Flotilla probe head threatens to quit

Head of an Israeli commission which is probing the deadly attack on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla has threatened to resign unless the probe is given wider powers.

Yaakov Tirkel, a retired Supreme Court judge, has told Israel’s Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman that he would leave the post if his demands were not met, the Israeli private TV Channel Two reported on Tuesday.

Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu has apparently agreed to broaden the powers of the committee.

Tirkel called for “the independent public commission,” whose work officially started on Monday, to become a government commission of inquiry with the power to recommend sanctions against political and military leaders.

Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and military chief of staff Gaby Ashkenazi have already agreed to appear before the internal commission.

Tirkel, 75, is due to work alongside retired major general Amos Horev, 86, and Shabtai Rosen, 93, a professor of international law.

The panel will also include two international observers: Irish Nobel Peace Prize winner David Trimble, 65, and Ken Watkin, 55, former judge advocate general of the Canadian military.