Monday, 5 October 2009
The Palestinian Authority has come under fire from other factions including Hamas over its request from the UN Human Rights Council to defer a UN vote over Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Taher Al-Nouno, a Hamas spokesperson in Gaza, said the PA's request constitutes "a serious crime against our people, a betrayal to the blood of our martyrs and collaboration with the Zionist enemy and cooperation with it in the war and aggression on Gaza."
"Not adopting the report means giving the green light to the occupation forces to carry out more war crimes against the Gaza Strip as long as it will not be held accountable for its actions with a Palestinian cover", Arab news quoted him as saying.
Palestinian Economy Minister Bassem Khuri resigned on Saturday to protest the "Palestinian Authority's agreement not to discuss the Goldstone Report," an official close to him said.
The adoption of the report, which looked into Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip earlier this year, was deferred by six months after the Palestinian Authority on Thursday decided to drop its draft resolution condemning Israel's conduct during the offensive.
The PA had originally planned to present the draft to the council for a vote in Geneva on Friday.
Mohammed Al-Hindi, a senior Islamic Jihad official, said: "While we are celebrating the release of our prisoners from the Zionist prison, the PA continues to cooperate with the Israeli plot to erase signs of the massacre against the Palestinian people."
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestine People Party also condemned the PA's decision and called for the PLO's executive committee to convene to discuss the issue.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine has described Fatah's decision as an instance of "capitulation to Israeli dictates."
For their part, 14 Palestinian human rights organizations said the PA's request "deprived the Palestinian people of an effective judicial investigation and from the protection of the law."
Schools all over the Gaza Strip went on strike in protest at the PA's decision.
Sources say the administration of U-S President Barack Obama has forced the decision on Fatah.
The report issued by UN human rights investigator Richard Goldstone has strongly criticized Israel over its 22-day offensive on the Gaza Strip and called for the prosecution of Israeli officials.
