UN General Assembly debates Israel war crimes

After the UN Human Rights Council’s endorsement of a report accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza, the UN General Assembly announced plans to debate the issue.

A UN spokesman said Monday that assembly president, Ali Triki has decided to hold a session to discuss a report by international war crimes prosecutor, Richard Goldstone, this year.

“Triki will conduct consultations with the concerned parties and the chairs of the regional and other groups in order to set the appropriate date for the Assembly to consider the report,” said Jean-Victor Nkolo.

The decision was made after the 47-member UNHRC adopted a resolution last week endorsing the Goldstone report, which accuses the Israeli army of deliberately killing Palestinian civilians and using disproportionate force during the three-week Gaza war, despite efforts by Israeli officials to block the motion.

Twenty-five countries voted for the resolution, while six, including the US, were against. Eleven countries abstained, including the UK and France.

The report calls for the prosecution of senior Israeli officials in the International Criminal Court at The Hague if Tel Aviv fails to launch its own investigations into the Gaza war under international scrutiny within six months.

Tel Aviv has condemned the resolution, claiming the Goldstone report was one-sided and biased against Israel.

More than 1,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed during Israel’s “Operation Cast Lead” at the beginning of the year, according to UN figures.