UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the launch of a four-person international panel to look into the May 31 Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that left eight Turks and one Turkish American died. The panel will be led by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer and outgoing Colombian President Álvaro Uribe. The panel will also have one Israeli and one Turkish member. Ban Ki-moon said the group would start work next week.

Ban Ki-moon: “I sincerely hope that by establishing this panel this will impact positively to the improvement of relationship between Israel and Turkey and contribute positively again to the overall peace process in the Middle East.”

Mark Regev, a spokesperson for the Israeli government, said Israel would cooperate with the UN proposal.

Mark Regev: “Israel today informed the Secretary-General of the United Nations that we will participate in his panel that will look into the flotilla incident. Ultimately, we believe the facts are on our side, and we have no problem with this sort of objective and credible panel that will look into the investigations being done by the parties.”