Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
has yet to make up his mind on whether Israel should
appoint a commission of inquiry into the Israeli operation in Gaza, but some ministers said Sunday morning that such an investigation was necessary.
Minister Michael Eitan, who is in charge of improving government services, said before the weekly cabinet meeting that "an Israeli inquiry is a national interest of the State of Israel. It will serve us for internal and external purposes. An investigation inside Israel is 10 times more preferable, and anyone preventing an investigation in Israel is promoting an inquiry in international institutions."
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| Report: PM yet to form opinion on war probe / Roni Sofer |
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Netanyahu says in closed forum that he is still mulling option of appointing commission of inquiry into claims that Israel committed war crimes in Gaza, but tells associates he believes IDF knows how to investigate itself better than any other army in world |
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"The government fully backs the IDF. Accidents happen, accidents have to be probed, and in the current case I see no fault in Israeli elements doing the job. The IDF is us and we are the IDF. There is no separation in the State of Israel as if there is some hired army here. It's us, it's our children and it's our country. But there is nothing between this and an inquiry."
Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog is also in favor of appointing a commission of inquiry.
"The Goldstone Report
accuses the State of Israel of intentional damage. The Israeli government must respond to this question and show everyone that this is nonsense and that these claims are groundless," he said. "At the end of the day there will be no escape from a balanced inquiry, so that this case is not imposed on the IDF."
Minister for Minority Affairs Avishay Braverman added, "There is no dispute over the fact that the Goldstone Report is distorted, but in order to minimize Israel's diplomatic isolation in the international arena, I support some kind of a commission of inquiry through an internal probe into what happened during Operation Cast Lead.
"I have been saying this for two weeks. What is required here is diplomatic wisdom which will help remove Israel from its global state of isolation."
Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who is opposed to an independent commission of inquiry, turned to the prime minister on Sunday and suggested revealing the cabinet protocols from the period relevant to the Goldstone Report "in order to manifest our sensitivity and neutralize the need for a probe."
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