Netanyahu rebuffs UN probe of Gaza flotilla raid

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuffed a proposal from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to have an international panel investigate last week's deadly Gaza flotilla raid.

UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon proposed a panel headed by former New Zealand prime minister Jeffrey Palmer, along with Israeli and Turkish representatives, but Netanyahu expressed concern about a rush to judgment, the Christian Science Monitor reported.

"Nothing was finalized, and nothing was decided," said an official.

The prime minister said, "All decisions have to be taken calmly, and not under the pressure of events."

The US and other countries have pressed for an impartial investigation of the incident. Many Israelis reject the idea of an international investigation.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Navy has said that it will use different methods to prevent vessels from breaking through its imposed sea blockade on Gaza.

"We will do things differently in the future. There are issues that have to do with the timing of such a boarding, the way to distract the attention of the people on board from what is really happening," a senior Israeli Defence Forces officer involved in planning such operations told The Jerusalem Post. 

"This is not a simple task and currently there is no such technology," a senior defense official said.  "The navy has been in touch with MAFAT for a couple of years already with the goal of developing such technology."

Meanwhile on Sunday, the IDF issued an advisory forbidding all soldiers from traveling to Turkey.  The military advisory follows a similar recommendation that was issued last week, following the navy operation, by the counter-terrorism bureau in the prime minister's office.