Israel has rejected a proposal from United Nations Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to establish a multinational commission to investigate a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told cabinet ministers Sunday that he had informed Mr. Ban of his decision. He said he told the U.N. chief an investigation of facts needed to be carried out "responsibly and objectively."

Israel's U.S. ambassador, Michael Oren, told "Fox News Sunday" Israel had the ability and right to conduct its own investigation.

Mr. Ban proposed establishing a panel led by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer to investigate last Monday's Israeli commando raid that killed nine international activists.

The raid outraged Turkey and many other nations. Eight Turkish citizens and one American of Turkish origin were killed in the Israeli raid.

The Mavi Marmara ship was part of an aid convoy that was trying to break a three-year-old Israeli blockade and deliver aid directly to Gaza.

On Saturday, Israeli forces peacefully seized control of the Rachel Corrie, another aid ship trying to reach Gaza.

Israel continues the process of deporting international activists from the Rachel Corrie. Israeli forces escorted the ship to the port of Ashdod Saturday after intercepting the vessel as it approached Gaza.

The Irish aid ship was named after Rachel Corrie, an activist with the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement. The 23-year-old Corrie was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza Strip while trying to keep Israeli soldiers from bulldozing a Palestinian home in 2003.

During Israel's Sunday cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a group of activists boarded the Mavi Marmara in a way that allowed them to avoid a security check. He said they had the sole intention of initiating a violent confrontation with Israeli soldiers.

Another confrontation is looming on the high seas off the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip, days after Israel's deadly flotilla raid.

Pro-Palestinian activists are sailing another ship with humanitarian supplies toward Gaza to try and break the Israeli blockade. It is expected to arrive soon, though it is not clear precisely when. Organizers say Israel is jamming communications and they have lost contact with the vessel.

On Monday, Israeli commandos stormed a flotilla, killing nine activists on board and sparking international outrage. The ship that is now on its way to Gaza is carrying 11 activists, including a Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Northern Ireland. Israel says this vessel, too, will be intercepted.

Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza Movement says activists will not be intimidated. "This is an act of defiance. So it won't make any difference what Israel does. We are still going to go. We have been threatened. We are not going to be stopped," said Berlin.

Video of Monday's incident shows that when Israeli commandos stormed the flotilla, they were beaten by activists wielding clubs. The military also released photos of dozens of knives that were confiscated from the ships.

U.S. President Barack Obama told CNN late Thursday that he acknowledges Israel's security concerns but still called Monday's Israeli raid tragic.

Berlin says the passengers on the ship approaching now are unarmed. "We like to say we are non-violent, direct-action activists. And that simply means that when there is an injustice we will non-violently resist," said Berlin.

Israel has rejected demands by the United Nations to lift the blockade on Gaza, saying that would enable the ruling Palestinian militant group Hamas to rearm with rockets and missiles. At the same time, officials say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might ease the blockade to appease international anger. While ships heading to Gaza would be searched, more civilian goods would be allowed in to the enclave.

The Turkish president has said that Israel's military raid on civilian aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip has caused "irreparable" damage to his country's relations with Israel, and will "never" be forgiven.

"From now on, Turkish-Israeli ties will never be the same. This incident has left an irreparable and deep scar," Abdullah Gul said in a televised speech on Thursday, as thousands gathered in the streets of Istanbul to pay their respects to the humanitarian activists killed during the raid.

South Africa has recalled its ambassador to Israel amid continuing diplomatic anger over Israel's deadly attack on humanitarian aid ships bound for Gaza.

The government had already condemned Monday's attack on the flotilla, which left nine civilians dead, as "a gross violation of international law".

Hundreds of activists deported from Israel after a failed attempt to breach the blockade on the Gaza strip have returned to Turkey. The activists received a warm reception on their pre-dawn arrival.
Around 1,000 people gathered at Istanbul's Ataturk airport to greet more than 500 returning activists. Thousands more celebrated and demonstrated against Israel in the heart of Istanbul.

The activists were greeted like heroes, and many could not wait to tell their stories to the waiting army of journalists.

"Twelve or 13 boats attacked us, along with four or five helicopters," one man said. " They just opened up fire on us. I heard the captain saying on the VHF radio we are unarmed."

Observers say such stories are fueling Turkish public outrage over Israel's seizing the six ships.

The flotilla aimed to break a blockade that Israel has imposed on the Gaza Strip in an effort to stop weapons from reaching the region that is controlled by the militant Hamas movement. The six ships had defied a warning from the Israeli navy not to approach the region, and the ships were boarded early Monday by Israeli forces.

Nine activists died during the operation. Their bodies also arrived in Turkey and autopsies of the dead said all died of gunshot wounds.

Israel says its troops only used their pistols after they were attacked, and released a video showing soldiers in riot gear descending from a helicopter into a crowd of men with sticks and clubs. Three or four activists overpowered each soldier as he landed, beating each one to the deck.

One of the main organizers of the relief effort was the Turkish charity the Foundation for Humanitarian Relief, which has Islamic roots. Israel accuses the charity of having links to terrorism, a charge it denies.

Turkish prosecutors are reportedly collecting statements for a possible case against Israel. The two countries have, until recently, had close political and military ties and Turkey was widely seen as Israel's only friend in the region.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held back from major diplomatic sanctions, other than recalling Turkey's ambassador. But Mr. Erdogan is facing increasing pressure to do more.

The Turkish Parliament passed a motion calling for a complete review of all political, economic and military ties with Israel. The country's powerful Islamic media, which traditionally supports the government, has called for severing ties.

Lawmakers in the Turkish parliament are urging the government to review political, economic and military ties with Israel in the wake of Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

The lawmakers approved a declaration Wednesday that calls the raid a clear violation of United Nations rules as well as international law.

Earlier Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country wants an international commission set up to investigate the incident.

Turkey, which lost four citizens in the raid, has led the international outcry against the Israeli operation. Turkish officials have repeatedly called for an independent investigation, while the United States says it supports an internal probe done by Israel.

U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the phone Tuesday. A White House statement said Mr. Obama expressed his condolences for Turkey's losses and stressed the importance of finding better ways to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza without undermining Israel's security.

Turkey has called for the Israeli blockade of the region to be lifted.

Nicaragua suspended its diplomatic relations with Israel on Tuesday in protest of the deadly raid.

Russia and the European Union issued a joint call Tuesday for an impartial probe, and separately condemned Israel's use of deadly force.

A White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said the Obama administration agrees with the wording of a U.N. Security Council statement, which does not specifically blame Israel for the bloodshed.

Israel has said its troops fired shots in self-defense after they boarded the aid convoy in international waters and encountered resistance.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he considering all the options for an investigation into an Israeli raid aboard a ship carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip that ended in the deaths of nine pro-Palestinian activists.

The U.N. chief stepped off a plane from Africa Wednesday and immediately went into separate meetings with ambassadors from Israel, Turkey, the Arab States and the permanent five Security Council member countries.

Afterwards, he told reporters he is ready to take "the necessary action" to start a full investigation into the events on the Turkish flagged ship the Mavi Marmara. But he said he would proceed in a deliberate manner, discussing it with all the concerned parties, before making a decision on how to go forward.

"It [the investigation] should be one which can gain credibility and support from the parties concerned," said Ban Ki-moon. "This is a very sensitive and even difficult, therefore, I am still in the process of these consultations. I will try to make it as impartial, as credible, as transparent as possible."

Mr. Ban added that there are "various options" for the investigation, but would not go into details.

He urged the Israeli authorities to quickly provide a full and detailed accounting of the events surrounding the incident, including information on those detained, wounded and killed.

He also noted the decision by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to send an international fact finding mission to the region to look into possible violations of international law.

Secretary-General Ban said the violence aboard the Turkish ship could have been avoided if Israel had heeded earlier calls to lift its three-year long blockade which has prevented essential goods from reaching Gaza's 1.5 million residents.

"This tragedy only highlights the serious underlying problem," he said. "The long-running closure imposed on the Gaza Strip is counter-productive, unsustainable and wrong. It punishes innocent civilians. It must be lifted by the Israeli authorities immediately."

Turkey and Arab states are calling for an independent, international probe into the raid by Israeli commandos on the Mavi Marmara, which was in international waters when it was intercepted. Israel says its soldiers were acting in self-defense because passengers attacked them when the commandos repelled onto the ship from helicopters.

On Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council called for a "prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation" into the incident. Several council members said that meant an independent investigation with international elements, while the United States said Israel is capable of investigating itself.

The Obama administration is refusing to condemn Israel for its deadly raid on a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza Strip.

Facing reporters' repeated questions at the White House Tuesday, Mr. Obama's spokesman Robert Gibbs said the United States agrees with the wording of a U.N. Security Council statement on the controversial raid.

The Security Council said it "deeply regrets" the casualties that occurred during the Israeli military operation, and it condemned "those acts which resulted in the loss" of life. But the statement does not specifically blame Israel for the bloodshed.

President Obama telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has denounced the Israeli action as a "bloody massacre."

Four Turkish citizens were among the nine people killed when Israeli commandos boarded a flotilla of vessels carrying aid supplies to the Gaza Strip, and Turkey has led the international outcry against Israel for its actions.

Turkey also has called for an independent investigation of the incident - not a probe conducted by Israel. Russia and the European Union issued a joint call Tuesday for an impartial probe, and separately condemned Israel's use of deadly force.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appealed for restraint by all sides Tuesday. She voiced support for an Israeli probe of the assault on the aid convoy, saying any inquiry must be prompt, impartial, credible and transparent, as outlined by the Security Council.

Israel has said its troops fired shots in self defense after they boarded the aid convoy in international waters and encountered resistance.

A White House statement about Mr. Obama's conversation with Prime Minister Erdogan says the president expressed his condolences for Turkey's losses and stressed the importance of finding better ways to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza without undermining Israel's security.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been scheduled to visit President Barack Obama at the White House Tuesday, but canceled the trip and returned to Israel from Canada.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is expected to meet Mr. Obama at the White House June 9 as scheduled.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.

Israel says it is speeding up deportation of hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists who were aboard ships stormed by Israeli commandos this week. The raid in the Mediterranean this week killed nine activists and sparked a storm of worldwide protests.

More than 100 deported activists have arrived at the Jordanian border.

They had hoped to break the blockade on Gaza but, instead, were taken by Israeli authorities early Wednesday on buses from a prison at Bersheeva in Israel to the Allenby bridge on Jordan's border.

Israel says it wants to get all of the activists out of the country within two days.

The deportees are from countries including Indonesia, Pakistan, Mauritania, and a number of other nations that have no diplomatic ties with Israel.

The deportees, who included journalists aboard the vessels, spoke of their experiences after Israeli commandos stormed the ships in the early hours of Monday and during their detention in Israel. This man, arriving at the border, complained of what he describes as brutal treatment by the Israelis.

He says what he saw were tragic and bloody scenes. He says he had thought that Israel, a democratic state, would differentiate between militants and civilians and, within civilians, see the difference between journalists and human rights activists. He says he was surprised the Israeli reaction was so violent.

Israel has released more video of the raid on the open sea. The sound of gunshots and shouting tell of violence in the moments that Israeli commandos descended from helicopters onto the deck of the Turkish-flagged main vessel of the flotilla.

One of the commandos, speaking to Israeli TV from his hospital bed, said activists attacked him first.

He says those he encountered on the deck of the ship were not peace activists. He expected verbal and forceful opposition, but not with such strength. He says each and every one who approached him on the deck, he could perceive was out to kill him.

Israel says its commandos acted in self-defense and said it regrets the loss of life.

None of the explanations, however, have quelled the protests around the world.

In Turkey, anti-Israel demonstrations have prompted the Israeli government to order the families of Israeli diplomats to leave the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected criticism of his commandos' storming of an activist flotilla that was trying to break the blockade on Gaza. The raid, Monday, killed nine activists. International criticism is growing, but as our correspondent reports, Israel is not bowing to international pressure for it to lift the blockade on the Palestinian enclave.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unapologetic in the face of mounting criticism.

"Israel regrets the loss of life," said Benjamin Netanyahu. "But we will never apologize for defending ourselves."

He said the flotilla that Israeli commandos raided on Monday intended to break the blockade, not bring aid to Gaza.

Mr. Netanyahu said Israel could not afford to let the flotilla break the blockade, saying that would have been followed by hundreds of boats possibly carrying missiles to the militant Islamist group Hamas that rules Gaza.

"Hamas is smuggling thousands of Iranian rockets, missiles, and other weaponry, smuggling it into Iran to establish a Mediterranean port a few dozen kilometers from Tel Aviv and from Jerusalem," he said.

Mr. Netanyahu said Israel has a right to inspect cargo going into Gaza.

"And we do let civilian goods get into Gaza," said Netanyahu. "There's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Each week an average of 10,000 tons of goods enter Gaza. There's no shortage of food. There's no shortage of medicine. There's no shortage of other goods. So our naval personnel had no choice but to board these vessels."

Israeli authorities said they speeded up deportation of the activists and cleared the last of the nearly 700 people who were aboard the flotilla for departure. Some were flying out on Turkish and Greek airplanes. Another group of nationals of countries that have no diplomatic ties to Israel were bussed to the Jordanian border.

Some, like this man, complained of brutal treatment by the Israelis.

He says he witnessed tragic and bloody scenes. He says he was surprised that Israel, as a democratic state, would mistreat people, and that its reaction was so violent.

Israel dropped plans to prosecute some of the activists for attacking the commandos. But this, along with the release of the activists, and the government's repeated efforts to justify the raid at sea is not stopping the growing wave of criticism.

The parliament of Turkey, where most of the flotilla activists are from, is calling for a review of all of its ties to Israel.

British Prime Minister David Cameron described the raid completely unacceptable and called on Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza.

The raid, which came just weeks after the start of U.S.-brokered proximity talks, has cast further doubt on the peace process.

U.S. special envoy George Mitchell is back in the region, but has announced no plans to meet with Israeli leaders.

A confrontation at sea between Israeli commandos and pro-Palestinian activists has left at least 10 dead. Israeli forces intercepted an international flotilla that was trying to break a blockade and take hundreds of activists, as well as thousands of tons of humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip. The violence has triggered a strong condemnation from Turkey. Military and police forces in Israel remain on alert as Palestinians threaten to protest.

The violence came in the predawn hours of Monday when Israeli forces seized six of the vessels. Activists and Israeli government sources say the interception happened about 60 miles from Israel's coast in international waters.

Video shows pro-Palestinian activists scrambling on board the largest of the ships, a Turkish-flagged vessel, as the Israeli commandos boarded.

Israeli military officials say some of the demonstrators onboard attacked the Israelis with knives and clubs. It also said activists seized a gun from one Israeli soldier and shot at the Israelis.

A military spokesman says troops found revolvers with empty magazines on the bodies of the dead activists.

At a news conference, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Israeli commandos found weapons on board that he said had been prepared in advance and used against Israeli forces.

"Their method was violent and the results were unfortunately violent," he said. "Israel regrets any loss of life and did everything to avoid this outcome."

The attack happened after Israeli missile boats warned the flotilla, in English, to not approach Gaza which is under blockade by both Israel and Egypt.

A recording of the warning was played on Israeli radio.

Radio Broadcast: "You are approaching an area of hostilities, which is under naval blockade. The Gaza area, coastal region, and Gaza harbor are closed to all maritime traffic. The Israeli government supports delivery of humanitarian supplies to the civilian population in the Gaza strip and invites you to enter the Ashdod port. Delivery of the supplies in accordance with the authorities' regulations will be through the formal land crossings and under your observation after which you can return to your home ports on board the vessels on which you arrived."

Organizers of the flotilla say their intention was primarily to break the blockade, which Israel and Egypt have been enforcing since the Gaza Strip was overrun by the militant Islamist group Hamas three years ago. They rejected allegations that the activists intended to use violent means.

In remarks Monday, the Israeli deputy foreign minister defended Israel's decision to intercept the flotilla.

"The maritime blockade is very legal and justified by the terror that Hamas is applying in Gaza," said Ayalon. "Allowing these ships to go in an illegal way to Gaza would have opened in fact a corridor of smuggling arms and terrorists to Gaza."

Israeli forces sailed the vessels to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where the activists were to be processed and prepared for deportation. Israeli officials say they are prepared to transfer the humanitarian aid aboard the ships after inspecting it.

The vessels are carrying hundreds of activists, and aid that includes medicines, medical equipment, and construction materials.

News of the violence off the coast prompted demonstrations in Gaza. In the West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for three days of mourning.

Israeli police have stepped up security throughout the country, but especially around the Arab communities of northern Israel and in Jerusalem.

This is not the first flotilla to try to break the blockade, but previous attempts by activists to enter Gaza have ended without incident.

Tensions are building as eight ships carrying thousands of tons of material and supplies are headed for Gaza to break a blockade-Israel imposed the border closure after Hamas seized power over Gaza in 2007.

The boats left ports in Britain, Greece, Ireland and Turkey yesterday. The so-called Freedom Flotilla will assemble at Cyprus Friday and make the final one-day journey to Gaza collectively.

Israel has said it will not allow the aid convoy to reach Gaza. It has imposed a blockade on Gaza after the Islamist militant group Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. The Israeli military has sought to prevent militants from receiving materials that can be used to attack Israel, and has stopped other vessels carrying aid to Palestinians in the past.

The Israeli Army calls the flotilla a provocation, orchestrated by Hamas under the guise of delivering humanitarian relief to residents of Gaza. It says the humanitarian situation there is "good and stable."

A spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces told VOA that any organization wanting to deliver supplies to Gaza is free to do so, but in coordination with the Israeli government. "Anything that could happen we're ready for. That's all I can tell you," he said.

Israel says it has set up a detention center for the activists who attempt break the blockade.

Christopher Gunnes is a spokesman with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees. He said that the situation on the ground in Gaza is dire.

"The idea that Gaza has everything that it needs is absurd. Basic things are getting in, yes," he said. "They're getting in through the tunnels."

"And that means that the number of those who can't afford to feed their families - special hardship cases, we call them, has gone up in the last year alone from 100,000 to 300,000 because prices of goods coming through the tunnels are going up and up and up. There is undoubtedly a serious humanitarian crisis going on in Gaza and to say anything else is simply absurd," he added.

Several hundred journalists and activists are reported to be on board the ships, including an aged Holocaust survivor and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.