Israel lambasts UN report on Gaza war
June 22, 2015
Israel's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that a UN report on the Gaza war of 2014 had "essential failings."
"It is well know that the entire process that led to the production of this report was politically motivated and morally flawed from the outset," the foreign ministry statement said, according to the AFP news agency.
The foreign ministry added the UN Human Rights Council, which commissioned by the report, was a "notoriously biased institution."
"Israel will consider the report in light of these essential failings. It would encourage all fair-minded observers to do the same," the ministry statement said.
The Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza conflict said it had gathered "credible" information from both sides that point to the possibility that war crimes were committed by Israel and Hamas, the militant Islamist organization governing the Gaza Strip.
The commission added that it had obtained "substantial information pointing to serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law."
The report targeted Israel's military campaign during the conflict, stating that "huge firepower" was used in Gaza, resulting in the death of more than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilian casualties. On the Israeli side, 73 people were killed, mostly soldiers.
However, Israel said it acted in accordance with "international standards."
"In defending itself against attacks, Israel's military acted according to the highest international standards…This was confirmed by a comprehensive examination by Israeli military and legal experts, as well as reports produced by internationally renowned military professionals," the statement said.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza on July 8, 2014, after three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped ans later found kidnapped in the West Bank. The Israeli government blamed Hamas for the tragedy.
ls/ng (Reuters, AFP, dpa)