UN Human Rights Council adopts resolution on 2014 Gaza war

United Nations body calls on Israel, Palestinians to prosecute Gaza war crimes.

By REUTERS
Updated: JULY 3, 2015 18:54
Overview of the UN Human Rights Council during a debate at the United Nations in Geneva (photo credit: REUTERS)
Overview of the UN Human Rights Council during a debate at the United Nations in Geneva
(photo credit: REUTERS)
GENEVA - The United Nations human rights body called on Israel and the Palestinians to prosecute alleged war crimes committed in the 2014 Gaza war and to cooperate with the International Criminal Court's preliminary investigation.
The UN Human Rights Council debated the issue days before the first anniversary of Israel launching "Operation Protective Edge" in response to rockets fired by terrorist in the Hamas-ruled enclave into Israel.
The 47-member state forum adopted a resolution, presented by the Palestinian delegation backed by Muslim states, by a vote of 41 in favor, one against (the United States) and five abstentions. Israel denounced it as an "anti-Israeli manifesto."
After hours of behind-the-scenes negotiations on the text, all European Union member states of the Council, including Britain, France and Germany, voted in favor.
The resolution underlined "the need to ensure that all those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law are held to account, through appropriate fair and independent domestic or international criminal justice mechanisms."
Independent UN investigators issued a report on June 22 that Israel and Palestinian terrorist groups committed grave abuses of international humanitarian law during the 2014 Gaza conflict that may amount to war crimes.
ISRAELI OBJECTION
Israeli Ambassador Eviatar Manor took the floor during Friday's debate to say: "This council has lost its bearing. I have no interest in debating the content of the resolution, it is an anti-Israeli manifesto.
"Israel is fully committed to investigating all alleged violations of laws of armed conflict. Israel's investigative mechanism has already filtered close to 200 cases, over 100 of these cases have been handed over to the Military Advocate General."
Karim Lahidji, President of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights, said in a statement: "By supporting this milestone resolution, the EU sends a message that ... impunity will not prevail."