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Debate begins on Gaza war crimes
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The UN Human Rights Council has opened a debate on a report of the Gaza war. It accuses both Israeli forces and Hamas of war crimes, and possible crimes against humanity.
The UN document investigates 36 incidents that occurred during Israel's three-week military offensive on the Gaza Strip.
It concludes that Israel used disproportionate force in the conflict.
It accuses Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, using Palestinians as human shields, and destroying civilian infrastructure to root out Palestinian rocket squads.
But the report also accuses Palestinian armed groups, which include Hamas, of targeting civilians in Israel, and trying to spread terror through its rocket attacks on southern Israel.
Randa Siniora, Executive Director of Independent Cpmmiss. for Human Rights in Ramallah, said, "We think there has been serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the war on the Gaza Strip. The report has clearly indicated that and has come up with clear recommendations."
Israel has rejected the charges.
Aharon Leshno Yaar, Israeli Ambassador to the UN, said, "This biased and flawed report accuses Israel of war crimes for having taken action to fight against Hamas - war criminals who openly call for our destruction, fire thousands of rockets against us, and endanger their own population by hiding and fighting from within densely populated areas. Israel has given a substantive and clear explanation to anyone who was interested in listening its criticisms with the fact-finding mission."
The Israeli Ambassador to the UN warned that a vote endorsing the report would set back hopes for peace. But the Palestinian Authority's UN ambassador in Geneva said Israel had already spurned his government's effort at reconciliation two weeks ago.
Ibrahim Khraishi, Palestinian Authority's UN ambassador in Geneva, said, "We are not interested in a peace process that is based on the expansion of settlements and the erection of a wall and collective punishments while the occupying power rejects all international resolutions and refuses to comply."
Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay has urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to launch their own investigations of alleged war crimes in Gaza to help rebuild trust and support peace.
