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United Nations Assembly Endorses Report on Gaza but US votes against, GB and France abstainhttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/world/middleeast/06briefs-001.html?_r=1By NEIL MacFARQUHARNovember 5, 2009 The General Assembly voted 114 to 18, with 44 abstentions, to endorse the report by a Human Rights Council panel led by the South African judge Richard Goldstone that said there was evidence that both Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas committed war crimes during the Gaza war last winter. The assembly’s resolution demands that both Israel and the Palestinians, without specifically naming Hamas, carry out investigations within three months. It also pushes for Security Council attention. France, Britain and Russia were among the countries that abstained, and the United States voted against the resolution. The lack of support among permanent Security Council members suggests that Council action is unlikely. Supporters basically said such serious accusations of war crimes deserved international attention, while opponents found the resolution too broad.=====================================================The General Assembly "requests the secretary-general to report to the General Assembly within a period of three months, on the implementation of the present resolution, with a view to considering further action, if necessary, by the relevant United Nations organs and bodies, including the Security Council," the resolution said.
The new resolution urged Israel and Palestine to launch the investigations that "are independent, credible and in conformity with international standards" within a period of three months.
The president of the 64th General Assembly session, Ali Treki, told reporters after the adoption of the new resolution that "this is an important declaration against impunity." "It is a call for justice and accountability," he said. "Without justice, there can be no progress toward peace. Human beings should be treated as human beings, regardless of his or her religion or nationality."
The resolution was adopted after more than 40 countries, including Israel, took the floor at the two-day plenary General Assembly session on the Goldstone report, which accused both Israel and Hamas militants of war crimes in the Gaza conflict, which left more than 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis killed.
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