On May 31st, a number of ships from Turkey tried to go to Gaza but were attacked by Israeli soldiers. Nine Turks were killed. Israel had blocked the port of Gaza to stop Palestinians bringing in weapons.
Now the United Nations has decided to hold an Inquiry into this attack. New Zealander Sir Geoffrey Palmer is the Head of the Inquiry. He will start his new job on August 10th. The first progress report is due by the middle of September. One Israeli, one Turk and the President of Columbia are the other three members of the Inquiry. They will meet in New York.
Sir Geoffrey is a very well-known lawyer in New Zealand. He was also Prime Minister for a short time from 1989 to 1990. He was probably chosen for this job because New Zealand is not involved with either Israel or Palestine so a New Zealander can be fair to both sides. He is also a very respected lawyer.
Questions
1. Why is Israel represented on the Inquiry but not Palestine?
2. Why is Turkey important in the Middle East?
3. Will a UN Inquiry report change anything in the Middle East? |