A panel of United Nations experts has determined Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip violates international law. Reporting to the U.N.’s Human Rights Council, five independent experts argued the blockade has subjected Gazans to collective punishment in “flagrant contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law.” The assertion contradicts last week’s separate U.N. probe of Israel’s raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship in May of 2010. The so-called “Palmer Report” concluded the raid constituted a use of excessive force, but argued the blockade of Gaza is legal.