UN General Assembly Votes to Back the Goldstone Report

In a 114 to 18 vote, with 44 member-states abstaining, the UN General Assembly voted today to endorse the Goldstone report. The report, which details possible war crimes committed by Hamas and Israel during fighting in Gaza last December. The report calls on both governments to investigate the allegations or for the UN to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court.

The United States, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands were among the member-states who voted against the report. Great Britain and France were among the member-states who abstained.

Read more at Al Jazeera and the Jerusalem Post.

Israel Seizes Ship, Claims Iranian Weapons Destined for Hezbollah

Israelis are claiming that a ship seized close to Cyprus flying under an Antiguan flag contained a large supply of weapons destined for Hezbollah fighters. The seizure comes at a time when Israel is under increased scrutiny over additional settlement constructions in the occupied territories. If any weapons are found and are shown to be from Iran, Israel's contention that Iran poses a continued threat to the Middle East peace process may be viewed as increasingly plausible. For more, go to the BBC.

The house condemns the Goldstone Report as “irredeemably biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy.”

H.R. Res 867 has been adopted by the House of Representatives on Tuesday November 3rd, 2009.

H.R. Res 867 "[Called] on the President and the Secretary of State to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the "Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict" in multilateral fora (Rep. Ros-Lehtinen - Foreign Affairs)"

Read about the other resolutions passed here.

Goldstone Calls H.R. Res. 867 "Factually Inaccurate"

Justice Goldstone issues a line-by-line critique of H.R. Res. 867, which rejects the Goldstone Report as one sided and anti-Israeli. Justice Goldstone points out what he calls "misleading" and "factually inaccurate" interpretations of the Goldstone Report, including the charge that the basis of the fact-finding mission Goldstone led was to investigate Israeli activity. Goldstone says that the mission was to investigate all war crimes committed in Gaza during the fighting last December, and that the report specifically mentions war crimes committed by Hamas.

Read Justice Goldstone's letter to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

House Bill to condemn Goldstone Report

Today there will be a vote for H.R. Res. 867, by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen - Foreign Affairs, which calls on the President and the Secretary of State to unequivocally disregard any endorsement of the Goldstone report, "Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict," due to it's inherent flaws. WSJ opinion writer , John Bolton, supports the bill when casting blame for the reported flaws on the "report's underlying mandate and its stridently anti-Israel tilt on America's earlier absence from the HRC when the investigation was authorized and launched."


Also this week, H.R. 2868, Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009 , will be voted on. This bill will amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to extend, modify, and recodify the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security to enhance security and protect against acts of terrorism against chemical facilities, and for other purposes. H.R. 2868 was introduced by Rep. Thompson (MS) - Homeland Security.

Read more about this week's house legislative business here.

Clinton's Blunder

It appears that Secretary of State Clinton has caused even more problems for an Israeli and Palestinian peace agreement. In the past, the United States has not taken a public position on Israeli settlements on the West Bank; but it appears that position has changed. Secretary Clinton has issued a retraction after her comments generated quite a response from the Arab states in the Middle East. The issue of freezing settlement construction on the part of Israel has been a major issue and reason for the failure of peace talks resuming. For further information go to The Washington Post.

Assad: There's National Support in Syria for Resuming Peace Talks

The Jerusalem Post reports that Syrian President Bashar Assad announced on Wednesday that Syria is ready to resume peace talks with Israel. Assad commended Turkey for its mediation and encouraged European countries to contribute as well.

Rocket Fired from Lebanon Lands in Israel

A Katyusha-like rocket, fired from Lebanon, landed in the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona. No casualties were reported. Israeli forces then fired eight rockets into the Lebanese village of Hula. Lebanese and UN security forces responded to the initial fire, cordoning off and searching the village.

An Israeli military official said that Lebanon was responsible for any attacks emanating from Lebanese territory. This is the fourth attack from Lebanese territory this year.

Read more at Al Jazeera.

Clinton Dispatched to Israel

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has been dispatched to Jerusalem. She will be arriving this Sunday. Although special envoy George Mitchell had been the lead-person in the diplomatic approach to the Middle East of the Obama Administration, the Secretary's trip to Jerusalem seems to suggest that she will take a more active role on the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

Iran, Israel Attend secret Nuclear Meeting in Cairo

Israeli and Iranian atomic energy officials met at a meeting in Cairo last month according to the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission. The meeting was held under the auspices of the Internaltional Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, and included representatives from the Arab League, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Jordon, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and U.S. and European officials. Iran has denied the report. Read more at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Haaretz, Xinhua and Al Jazeera.

Israel Wants to Change the Laws of War

The UN Human Rights Counsel endorced the Goldstone report last Friday, which alleges that war crimes were committed in Gaza last December. While the report details war crimes committed by both sides, the majority of the report focuses on the actions of the Israeli military.

It was speculated that Israel's defense minister might recommend creating an independent panel to review the actions of the military to avoid a UN referral to the ICC, it seems like Israel is going on the offensive.

Al Jazeera reported today that Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu promised that he will block a vote on the Goldstone report if it comes to a vote in the UN General Assembly. He also said he would campaign to delegitimize the report, by lobbying other countries to reject the report. Netanyahu is also trying to garner support to change the laws of war.

Ehud Barak, Israel's defense minister, said that changes in international humanitarian law needs to reflect the changing world situation, including a global fight against terrorism. The defense minister said that Israel's military should have more freedom to react, without worrying about violating international laws. An Israeli official said that an independent inquiry into the war crimes allegations was not even discussed at a security cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Richard Goldstone, the South African jurist who conducted the investigation into the fighting in Gaza now finds himself under personal attack.

Israel's Response to the Goldstone Report

The Jerusalem Times reported that Israel's defense minister convened his security cabinet today to discuss the response to the Goldstone report, which documented suspected war crimes committed last December in Gaza.

The Goldstone report, adopted by the UNHRC last week, described possible war crimes committed by both sides fighting in Gaza. It accused Hamas of terrorizing civilian populations by rocket fire, and accused Israel of terrorizing civilian populations, using disproportionate force, and targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, among other charges. The report recommends both sides investigate the allegations, or, the UNHCR said, the matter should be referred to the International Criminal Court. One of the options discussed in the meetings was creating an independent inquiry to investigate the allegations, thus avoiding scrutiny by the ICC.

Former U.S. Government Scientist Charged with Delivering Classified Info

CNN reported today that Stewart David Nozette of Chevy Chase, Maryland, a former U.S. government scientist, has been charged with attempting to “deliver classified information to someone he thought was an Israeli intelligence official.” However, the Israeli government has not been implicated.

Nozette, who holds a doctorate in planetary sciences, served on the National Space Council for President George W. Bush and subsequently conducted research for NASA and other government agencies with “top secret” clearance.

Nozette was arrested by FBI agents on Monday. The FBI affidavit asserts that in September, an undercover FBI agent, posing as an Israeli intelligence officer, contacted Nozette. After a series of meetings, Nozette provided the undercover agent with information classified as “secret.” Nozette will face a magistrate judge in federal court on Tuesday.

Read more at CNN.com

UN HRC endorses Goldstone Report

In a twenty-five countries to six vote (including the US and the Netherlands), with eleven countries abstaining and five declining to vote (including France and the UK), the United Nations Human Rights Counsel endorsed the Goldstone report. The report accuses the military of using disproportion force and charges the Israelis and Hamas with war crimes, including terrorizing civilian populations. The report calls on Israel and Hamas to conduct investigations into the allegations, and a UN referral to the ICC if the two sides fail to investigate. Read more at Al Jazeera.

Prior to the vote, Col. Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, speaking on behalf of UN Watch, said that the IDF took extraordinary measures to protect civilian populations. Col. Kemp said the IDF dropped leaflets, made thousands of phone calls, and aborted several missions to protect Palestinian civilians. Kemp also said many of the civilian casualties were caused by Palestinian fighters positioning themselves behind a "human shield" of civilians. Read more at Jerusalem Post.

Israel may launch ground attacks on Iran after December

French newspaper Le Canard Enchainé speculates that Israel might launch a small special forces attack on Iran shortly after the new year. IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi reportedly told his French counterpart that Israel will not bomb Iran, but might send elite troops to conduct ground operations. Read more at Jerusalem Post.

Explosion in Southern Lebanon

An explosion rocked a Hezbollah member's house near the southern city of Tyre. Some people are suggesting that this was unexploded ordinance left over from the 2006 conflict with Israel, other people are suggesting that this was an accidental explosion of illegal arms given to Hezbollah by Syria. Read more at Al Jazeera.

Syria transferring medium and long range missiles to Lebanon

The Kuwaiti al Jarida reported Thursday that Syria moved almost a quarter of its medium- and long-range missiles to Hizzbullah control. Read more at Jerusalem Post.

UN Human Rights Chief backs report on Gaza war crimes

Navi Pillay, the United Nation's top human rights official, backed the Goldstone report that detailed war crimes committed in Gaza last December. Pillay said she backs the report, including its recommendation for "urgent action to counter impunity." Read more at NYTimes.

UN Human Rights Counsel releases draft resolution condoning Israel action in the Occupied Territories

A draft UN HRC resolution condemns Israel for restricting access to religious sites, restrictions on movement, and violations of religious and cultural rights. The draft resolution also talks about the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip, what the report calls "collective punishment of Palestinian civilians [that] leads to disastrous humanitarian and environmental consequences." Read more at Jerusalem Post.

Israel Holding Hundreds Without Trial

B'Tsalem and HaMoked, two Israeli human rights groups, released a report that shows over 300 Palestinians are being held in administrative detention by the Israeli army. Some of the detainees are held for years without charges or a trial. The report alleges that Israel is using a procedure legal in international law, administrative detentions of citizens of an occupied territory, in an illegal manner.


Read the report, or the story at Al Jazeera.