Thursday
Jun032010
Investigation Of Flotilla Raid Is Neccessary Says Expert
Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 3:48PM
By Sarah Mamula- Talk Radio News Service
Shibley Telhami, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, commented on the recent events of the Gaza-bound flotilla, claiming that not enough is known about what he calls, "a disaster," and urges an investigation into Israel's actions.
"For all intents and purposes, all we know is that there were civilians and that they were in international waters," Telhami said. "I think we should have an investigation to find out what exactly happened, who was behind it, and what transpired on board."
Despite the lack of concrete information surrounding the Israeli commando raid, Telhami firmly believes aggressive action was the wrong approach.
"Regardless of the circumstances, confronting a civilian boat in a manner that could lead to the death of civilians is wrong. I think that clearly what transpired here is very hard to explain on the part of the Israelis."
The expert went on to speak about the importance of the United States' diplomatic role in this "immediate crisis," but also emphasized that an alternative to the Gaza blockade must be found.
"Everyone in the international community has been calling for more goods to go into Gaza. Even the U.S. says the blockade is not sustainable the way it is now," Telhami said.
Shibley Telhami, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, commented on the recent events of the Gaza-bound flotilla, claiming that not enough is known about what he calls, "a disaster," and urges an investigation into Israel's actions.
"For all intents and purposes, all we know is that there were civilians and that they were in international waters," Telhami said. "I think we should have an investigation to find out what exactly happened, who was behind it, and what transpired on board."
Despite the lack of concrete information surrounding the Israeli commando raid, Telhami firmly believes aggressive action was the wrong approach.
"Regardless of the circumstances, confronting a civilian boat in a manner that could lead to the death of civilians is wrong. I think that clearly what transpired here is very hard to explain on the part of the Israelis."
The expert went on to speak about the importance of the United States' diplomatic role in this "immediate crisis," but also emphasized that an alternative to the Gaza blockade must be found.
"Everyone in the international community has been calling for more goods to go into Gaza. Even the U.S. says the blockade is not sustainable the way it is now," Telhami said.
Israel Will Conduct "Credible Investigation;" BP To Pay Gov't $69 Mil, Says Gibbs
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs delivered remarks Thursday afternoon on Israeli-Palestinian relations, the Deepwater Horizon Disaster, and immigration reform.
Gibbs was questioned on the heated and controversial conflict between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian supporters on the Gaza flotilla Monday. He addressed the death of the pro-Palestinian American citizen who was killed in the attack.
"We have called for... a full and credible investigation so that we have all the facts about what happened; that is tremendously important."
However, Gibbs later conceded that, "It's an Israeli investigation ... that could include international participation," leaving some questioning the accountability of the report.
When asked about the government's response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf, Gibbs assured reporters that the Federal government will, "hold BP responsible throughout this process."
"The Federal government will, at some point today, send...a bill for 69 million dollars of expenses incurred up to this point to BP," Gibbs said.
Gibbs expressed the President's position that states' individual handling of immigration law has been the result of a lack of action on the part of the Federal government to reform its own laws, but stated that he doesn't think the nation can, "deal with comprehensive immigration reform and the circumstances around the border without dealing with Arizona."
The Press Secretary touted Senator John McCain (R-AZ) as being "instrumental" in bringing immigration reform into the spotlight and stated that he doubts the U.S. can develop comprehensive immigration reform legislation without McCain "doing what he did" in 2005, 2006, and 2007.