group has also produced a movie glorifying one their militants and created animations boasting about their capture of an Israeli soldier held for the last four years in Gaza. Six years ago, Hezbollah's al-Manar television was also limited. At the time, France's highest administrative body banned satellite broadcasts by the Lebanese television station. Later, the U.S. State Department placed the Hezbollah station on its list of terror organizations for broadcasting incitement.Additional reporting by Associated Press writers Diaa Hadid in Ramallah, West Bank and Greg Keller in Paris.

Hamas buying land in Jerusalem, says Israel
Tue Jun 15, 11:15 am ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) – The Islamist Hamas movement is buying land in Jerusalem as Palestinian groups jockey for influence in the disputed Holy City, the head of Israel's Shin Bet security service said on Tuesday.Hamas is working through Dawas (Islamic missionary and charity groups) to buy land within the municipal borders of the city,Yuval Diskin told the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, according to officials who attended the closed door meeting.Jerusalem, holy to Christianity, Judaism and Islam, is one of the thorniest issues in the Middle East peace process and has been a frequent flashpoint between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Palestinians want to make east Jerusalem the capital of their promised state. Israel, which captured it in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in a move not recognised by the international community, lays claim to the entire city as its eternal, indivisible capital.But Diskin said various Palestinian groups were also competing with each other for influence in Jerusalem, home to the Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest site.The main forces operating in Jerusalem are Hamas, Fatah and the Islamic Movement, he said, referring to Fatah, the secular party of Western-backed Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, and an Arab-Israeli Islamist group.They are competing for influence and presence in the field, he said.Fatah and Hamas have remained deeply divided since the Islamists seized control of Gaza in June 2007 during a week of bloody street clashes, confining Abbas's authority to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.Israel has worked in recent years to prevent Palestinian political groups from operating in the city, shutting down buildings like Orient House, the headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organisation in east Jerusalem.

Most of the recent friction in the city, including clashes, has been linked to the construction of Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem.Diskin said Palestinian groups did not appear interested in expanding the conflict at the moment.All the groups acting in east Jerusalem, including the (Arab) residents, are not interested at this stage in a full scale conflict in Jerusalem,he said.

Abbas urges Hamas to sign reconciliation deal
Tue Jun 15, 8:47 am ET

CAIRO (AFP) – Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday again urged the Islamist Hamas movement to sign an Egyptian-drafted reconciliation document to pave the way for a transitional government.Abbas stressed the importance of Hamas signing the Egyptian reconciliation document,in remarks carried by Egypt's official MENA news agency, after talks with President Hosni Mubarak in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.After that we can discuss all the demands of Hamas and other parties during the implementation of the document, Abbas said.If the paper is signed, we do not mind forming a transitional government or a government of technocrats or independents to oversee several issues, most notably receiving reconstruction funds, he said, referring to the billions of dollars pledged to rebuild Gaza following the December 2008-January 2009 war.Abbas said last week that he would send a delegation to the Gaza Strip to seek reconciliation with Hamas, following a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.His secular Fatah party and Hamas have remained deeply divided since the Islamists violently seized control of Gaza in June 2007 during a week of bloody street clashes, confining Abbas's authority to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.Since then Egypt has made several attempts to reconcile the two main Palestinian movements, but the last round of talks ended in October 2009 when Hamas refused to sign the Egyptian document after it was inked by Fatah.Hamas has said it will only sign the document with certain amendments, while Egypt and Fatah have refused to reopen the negotiations.

Abbas described as a massacre the May 31 Israeli raid on a flotilla of aid ships bound for Gaza that left nine Turkish activists dead and called for more aid convoys to pressure the Jewish state into scrapping its blockade.Israel has sealed Gaza off from all but limited humanitarian aid since the capture of an Israeli soldier by Hamas and other militants in June 2006 and tightened the restrictions after the Islamist takeover a year later.In the wake of the flotilla raid, Egypt which had also cut off the territory indefinitely opened its Rafah border post, the only gateway to Gaza that bypasses Israel.But it still aims to complete an underground barrier on its border with the Gaza Strip by the end of the summer,in a bid to stop the smuggling of goods and weapons into Gaza via a network of underground tunnels.

Gaza militants have 5,000 rockets, says Israel
Tue Jun 15, 8:27 am ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip have some 5,000 rockets, some of them with a range of up to 40 kilometres (25 miles), the head of Israel's Shin Bet security service said on Tuesday.In the Gaza Strip, the terrorist organisations continue to arm themselves, both manufacturing and smuggling (rockets),Yuval Diskin told the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, officials at the closed door meeting said.Hamas and Islamic Jihad together have some 5,000 rockets with ranges up to 40 kilometres, he said, pointing out that 4,000 of them belonged to Gaza's Hamas rulers.Diskin warned that Hamas also had a few rockets with a greater range that could hit central Israel.In December 2008, the Jewish state launched a devastating war on the Gaza Strip to stop almost-daily rocket fire on southern Israel in a 22-day operation that left around 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead.Diskin also spoke about the naval blockade on Gaza, which Israel imposed in 2006 in a bid to prevent the smuggling of weapons into the impoverished Strip.In recent weeks, Israel has come under huge pressure to lift or ease the blockade to allow in shipments of everyday goods for Gaza's population of 1.5 million.One of the ideas that has been bandied about is the possibility of allowing goods in to a port in Gaza, which would be thoroughly vetted by international forces before being released.

But Diskin warned that allowing Gaza to operate a port would be a huge security breach and a dangerous development for Israel,even if the ships were inspected by international forces before unloading. He did not elaborate.Global pressure over the siege has intensified dramatically since Israeli forces killed nine Turkish activists during a May 31 raid on a fleet of ships carrying aid which was trying to run the naval blockade.

Israeli police officer killed in shooting attack
Mon Jun 14, 3:51 pm ET

JERUSALEM – Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a police vehicle in the West Bank on Monday, killing an Israeli police officer and wounding two others, police said, in a rare flare-up of violence after months of calm.Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the incident occurred near Hebron, a volatile city in the southern West Bank where hardline Jewish settlers live in fortified enclaves amid tens of thousands of Palestinians.There was no claim of responsibility. But Rosenfeld said police were treating the incident as an attack by Palestinian militants, and were searching the area for suspects.Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad denounced the attack and said his government would work to prevent such incidents.Experience has shown that violence harms the Palestinian national cause,he said in a statement.Israeli vehicles had been frequently targeted by Palestinian militants in West Bank drive-by shooting attacks, but such attacks have diminished considerably in recent years.

Thanks to the relative calm and increased security coordination with the Palestinians, Israel has eased many travel restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank.The last fatal West Bank shooting attack took place in December, when a 40-year-old rabbi was shot in the head. In March 2009, two police officers were killed in a shooting attack. Their killers have never been apprehended.

Israel ready to ease Gaza blockade: Blair
Mon Jun 14, 9:05 am ET

LUXEMBOURG (AFP) – Israel has agreed in principle to greatly ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip, allowing in everyday goods while ensuring arms and military material stay out, Middle East envoy Tony Blair said Monday.The move, which according to EU officials could take weeks or months to implement, follows strong international pressure in the wake of a deadly Israeli commando raid on an aid flotilla heading for the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. In the conversations I've had with the Israeli prime minister there is now, in principle, agreement for Israel to allow goods in, Blair told reporters after talks in Luxembourg with EU foreign ministers.They will maintain the blockade with respect to arms and combat material but they are prepared to let in goods that are necessary for people's ordinary lives, he added.European diplomats said Israel was considering opening one or both of the Karni and Kerem Shalom land crossings for deliveries, and that the goods may be vetted by the UN, with the EU prepared to help fund the new system. Blair explained that Israel would scrap its list of items allowed to enter Gaza and would instead draw up a list of proscribed items.This is a significant change, the former British prime minister said.I believe and hope that we can, over this next period of days, reach a situation where we get a policy in respect of Gaza that is right for Israel's security (and) is humane to the people in Gaza.Last week an Israeli rights group said the military is still preventing basic goods like vinegar, coriander and toys from entering Gaza as part of the crippling embargo on the Hamas-run territory.

The report by the Gisha Legal Centre for Freedom of Movement marking three years since closures were tightened said Israel permits just 97 different items to enter, as compared to more than 4,000 that entered before June 2007.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he was engaged in discussions on ways to meet Gaza's humanitarian needs while preventing the entry of arms into the Hamas-run coastal strip.EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, writing in international media on Monday, said the EU ministers shall examine a practical plan to allow the people of Gaza to bring in what they need.The comments came after Israel announced it had set up an independent public commission to investigate the raid on the aid flotilla on May 31 in which nine Turkish activists were killed.The committee, which would include two foreign observers, was established to conduct an internal investigation into the legal aspects of the operation.Ashton, arriving for the EU ministerial talks, said it was very important to have a credible investigation, into the deadly incident.British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the announcement of an investigation was an important step forward and welcomed the involvement of Northern Irish Nobel Peace Prize winner David Trimble.The other is Ken Watkin, a former judge advocate general of the Canadian armed forces.Clearly it is very important that it is a truly independent enquiry and a thorough investigation that the international community can respect,he added. In a joint statement, the EU ministers deeply regretted the loss of life aboard the aid flotilla and called for an immediate, full and impartial inquiry into these events and the circumstances surrounding them, including credible international participation. The EU statement called the situation in Gaza unsustainable,with the 27 foreign ministers calling for an immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza.

Iranian aid ships head for Gaza By Robin Pomeroy – Mon Jun 14, 8:35 am ET

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran is sending aid ships to blockaded Gaza, state radio said on Monday -- a move likely to be considered provocative by Israel which accuses Tehran of arming the Palestinian enclave's Islamist rulers, Hamas.One ship left port on Sunday and another will depart by Friday, loaded with food, construction material and toys, the report said. Until the end of (Israel's) Gaza blockade, Iran will continue to ship aid, said an official at Iran's Society for the Defense of the Palestinian Nation.Iran has sent aid to the coastal territory in the past via Egypt. It was not immediately clear if the latest shipments would do the same, or try to dock in Gaza itself.In January 2009, an Israeli warship approached an Iranian aid boat heading for the Mediterranean territory and told it to leave the area, 70 km (45 miles) from Gaza. The ship went on to Egypt, which borders Gaza, but was refused permission to unload.Iran lodged a protest over the issue with Egypt, which has a peace agreement with the Jewish state.Israel has long suspected Iran of supplying weapons to Hamas. Tehran says it only provides moral support to the group.The deputy head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards played down reports that the Guards would provide a military escort to aid ships heading to Gaza -- something which would be sure to escalate tensions in the region.Such a thing is not on our agenda, Hossein Salami was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

ENEMIES

The Islamic state has refused to recognize Israel since its 1979 revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed Shah, and some Iranian leaders have called for the demise of the Jewish state.In another sign of reluctance to risk high-level confrontation with Israel, a delegation of parliamentarians who plan to travel to Gaza will do so via Egypt, rather than on any aid ships headed directly to the enclave.Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of parliament's Foreign Policy and National Security committee, said Egyptian authorities were positive about the lawmaker's proposed visit, but had yet to issue formal consent.Up to a quarter of Iran's 291 lawmakers have expressed their wish to go to Gaza, Iranian media reported.The actions are in response to Israel's boarding of a flotilla of Turkish aid ships heading to Gaza on May 31 in which troops killed nine pro-Palestinian activists after they were set upon by some passengers with metal rods and knives.An official of the Iranian Red Crescent Society's youth organization said some 100,000 Iranians had volunteered as potential crew for aid ships, daily newspaper Iran reported.In the past, similar numbers have registered as potential fighters for any conflict with Israel.Israel is the most vocal opponent of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme, which it fears is aimed at developing atomic bombs -- something it sees as a threat to its survival.Iran says its nuclear programme is meant solely to yield electricity or isotopes for medicine and agriculture. It accuses the West of hypocrisy for taking little action against the nuclear arsenal which many believe Israel to have.(Writing by Robin Pomeroy; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Israel ready to ease entry of goods into Gaza: EU
Mon Jun 14, 7:50 am ET

LUXEMBOURG (AFP) – EU foreign ministers sought on Monday to push Israel to end its blockade of Gaza, two weeks after a deadly commando attack on an aid flotilla, with diplomats saying the pressure is working.Israel is showing willingness to significantly ease the blockade following international concern over the attack on the high seas two weeks ago which left nine Turkish activists dead, one European diplomat said.Israel appears ready in weeks or months to ease the entry of goods into the blockaded Gaza Strip via one or two land crossings, the diplomat added on the margins of a meeting of the foreign ministers in Luxembourg. The indications we are getting from Israel is that they are willing to go from a positive to a negative list,the diplomat said, referring to a change from a list of allowed items to a list of banned items, with many more previously banned ordinary goods allowed to go through.Israel had indicated that one or both of the Karni and Kerem Shalom crossings could be used for the deliveries.Another European diplomat said the crossings may be monitored by the United Nations, not by providing security but to validate the goods going in.The EU role could be "to offer support through financial aid,he added.

Last week an Israeli rights group said the military is still preventing basic goods like vinegar, coriander and toys from entering Gaza as part of the crippling embargo on the Hamas-run territory.The report by the Gisha Legal Centre for Freedom of Movement marking three years since closures were tightened said Israel permits just 97 different items to enter, as compared to more than 4,000 that entered before June 2007.Middle East envoy Tony Blair was in Luxembourg, to meet with the EU foreign ministers, and was to announce details of the Israeli proposals.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he was engaged in discussions on ways to meet Gaza's humanitarian needs while preventing the entry of arms into the Hamas-run coastal strip.Former British premier Blair swiftly welcomed Netanyahu's comments, saying they made a clear distinction between Israel's security concerns and the need to let Gazans live a normal life.EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, writing in international media on Wednesday, said the EU officials shall examine a practical plan to allow the people of Gaza to bring in what they need.The comments came after Israel announced it had set up an independent public commission to investigate the raid on the aid flotilla in which nine Turkish activists were killed.The committee, which would include two foreign observers, was established to conduct an internal investigation into the legal aspects of the operation.Ashton, arriving for the EU ministerial talks, said it was very important to have a credible investigation, into the deadly incident.British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the announcement of an investigation was an important step forward and welcomed the involvement of Northern Irish Nobel Peace Prize winner David Trimble.The other is Ken Watkin, a former judge advocate general of the Canadian armed forces. Clearly it is very important that it is a truly independent enquiry and a thorough investigation that the international community can respect,he added. In a draft statement, the EU ministers deeply regret the loss of life aboard the aid flotilla and call for an immediate, full and impartial inquiry into these events and the circumstances surrounding them,including credible international participation.The statement, seen by AFP but yet to be approved by the ministers, calls the situation in Gaza unsustainable.They were set to call for an immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza.

Parents of captured Israeli soldier step up campaign
Mon Jun 14, 7:10 am ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) – The parents of an Israeli soldier held captive in the Gaza Strip for nearly four years vowed Monday to step up their campaign to pressure the Israeli government to secure his release.Noam Shalit, the father of Gilad Shalit, said the family would hold a protest march from their home in northern Israel to the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem later this month to mark the anniversary of his capture.We can't wait any longer. We promise we will only return home with Gilad, Noam Shalit said at a news conference.Gilad Shalit, now 23, was captured on June 25, 2006 by Hamas and two smaller armed groups in a deadly cross-border raid, and is believed to be held in a secret location somewhere in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.The announcement from Noam Shalit marked a change of tone from the family, who until now have refrained from overtly criticising the government's failure to bring their son home.He accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his predecessor of failing to make the tough decisions needed to secure a prisoner exchange.Four years, two prime ministers, two defence ministers, two chiefs of staff have failed, failed to bring back Gilad, he said.Everyone hopes that the one who comes after him will have to deal with it.

Israel has balked at Hamas demands for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including several political leaders and top militants responsible for scores of deadly attacks, in exchange for Shalit.Israel is reportedly prepared to release about 450 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit, who also holds French citizenship.But negotiations for a possible swap hit a dead end in December, when Israel presented an offer through a German mediator to which Hamas has yet to officially respond. Each side has blamed the other over the stalled talks.