Israel is expected to accept a proposal under which it would ease its Gaza Strip siege in return for the international community agreeing a limited investigation into a deadly flotilla raid, it was reported Wednesday. The Daily Telegraph reported that Britain last week circulated a document outlining plans to ease the blockade.
Israel has indicated it is ready to hold probes into the legality of its naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave and the raid last week on an aid flotilla, which was aimed at break it, in which nine Turks were killed. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly considering setting up an investigative panel made up of Israeli jurists and former diplomats as well as two foreign observers.
On the blockade, the Daily Telegraph said Israel has been asked to ease access into Gaza at crossings and allow the UN to convey material needed to rebuild 60,000 homes destroyed or damaged in the 2008-09 Gaza war. "Israel could be flexible about items reaching the civilian population," an unnamed Israeli official was quoted by the British paper.
Officials deny there is a link between their willingness to cooperate and matters related to the inquiry, the paper said.
