UN backs Gaza war crimes report | |||||||||||||
The UN human rights council has endorsed the Goldstone report on Israel's war on Gaza, which accuses the military of using disproportionate force as well as laying charges of war crimes on Israeli occupation forces and Hamas. The inquiry, lead by Justice Richard Goldstone, calls on Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, to monitor whether Israel and Hamas conduct credible investigations into the conflict which took place last winter. Should the two sides fail to do so, it calls on the UN Security Council to refer the allegations to the International Criminal Court. Hamas 'thankful'
Mike Hanna, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Geneva, said the vote was a "very strong victory" for the supporters of the resolution, but that the large number of abstentions was also "very significant". "I think if the Palestinian Authority didn't withdraw this report it will be more efficient and the result will be stronger than the resolution. "Right now, there is no talking with Fatah, but during the dialogue between Fatah and Hamas in Egypt, within a few weeks, we are going to talk about reconciliation and, of course, this kind of subject we are going to talk about." Israel condemned
Israel rejected the charges saying the resolution – drafted by the Palestinians with Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan and Tunisia, on behalf of non-aligned, African, Islamic and Arab nations – threatened peace efforts. A statement from the Israeli foreign ministry said: "The adoption of this resolution by the UNHRC impairs both the effort to protect human rights in accordance with international law and the effort to promote peace in Middle East". Sherine Tadros, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jerusalem, said: "Israeli officials we spoke to said that in their opinion most of those states that voted in favour of the resolution did so, not out of conviction, but really for their own domestic reasons - to cover up their own human rights violations. "Whereas democratic states didn't favour the resolution, either they didn't vote or they abstained or they voted no. "This has really been Israel's line of defence from the beginning of this process - to try to discredit the Goldstone mission and the resolution by discrediting the human rights council itself. "By saying that its members have always been overwhelmingly biased against Israel and really trying to land Israel in hot water whatever motion was in front of them," she said. The Goldstone report recommended that its conclusions be sent on to the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor in The Hague if Israel and Hamas do not hold their own credible investigations into allegations of war crimes within six months.
It also accused the Hamas movement, which has de facto control of Gaza, of war crime violations, but reserved most of its criticism for Israel. "It definitely eats away at Israel's moral legitimacy which existed to an extent before the Lebanon and Gaza war. "Israel is under extreme legal pressure internationally and morally, and they really have to account for what [happened] in Gaza during the war," he said.
Pillay said: "A culture of impunity continues to prevail in the occupied territories and in Israel," Pillay said during the UN Human Rights Council's special debate session on the report on Thursday. In her speech, Pillay cited concern about the restrictions on Palestinians wishing to enter al-Aqsa and expressed "dismay" about the Israeli blockade of Gaza that she said "severely undermines the rights and welfare of the population there". | |||||||||||||
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UN body endorses Gaza report
Concludes Israel used disproportionate force during Dec/Jan conflict and accuses Palestinian armed groups including Hamas of deliberately targeting civilians
"Israel's future is very dim!"
Al Jazeera English - Americas - UN blames Israel for Gaza attacks The UN report, commissioned by Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, said the Israeli military intentionally fired at UN facilities and civilians hiding in ... english.aljazeera.net/news/.../05/200955143232389149.html - Cached - Similar U.N. Condemns Israeli Offensive - washingtonpost.com World news headlines from the Washington Post,including international news and opinion from Africa,North/South America,Asia,Europe and Middle East. www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/.../AR2006111701769.html - Similar UN report condemns Israel over Gaza war - Times Online May 6, 2009 ... Obama hints at tough line on Israel A United Nations investigation yesterday accused Israel of "reckless disregard" for human life. www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle.../article6229545.ece - Similar
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