Goldstone: Israel should cooperate

[bemildred]

"Israel, while required like any other state to accept international scrutiny of its conduct with regard to compliance with international law, is entitled to insist that such conduct be judged fairly and without bias," South Africa's Judge Richard Goldstone, who heads the UN Human Rights Council Mission investigating war crimes related to Operation Cast Lead, told The Jerusalem Post in an e-mail interview this week.

The mission was tasked by the HRC resolution which created it with "investigat all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law by the occupying power, Israel, against the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, due to the current aggression ."

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But Goldstone believes Israel is ignoring the fact that his mandate has since changed.

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'to investigate all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law that might have been committed at any time in the context of the military operations that were conducted in Gaza during the period from 27 December 2008 to 18 January 2009, whether before, during or after,'"

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443832996&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[varelse]

1. Yes, Israel would be much better off cooperating with this investigation

now that the mandate has been broadened to include all violations of international law and human rights (which is the only acceptable and fair way to proceed).

[azurnoir]

2. Perhaps you missed this part

He set this expansion of the mandate as a condition for chairing the mission, he told the Post.

the mandate had been changed prior to the beginning of Goldstone's mission not just recently

[varelse]

3. Actually I hadn't missed it

although I can see how my post might have made it appear that I had.

Israel would do well to work with Goldstone - there really is no valid reason to refuse cooperation at this point. It just makes them seem as though they have something to hide.

[aranthus]

4. It's the UN; who cares?

The best way to deal with the Human Rights Council is to ignore it. (Okay, abolishing it would be better, but that isn't going to happen).

[azurnoir]

5. So is the promotional idea oh its nothing ignore them

well it worked to maintain the American peoples support of Israel for years but gosh get in the news for a couple of months and it seems the support is dropping

[azurnoir]

6. Israeli forces arrest Palestinian after giving testimony to UN

Bethlehem - Ma’an - Nil’in activist Mohammad Srour was detained by Israeli authorities at the Allenby Bridge on his way home from testifying at a UN commission hearing in Geneva, his lawyers confirmed Thursday

Srour was testifying at the UN’s fact finding mission on Gaza, lead by Richard Goldstone. The mission has a broad mandate that includes investigations over how the political situation in Israel in the lead-up and fall out of their war on Gaza affected the West Bank.

According to a spokesperson for Srour’s lawyer Lymor Goldstein, the activist was speaking about the situation in Ni’lin, specifically about the slaying of two young men by Israeli forces during a demonstration, a news release added. He testified alongside fellow activist Jonathan Pollack, an Israeli solidarity activist who regularly participates in the Friday protests.

Srour was arrested on 20 July 2009 while crossing the Allenby Bridge from Jordan, he testified to the United Nations in Geneva on 6 July.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=213827