Palestinian minister quits over PA decision to drop Goldstone draft
Palestinian government decides to pull draft resolution condemning Israel's conduct in Gaza.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Goldstone report Israel newsClick here for more on the Goldstone commission report on the Gaza conflict
Palestinian Authority Minister of National Economy Bassem Khoury resigned his post on Saturday in protest over the Palestinian government's decision to drop a draft resolution condemning Israel's conduct during its winter offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Authority decided not to submit a draft resolution demanding that the United Nations report compiled by a commission headed by Richard Goldstone, which accused both Israel and Hamas of war crimes, be submitted for discussion to the UN or the international criminal court.
As a result of the PA's decision, the UN Human Rights Council deferred a vote on adopting the recommendations of the Goldstone Report.
Several other Palestinian ministers have also expressed an inclination to resign over the decision.
Meanwhile Saturday, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a rival faction to Fatah which dominates the Palestinian government, condemned the decision to drop the draft resolution as act of "capitulation to Israeli dictates."
"The PA surrendered to the dictates of Israel and the U.S. and it is betraying the victims of Gaza," read an official communiqe issued by the PFLP.
The PFLP, a Marxist-Leninist faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the PA's decision was an "irresponsible" one that dealt a serious blow to the Palestinian struggle.
It accused the Fatah-led PA of squandering a key tool in the Palestinian struggle for independence. "There is no justification for such an action," the PFLP said.
Amnesty bemoans UN body's deferral of Gaza war report
Amnesty International, the British-based international human rights organization, expressed dismay on Friday following a decision by the United Nations Human Rights Council to defer a discussion on a report which accused Israel of war crimes during its offensive in the Gaza Strip last winter, according to Israel Radio.
The adoption of the Goldstone Report was deferred by six months after the Palestinian Authority on Thursday decided to drop its draft resolution condemning Israel's conduct during the Gaza Strip offensive.
The PA had originally planned to present the draft to the Human Rights Council for a vote in Geneva on Friday. The decision not to pursue the resolution means that any similar effort will have to wait until at least March, a political source in Jerusalem said.
The source added that the decision appears to be based on pressure from the Obama administration, exerted by way of U.S. representatives in Geneva, as well as through contacts between Washington and Ramallah.
The Obama administration has told the Palestinians that a renewal of the peace process must come before any diplomatic initiatives based on the Goldstone report, or any other initiatives that could stifle efforts to renew Israel-PA negotiations.
Amnesty is calling on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to submit the report's findings to the Security Council without delay, Israel Radio reported.
The organization accused the Human Rights Council of failing to fulfill its duty to implement the report's recommendations, according to Israel Radio.
The acting head of Israel's Amnesty branch, Itay Epstein, called on the government to investigate those who executed Operation Cast Lead and to bring to trial those responsible for "sowing killing and destruction."
Amnesty said the deferral gives Israel and Hamas "one last chance" to conduct their own inquiries into violations of humanitarian and international law which were allegedly committed during the three-week military campaign.
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No pecae or freedom is worth negotiating away the truth and crimes How shameful the whole Palestinian Authotity looks today! Dutch
It is really the only response that makes any sense. The P.A. is no longer, sadly, of any relevance. There is no authority without sovereignty and it is not sustainable to pretend that people will forever accept no citizenship - yalla, in ten years time it will be time to let the P.A. become a series of town councils and campaign for one person one vote in the Land of Israel.
those of you who condemn us in Israel for killing Hamas, just have a look here whats the reel face of Hamas when they get bloodthirsty on their brothers Fatah... Go and deal with animals is not an easy thing. It takes a Carter or two to do this dirty job. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPMJw0waNCo
brought up several times in the past few weeks.
Obama is no friend of the Palestinians...he completely backed down on the settlement halt he called for like a coward, and has now decided to return the U.S. to its previous 100% pro-Israel bias. Even worse, Abbas sold out the people of Gaza by listening to his masters Obama and Netanyahu. Abbas is nothing but a puppet and a dictator.
In light of the Goldstone Report as well as the illegality of ALL settlements in the Occupied Territories (East of the 1967 armistice line) according to the 4th Geneva Convention and other international laws and principles outlawing territorial expansion by conquest, and settling occupied territory. Obama as a lawyer, should also be held accountable to respect international law.
Just think if the Secretary General went ahead and did it. 'Amnesty is calling on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to submit the report's findings to the Security Council without delay, Israel Radio reported. ' You mean, he could ignore the United States/Israel?
Why you do not mention that the withdrawal of the Palestinian Authority was exchanged with the concession of the second telephone company (private) for Palestine? This deal is a shame on PA, which shows its real face: a bunch of rich merchants, caring zero for their people. Change them !!
For sure the PA are more interested in feathering their own nest than the rights of the Palestinian people, but the Goldstone report recommended a six month period of grace for the accused parties to address the crimes of the murderers in their midst, and as Simon Wiesenthal often said - there is no statute of limitation for those that commit war crimes.
"....The Obama administration has told the Palestinians that a renewal of the peace process must come before any diplomatic initiatives based on the Goldstone report, or any other initiatives that could stifle efforts to renew Israel-PA negotiations." Ha ha ha - does naive Obama really think "Bibi" has any intention for this "renewed" peace process to go anywhere?? It will go where the Goldstone Reeport is now headed - namely into oblivion ! David
working with ISRAEL are the ones who are running around in black limousines in Ramallah. The true care takers of the palestinian cause are the ones who are "wanted" by the Israelis or who are already in jail i.e Barghoutti and others.....
How Israel blackmailed the PNA into dropping their request . wataniyaa mobile and how Israel withheld the frequencies and wataniyaa and the 140 mil in licencing fees
Namely, the dust-bin of history. And for the same reasons. Biased Mandate with pre-determined conclusions. And at least one biased judge (Chinkin 2009; El Araby 2004) who publicly pronounced (in advance) on the very issues they were charged to consider.
Namely, the dust-bin of history. And for the same reasons. Biased mandate with pre-determined conclusions. And at least one biased judge (Chinkin 2009; El Araby 2004) who publicly pronounced (in advance) on the very issues they were charged to consider.
This irrelevant organisation is one more of the pawns of the anti-Israel hydra.
What other Government would see 1,400 of its citizens slaughtered by a neighbouring country and lie down without a whimper! As Chaim Rumkowski was to the Natzi's, so is Mahmoud Abbas to his Israeli Master.
Namely, the dust-bin of history. And for the same reasons. Biased Mandate with pre-determined conclusions. And at least one biased judge (Chinkin 2009; El Araby 2004) who publicly pronounced (in advance) on the very issues they were charged to consider.
... but that does not automatically give us the right to deny our own culpability, even if only partial...
?decision appears to be based on pressure from the Obama administration? The Obama administration, in turn, was pressured from AIPAC by having the oxygen supply to the White House cunningly mixed with carefully calibrated amounts of laughing gas, thus the result. Anti-Semites of the world: UNITE !
Let's call it Vichy ... Maybe we should also name Abbas "Marechal Abou Mazen" ...
so, Obama made a bold move to try and get the two parties talking.. Let's see if it pays off. Meanwhile, more rockets are being fired into Israel. Will words stop the rockets?
The US government is leaning on the PA to back off at the UN Human Rights Council. Adoption of the Goldstone Report has now been postponed by 6 months and no doubt there will be further delaying actions by the USA and Israel to ensure that the Goldstone Report will disappear quietly. AI is right to protest against this state of affairs. My hope was that the Obama administration would embark on a new and vigourous Middle East policy, but the signs so far are that nothing much has changed; no pressure on Israel to come clean regarding its own nuclear capability, no firm inistence that Israel must freeze the building of ANY new colonies and now helping Israel to bury the Goldstone Report. If Obama does not take action soon his professed aim of being an 'honest broker' will go down the drain. American prestige will take another nosedive and American interests will suffer. Can't Obama and his foreign policy advisors see this?
But Why are the Palestinians so stupid? WHat for? Why did they drop it? for a promised "round of talks" with the Israelis? for promised peace that does not arrive? We should get rid of this PA that does nothing for its people but drink coffee in Jerusalem
Nothing!!! Nothing about his abduction from Israeli soil. Nothing about Hamas denying him to see International Red Cross personnel, an official of Israel, a family member. Nothing about the fact that he is being held without a trial in the hands of traders in human bodies: live, dead and human parts. This is Amnesty that attempts to impress the informed public and can't.
There are currently no comments visible, but I make two predictions ... 1. These comments will be replete with people condemning Amnesty for its biased anti-Israeli stance. 2. These commenters will be blind or ignorant to Amnesty's condemnations of Iran and oppressive Arab states. Indeed, in other contexts, they will happily quote Amnesty, ignoring its supposed virulent anti-Israeli bias.
.....like Anmesty International, Human Rights Watch, Bets'elem etc. that are not subject to pressure, blackmail or intimidation. No wonder the "thugs" of this world don't like them at all....
Namely, the dust-bin of history. And for the same reasons. Biased Mandate with pre-determined conclusions. And at least one biased one judge (Chinkin 2009; El Araby 2004) who publicly pronounced (in advance) on the very issues they were charged to consider.