UN probe of Gaza war to start at weekend

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"A team of U.N. investigators will visit Gaza next week to examine whether Israeli troops and Hamas militants committed war crimes during their three-week conflict, the global body said Friday.

The mission led by South African prosecutor Richard Goldstone will depart Geneva for the Middle East on Saturday and is expected to cross into Gaza from Egypt on Monday, the U.N. said in a statement.

Goldstone said last week that he repeatedly asked the Israeli government to cooperate with the mission, to ensure that it can visit the southern part of the country and town of Sderot, which was hit repeatedly by Palestinian rockets, and then enter Gaza "through the front door."

The fact that the team is entering Gaza via the Rafah crossing with Egypt indicates Israel has yet to extend its cooperation.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said the probe had "a mandate to find Israel guilty no matter what" from the U.N. Human Rights Council, which has a record of criticizing the Jewish state for its treatment of Palestinians.

"They (the investigators) have been instructed to prove that Israel is guilty and we will not collaborate with such a masquerade," said Yigal Palmor."

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[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. With the refusal of Israel to cooperate, the probe is already doomed

Anything it puts out will quite rightly be questioned and dismissed.

[shira]

2. think they'll come down hard on Hamas use of human shields?

:sarcasm:

[ProgressiveProfessor]

3. Their use will be denied and without Israeli participation undocumented