Israel presses campaign against UN Gaza report

AFP,
JERUSALEM — Israel on Wednesday pressed its campaign against a UN report on the Gaza war that accused it of war crimes as the General Assembly prepared to vote on a non-binding resolution on the inquiry.

"There is nothing more cynical than this report, which comes from countries known for their violations of human rights," Israel's Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai told military radio.

"Our army is the most moral in the world," he said, adding that Israel's military "will continue to apply its own criteria, regardless of any report."

The UN Human Rights Council report, authored by the respected former war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone, accuses both Israel and Palestinian militants of war crimes during the Gaza war at the turn of the year.

Some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed during the fighting, which erupted when Israel launched a massive air assault on December 27 followed by a ground invasion aimed at halting Palestinian rocket attacks.

Israel has insisted the report is biased against it, and on Tuesday Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon held a special meeting with foreign ambassadors to Israel to try to convince them to vote against the report.

Ayalon accused the Palestinians of "manipulating international institutions in order to hurt and criticise Israel," the ministry said.

"This report damages not only Israel but any peace-seeking democratic state that has to face terror," Ayalon was quoted as saying.

The General Assembly was on Wednesday expected to vote on a draft resolution floated by Arab delegates that would require UN chief Ban Ki-moon to bring the Goldstone report before the Security Council.

The non-binding resolution could easily be adopted by the General Assembly, even if the United States and European countries vote against it as expected, as it is likely to earn the support of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 developing nations.

But at the Security Council, it faces a US veto threat and is unlikely to obtain the nine out of 15-vote majority to pass. Russia has already indicated its opposition to the report's findings.