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Israel under fire after unveiling Gaza inquiry panel
Israel's cabinet on Monday backed the creation of an internal committee to probe its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, in a move swiftly dismissed by both Turkey and the Palestinians.
The committee, which will include two foreign observers, will look into the legal aspects of the operation in which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists.
But Ankara swiftly dismissed the move, saying that Israel was incapable of being "impartial," and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas said setting up an internal committee did not not comply with UN demands.
"The proposition made today for the inquiry committee does not correspond to the request of the Security Council," Abbas said in Paris after meeting French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Turkey had also demanded a UN-led probe, and threatened to review its ties with Israel if it did not heed calls for an independent inquiry.