UN endorses Goldstone report, UK Government abstains from the vote

Friday, 16 October 2009 16:20

The UN Human Rights Council has today overwhelmingly endorsed the Goldstone report. The report produced by Justice Richard Goldstone (pictured) documents war crimes committed by Israel and the Palestinians during the 22 day brutal offensive against Gaza in which over 1400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.

Israel has been lobbying furiously to derail the report and any punitive action arising from its conclusions. The BBC reports today that the Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu personally rang EU leaders including Gordon Brown and the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband to urge them to vote against adoption at the UN.

The Times today reported that our Government was likely to abstain from the vote on the UN resolution in Geneva. And the BBC reports that Britain and France were indeed among five countries that did not vote on the resolution.

Ibrahim Kraishi Palestinian representative to the UN argued that the matter was simply about respect for the rule of law.

"All we ask from you is that the criminals and the murderers from any side and in any place should not remain outside justice," he said.

You can read the disgraceful statement by the Permanent Representative for the UK Mission to the UN, Peter Gooderham, here.

Readers of the FCO’s reply to ENGAGE earlier this year, in response to our letters on the government’s handling of the Gaza war, will remember that Baroness Kinnock wrote:

‘We were deeply concerned by the number of civilian casualties during the conflict in Gaza. Any civilian casualties are unacceptable, and I believe it is important to condemn the loss of all civilian life, whether Israeli of Palestinian. …The UK gave its full support to the UN Secretary-General’s Board of Inquiry, and I have urged Israel to respond to its findings. We have called on all parties – including both Israel and Hamas – to cooperate with the UN Human Rights Council investigation being carried out by Justice Richard Goldstone, and we will consider carefully the findings of his report’.

It is surprising then that the Government refused to vote on the resolution endorsing the report, which compels Israel and Hamas to hold independent investigations into their conduct in the war or face proceedings by the International Criminal Court.

It hardly conveys a ‘deep concern’ for the ‘loss of all civilian life’. The Government's decision then, refusing to vote on such an important matter, is disreputable.

You can contact the Foreign Secretary via email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or at this address:

The Rt. Hon. David Miliband MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London SW1A 2AH.

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