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Last update - 23:44 19/10/2009
Cabinet likely to discuss probing Goldstone Gaza Report findings
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and DPA
Tags: Goldstone Gaza Report 

The security-diplomatic cabinet is likely to discuss on Tuesday whether Israel should establish a commission of inquiry into the findings of a damning United Nations report on the Gaza war.

The cabinet will consider the move at a special meeting on the document, in the wake of its endorsement by the UN Human Rights Council last week.

Both the Justice Ministry and Foreign Ministry support establishing such an inquiry, holding that it would aid Israel in combating the report.
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Defense Minister Ehud Barak, for his part, does not rule out such a probe - but does not want it to harm the standing of Israel's existing investigative bodies and the Israel Defense Forces' own prosecutors.

At Tuesday's meeting, the Foreign Ministry is expected to present a plan for diplomatic action to combat the report, and the Justice Ministry will make suggestions on how to deal with its legal ramifications.

The report, which was authored by South African jurist Richard Goldstone, accuses both Israel and Hamas of war crimes, but focuses mainly on alleged Israeli offences. Israel's western allies have pressured the country to launch credible investigations into the allegations of possible war crimes.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Monday that Israel would ensure that the report would be vetoed at the United Nations General Assembly.

"It's going to the UN," the premier told lawmakers from his Likud party. "We'll make sure it gets vetoed."

Israeli ex-diplomat: We erred in boycotting Goldstone probe

Earlier Monday, Israel's former ambassador to Germany, Avi Primor, criticized his country's response to the Goldstone Report.

"The Israeli government was wrong to boycott the investigation led by South African war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone," Primor told German daily Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung, in an interview published Monday.

"We should submit our position, our arguments and not stay away," Primor said.

In the interview, the former diplomat said that while everybody in Israel rejected the report, nobody dared to ignore it.

"People speak out vehemently against it, but know it can't be disregarded," he told the paper.

Primor said that Goldstone also took the wrong approach in his report, presented to the UN Human Rights Council.

"[Goldstone] would more likely be accepted in Israel if he had tried to be more balanced," Primor said, adding that Hamas had unleashed the Gaza war by firing missiles at Israel for weeks on end.

"If Mr. Goldstone had described Hamas as war criminals and then criticized the way that Israel conducted this war, it would have been received differently by us," Primor added.

He said a Middle East peace deal was possible, but not realistic in coming years, since "Palestinians and Israelis are far too weak to dare to make concessions."

"The only way a peace deal could be implemented was if the international community became involved to a far greater extent than it had done to date," Primor said.


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      1.   Israel was doomed whatever the testimony 15:14  |  Fivish 19/10/09
      2.   How to balance a report about asymetrical conflict? 15:23  |  Michael N 19/10/09
      3.   Dumb and Dumber 15:26  |  Natallie Durson 19/10/09
      4.   Self-defense doesn`t justify mass murder 15:44  |  Khalid Amayreh 19/10/09
      5.   HELLO - the report DID accuse Hamas of war crimes 16:03  |  Reuben Jacobs 19/10/09
      6.   Not only were we wrong to boycott it 16:11  |  Bruno 19/10/09
      7.   Doh! 16:12  |  Mark Lincoln 19/10/09
      8.   Doh! 16:12  |  Mark Lincoln 19/10/09
      9.   Khalid /natalie 16:14  |  dave 19/10/09
      10.   I still admire Israel 16:22  |  Angry Arab - As`ad 19/10/09
      11.   General Richard Kemp`s letter to UNHRC 16:31  |  David Isarel 19/10/09
      12.   #3 Natalie Drugson 17:21  |  H 19/10/09
      13.   Now you know why Avi Primor is a "former diplomat" 17:25  |  Raymond in DC 19/10/09
      14.   Better in our war crime court than the Hague`s 17:39  |  jeffrey 19/10/09
      15.   Natallie #3, admittedly Israel is responsible for some dumb deeds 17:49  |  Esther 19/10/09
      16.   A Netanyahu-Lieberman-Barak Blunder 17:57  |  Vladek 19/10/09
      17.   "Origin of the Spanish Inquisition" by Benzion Netanyahu 19:22  |  Steve of Mevaserret 19/10/09
      18.   Goldstone report 19:39  |  Alan Baker 19/10/09
      19.   Germany`s best friend: Avi Primor 19:45  |  molar 19/10/09
      20.   Duh 20:05  |  Richard Pearce 19/10/09
      21.   Circle the wagons and hunker down! 20:25  |  Manny Goldstein 19/10/09
      22.   #19 in Berlin, are you dreaming? 21:22  |  Fritz T. 19/10/09
      23.   bibi had to get mixed signals from the U.S to cme out swinging 22:11  |  joe 19/10/09
      24.   this is only the beginning 22:17  |  stranger 19/10/09
      25.   That`s the Plan of Action: Ensure a USA Veto 22:27  |  Monitor 19/10/09
      26.   Yet more bibibluster. 22:38  |  BDS 19/10/09
      27.   Good Idea 22:58  |  Mark Lincoln 19/10/09
      28.   Netanyahu will be trying to explain 23:03  |  Chris Linthwaite 19/10/09
      29.   War crimes 23:17  |  Eli 19/10/09
      30.   Goldstone VETO 23:24  |  Matt 19/10/09
      31.   Defining war crimes 23:42  |  David 19/10/09
      32.   Better late than ... 23:51  |  Danny 19/10/09
      33.   Esther, where is the hyperbole? 23:55  |  BBSNews 19/10/09
      34.   #15 Esther 00:02  |  Natallie Durson 20/10/09
      35.   why bother? 00:06  |  edgar 20/10/09
      36.   #11 David Isael 00:14  |  Jonathan Howard 20/10/09
      37.   Of course it will get vetoed 00:29  |  ELIAS KHOURY 20/10/09
      38.   Alan Baker, haven`t read the report have you? 00:43  |  BBSNews 20/10/09
      39.   Israel has done more to undermine the UN... 00:48  |  John 20/10/09
      40.   Bibi has flipped - showed startling ignorance 00:59  |  Don Boston 20/10/09
      41.   It`s like watching a baaaad situation comedy 01:10  |  Johnboy 20/10/09
      42.   "We`ll make sure it gets vetoed." 01:53  |  wishful drinking 20/10/09
      43.   #11 Kemp`s oral presentation to the UNHRC 01:54  |  Johnboy 20/10/09
      44.   Too late ! 03:43  |  Akram Zekaria 20/10/09
      45.   Another Whitewash for Israeli War Crimes? 04:20  |  Sceptic 20/10/09
      46.   It`s Damned If You Do and Damned If You Don`t 05:05  |  massaraksh 20/10/09
      47.   "direct intervention", mr primor; THAT`S what`s needed for peace 05:31  |  eric 20/10/09
      48.   Finally someone speaking sense 05:41  |  Jay 20/10/09
      49.   Netanyahu`s Veto 05:52  |  Hugh 20/10/09
      50.   Fivish 05:59  |  Hugh 20/10/09
      51.   KHALID what mass murder?Hamas fighting without uniforms 07:25  |  PETER SM 20/10/09
      52.   Durson 07:31  |  Daniela 20/10/09
      53.   SCEPTIC Actually UNHRC chose to ignore ALL said about Arabs 07:31  |  PETER SM 20/10/09
      54.   Israel mismanages the PR campaign, yet again 08:02  |  peace monger 20/10/09
      55.   the question failed by goldstone is a simple one 08:49  |  vhardman 20/10/09
      56.   #11 David Israel, on Kemp`s testimony (2nd try) 09:59  |  Johnboy 20/10/09
      57.   JOhnboy - we al lbelieve in what we like right 14:31  |  David Israel 20/10/09
      58.   #57 Simply untrue, David Israel 23:45  |  Johnboy 20/10/09
      59.   Criminal 05:38  |  Suzy 24/10/09
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