Israel’s Cabinet has unanimously approved expanding the authority of an Israeli inquiry into the Navy’s interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla.
The commission, headed by former Supreme Court Justice Jacob Turkel, will now be permitted to subpoena witnesses and receive sworn testimony, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
Israeli soldiers will be excluded from the expanded powers, since the military already has launched a probe into the May 31 incident, according to the statement.
Turkel last week had threatened to resign unless his independent committee was given the right to conduct a full judicial inquiry, according to Israeli reports. He also has requested to add two members to the committee.
The commission now will have similar powers to the Winograd Commission, which was established following the Second Lebanon War. The commission will summon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s defense minister and military chief of staff, it was reported last week. — jta & ap