DDMA Headline Animator

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Netanyahu: 'Israel must prepare to fight delegitimization'

Jerusalem - Israel must take appropriate measures against its "delegitimization" in the UN Human Rights Council, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a special ministerial forum Friday night, the Israeli Haaretz daily reported on Saturday. "The delegitimization (of Israel) must be delegitimized," Netanyahu said in the meeting convened Friday night following the UN Human Rights Council's decision to endorse Goldstone report.

The report accusing Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes during its 22 days conflict last winter in the Gaza Strip was ratified by a majority of countries in the UN Human Rights Council.

With the adoption of the resolution, the Human Rights Council would hand the matter over "urgently" to the UN General Assembly in New York, which could issue a non-binding recommendation for ICC involvement. The report also recommends the Security Council discuss the findings.

The Israeli prime minister said the struggle against Goldstone report would be legal and diplomatic but would take the appropriate measures against it, Haaretz daily reported.

The report, written by Goldstone, a South African war crimes prosecutor, and three other international experts, concluded that both Israel and the Hamas movement likely committed war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity during their three weeks of fighting.

Some 25 states in the 47-member Human Rights Council voted in Geneva to accept the report and 11 delegates abstained. Six nations, including the United States and some European Union nations voted against the resolution, which mentions only Israeli war crimes and not Hamas'.

Israel rejected Friday the United Nations Human Rights Council's ratification and called the UNHRC resolution "unjust, according to a statement of the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.