21 Asian nations denounce Israeli raid at end of security summit in Istanbul

more images

more images

21 Asian nations denounce Israeli ship raid

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s president says 21 Asian countries meeting at a security summit have denounced Israel’s deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.

Abdullah Gul says 21 of the 22 nations in the grouping, which includes Israel, have also called on the Jewish state to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and place all of its nuclear facilities under the safeguard of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Israel managed to block a joint declaration by the group that would have condemned it, forcing Turkey to issue a separate statement.

Israel says its soldiers acted in self-defense in May 31 and began shooting only after a mob of activists attacked them after the commandos boarded the ship.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military said it will have its own experts examine what caused a naval raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla to turn deadly, while nations led by Turkey intensified demands on Tuesday for an international investigation.

The Israeli experts will review several internal military investigations already under way. The military said it expects findings by July 4 into what went wrong with last week’s naval operation.

Israeli commandos rappelled onto the deck of one of the ships trying to break Israel’s three-year-old blockade of Gaza. The soldiers were intercepted by a crowd of activists, setting off a clash that killed nine men — eight Turks and a Turkish American.

Israel says its soldiers began shooting only after a mob of pro-Palestinian activists attacked them — a version backed up by video footage released by the army. But the activists and their supporters say Israeli commandos needlessly opened fire.

The incident triggered a storm of criticism of Israel, which has rejected calls for an international investigation, saying it would be biased against the Jewish state.

Russia’s powerful prime minister, Vladimir Putin, added Moscow’s weight to the calls for such a probe.

“It has to be investigated specially,” Putin said at a news conference in Istanbul with Turkey’s prime minister, a fierce critic of Israel since its war in Gaza 18 months ago.

Israel has so far failed to defuse the calls as well as pressure to end the blockade, part of a landslide of diplomatic fallout that has included serious damage to its relations with Turkey, once the Jewish state’s most important Muslim ally. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent the ruling Hamas militant group from importing weapons.

While Israel and Turkey still have strong military ties, Turkey’s government has been building closer alliances over the past year with some of Israel’s most bitter enemies, including Iran and Syria.

Turkey unofficially sponsored the flotilla’s lead ship, where the violence occurred.

In Istanbul Tuesday, Turkey pushed a security summit of 22 nations to jointly condemn the May 31 raid and won Russia’s backing.

“We condemn this act,” Putin said. “The fact that it was conducted in neutral waters evokes special regret and requires separate consideration.”

A final joint declaration, however, included no condemnation. A Turkish government official said earlier that Israel was trying to block strong language. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with Turkish rules that bar civil servants from speaking to journalists without authorization.

A day earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stood side-by-side with Syrian President Bashar Assad — whose country plays host to Palestinian militant groups — and accused Israel of state terrorism.

In addition to the military inquiry, Israel’s government is seeking a formula for a broader probe that would defuse calls for an impartial investigation.

Senior Israeli Cabinet ministers on Monday proposed establishing a commission of Israeli jurists, joined by foreign observers, whose mandate would be to examine the legality of the Gaza blockade and the commandos’ conduct.

The proposal has been shown to U.S. and international officials to see if it meets their criteria for an impartial probe, government officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan has not been officially announced.

The U.S. Embassy had no comment on the details of the proposal.

Critics in Israel have faulted the proposal, saying it doesn’t empower commission members to investigate the political decision-making that led up to the raid or intelligence failures ahead of the deadly confrontation. In addition, soldiers would not be questioned.

Past experience has made Israel wary of letting outside powers lead an investigation.

A U.N.-appointed panel headed by veteran war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone accused Israel of war crimes in the Gaza offensive in the winter of 2008-2009. Israel rejected the accusations.

In Gaza Tuesday, Palestinians said they retrieved the body of two more militant divers killed in a clash with Israeli sailors off the coast a day earlier. Israel’s navy said Monday that it had opened fire on Palestinians in diving suits whom it spotted in the waters off Gaza. The military claimed, without providing details, that its forces prevented an attack on Israel.

Four bodies were retrieved on Monday and Gaza health official Dr. Moiaya Hassanain said two more bodies had been found Tuesday.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades said Monday that members of its marine unit were training in Gaza’s waters.

Hacaoglu reported from Istanbul, Turkey. Associated Press Writer Suzan Fraser contributed to this report from Ankara, Turkey.