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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
 (AP)
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Last update - 15:43 05/05/2009
Ban: UN report on Gaza war not legally binding
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: IDF, Gaza, UN, Israel News

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday said a damning UN report on Israel's conduct in its recent offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip was not legally binding.

The Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported Tuesday morning that the probe accuses the Israel Defense Forces of deliberately firing at UN institutions as well as using disproportional force and causing unnecessary harm to civilians.

Israel later rejected the report Tuesday as being "tendentious" and "patently biased."
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Ban made the comments in a letter he agreed to attach to the report at the request of Foreign Ministry director-general Yossi Gal, who traveled to New York on Monday for meetings with Ban's aides on the matter.

In the letter, the UN chief condemned Hamas cross-border rocket fire on Israeli civilians, attacks that sparked the conflict and, according to the Israeli paper, were ignored by the UN committee in its report.

Ban also commended the Israel Defense Forces for its close coordination with the world body during the 3-week operation, as well as the cooperation given by Israel with the report's authors. He said his representatives were holding meetings with the Israeli government on implementing the report's recommendations.

The UN chief added there would be no further reports by the world body on the subject.

In its official response, the Foreign Ministry said: "Both [in] spirit and language, the report is tendentious, patently biased, and ignores the facts presented to the committee."

"The committee has preferred the claims of Hamas, a murderous terror organization, and by doing so has misled the world."

The Foreign Ministry noted that immediately upon the conclusion of Operation Cast Lead, the codename for the operation, Israel carried out independent inquiries into the damage caused to the UN installations.

It said the findings of those inquiries proved "beyond doubt" that the IDF did not intentionally fire at the UN installations.

"Not only have the Hamas terrorists not conducted such inquiries," the ministry added, "they use violence and intimidation against citizens of Gaza as tools to prevent them from presenting the actual truth. In this manner they have deceived the investigators, the UN and public opinion."


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      1.   Time to say no more to these biased UN Reports 11:38  |  John Q. Public 05/05/09
      2.   How can facts be biased? 12:01  |  Natallie Durson 05/05/09
      3.   IDF investigation 12:13  |  Philip 05/05/09
      4.   US `probed` its own invasion of Phillipines 12:17  |  Roo 05/05/09
      5.   Because they`re not facts 12:19  |  Antony Kennett 05/05/09
      6.   Crying wolf too many times .. 12:20  |  SA 05/05/09
      7.   The Truth is sometimes had to take. 12:22  |  Razi 05/05/09
      8.   re #1 12:22  |  moishe 05/05/09
      9.   UN Targetted 12:27  |  Paul Macdonald 05/05/09
      10.   How can facts be biased? Easy... 12:27  |  Israeli 05/05/09
      11.   query 12:58  |  potobac 05/05/09
      12.   #1 Natallie: the point is whether there was specific intent 13:02  |  Urani Diot 05/05/09
      13.   Who was on this UN committee 13:08  |  No Dope 05/05/09
      14.   UN 13:10  |  jos 05/05/09
      15.   Did ordanance 13:15  |  Chris Linthwaite 05/05/09
      16.   This is typical of Israel 13:20  |  Matty Groves 05/05/09
      17.   Foreign Ministry said "Israel carried out independent inquiry" 13:29  |  Roo 05/05/09
      18.   The UN "biased" ? What a surprise ! 13:37  |  tristan 05/05/09
      19.   FACTS ARE FACTS 13:41  |  indrajaya 05/05/09
      20.   I suppose 13:48  |  Chris Linthwaite 05/05/09
      21.   No, Urani Diot, you really are! 13:53  |  sh 05/05/09
      22.   ROO UN has yet to probe Hamas fighting out of uniforms amongst 13:53  |  PETER SM 05/05/09
      23.   The UN is Biased against Israel 14:01  |  Richard 05/05/09
      24.   The UN didn`t even have a look at the videos submitted by IAF 14:02  |  Joey 05/05/09
      25.   To all the usual Israel/Jew bashers/haters 14:15  |  Hastaroth 05/05/09
      26.   LOL, as if Israel has any crediblity 14:20  |  Johan Odin 05/05/09
      27.   Does killing UN workers make people bias against you? 14:32  |  Tcherkessi 05/05/09
      28.   UN is without doubt biased 14:32  |  Richard 05/05/09
      29.   Gaza Militants 14:36  |  Paul Sheining 05/05/09
      30.   Yes Matt Groves it may well be typical .. 14:47  |  SA 05/05/09
      31.   Israel doesn`t trust the UN, the rest of the world doesn`t..... 14:52  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/05/09
      32.   Articulating the FM position 14:53  |  BazMann 05/05/09
      33.   #24 Joey 15:14  |  Chris Linthwaite 05/05/09
      34.   To Peter SM.@ 22 .Just a Short One: 15:20  |  Kathy 05/05/09
      35.   Ahem. I did point out two weeks ago.... 15:22  |  Johnboy 05/05/09
      36.   Obama ... close the purse strings 15:24  |  kb richard 05/05/09
      37.   #24 Dino on Trust 16:22  |  Frank 05/05/09
      38.   #36 the nitwits post again and again about us arms subsidies 16:53  |  v hardman 05/05/09
      39.   UN probe? Did UN ever prob Hizbollah, Hamas, PLO, Iran, Lybia, 16:58  |  AA 05/05/09
      40.   #24 Dino on Trust 16:59  |  Richard 05/05/09
      41.   Remember 1996 17:19  |  Lebanese Citizen 05/05/09
      42.   # 13 No Dope.....Cuba, Libya, Syria, Iran 17:23  |  Lynn 05/05/09
      43.   United (Arab-Muslim) Nations for Oil and Anti-Semitic Fixation. 17:24  |  jae 05/05/09
      44.   #31 Swiss....most normal people do not trust the UN 17:25  |  Lynn 05/05/09
      45.   # 37 Frank / # 40 Richard, actually I was talking..... 17:26  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/05/09
      46.   # 26 Johan Odin....not "legally binding" says it all 17:29  |  Lynn 05/05/09
      47.   UN reflects the world 17:34  |  utagawa 05/05/09
      48.   swiss (dino) 17:40  |  scallywag 05/05/09
      49.   PETER SM #22 stop with the faux morality 17:40  |  Roo 05/05/09
      50.   indrajaya - facts are facts 17:41  |  scallywag 05/05/09
      51.   UN/Red Crescent Ambulances Used as WEAPONS of WAR 17:42  |  Linda Rivera 05/05/09
      52.   #41 Swiss....I have reservations with those in the UN 17:46  |  Lynn 05/05/09
      53.   huh?!?!??! April 15th 2009 :Israel will not cooperate with UN 18:08  |  Ramin 05/05/09
      54.   If it were up to me 18:14  |  Jane 05/05/09
      55.   # 52 Lynn and also # 48 scallywag, 18:22  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/05/09
      56.   Lynn and the normal people 44 18:23  |  andy 05/05/09
      57.   #33 18:51  |  Joey 05/05/09
      58.   Jane all those things apply to the US #54 19:07  |  Roo 05/05/09
      59.   NOT LEGALLY BINDING! UN should disappear as LEAGUE of NATIONS DID 19:45  |  Vittorio 05/05/09
      60.   swiss (dino) 20:08  |  scallywag 05/05/09
      61.   Johnboy Waxing Lyrical# 35 ..So you Are A seer are you? 00:36  |  Whiskey 06/05/09
      62.   You are quite right Joey# 24 Always making false accusations .. 00:40  |  Whiskey 06/05/09
      63.   LOL! "Not legally binding"!!!! 01:27  |  Johnboy 06/05/09
      64.   #2 Because 02:23  |  Parviz Khan 06/05/09
      65.   gaza raid 02:59  |  robt wilson 06/05/09
      66.   #13 Returning the serve, No Dope 03:19  |  Johnboy 06/05/09
      67.   #53 There are TWO UN investigations, Ramin 03:31  |  Johnboy 06/05/09
      68.   #38 Give it a break, Victor 03:51  |  Johnboy 06/05/09
      69.   #45 Thanks for the chuckle, Lynn 04:13  |  Johnboy 06/05/09
      70.   playing fair 08:10  |  Rupert Sherman 06/05/09
      71.   ROO There is nothing faux about non uniformed Hamas fighting 08:29  |  PETER SM 06/05/09
      72.   Pete: It is shocking indeed 10:09  |  R Sherman 06/05/09
      73.   PETER SM He sounds pro Israel to me 11:12  |  Roo 06/05/09
      74.   #61 Thanks for the comments, Whiskey 14:05  |  Johnboy 06/05/09
      75.   BANK I MOON = The WORST UN Gen. Secr. EVER 18:18  |  Ban Banki 06/05/09
      76.   The UN Chorus 15:26  |  Rozz 10/05/09
      77.   To Urani #12 14:16  |  tony 29/06/09
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