UN ENDORSES GAZA REPORT

The UN Human Rights Council endorsed a report that accused Israel and the Hamas of war crimes in the Gaza conflict, dealing a fresh diplomatic blow to the Jewish state. While Israel had said such a move would be tantamount to “rewarding terror”, the Palestinians welcomed the resolution which it said should be the trigger for follow-up action from the UN Security Council. Some 25 of the council’s 49 members, led by the Arab and African states, voted for the resolution. Six, including the United States, voted against while 16 others either abstained or did not vote. The resolution calls for the endorsement of “the recommendations contained in the report” produced by a fact-finding mission led by international war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone to probe the 22-day conflict. Goldstone concluded that both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during the conflict launched by Israel in response to rocket fire from the enclave in late December 2008.