RAMALLAH, June 16 (JMCC) - Amnesty International on Tuesday criticized Israel's investigation into its attack on a Gaza-bound aid fleet last month as lacking in transparency.

The Israeli cabinet approved a three-man Israeli commission, with two international observers, to examine Israel's military action off the Gaza coast in which nine international activists were killed by Israeli forces.

The format of this government-appointed Commission represents a disappointment and a missed opportunity, said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's director for the Middle East and North Africa.

The Commission looks to be neither independent nor sufficiently transparent, the two international observers may be denied access to crucial information, and the Commission's findings may not be used in future prosecutions.

The Commission will not have access to members of the Israeli military who were involved in the planning and implementation of the military action, except for the Chief of Staff, and there is nothing to indicate that its findings or recommendations will be binding, said the rights group.

The processes of the Commission must be open, transparent and allow access to all information sources, said Smart. It should not allow the political considerations of the Israeli government to determine which of its findings are made public.