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Israel dissatisfied with Russia voting for adoption of Goldstone report

Arab-Israel Relations Materials 19 October 2009 13:03 (UTC +04:00)
Israel relayed a sharply worded protest to the Russian government following Russia's vote in favor of adopting Richard Goldstone's report at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday, Haaretz newspaper reported.
Israel dissatisfied with Russia voting for adoption of Goldstone report

Israel relayed a sharply worded protest to the Russian government following Russia's vote in favor of adopting Richard Goldstone's report at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday, Haaretz newspaper reported.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman expressed personal discontent towards Russian position in adopting the report, Haaretz reported with reference to sources in the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Before, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov promised Israel to vote against adopting of the Goldstone report accusing Israel of committing military crimes in the Gaza strip late December 2008 - early January 2009.

Russian officials clarified that Moscow would oppose any discussion of the Goldstone report by the UN Security Council, Israel Radio reported on Sunday.

Sources at the Foreign Ministry, however, said that the Russians' behavior was tantamount to a "slap in the face for Lieberman," whose policy has been based on a "strategic dialogue" with Russia, Israeli media reported.

During a special session 25 members of the commission voted to approve a resolution condemned by Israel for refusal from cooperation with the UN mission in the investigation of military actions in the Gaza strip late December, 2008 - early January 209.

Six members voted against, 11 abstained.

Hamas and Israel refuse from accepting the accusations indicated in the Goldstone report. The report of the UN Security Council called upon to submit the case to the International Criminal Court, if the Palestinians and the Israelis are not be able to investigate these crimes.

The report recalls that more than 1,400 of Palestinians, third part of these victims - children, were killed during the military operations between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009 in the Gaza strip.

The authors stressed that before operation 'Cast Lead' was launched, Israel put a blockade in the Gaza Strip, carried out systematic policy on its isolation.

Houses, factories, schools, hospitals, police stations and many other facilities were destroyed during military operations of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. Recovery operations are postponed because of continuing blockade of the Gaza strip limiting the possibility of construction materials delivery.

Israeli authorities said that they do not accept the Goldstone commission's conclusions and criticized the report as unilateral.

In their turn, Arabic countries considered the document prepared by the commission as weighted one. They consider it as the international recognition of Israeli Army's crimes against civilians in the Gaza strip.

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