Destruction in the Saja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City.
Diplomatic source urges: 'Don't comply with UN probe'
Source in the foreign ministry tells Ynet that Israel is preparing for every scenario on the international diplomatic front.
A senior source from within the Foreign Ministry told Ynet Wednesday that Israel should refuse to cooperate with any international investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes during Operation Protective Edge, on the grounds that the UN inquiry committee is comprised of biased nations that will vote against Israel no matter what the findings.
Following Israel's month-long operation in Gaza, government officials are expecting significant objection from the international community, possibly to resemble the 2009 Goldstone Report which accused the IDF and government officials of war crimes in Gaza.
In 2009 the Israeli government refused to cooperate with the Goldstone inquiries and the source in the Foreign Ministry told Ynet that the purpose of doing so is to reduce political damage to Israel as much as possible.
Israel faces international backlash for scenes of destruction in Gaza.
"We didn't cooperate with Goldstone either and in the end his report disappeared from the world," said the source. "The committee decided to investigate what has happened in Judea and Samaria and in Jerusalem as well, so it's clear that this is a political inquiry. There's no reason to cooperate with it."
Another area of concern for Israeli diplomats is the UN Security Council which held several emergency meetings during Operation Protective Edge but failed to reach any substantial decisions.
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"We need to make sure that what's happening in the Security Council aligns with what's happening in the political field and the interests of Israel," said the source.
"This time something rare has happened. After a month of fighting, the Security Council still hasn't reached a decision and some of what's been published shows an understanding of Israel's needs."
The UN General Assembly is due to convene Wednesday to discuss the situation in Gaza as the Division of International Organizations in the Foreign Ministry is preparing to deal with various investigations and lawsuits including at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The Goldstone team of investigators in the Gaza Strip after Operation Cast Lead. (Photo: Reuters)
Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad al-Maliki visited The Hague on Tuesday and requested to join the organization in order to bring charges against Israel for its actions in Operation Protective Edge.
"The Palestinians understand that they need to be careful regarding The Hague because they will be the first to be investigated," said the foreign ministry source.
"They threaten more than they take action. We are preparing for every scenario and at the moment we are in a struggle and don't see any concrete action in The Hague. Al-Maliki met with them, but they are cautious."
According to the source, officials at the Foreign Ministry seem to be convinced that Israel will be able to handle diplomatic push back from the international community much more effectively at present than after previous military operations over the last decade.
"The difference is that we know today what happened in previous operations," said the source. "We've learned lessons. The relevant operations over the last decade include Lebanon and operations in Gaza even before Cast Lead. We took lessons away from every one of those rounds and we are doing what we do much better. We are approaching the diplomatic operation with all the necessary experience."
