Arabs seek UN-backed resolution

Into alleged Gaza war crimes:

UN: Arab nations held frantic talks at the UN General Assembly Wednesday to try and secure European backing for a resolution calling on Israelis and Palestinians to probe alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Arab and non-aligned states want EU nations to back a draft text endorsing a UN report that examined the conduct of Israel and Palestinian militants’ during a 22-day conflict in the Gaza Strip that ended in January.

The report, produced by a panel led by former judge Richard Goldstone, has provoked a firestorm of controversy, with the US House of Representatives condemning it Tuesday as “irredeemably biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy.”

Some 43 representatives were scheduled to speak during debate in the 192-member assembly, but diplomats said a vote on the text was not expected until Thursday afternoon at the earliest.

Sponsors of the text are keen to secure broad support, but the resolution faces opposition from EU states because it essentially endorses the Goldstone report, which they view as biased.

They also oppose reference to possible Security Council action if the report’s findings are not implemented.

Goldstone, a South African Jew and respected former international prosecutor, recommended that Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas that rules Gaza face possible prosecution before the International Criminal Court in The Hague if they fail to conduct credible investigations within six months. Thursday, AFP