The Israeli government promised Monday to step up co-operation with a panel probing the deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, after complaints the Mossad spy agency had not handed over requested documents. "All the material from the Mossad will be handed over to the Tirkel Commission immediately, tonight, or by tomorrow morning at the latest, said a statement from the prime minister's office, which oversees the intelligence agency.
The promise came after the commission complained it had not received files requested from the Mossad on Israel's naval siege of the Gaza Strip ahead of Tuesday's testimony by Meir Dagan, the head of the spy agency, who is to answer questions on the raid behind closed doors.
"I would like to inform you that despite repeated requests in writing on August 25 and on September 6, and in telephone conversations, information regarding the naval siege on the Gaza Strip and efforts made to enforce it have not been handed over to us," the website of the Haaretz daily quoted a letter from the commission to Dagan as saying.
Dagan joins several top Israeli officials from the government and the military who have already testified before the commission examining the commando raid that killed nine Turkish activists and left scores wounded. Also on Monday, officials said the commission had invited the Turkish captain of the ship on which the violence occurred to testify.
"We have sent a letter to the captain of the Mavi Marmara through the Turkish embassy in Israel," said Ofer Lefler, spokesman for the Tirkel Commission. Dated September 12, the letter asks that a request be onpassed to Mahmut Tural who was captain of the passenger ferry at the time of the Israeli commando raid on May 31. The five-man Israeli committee is conducting an investigation which is limited to looking into the legality of the raid on the flotilla and of the Jewish state's actions to defend its naval blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
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