NETANYAHU UNWILLING TO COOPERATE WITH U.N. WAR CRIMES INVESTIGATION

Tel Aviv, 26 Dzulqa’dah 1435/21 September 2014 (MINA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated he will not cooperate with a United Nations commission investigating Israel’s conduct during its war in Gaza.

Most ministers in the government also oppose any dealings with the U.N. team, the Times of Israel quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“This commission’s report has already been written, the one leading it [Canadian law professor William Schabas] has already decided that Hamas is not a terrorist organization, and that’s why there is nothing for them to do here,” he said.

“First, let them visit Damascus, Baghdad, Tripoli. Let them see the Islamic State, the Syrian army, let them see Hamas — that’s where they’ll find war crimes, not here,” Netanyahu said denying the war crimes committed by Israel in the latest Gaza War.

Israel to be sued for war crimes if intransigence continues

Meanwhile according to Arab News reports, the Palestinian Authority (PA) vowed on Friday to sue Israel for allegedly committing war crimes against innocent civilians in Gaza if the occupation does not end within a specific timeframe, and the Zionist regime does not agree to an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“We have all options on the table and will not hesitate to take all measures to protect our rights and our people from the Israeli occupation. We are coordinating with our Arab brothers and friends about our priorities. We are still hopeful that the US will use its influence to make Israel bow to the will of the international community and end the suffering of the Palestinian people,” Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah told Arab News in a telephone interview on Friday.

Al-Hamdallah was speaking to Arab News while on his way to New York with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Al-Hamdallah warned that the PA would launch this legal action with various United Nations human rights and other agencies if it does not receive guarantees from the US and the international community about a clear timeframe to end the Israeli occupation.

He claimed that the PA has clear evidence to prove Israel committed crimes against humanity in the recent war in Gaza.
He said that many countries had pledged financial support in 2009 and 2012 to reconstruct Gaza, but few of the promises had materialized for a variety of reasons.

Gaza Reconstruction

“The reconstruction of Gaza will be overseen and handled by the Palestinian unity government, which is the only representative authority of the Palestinian people. There are challenges and obstacles facing us at the moment, which we hope to overcome to better serve our people in Gaza and speed up the reconstruction process.”

“The world deals with the Palestinian government as the only representative of the Palestinian people. Therefore the PA must have full control of Gaza and should be empowered in the enclave through its embassies and different government institutions, so that we can carry out our duties and responsibilities towards our people and the donor community,” he said.

“As long as there is an occupation on the ground and as long as Palestinians’ legitimate rights to have their own independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital (are denied), any talk about peace will only be an illusion. And the region will continue to see tension and violence instigated by the occupation and the intimidation of the Palestinians by the Israelis,” he said.

“We all know that going to the UN Security Council might not be the best option because the US might veto any resolution or step condemning Israel. Hence we will not hesitate to go to other UN institutions to bring Israel to justice if it continues to ignore our legitimate demand to have our own independent state.” He said the Palestinian unity government is acting in terms of a plan agreed with other Arab and friendly countries, particularly Saudi Arabia.

Al-Hamdallah thanked Saudi Arabia for supporting the Palestinian struggle, notably its recent pledge of $500 million to assist in the reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

“Prince Saud Al-Faisal (Saudi Foreign Minister) announced the Kingdom’s generous assistance to the PA during the recent meeting at the Jeddah conference. We are very thankful to the Saudi government led by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah who has always supported the Palestinian people. We call on the rest of the world to follow the Kingdom’s example. We expect the reconstruction process to cost around $4 billion,” he said. (T/R04/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)