As time goes, truth of Gaza War fades out
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Pillay follows goldstone
In her report to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Pillay also addressed the ongoing humanitarian situation for Gazans.
"The blockade of Gaza has become more severe since the conclusion of Operation 'Cast Lead'," she said in the report, citing a massive Israeli offensive at the coastal enclave between December 2008 and January 2009, which left more than 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers dead.
"The population of Gaza has not received adequate assistance or support to recover from the impact of this operation. While the rights to health and water are given special attention below, the full range of human rights of the Gaza population continues to be violated on a regular basis, in particular as a consequence of the blockade," said the report.
Many analysts say this needs to be the real focus of the international community, but it is the diplomatic fallout from the war that continues to make the headlines.
Following the fighting, the UN established a committee to investigate what happened in Gaza. The panel was headed by South African jurist Richard Goldstone.
The fact-finding mission, after five months of investigation, published a widely disputed report that said both Israeli army and Hamas fighters were likely guilty of war crimes and potentially of crimes against humanity.
In the wake of that report, pressure mounted on Israel and the Palestinians to conduct their own detailed inquiries into the events during the combat a year ago. That pressure was reflected in Pillay's document.
"The High Commissioner recommends that the government of Israel ... investigate without further delay, impartially and independently, in conformity with international standards, allegations of human rights violations committed by Israelis in the occupied Palestinian territories, bring those responsible for any violations to justice and provide effective redress to victims of violations," she stated.
Pillay did detail the efforts Israel has made thus far, but she stressed that they do not appear to have been conducted independently.
"All of the command investigations, special and ordinary, appear to rely predominantly, if not exclusively, on information provided by those potentially implicated in the violations," according to Pillay.
The 67-page report also criticized the Palestinians for their failure to act in the wake of the Gaza fighting and the Goldstone findings.
Both Palestinian Authority and Hamas recently established committees to investigate the Palestinian role in the fighting, but Pillay said "there is no indication of credible investigations having taken place. In addition, the late launching of these initiatives brings into question the commitment of responsible Palestinian authorities to satisfying the criterion that a remedy be prompt."
