UN to investigate Israel's Gaza offensive - Human Rights - Al Jazeera English - 0 views
www.aljazeera.com/...e-gaza-201472316293283952.html
war & peace Israel Palestine Gaza UN-Human-Rights-Council
shared by Paul Merrell on 23 Jul 14
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The UN Human Rights Council has voted to launch an independent inquiry into Israel's offensive in Gaza, backing efforts by the Palestinians to hold the Israel up to international scrutiny.
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The vote on Wednesday in Geneva came hours after the UN rights chief, Navi Pillay, told an emergency session of the council that Israel's military actions could amount to war crimes, as it continued pounding the enclave for a 16th day. The 47-member council adopted the investigation under a draft resolution after a request by Palestine, which has UN observer status. 29 states voted in favour of the investigation. 17 abstained, including many EU states. 1 voted against - the US. Al Jazeera's Lauren Taylor, reporting from Geneva, said that the president of the council would now have to agree who would lead the investigation before it was put into effect. Even then, the investigation could face opposition from Israel.
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The Israeli prime minister's office said in a statement that the decision was a "travesty", adding that Israel had "gone to unprecedented lengths to keep Palestinian civilians out of harm's way". A total of 693 Palestinians - the vast majority of them civilians - have been killed in Israel's 16-day campaign in Gaza. Two Israeli civilians have been killed by rocket fire into Israel, and 32 Israeli soldiers have died in the assault on Gaza. Hours before the vote, Pillay told the emergency session that there was a "strong possibility" that Israel had violated international law in Gaza, "in a manner that could amount to war crimes". She said the killing of civilians in Gaza, especially children, raised concerns over Israel’s precautions and respect for proportionality.