War crimes: Goldstone led UN commission critical of Israel

The report of  Goldstone led UN Commission reports of Israeli war crimes and Gaza last winter "focuses overwhelmingly on Israel's actions," said Friday a senior U.S. diplomat.

Although it acknowledges, to a lesser extent, Hamas war crimes, the Goldstone report has angered Israel.

From December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009, the Israeli army launched a major ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, called Operation Cast Lead in response to Hamas rocket attacks on the Israeli town of Sderot.  Statistics show  1400 Palestinian deaths of which 926 were civilians including 313 children and 116 women. On the Israeli side, 13 people were killed, including 3 civilians.

Eight months after the attack, a report from the Committee of the Council of Human Rights was released in New York. Result of months of investigation by former prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda resulted in a 575 page document in which South African Richard Goldstone accused the Israeli armed forces 'of acts amounting to war crimes and perhaps, in certain circumstances, crimes against humanity'.

The document was rejected by Israel, and was condemned by the U.S. State Department. Spokesman Ian Kelly, criticized the report, stating that although it covers both sides of the conflict, it focuses overwhelmingly on Israel's actions' Mr. Kelly mentioned he found 'cookie cutter conclusions' about the actions of the Israeli army, while "the deplorable actions of Hamas" were 'general and timid' .  Kelly, however, called on Israel to investigate the actions of its army.

In recalling that the 2006 blockade of Gaza is a serious violation of Palestinian rights, the report details several cases of serious violations of international law.

A damning report for Israel

In a report issued by Rue89, details of the report include the following:

• An air strike killed 22 members of one family in the Zeitoun neighborhood, while there was no evidence of combatants in the area.
• The Jabaliyah mosque was bombarded, killing 15 civilians. Again, no sign of armed resistance there.
• Located in the eastern part of the city, Al Wafa Hospital, was the target of Al Wafa Hospital, located in the east of the city, has been the subject of white phosphorus bombs.

 

The report notes that "the Israeli government has not issued a list of victims (...) neither justified its difference with the Palestinian statistics.

 

Rue 89 continues by arguing that if Israel claims to have warned civilians through phone calls, radio spots and other means,  at least 11 incidents were authenticated by the UN commission, such as deliberate attacks against civilians. Among them, firing against the population or the use of Palestinians as human shields by the army.

From the outset, Israel had refused to cooperate with the UN. In the letters of refusal which appear in the Goldstone report, the Israeli government expresses its reluctance to participate in a biased investigation, which predetermines the real existence of these crimes.

Israel has also called on its friends to bury the report as 'unfair.' The Israeli press which almost unanimously supports the government in condemnation of this report,  has accused Judge Goldstone, who is Jewish, of being anti-Semitic.