The findings of a United Nations report which accuses Israel of committing war crimes during its offensive in the Gaza Strip earlier this year constitute “a prize for terrorism,” aides to Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio on Wednesday.
By Haaretz Service
The findings of a United Nations report which accuses Israel of committing war crimes during its offensive in the Gaza Strip earlier this year constitute “a prize for terrorism,” aides to Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio on Wednesday.
“The comparison between those who foment terrorism and its victims is unconscionable,” an Israeli defense official told Israel Radio.
The defense establishment is making efforts to extend legal aid to officers who may face indictment on war crimes charges abroad, Israel Radio reported.
The findings of the UN report, which was authored by former war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone, were predetermined, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told Israel Radio on Wednesday.
Ayalon said that Israel’s cooperation with Goldstone would not have altered “one word” of the report. On the contrary, it would have “legitimized” the findings, Ayalon told Israel Radio.
Ayalon said the report “is a cynical attempt at role reversal in blaming Israel for war crimes instead of terrorist organizations.” He added that Israel would work to enlist the support of Western democracies in a campaign “to prevent turning international law into a circus.”
The deputy foreign minister, who is currently on a trip to Washington, told Israel Radio that the U.S. and the European Union both opposed the UN commission of inquiry.
Ayalon said he planned to meet Wednesday with U.S. ambassador to the UN Susan Rice to discuss ways to minimize the report’s damage to Israel before it is submitted to the Security Council for deliberations