Israel's prime minister and defence chief will be called to testify in an investigation into a deadly raid on a Gaza aid flotilla, the leader of an Israeli commission of inquiry said in an opening statement.
Former Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble, who is acting as a non-voting foreign observer, said everyone on the panel was 'determined the inquiry be rigorous and hope that it can, thereby, make a positive contribution to peace'.
Turkey, angered by the killing by Israeli commandos of nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists on 31 May, has said the Israeli probe would be biased.
Rejecting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's proposal for an international inquiry, Israel's cabinet set up the commission, headed by retired Israeli Supreme Court Justice Jacob Turkel, two weeks ago.
The panel includes two other Israelis, an international law expert and a former general, and two non-voting foreign observers: Mr Trimble and Canadian jurist Ken Watkin.
'The commission has decided to summon soon the prime minister, the defence minister and the chief of staff, along with other senior officials, as it deems fit,' Mr Turkel said in opening remarks before the session was closed to the media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would be prepared to testify, along with Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi, Israel's top general.
Mr Turkel said the panel's mandate calls for an examination of whether Israel's naval blockade and the flotilla's interception conformed to international law and also to investigate the actions taken by the convoy's organisers and participants.
Israel has said the naval blockade was necessary to prevent arms shipments from Iran to Hamas.
Israeli leaders have said the troops, on boarding the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara ship, opened fire in self-defence after coming under attack from activists wielding metal rods and knives.
Turkey, once Israel's close strategic ally, called the bloodshed Israeli 'state terrorism', withdrew its ambassador from Israel and cancelled joint military exercises.
Airspace ban
Meanwhile, Turkey barred an Israeli military plane from using its airspace, a Turkish diplomat said, without specifying whether there was a blanket ban.
'Military planes are required to obtain over flight permission before each flight. One military plane was denied permission immediately after' the diplomat said.
There were no restrictions on civilian flights, the diplomat added.
The Anatolia news agency quoted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that his country had closed its airspace to Israel after the raid on the aid flotilla.
