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Ban offers panel on Israeli ship raid, official says
Ban has suggested establishing a panel that would be headed by former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer and include representatives from Turkey -- under whose flag the ship sailed -- Israel and the United States, said the official.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the proposal with Ban on Saturday and planned to convene senior cabinet ministers on Sunday to discuss whether Israel would take part, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Israeli leaders have spoken publicly about setting up an Israeli investigation with foreign observers into the interception of the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara last Monday.
Ban also discussed with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erodoğan "options for moving forward with the investigation called for by the Security Council", the UN said on its website, referring to the Council's call for an impartial inquiry.
Israel's navy again boarded a ship carrying aid to Gaza on Saturday. Its interception of the MV Rachel Corrie ended without violence after diplomatic efforts to avoid bloodshed.
After Monday's incident, Turkey's relations with Israel, once a close ally, soured badly. The Israeli official said the hope was that cooperation between Israel and Turkey in a committee would help mend ties.
The official said Israel also wanted to establish whether the Turkish government sponsored the Mavi Marmara, where activists used clubs and a knife to attack the marines -- resistance that appeared to catch Israeli military planners off guard. Israel said seven troops were wounded.
Participation of Israel's main ally the United States could address Israeli concerns about the panel's impartiality.
Together with Egypt, Israel tightened its blockade on the Gaza Strip after Hamas took over the coastal territory in 2007.
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