UN Security Council to receive Gaza war crimes report

The United Nations Human Rights Council voted to refer a war crimes report on the Gaza conflict to the UN's Security Council, possibly leading to Israeli and Palestinian prosecutions.

Ignoring Israel's concerns about human rights abuses that both the Israeli military and Hamas fighters are alleged to have committed, the United Nations Human Rights Council voted on Friday to refer a key UN report to the UN Security Council. Israel lobbied the United States and other Western nations to not vote for the UN Rights Council resolution. The resolution was approved, and the Goldstone report - studying the short 2008/2009 Gaza War, in roughly 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed - was referred to the UN Security Council. The resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority, 25-6, with the United States and 5 European countries in opposition. "Whoever votes in favor of endorsing the report must understand that next time it will be the soldiers and officers of NATO in Afghanistan, and then Russian soldiers and officers in Chechnya," Israel's foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman said. Both Israeli and Palestinian authorities must now demonstrate that they are truly investigating the alleged abuses - or the matter will be referred to the International Criminal Court. The U.S. is expected to veto any Security Council measure to elevate the issue to The Hague.