UN urges further Gaza war inquiry from Israel, Palestinians

The US was one of the countries that invented the UN and wrote its rules.

Where were all the "humnitarians"?

"The other week the USA slaughtered 21 innocent Afghani civilians... I call for an immediate investigation into all war crimes committed by the USA... from the slaughter of the native indian to now..." David, that's a good idea. Israel should start demanding this investigation in the UN right away. Every time somebody complains about Israelis doing any kind of atrocity the Israeli government should point out that the USA is worse. Whenever somebody claims that Israel has done war crimes, tell them the USA has done worse war crimes. That will show them.

?the nations that support Israel are the same that supported the apartheid? Mikael I can speak for Canada, with pride. Canada was in the forefront of fighting South African Apartheid as early as 1961 when most in the West thought apartheid was a word for free sex. Canadian business people, activists and clergy also played parts in bringing about all-race elections in 1994, and a surprisingly peaceful end to apartheid. South Africas 1996 Constitution and Bill of Rights draw heavily on Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Today Canada stands with Israel and its fight against terror because it is the right thing to do and Canadians LARGELY support the official Government line. I am sure you will not like this but tough.

Obama has been trying to change some things, but has allowed a minority in the Senate to stop him. Bush didn't like a similar minority in the Senate do anything at all. I didn't expect any change on Israel. Obama announced publicly and repeatedly that he supported Israel 100%. You shouldn't have expected anything different.

"This is the General Assembly. This is a game-changer. This is justice coming." No, if the GA votes everybody but 2 for something that Israel doesn't like, if absolutely everybody in the whole world votes yes and only Israel and the USA vote no, the USA will still veto it. As long as the USA is 100% behind Israel, as they are now in their attempts at a peace treaty etc, Israel has nothing to worry about. Even if no other country in the world will trade with Israel, the USA can do another Berlin Airlift. We can ship Israel all their food and oil and even water from the USA, we can and will airlift drinking water and everything else to Israel. As long as the USA can get enough aviation fuel to supply Israel's needs, Israel is set. And if the rest of the world tries to cut off our oil supplies, we can threaten to nuke them. Israel can threaten to nuke them yourselves. Maybe nuke a couple of countries to show you mean business. Let them hate you provided they fear you.

as hopefully it always shall be in Israels favor.......hmmmmm lets think about the alternative and the consequences...... no offense but your post is disturbing in its shortsightedness.....War have and always will be decided not by proportion but by who can gain advantage, become the most prepared, execute their plans and fundamentally foster and DISPROPORTIONATE outcome with hopefully disproportionate resources....if the gazans/hamas/islamic jihad dont like it,, they should not foster war at EVERY turn, endanger those they claim to protect, and in fact exploit their civilians toward their hateful ends.

an affair in which there is no even pretense of Israel part, Israeli police should be invited when American pcincipal at school instigates "Hit a Jew". I think there is nothing wrong with investigating... as long as it is fair and the both sides are equal at the table. I don't want killers get away, nor do I want Anti - Semite principal spending another day on a job sponsored by American taxpayer.

but was there even a contest? according to the idf following its operation...hamas was a no-show. have a beautiful day!

in afghanistan and iraq, nato and coalition forces are facing insurgents who not only engage them in battle when attacked, but who also stage their own attacks. any comparison between either of these, and the gaza operation, is completely ludicrous considering the idf itself reported virtually NO resistence by hamas. as a matter of fact, the idf went so far as to boast about how hamas chose to hide rather than face idf forces. that being the case, noam, how then do you account for the number of civilian casualties and the extensive destruction that took place during the idf's ground offensive?

could you please point out exactly what qualifies israel's operation in gaza as a "war"?

"The UN would better serve the interests of Israel and the Palestinians by enquiring on the conflict`s root causes. It may ask: Did Hamas violate Israel`s sovereignty through rocket attacks? Did Hamas endanger Israeli civilians? Did Israel repeatedly warn Hamas to cease doing so? How else should a sovereign nation respond to such repeated provocations?"MV Cannot get much more rightwing than the above attempt to keep israel,s war crimes hidden from view. he blames it all on Hamas---how very "Cromwellian" of you. Well done Morris---you have finally arrived ---cjk will love you. Next step---the so called "Olive Branch" where you will be welcomed with open arms.

"The UN would better serve the interests of Israel and the Palestinians by enquiring on the conflict`s root causes. It may ask: Did Hamas violate Israel`s sovereignty through rocket attacks? Did Hamas endanger Israeli civilians? Did Israel repeatedly warn Hamas to cease doing so? How else should a sovereign nation respond to such repeated provocations?"MV Cannot get much more rightwing than the above attempt to keep israel,s war crimes hidden from view. he blames it all on Hamas---how very "Cromwellian" of you. Well done Morris---you have finally arrived ---cjk will love you. Next step---the so called "Olive Branch" where you will be welcomed with open arms.

'... the Gaza war was a disproportionate contest, with a vastly disproportionate outcome. It would be irresposible of the UN to abandon it unresolved, with or without the Goldstone report.' 'Disproportionality' between adversaries isn't a valid reason for a UN enquiry, Esther. There was no UN enquiry on the Six Day war. Pray tell, how should a sovereign nation react when its citizens are under constant rocket bombardment, when it has already warned its adversary to cease fire, when it has even warned the civilians living under the adversary's thumb? And tell me, too, why the UN is so fixated upon investigating Israel's war conduct, when the root cause of the conflict patently did not lay with Israel? These are the questions, which, if the UN were as responsible as you claim it to be, would lay at the very heart of its enquiries!

the purpose of this resolution is to keep the issue front and center for another 5 months before the US uses its veto to finally bury it. No one believes that either Israel or Hamas are capable of doing anything besides point their finger at each other.

Quote "would be irresposible of the UN to abandon it unresolved," It is not a question of irresponsibility but the UN has also many other issues to resolve , Like the Haiti and new Chile quake issues that depend mainly on money beside medias attention and concerned parties willingness. Quote "with or without the Goldstone report." The arabpal issue is a internal arab-moslem problem . The OIC-Arab League could solve such issue the same as it now does a la sharia style with Sudan genocidal terrorists factions.

... with a vastly disproportionate outcome. It would be irresposible of the UN to abandon it unresolved, with or without the Goldstone report.

Careful Mark.. the UN is a very "objective" entitiy. they will crucify you in a second. We too looked into the gaza war.... they fired rockets first and got their butts kicked. we will kick them again if they misbehave.

Petra, what are you saying: ..."no Jew is safe from a mob." Wow what a statement... You live in the USA like me--tell me the last time A jew was injuried, harrassed let alone murder from a mob environment? It does happen in the US. somewtimes synagouges are vandelized , like the burning of churches in Texas recently. You write and post with such extreme hyperbole that you end up discrediting yourself.

bottom line is it is quiet in Gaza and it is quiet in Lebanon. War is hell. I think there was a book and a movie of the same phrase.

"UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon acknowledged the Israeli report as one based on an investigative system comparable to any used by democratic nations like the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada." So where are the reports on the civilian deaths which we read about almost every day in Afghanistan ? I think Israel does much better.

newsflash jb australia withdraws all troops from killing civillians

1. Slowman is waiting for the arrival of tomorrow's (Saturday) Haaretz edition, and preserving his limited energy to translate it. 2. Jerusalem Post pays Slowman an extra bonus to ruin Haaretz's most read Friday edition. 3. Slowman figures that since there is no Saturday edition, the same Talkback forums will be there tomorrow too. Why then do the work instead of leaving it for the next censor? 4. How is this day different from any other day?

... by re-opening this inquiry? Yes, even war supposedly has laws governing its conduct, to ameliorate its worst aspects. But the problem with this noble idea, is that war represents a breakdown of the laws which would normally govern relationships between nations. War is lawless. It's vicious. It's bloody. It's the worst passions of Humanity coming to the fore. But sometimes, there is no other choice but war. The UN is ploughing old ground by re-addressing what was, at best, a controversial report (Goldstone) issued by controversial people, on the conduct of a war which inflamed those worst passions in both adversaries. The UN would better serve the interests of Israel and the Palestinians by enquiring on the conflict's root causes. It may ask: Did Hamas violate Israel's sovereignty through rocket attacks? Did Hamas endanger Israeli civilians? Did Israel repeatedly warn Hamas to cease doing so? How else should a sovereign nation respond to such repeated provocations?

"Earlier in February, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon acknowledged the Israeli report as one based on an investigative system comparable to any used by democratic nations like the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada." This and other alleged quotes from Ban are, in fact, lies. They come from Appendix 1 of Ban's February report, which was a reprint of the israeli submission. Ban, himself, did not make these statements. This is libellous.

Is it not quite annoying to be put in the same category as Hamas and fail? I can see the compares? but can the people of Israel?

the nations that support Israel are the same that supported the apartheid regime up to its end. Nothing to be comfortable with.

"Will Un bring charges against Hamus for using human shields, firing from schools or hospitals. Is this going to be one sided." No, Tobia, Hamas leaders will be indicted as well they should be. But also the Israeli side will be sitting in the ICC dock for those same crimes. Using human shields, bombing civilian hospitals, denying medical aid to civilians,etc. Let your government petition the UN to investigate the possible war crimes in Iraq and Afganistan if you think those charges have merit.

And Noam should we have not investigated the Nazi war crimes because the russians and british and Americans may have committed crimes also? The Hague is being made ready for your civil and military leaders.

no one can take this organisation seriously now at any time ! it should be shut down !!

You can send your team of accept the findings of the US Courts. As far as Afghanistan, that is under investigation. But I'm sure the US would welcome an IDF team to come and help investigate, too. We have the US and NATO already there. But if you insist . . .

"What does Israel fear from its own citizens doing an open inquiry of what happened? Why can`t Israel trust its own judges asking questions? What are the politicians and IDF senior staff hiding from the people of Israel?" But of course...

Israel doesn't exist to please others. If left to "popular support", history shows no Jew is safe from a mob. Defense beats intimidation and Israel will NOT be intimidated by mobs of the great unwashed. Seems to me, before and after Israel's rebirth, there have always been those who thought it 'popular' to murder Jews. NEVER AGAIN!!!

Afraid of what system man? The other week the USA slaughtered 21 innocent Afghani civilians... I call for an immediate investigation into all war crimes committed by the USA... from the slaughter of the native indian to now...

r: "if uk, france, etc voted against israel time to ask for probe of their war actions. enough is enough." The UK and France did vote against Israel so, yeah, Shalev should now "ask for a probe of their war actions". Absolutely she should, ralph, and then she (and you) can then mull over the vote of 191-1 against her suggestion. I'm sure you'll just put it down to "anti-semitism", at which point you will have given me two good laughs.

Way to go Israel! Australia abstained, having previously voted the Israel/USA line. Gosh! I wonder if Rudd is trying to send you guys a message????? Mind you, who *do* you have on your side? Well, out of ALL the nations on Planet Earth, you guys have got: Canada Micronesia Nauru Panama Macedonia USA Better hope you never lose that last vote, because if you do then you *will* automatically lose the other five as well. Which will leave you with..... exactly nothing. You guys are COMPLETELY dependent on Obama, yet you insist on pissing all over him at every opportunity. How odd....

... that he could afford ...

Very disappointed; I voted Obama because I expected change.

Very disappointed; I voted Obama because I expected change.

Keep your shirt on. MG, do you believe everything you're told?

Off-with-their-heads threats by General Assembly lose force given the inevitability of the Arab League sponsored Goldstone Report being followed by acceptance of Palestinian self-absolution and conviction of Israel for imaginary offenses. The proper response is to implement Israeli strategic goals where Israel has the means to further its interests, whether that be in strengthening its posture on the West Bank or devising new strategies to resist the UN-sponsored Hamas terrorist regime.

What does Israel fear from its own citizens doing an open inquiry of what happened? Why can't Israel trust its own judges asking questions? What are the politicians and IDF senior staff hiding from the people of Israel?

Will Un bring charges against Hamus for using human shields, firing from schools or hospitals. Is this going to be one sided. For the Israel bashers what if the vatican was attacked???????????????

... Israel's reports were evasive on some issues... ... it is both expected and necessary that both reports strive to be more complete... that the evasions and obfuscations are avoided... for the good of all concerned...

... deep into the mess of human tragedy that occured in Gaza...fair enough...

Who were the seven in the '98-7'? Aside from the US and Israel, I've identified Canada, Panama, and Micronesia. Anyway, as the Palestinian observer pointed out, the key is that the number of those willing to support Israel has dropped from eighteen the last time this issue came up to seven this time. Not one member of the EU voted in support of Israel. Good thing you didn't steal any Canadian passports. Anyway, you could list all of your supporters. The list is short enough.

And when will we see an official invastigation of NATO's war crimes ? How many civilians died last week in Afghanisan arund 40?! But I guess we will never see it. why? beacuse of the double-face of the western world and the HyPOCRISY OF THE ARAB WORLD.

USA is time you shut up and move away from the conflict of Israel and palestinian talking about being bias?? Look yourself in the mirror USA!!!!make me sick!Is American I cannot see my goverment keep it up,and the people wonder why we are hated so much!! Move away from the conflict that we cannot be a honest broker!!

UN can't be serious, after a year of drilling Israel for information they got nothing, why waste more time and money now? That being said, I'd like to emphasize a major flaw with this resolution that the article highlights: Hamas cannot survey or conduct legitimate inquiries from the Gazans. Hamas is a group who is prejudiced against Israel, there is no way that Hamas will ever admit to doing anything wrong unless they have something to gain from making such claims.

free time on their hands. What a useless, obsolete and biased entity this is. They should cosult the son of hamas leader who saw atrocities done by palestinians to palestinians and made a conscience decision to assist Israelis in preventing suicide/homicide attempts. By the way he was so fed up with palestinian brutality he converted to Christianity. UN, take a heed and start supporting Israel which is at avangard fighting terror and islamic extremism enveloping whole world as we speak

Those voting with the United States and Israel against the resolution declined from 18 to 7 between Goldstone I and II. It is inaccurate to say this "In his report, Ban said the Israeli investigators had followed on every allegation "regardless of whether the source was neutral,hostile or friendly."" Ban did not say this. The quote is from the Israeli report submitted to Ban. Ban said the evidence is inconclusive. That's why there was this second resolution.

are a blatant abuse of Israel court proceedings. Israel court proceedings are comparable to the investigative system used by democratic nations like the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada . Israel investigative system and court proceedings are widely viewed as independent, credible and in conformity with international standards . We certainly cannot say the same about the U.N investigative system in the Hariri Affair . We certainly cannot say the same about the Syria investigative system in the Mghniyeh Affair . We certainly cannot say the same about U.A.E investigative system in the Al Mabhouh affair . Iran did not even submitted a comprehensive objective rebuttal report about its involvement in the Argentina Bombings .

you can hear the door to the defendant's dock at the Hague begin to open. This is the General Assembly. This is a game-changer. This is justice coming.

I am so disappointed in this administration. Now it's up to Europe to prosecute these war crimes because America lacks courage and moral leadership on this issue. I also hope Mitchell quits, because Obama's bias towards Israel is as bad as Bush's.

their war actions. enough is enough.

This should be fun. I expect there will be so much stonewalling that at least a new temple and mosque will be built from the left-over stones.

The original Goldstone resolution vote had 18 voting against. Today's vote had 7 voting against. Israel is experiencing a significant loss of international support.