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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| UN council condemns deaths in flotilla incident |
| 2010-06-02 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday condemned acts that caused the deaths of civilians during an Israeli operation against an aid flotilla heading for Gaza and called for an impartial investigation. In a carefully crafted formal statement adopted after more than 10 hours of closed-door negotiations and which quickly gave rise to conflicting interpretations, the council requested the immediate release of ships and civilians held by Israel. Israeli marines on Monday stormed a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza, a Palestinian enclave controlled by Hamas Islamists and blockaded by Israel, and detained some 700 people aboard. The incident, in which the Israeli military said at least nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed, sparked widespread condemnation. Israel, meanwhile, said it has detained 480 pro-Palestinian activists captured in its deadly commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and will expel 48 others, public radio reported Tuesday. Those detained were being held at the southern Israeli prison of Ashdod, while the other 48 were being taken to Ben Gurion international airport to be sent back to their home countries, said the report. Israeli officials would question the detainees before deciding whether to free them or prosecute them. Another 45 activists, most of them Turkish, were being treated in various hospitals. The Security Council 24-line statement, read to the 15-nation council by its president, Ambassador Claude Heller of Mexico, said the body "deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries resulting from the use of force during the Israeli military operation in international waters against the convoy sailing to Gaza." "The Council, in this context, condemns those acts which resulted in the loss of at least 10 civilians and many wounded," it added. Council statements carry less weight than resolutions, but unlike them have to be unanimous. |
| Posted by:Fred |