Israel commits war crimes – it's official

The United Nations Fact-finding Mission on the Gaza conflict released their report last week. This 575 page report is the result of months of exhaustive research including 188 interviews. The independent mission was given its mandate by the UN Human Rights Council. This was to investigate allegations of war crimes and serious violations of international human rights law committed by both Israel and Palestinian armed groups before, during, and after the military operations in Gaza between December 27, 2008 and January 18, 2009 that claimed the lives of more than 700 Palestinian civilians and three Israeli civilians.

The mission was led by Justice Richard Goldstone, formerly a judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the chief prosecutor of the United Nations' International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and a governor of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In accepting this duty, Justice Goldstone reiterated that his mission would undertake "an independent, evenhanded and unbiased investigation."

The report concluded that both Israel and Palestinian armed groups perpetrated war crimes and other serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. However the report found that the vast majority of the crimes were committed by the Israelis. Many of these are detailed in the report. In general terms the Mission found that the Israeli offensive against Gaza was "a deliberately disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorise a civilian population". The inquiry also rejected Israel's argument that the war was a response to Palestinian rocket fire and therefore an act of self-defence. The conclusion therefore is that "Israel committed actions amounting to war crimes, possibly crimes against humanity."

The report also includes a firm recommendation that the UN Security Council require Israel to launch its own investigation into the conflict within three months. Otherwise, the investigators called on the Security Council to refer the matter for action by the International Criminal Court prosecutor within six months.

While the publication of this report is good news and further confirming evidence of the murderous nature of Israel, it remains to be seen if any action against Israel will be taken. The omens are not good. As was to be expected the Zionist media machine got into action even before the report was published. And as usual the report and its authors were condemned as anti-Semites. This charge shows just how debased Zionists and their supporters have become. Justice Goldstone is Jewish and not only Jewish, but a supporter of Israel. Thankfully he is prepared to place the truth above his personal and political views. And this is what Zionists cannot stand – the truth.

What is more worrying is that the USA and it seems the UK are unwilling to back up the report's recommendations. Once again the USA fulfils its craven role as the protector of Israel in the UN. Contrast this with the threatening words coming from the USA and the UK against Iran. It seems that Iran has been secretly developing a nuclear energy plant. Now given that the previous US administration and the current Israeli administration have made no secret of their desire to bomb Iran – don't you think the Iranians have every reason for secrecy? Anyway as far as I am aware there is still no real evidence that the Iranians are developing nuclear weapons. And furthermore, the Iranians have not attacked or invaded anybody. The Iranians are not responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians, unlike the Israelis. Yet our Prime Minister struts about the world issuing threat after threat against the Iranians for something they haven't done and may never do – develop nuclear weapons, while remaining silent about the all too real carnage caused by Israel.

Still the UN backed report is out and in the public domain and whatever the Zionists try to do about it the genie is out of the bottle – Israel does commit ware crimes. We need to do whatever we can to pressurise our governments to back the Goldstone report and its key demand that Israel launch its own investigation into the conflict within three months or face action by the International Criminal Court prosecutor within six months.