The Netherlands is in complete agreement with the UN Security Council’s call for a thorough, prompt and impartial investigation of the events surrounding the convoy of ships carrying aid bound for Gaza, foreign minister Maxime Verhagen said today in a response to the Security Council statement.

The Israeli navy deployed commandos to prevent the ships carrying activists and aid supplies from reaching Gaza. Deaths and injuries were the deplorable result. Several of the activists, including two Dutch nationals, have been detained in Israel.

The Security Council believes that a transparent investigation conforming to international standards is needed. ‘I agree completely,’ said Mr Verhagen. ‘This is in line with the European Union statement that was drafted in part by the Netherlands.’

The initial responsibility to investigate lies with Israel. If desirable, it can also be done by the flag states of the convoy ships. Only after these investigations have taken place may a role for the UN or other international bodies be appropriate.

On 31 May Netherlands had already called for an investigation of the violence that occurred when the Israel military boarded several ships bound for the Gaza Strip with aid supplies.

The ships, which were part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, were carrying passengers from many countries. The Israeli authorities refused to allow the ships to pass, though they did offer to unload the aid supplies in the Israeli port of Ashdod and to transport them to Gaza over land, following a security inspection.

Since various incidents of fighting in and around the area, the borders of the Gaza Strip have been open to only a limited quantity of humanitarian aid supplies. The Netherlands would like Israel to open the borders fully to humanitarian aid, trade and human traffic.

High Representative Catherine Ashton delivered a Declaration on behalf of the EU on the Israeli military operation against the Flotilla. Click here to read the Declaration



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