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.

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.

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.

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.

UNHCR reopens debate on the Goldstone report.

The Goldstone report, a UN investigation that alleges war crimes were committed during fighting in the Gaza Strip this last winter, will be the subject of a UN Human Rights Council special session this Thursday. Palestine was able to gain enough support in the UN to reopen debate after Abbas and the Palestinian Authority announced this weekend they would back debate on the Goldstone report. Read more at Jerusalem Post or Al Jazeera.

The Goldstone report accuses Israel of using disproportionate force, deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure and terrorizing civilian populations. The report also accuses Hamas of deliberately targeting civilians and terrorizing civilian populations with rocket fire.