Washington: The US Senate asked the United Nations to rescind a report on the Gaza War that had accused Israel of potential war crimes, setting the tone for widespread international condemnation of the Israeli assault on Hamas-ruled Gaza in which 1,400 people lost their lives, the vast majority of them Palestinians.
South African judge Richard Goldstone, who led the fact-finding team, established at the request of the United Nations, published in September 2009, has said new information about Israel’s military actions led him to believe he made a mistake in concluding that Israel targeted civilians during the 22-day conflict.
On the other hand, three of the authors of the report on Thursday rejected calls to retract it.
They said in a statement to the Guardian newspaper in Britain that they found it “necessary to dispel any impression that subsequent developments have rendered any part of the mission’s report unsubstantiated.
“Aspersions cast on the findings of the report… cannot be left unchallenged,” wrote Pakistani human rights lawyer Hina Jilani, Christine Chinvin, a professor of international law at the London School of Economics, and former Irish peacekeeper Desmond Travers.
The US Senate resolution calls on UN Human Rights Council members “to reflect the author’s repudiation of the Goldstone report’s central findings, rescind the report and reconsider further Council actions with respect to the report’s findings.”
It also urges UN chief Ban Ki-moon to help “reform” the Human Rights Council “so that it no longer unfairly, disproportionately and falsely criticises Israel on a regular basis.”
The US House of Representatives had condemned the report in a November 2009 vote.
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