UN to Endorse Gaza Report
Gaza Report
The UN Human Rights Council has backed a report into the Israeli offensive in Gaza that accuses both Israel and Palestinian militants of war crimes.
The report by Richard Goldstone calls for credible investigations by Israel and Hamas, and suggests international war crimes prosecutions if they do not.
Twenty-five countries voted for the resolution, while six were against.
Both Israel and the US opposed official endorsement of the report, saying it would set back Middle East peace hopes.
The Palestinian Authority initially backed deferring a vote, but changed its position after domestic criticism.
Palestinians and human rights groups say more than 1,400 Gazans were killed in the 22-day conflict that ended in January, but Israel puts the figure at 1,166. Thirteen Israelis were killed.
Before the vote in Geneva, from which 11 countries abstained, the Palestinian representative argued that the matter was simply about respect for the rule of law.
Earlier, the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner had insisted that now was the time to end the “culture of impunity” which pervaded.
In contrast, Israel had lobbied intensively against the resolution.
The Israeli government says that the Goldstone report is biased against Israel, and removes the right of nations to defend themselves against terrorists.
The US representative at the Human Rights Council agreed, saying that the resolution – which also criticised Israel for its recent actions in East Jerusalem – only made the prospect of a meaningful peace process more difficult.
But he also urged both sides to launch independent investigations.
Read more at BBC News »
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