Friday
Oct022009
Palestinian Leaders Support Israel to Defer Vote on Goldstone Report
Friday, October 2, 2009 at 9:38
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On Thursday, Palestinian Authority agreed to delay until March a vote set for today at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. If the report had been endorsed by the Council, the UN Security Council would have been able to bring Israelis before the International Criminal Court at The Hague for prosecution of war crimes or crimes against humanity. Although support for the report was strong enough to get a general endorsement, six nations (US, Belgium, France, Italy, Norway, and Britain) could not find common ground on the text with the other 41 members.
The Palestinian ambassador to the UN , Ibrahim Khraishi, told The Jerusalem Post that the Palestinian side was interested in a compromise rather than a quickly-passed resolution from the Council: "It will help us to explain to the Israelis that the international community is with the Palestinians to achieve their hopes and their dreams." There are reports President Obama personally told the Palestinians that the peace process would be affected adversely by a vote for the Goldstone Report.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said:
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On Thursday, Palestinian Authority agreed to delay until March a vote set for today at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. If the report had been endorsed by the Council, the UN Security Council would have been able to bring Israelis before the International Criminal Court at The Hague for prosecution of war crimes or crimes against humanity. Although support for the report was strong enough to get a general endorsement, six nations (US, Belgium, France, Italy, Norway, and Britain) could not find common ground on the text with the other 41 members.The Palestinian ambassador to the UN , Ibrahim Khraishi, told The Jerusalem Post that the Palestinian side was interested in a compromise rather than a quickly-passed resolution from the Council: "It will help us to explain to the Israelis that the international community is with the Palestinians to achieve their hopes and their dreams." There are reports President Obama personally told the Palestinians that the peace process would be affected adversely by a vote for the Goldstone Report.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said:
I remind you that this very council has adopted more resolutions targeting Israel than resolutions targeting all other 180 countries in the world put together. If the council decides to endorse the Goldstone report it will deal a fatal blow to three major issues: Firstly, it will harm the war on terror, because it will legitimize terrorists who hide behind civilians and fire from their midst.
The second devastating blow will be to the UN's status and its prestige. It will take it back to its darkest days when absurd decisions were passed within its assembly and empty it of all meaning.
Thirdly, Israel will not be willing to take risks for peace if stripped of its right to self-defense.
tagged Barack Obama, Belgium, Benyamin Netanyahu, France, Ibrahim Khraishi, International Criminal Court, Israel, Italy, Jerusalem Post, Norway, Palestinian Authority, Richard Goldstone, United Kingdom, United Nations Human Rights Council, United Nations Security Council, United States in Global, Middle East & Iran
Barack Obama, Belgium, Benyamin Netanyahu, France, Ibrahim Khraishi, International Criminal Court, Israel, Italy, Jerusalem Post, Norway, Palestinian Authority, Richard Goldstone, United Kingdom, United Nations Human Rights Council, United Nations Security Council, United States in Global, Middle East & Iran
Reader Comments (2)
Netanyahu said the adoption of this report would directly affect the peace process (will not be willing to take risks for peace if stripped of its right to self-defense.)
And that's why PA agreed not to endorse the goldstone "report".
RE: On Thursday, Palestinian Authority agreed to delay until March a vote set for today at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
And curiously, on the the Tuesday before, the United States called on Israel to conduct credible investigations into allegations of war crimes committed by its forces in Gaza, saying it would help the Middle East peace process .....
http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSLT547701
Is this the real reason behind delaying the vote? But does the US really believe Israel will (can) conduct an independent judicial investigation into its own crimes?