Jerusalem has forbidden entry into Gaza and the West Bank by the UN team which is seeking possible war-crime charges against Israel during the last Gaza war.
The United Nations committee investigating possible war crimes by Israel during last summer’s Gaza war has spent the past week in Jordan, listening to the testimonies of victims’ families and civil society organizations, Ma’an Palestinian news agency reported on Sunday.
Rubble of destroyed buildings from the 50-day conflict between Hamas and Israel, in Shejaiya, Gaza Strip, October 12 ,2014. – Photo: AFP
The committee, which was appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, has been denied entry to the West Bank and Gaza by Israel.
The team had intended to enter the Gaza Strip via Egypt, but was prevented from doing so by the security conditions in Sinai. It is now scheduled to visit Gaza in January.
Instead, the committee will listen to the testimonies of bereaved Gaza families this week using videoconferencing technology, according to Ibrahim Khreisha, the Palestinian Representative to the Red Cross.
The team of 15 people includes human rights experts, investigators and technical teams. It is required to submit its final report on March 1, 2015.
“Only representatives of Palestine and Israel will be allowed to see the final report 48 hours before it’s submitted to the regular session,” Khreisha added.
He said that the report will differ from the so-called Goldstone report of 2009, in that it will include possible Israeli crimes from Jun 16, 2014 until the day the report is submitted.
View original HAARETZ publication at: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.626820
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