The headline read, "Israel says no to calls for international probe"[1], this being their "official" response to a recommendation by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to conduct an international investigation of the Israeli commando raid on the aid flotilla that was headed for Gaza.
Not that this response was unexpected by this particular Israeli government. It objected to the U.N. commission's findings (of its invasion of Gaza in December 2008) that accused its military of committing war crimes.
As to this latest incident, the Israeli government prefers its own probe of the deadly raid that had nine people killed (all of them passengers on the flotilla).
To this observer this decision by the Israeli's is not only myopic but smacks of trying to hide something. If their mea culpa has any validity at all i.e. "We have nothing to apologize for" (in their conduct of the raid) then wouldn't it be in their interest to have an international commission exonerate them (if that were to be the probes ultimate findings) from any wrongdoing on their part?
Besides, why would the international community respect the results of an Israeli internally led probe? Based on its "official" cries of innocence already why would the world expect Israel to conduct an open ended fair investigation and "magically" discover and admit to any wrongdoing on its part? It seems inconceivable (with the makeup of this government) for that to happen.
By thumbing its nose at world opinion and seemingly suspicious of all who would question its motives, policies and actions, Israel is further isolating itself, turning inward and acting besieged with an us against the world attitude. It is the pre-eminent power in the Middle East yet sees enemies everywhere.
This is not the behavior of a liberal, democratic state. This is what one would expect from a North Korea.
This may be chutzpa on the part of this observer but this Israeli government would benefit from a weeklong retreat and conduct a self reflective seminar. For something is clearly amiss with their awkward fumbling and stumbling regarding this whole matter of the incident at sea.
In fact, what other government would have conducted the scenario that Israel has played out these past nine days?[1] "Israel says no to calls for international probe", by Edmund Sanders, "The Baltimore Sun, June 7, 2010.
