GENEVA: The U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday endorsed a Gaza report that accused both Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas of committing war crimes in their December-January conflict.
In a special session, 25 of the body's members voted in favour of the resolution that chastised Israel for failing to cooperate with the U.N. mission led by South African jurist Richard Goldstone. Another 6 voted it against and 11 abstained.
Both Israel and Hamas have rejected the charges in the Goldstone report, which is most critical of the Jewish state. The report calls for the U.N. Security Council to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court if the Israelis or Palestinians fail to investigate the alleged abuses themselves.
Palestinians welcomed the U.N. endorsement of the report.
"The Palestinian Authority welcomes the decision of the U.N. Human Rights Council and we hope this will be followed up in the U.N. Security Council to ensure such Israeli crimes are not repeated," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP.
Israel had no immediate reaction to the vote.
In Gaza, Hamas also approved the move, thanking the nations that voted to endorse the report.
"We hope that vote will lead to a trial of the occupation leaders," said Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nunu.
In the report circulated last month, the investigators led by South African jurist Richard Goldstone accused both Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas of war crimes in Gaza, but were overall more critical of Israel than Hamas.
Israel has rejected the charges in the report. It however came under pressure in a U.N. Security Council debate on Wednesday to fully investigate its allegations.
Israel's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Aharon Leshno Yaar, said Thursday the Human Rights Council resolution -- drafted by the Palestinians with Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan and Tunisia, on behalf of non-aligned, African, Islamic and Arab nations--threatened to "set back hopes for peace."
"They will clearly hear that this new form of warfare, as used by Hamas in Gaza, will offer immunity as countries will be prevented from waging effective responses," Yaar said.
The text calls for the U.N. General Assembly to consider the Goldstone report and for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to review Israel's adherence to it. That would keep up pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who Washington is trying to convince to commit to a "two-state solution" that previous Israeli governments have signed up to
Netanyahu has urged the U.N. Human Rights Council to reject the report on Friday "Responsible nations have to vote against this decision that supports terror and harms peace," Netanyahu told reporters late on Thursday after a meeting with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
The draft resolution debated by the council seeks endorsement of "the recommendations contained in the report ... and calls upon all concerned parties including United Nations bodies, to ensure their implementation."
The Goldstone report recommends referral of its conclusions to the International Criminal Court prosecutor in The Hague, if Israel and Hamas fail to conduct credible investigations within six months.
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