Ayalon. 'Israel won't stand on sidelines'
Photo: Reuters
Ayalon to ambassadors: Goldstone Report hurts us all
Deputy foreign minister and ministry director-general call on foreign envoys to urge their countries to vote against Gaza war crimes report in UN General Assembly on Wednesday. 'Report damages every peace-seeking democratic country dealing with terrorist,' says Ayalon
One last ditch Israeli effort before the Goldstone Report is discussed in the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon gathered Tuesday evening the foreign ambassadors stationed in Israel to clarify Israel's stance on the Goldstone Report. However, the impression of the political establishment in Jerusalem is that the chances aren't big that the UN will vote in Israel's favor.
Ayalon and Foreign Ministry Director-General Yossi Gal called upon the ambassadors to vote against the report in the General Assembly.
"This report does not just hurt Israel, but every peace-seeking democratic country dealing with terrorism. Israel will not stand on the side as the Palestinians manipulate and use the international institutions in order to fight against and hurt it. The absurdity is that on the one hand, the Palestinians are asking Israel for a gesture of good will, and on the other hand are taking action against it in every possible framework. This must stop," Ayalon said.
Simultaneously, a legal team is taking action in a bid to stem the tide of international law suits against senior officials and figures in the defense establishment. This is a parallel front that is not disconnected from the discussion slated to be held Wednesday at the UN.
As additional international organizations adopt the Goldstone Report, Israel will find itself in a difficult position in the legal arena. Many officials in the current government and from the previous government already need to seek legal consult before traveling abroad on the backdrop of the law suits already filed in Britain and Spain.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to travel to the US together with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Information Minister Yuli Edelstein to address the Goldstone Report and its implications. At this stage, despite notable support in the West, it seems as though a majority of countries in the international community, lead mainly by the Arab states and countries formerly included in the Non-Aligned Movement, tend to support the Palestinians on the issue.
