Resolutions calling for criminal prosecution of anyone criticizing Islam or Islamic practices have already been formally adopted by the inappropriately named UN Human Rights Council and subsequently by the UN General Assembly. The discredited UN Human Rights Council, which concentrates the bulk of its efforts on delegitimizing Israel has, not long ago, formally endorsed a resolution prohibiting any discussion during its proceedings that could be deemed to be critical of Islam, Moslem practice or Shar'ia law. Yet this same body has shamelessly avoided condemning human rights violations including the genocidal killings by the barbaric Islamic Sudanese government at Darfur. To know more : http://xrl.us/bmm2v

Many in the world want some kind of peace deal and soon. They feel that the two main roadblocks are Hamas and Israel, this report criticized both, the focus was more on Israel because Hamas was already label as a terrorist group and not part of a country per say. Another problem is that the rockets killed only a hand full of people over many years with little damage, while the IDF killed over 1000 in three weeks with massive damage. The IDF could have attack Gaza with different tactics and takeout most the key rocket lanching abilities but looking at it from afar it looks like the IDF was punishing Gaza and the tight blockade seems to enforce this ideal.

civilians .

Your purpose is not peace but delegitimizing Israel. As a matter of facts, you are like Arabs, you cannot accept an independant Jewish state. If you really want peace now you must pressure Bibi into nuking Arab settlements in Jewish territories.

I have been saying the same since December last year. It was a hugely disproportionate response by Israel. Their Mossad, shin Bet and Special forces could have gone in and taken out the rocket launchers. Instaed, they launched a huge offensive which destroyed infrastructure, schools, universities, hospitals, civilian police and government departments, and the Parliament. A large amount of civilians were killed, injured and left homeless. Farms were deliberately destroyed, as was what was left of the airport. I think it was used to get rid of excess weapons and munitions before their use by date, and to give the IDF and IAF/navy target practice, in case they have to face an armed foe in the future. As someone else said here on this forum, it was like shooting fish in a barrel, due to the seige with nowhere to run or hide. Shame Israel!

Why isn't Israel suing Goldstone and the UNHR for falsifying biased statements without a legitimate trial based on one persons opinion. What I don't understand is why are they proven guilty without a trial? Sue Goldstone personally, even though he was commissioned by the UNHR to prepare a report. We should prosecute him, as well as the UNHR in Israel and any court we can find thereafter. Israel must start to use their powerful PR machine and brain already to undermine the UN and the UNHR credibility, specially Goldstone. Never allow any International body of the UN or the UNHR into Israel, West Bank and Gaza. They do not work fairly, thereby, Israel should not work fairly.

Netanyahu and his government are a bunch of fools...they are doing everything in their feeblemindedness to turn Israel into a pariah state, and we, the indifferent citizens, are fools for allowing them to do so.

If only Israel had finished the job and completely DESTROYED,DEFEATED Hamas. Instead israel's bankrupt political leadership listened to their masters in Washington and retreated once again.If thye had finished the job there would be nothing for the UN to cry about except for the defeat of another arab,Islamic army.

How grateful I am to Goldstone...for ending the (useless) peace process

...take some basic steps...like accepting Israel's right to exist. That's a very good starting point. We'd all like peace - but the reality of it is that it wouldn't matter what was done...the Arabs have steadfastly refused to accommodate Israel in any basic way by themselves, and that's the way its always been. Its all talk...all bullshit...and waffling on and on about "peace deals" ...truly naive - will never happen in a month of Sundays.

Follows is British Colonel Richard Kemp's testimony to the UN Human Rights Council: Thank you, Mr. President. "I am the former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan. I served with NATO and the United Nations; commanded troops in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Macedonia; and participated in the Gulf War. I spent considerable time in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, and worked on international terrorism for the UK Government’s Joint Intelligence Committee. "Mr. President, based on my knowledge and experience, I can say this: During Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defense Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare. "Israel did so while facing an enemy that deliberately positioned its military capability behind the human shield of the civilian population. "Hamas, like Hizballah, are expert at driving the media agenda. Both will always have people ready to give interviews condemning Israeli forces for war crimes. They are adept at staging and distorting incidents. "The IDF faces a challenge that we British do not have to face to the same extent. It is the automatic, Pavlovian presumption by many in the international media, and international human rights groups, that the IDF are in the wrong, that they are abusing human rights. "The truth is that the IDF took extraordinary measures to give Gaza civilians notice of targeted areas, dropping over 2 million leaflets, and making over 100,000 phone calls. Many missions that could have taken out Hamas military capability were aborted to prevent civilian casualties. During the conflict, the IDF allowed huge amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza. To deliver aid virtually into your enemy's hands is, to the military tactician, normally quite unthinkable. But the IDF took on those risks. "Despite all of this, of course innocent civilians were killed. War is chaos and full of mistakes. There have been mistakes by the British, American and other forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq, many of which can be put down to human error. But mistakes are not war crimes. "More than anything, the civilian casualties were a consequence of Hamas’ way of fighting. Hamas deliberately tried to sacrifice their own civilians. "Mr. President, Israel had no choice apart from defending its people, to stop Hamas from attacking them with rockets. "And I say this again: the IDF did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare. "Thank you, Mr. President".

It would be the first time.

But don't forget that the Gaza war was part of the election campaign ath the time; It brought Olmert + Livni the votes they deperately needed after all the previous failures. The more blood the more seats.

"It was a hugely disproportionate response by Israel. Their Mossad, shin Bet and Special forces could have gone in and taken out the rocket launchers." How , would they achieve this without incurring huge losses? The place was booby trapped , and set up just exactly for the type of operation you have suggested. That's right...dont answer. You have no idea. ----------- "Instaed, they launched a huge offensive which destroyed infrastructure, schools, universities, hospitals, civilian police and government departments, and the Parliament. A large amount of civilians were killed, injured and left homeless. Farms were deliberately destroyed, as was what was left of the airport." You must be living in cloud cuckoo land. If you cant grasp even the basics of asymmetric warfare - then there's no hope for you. This kind of damage and civilian death is exactly what hamas wanted to achieve as they realise its suckholes like you who actually believe there was another way of conducting this type of war - and use the bleats of feebleminded , useful idiots to further their cause. ------------ I think it was used to get rid of excess weapons and munitions before their use by date, and to give the IDF and IAF/navy target practice, in case they have to face an armed foe in the future. Great comment...really clever...falls right in line with the blood-thirsty, trigger happy IDF stormtrooper image doesnt it? You're beginning to make me sick. --------------------------------- "As someone else said here on this forum, it was like shooting fish in a barrel, due to the seige with nowhere to run or hide. Shame Israel! " Got to be kidding. Your great pals hamas did everything they could to keep their beloved 'civilians' holed up and corralled - just so they could be put in harms way. Do you deny this? Look, many of us here want peaceful co-existence, but its never going to happen while the 'downtrodden' continue to behave the way they do. Your blind eye and acceptance without question of Palestinian behaviour is unacceptable and its why the mainstream of western public refuses to 'do something' about Israel. We know Israel is not alone in this problem. That it is under immense pressure all the time for its behaviour while the enemy gets away with murder and dopeys around the world spare not a thought other than to lay the entire blame and source of remedy on Israel.

an internal, independent investigation would lead to Israel being found guilty. All of the Knesset members have already conceded to this, that is why they are willing to fight it out. it's called, HIDING YOUR CRIMES.

Declare representatives to UN and their staff persona non grata. Where ever Israel has control, send the UN packing. NO access to Palestinians via Israel controlled territory. Time is come to Israel's independence. It will not take but a month for the UN to reconsider their chosen direction. While Israel is at it... any anti-Israel NGO funded by foreigners should be closed and accounts confiscated. Round up foreign activists working against Israel and deport them or jail them for sedition.

".take some basic steps...like accepting Israel's right to exist. " No where under international law does it demand of a state-less nation to accept its oppressor's right to exist prior to being entitled to its own. No country in the world was demanded of recognizing its oppressor before it could achieve state status. india? NO usa? NO banladesh? NO The rest of the 191 countries? NO Only YOU demand of such a silly thing. What low dignity you have, I must say. What is demanded of us is international law, not your silly reservations. Keep dreaming, we wont lower ourselves to your steep level of dignity. "the Arabs have steadfastly refused to accommodate Israel in any basic way by themselves, and that's the way its always been" We the Arabs refuse to accomodate you on OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY, and just in case you're ignorant about this issue, Im talking about Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, ALL of which are still controlled by military control. Look at the World Court legal opinion in 2004, resolution 194 and 242. Go an educate yourself, please. You're making a greater fool out of yourself than any of the clowns my dad took me to see as a youngin'.

If Israel indeed has video tapes of Abbas encouraging the conduct of Operation Cast Lead, publish them now. Picture with audio is worth far more than thousands of words.

Israel should have armed their civilians with rockets 2 respond 2 each rocket.

Don't expect any damage control by FM Liebermann; his very appointment is a huge damage in itself.

The chickens have come home to roost. I remember the days when Shimon Peres poo pooed the necessity of needing a polished outreach and explanatory activity claiming that 'good policy doesn't need explanations'. You still believe that Shimon? Look at what is happening because of a weak outreach and hasbara program. Jews are confused as to how to defend Israel. Our friends have been confused by israel's sudden negotiation with terrorists or your ilk's inviting them to the dinner table to feast on our souls through this Oslo process. Now we must fight as a united front and not engage in witchhunts, but when this passes, the time of reckoning will be upon us. We must identify and expunge from our midst those who have brought our enemies to our doors and deprived us of the weapons we need to defend ourselves. The Israeli left has created this tragedy through incompetence, and delusional wishful thinking. They have demonstrated once again intellectual and spiritual bankruptcy. Hang your heads in shame.

Anything else means The Hague and Israel will find herself in one of the worst situations ever.

Nowhere under international law is there a requirement for a sovereign nation to accept terrorists as a legitimate entity. India fought a revolution. The United States fought a revolution. (West) Pakistan gave up on trying to retain East Pakistan, hence Bangladesh came into existence. Israel fought a war of independence against five Arab nations. You lost. Too bad. Can't put toothpaste back into the tube, ya habibti. Only the Palestinians demand something so ridiculous as a second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth bite at the apple. You lost each time. You're fresh out of chances. Deal with it, and while you're at it, deal with the consequences of six failed wars and sixty-one years of terror. What has it gotten you? Not a damn thing. So that is all you can expect. When was Palestine ever a country? There wasn't even a notion of "Palestinians" until 1967. The Arabs on the West Bank were Jordanian citizens -- still are, as far as international law is concerned. The Arabs in Gaza were Egyptian citizens -- still are, again, in any interpretation of international law. Israel knows full well that a priori, she will be found at fault, so Israel -- rightfully so -- does not pay a whole lot of attention to pronouncements from the Hague or from any division or department of the United Nations. Noor, stay away from lofty interpretations of international law. You don't know the field and you are making a royal fool of yourself. Well, you do that a lot, actually -- just this time you come across like a real hamar. Thanks, as always, for showing us who and what you are.

Thank you for this information. Each one of us should share this testimony with as many people worldwide.

flattery and self humiliation.

running like whores throughout the world seeking its opinions and approval instead of speaking the truth and standing tall as representatives of G-d's holy people.

It just doesn't make sense not to have such internal investigation. In fact, Israel should do it regardless of Goldstone. If there were really war crimes then I think everyone agrees that they also should be prosecuted. After all, this is one of the differences between a law abiding state and a terror organiziation.