Kampala, June 02: Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip was responsible for the deadly raid on a foreign aid flotilla and should be lifted, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday.
“Had Israelis heeded to my call and to the call of the international community by lifting the blockade of Gaza, this tragic incident would not have happened,” the UN chief said.
At least nine activists were killed on Monday when Israeli navy commandos stormed a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, sparking international outrage and plunging the Jewish state into a diplomatic crisis.
“It would have been avoided without such tragedy, therefore I again urge Israeli authorities to lift this blockade,” Ban said on the sidelines of a conference in Uganda on the International Criminal Court.
Ban said he had reiterated his request Tuesday in a phone call with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
The ships, carrying more than 700 passengers, were on a mission to deliver some 10,000 tonnes of supplies to the Gaza Strip.
Ban, who said Monday in Kampala he had been “shocked” by the deadly offshore operation against the aid flotilla, reiterated his call for a thorough investigation into the killings.
The UN Security Council, in a 12-hour emergency session called following the incident, demanded a full investigation but stopped short of requesting an independent probe.
“This is an issue which I take… very seriously, and upon my return to New York I will immediately engage in discussing what kind of measures should be taken with regard to having a full investigation into this matter,” Ban said.
He also said he had spoken to Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday and obtained assurances that he would go ahead with the so-called “proximity” peace talks sponsored by the United States.
“This morning I had a telephone talk with President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority. I expressed serious concern about what had happened. I again urged President Abbas to continue proximity talks despite this incident,” he said.
“I was heartened to hear from president Abbas that he would continue these proximity talks despite this tragedy and he told me that he would be meeting (US) President (Barack) Obama and discuss all this matter including overall Middle East peace process,” Ban added.
Abbas is scheduled to hold talks Wednesday with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell, who is visiting the region every few weeks to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as part of indirect peace talks launched on May 9.
The Palestinian Authority president is also due to hold talks with Obama at the White House on June 9.
—Agencies