The UN commission of inquiry on the Marmara incident could not be better composed. With the exception of the one Turkish member, all of them are friendly to Israel. The committee even includes Ciechanover, a former director of Israel’s Foreign Ministry. The verdict will be more or less pro-Israeli.
The UN Secretary General picked up a fight with the UN’s Human Rights Commission, which wanted to form an alternative commission of inquiry.
Still, Israel’s submission to the UN’s authority in the Marmara case is misguided. What if we had assaulted the Marmara wrongly—would we submit to UN prosecution then? Instead, a proper response would be to announce that yes, we attacked the Marmara, and we will likewise attack any ship which enters the naval blockade zone we have imposed on the Arabs. Everyone would understand a position of strength.
