London, February 27: The United Nations adopts an Arab-sponsored resolution extending the deadline for full, credible probes into Israel’s last year offensive against the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
The non-binding resolution, backed by the Palestinian Authority’s delegation along with several Arab and African countries, was adopted by the UN General Assembly on Friday in a 98-31vote.
The move gives another five months for fresh investigations into war crimes committed during the three-week Israeli onslaught, which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and left thousands more wounded.
The resolution renews calls on the Israelis and the Palestinians “to conduct investigations that are independent, credible and in conformity with international standards.”
This is while a UN fact-finding committee led by renowned South African prosecutor Richard Goldstone accused Israel of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Goldstone’s 575-page report documented accounts of deliberate killing of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army who targeted places known to hold civilians and also opened fire on unarmed people on the run.
The document also charged the Islamic Hamas movement with indiscriminate targeting of southern Israeli towns with rockets — mostly home-made projectiles landing in unpopulated desert areas.
Friday’s resolution also calls on UN chief Ban Ki-moon to report back to the assembly “within a period of five months on the implementation of the present resolution.” Ban’s report would then tell if any further action should be taken by the relevant UN organs and bodies, including the Security Council.
In the light of the Goldstone report, the General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a similar resolution demanding credible, independent investigations of the war crime charges by February 5.
Goldstone had advised the case be sent to the International Criminal Court in The Hague if plausible probes were not conducted within six months.
——–Agencies