Abbas to hold independent Palestinian probe of Gaza war
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced on Monday that he has decided to establish an independent panel of inquiry to evaluate the findings of the Goldstone Commission's probe into the Gaza war last year.
Abbas has ordered all relevant parties within the Palestinian Authority to cooperate with this initiative, which would focus on human rights violations allegedly carried out by his PA security forces during Operation Cast Lead.
The panel will comprise eight members and is to be headed by former Palestinian supreme court president, Isa Abu Sharar.
The UN-sponsored report, which was authored by South African jurist Richard Goldstone, has demanded that both Israel and Hamas carry out independent investigations into the war crimes allegations it raises.
The Palestinian Authority had no role in the Gaza war. It lost jurisdiction over the coastal territory during a bloody Hamas coup in June 2007, 18 months before Israel embarked on Operation Cast Lead.
Israel was set to submit its rebuttal on Thursday to the Goldstone report, which accused it of having committed war crimes in Gaza last winter.
Though the Israeli response has been kept under wraps, it is expected to list the essential flaws in the report and explain why the report is biased against Israel and tainted with many problems.
Abbas has ordered all relevant parties within the Palestinian Authority to cooperate with this initiative, which would focus on human rights violations allegedly carried out by his PA security forces during Operation Cast Lead.
The panel will comprise eight members and is to be headed by former Palestinian supreme court president, Isa Abu Sharar.
The UN-sponsored report, which was authored by South African jurist Richard Goldstone, has demanded that both Israel and Hamas carry out independent investigations into the war crimes allegations it raises.
The Palestinian Authority had no role in the Gaza war. It lost jurisdiction over the coastal territory during a bloody Hamas coup in June 2007, 18 months before Israel embarked on Operation Cast Lead.
Israel was set to submit its rebuttal on Thursday to the Goldstone report, which accused it of having committed war crimes in Gaza last winter.
Though the Israeli response has been kept under wraps, it is expected to list the essential flaws in the report and explain why the report is biased against Israel and tainted with many problems.
Read More: Haaretz
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