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Echoes of Widgery in flotilla inquiry

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The Guardian, Friday 18 June 2010 Article history"Prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation" – the words being used to justify the internal Israeli inquiry into the deadly assault on the humanitarian flotilla attempting to run the blockade of Gaza (Obama backs Israeli internal inquiry into assault on flotilla, 14 June). These words sound too similar to those used for the setting up of the now-ridiculed Widgery inquiry into the Bloody Sunday killings, which justified the behaviour of the paratroopers and blamed the innocent civil rights marchers for what happened. Two events with similar protagonists and similar results: a military force attacking peaceful protesters with terrible consequences.

Surely, now the truth of what happened on Bloody Sunday has been confirmed by the conclusions of the Saville inquiry (38 years on, justice at last, 16 June), Israel's clearly politically motivated inquiry headed by a former Israeli supreme court judge, Yaakov Tirkel, should not be acceptable. As did Widgery, I imagine he will come under immense pressure from his prime minister to deliver an acceptable judgment. In contrast to Obama's approval, the international community should categorically reject the Israeli proposal. We don't want another Widgery inquiry with all the poisonous baggage that that left behind.

Ernest Rodker

London

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/18/israel-inquiry-gaza-flotilla-widgery