U.N. Rights Council Begins Questioning Flotilla Witnesses
Investigators from the United Nations Human Rights Council have begun questioning witnesses of Israel’s May 31 capture of a Gaza-bound boat in which nine people died, the UN said on Monday.
An official statement said the 3-person team was now in Turkey, under whose flag the vessel was registered, after hearing other witnesses in London and Geneva. After two weeks, it would move on to Amman in Jordan.
The team – judges from Britain and Trinidad and a Malaysian human rights campaigner – has been refused entry by Israel which says pro-Palestinian activists on the boat were killed when they fought back against its commandos.
The trio are due to present their report to the 47-nation council on September 27, according to a schedule for the body’s 3-week autumn session which starts on September 13.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
