Israel filed on Friday its first official response to the report of Judge Richard Goldstone, accusing its army of committing war crimes during the war on Gaza.The report failed to address the demand of allowing an International Commission to investigate the war, and maintained Israel’s stance that the army did not violate the International Law.
Israel still insists that its “investigation” conducted by the same military that bombarded Gaza and killed 1415 Palestinians, most of them civilians, including children, revealed that the army acted within the international standards and ‘proper conducts of war’.
Israel’s inquiry failed to answer issues raised by the Goldstone report, while the country refuses to adhere to the international demands to appoint an independent inquiry.
Yet, Israel said that the response is not the country’s direct response to the Goldstone report as it still refuses to acknowledge it.
Israeli officials at the United Nations said this document in only a response to an inquiry by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Israel claims that some of the incidents mentioned in the report of Judge Goldstone are still under investigation.
The Israeli army claimed it conducted 150 investigations following the assault on Gaza, and that 36 investigations resulted in criminal proceedings.
The initial Israel report tried to seek justification by comparing Israel’s actions to the actions of armies of western countries “fighting terror in civilian populated areas”.
The UN secretary-general is to present his stance on the issue next Friday.
The Israeli government is now trying to hold further discussions to make decisions that might include appointing an independent commission of inquiry in an attempt to minimize additional damage to Israel’s “image”.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is not for appointing such a commission.
Meanwhile, Palestinian representative at the UN, Riyad Mansur, stated Friday that he had submitted the Palestinian first response to the report of Judge Goldstone, and that he handed the UN’s secretariat a letter from the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.
The letter includes an order by Abbas to establish a commission of inquiry that includes five judges and external experts.
