5 April 2009

Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Palestine, stressed that the Palestinian people have the right to resistance, self-determination and the establishment of their independent state.

In a press statement, Falk stated that the last war on the Gaza Strip revealed the huge disparity between the Israeli army which is equipped with all kinds of weapons and the unarmed Palestinians who live under an unjust siege, reiterating that Israel committed war crimes in Gaza.

The UN official underscored that Israel has a colonial, violent and criminal nature, adding that Israel waged a war on Gaza because the Palestinians hold one of its soldiers while there are more than 11,000 Palestinian prisoners in its jails.

As for trying Israeli leaders on charges of war crimes, the UN official said the UN General Assembly according to its charter has the right to form an international court to try Israeli leaders, pointing out that he will submit recommendations urging the UN to move from investigation into Israeli war crimes to the stage of leveling charges.

Palestinians Welcomes Formation Of UN Committee To Probe Israeli War Crimes

The PA government in Gaza has welcomed the UN announcement of establishing an international committee to probe Israel's war crime charges in the Gaza Strip and also welcomed the UN human rights commissioner Peter Falk's recent report.

Dr. Yousef Rezka, the advisor to premier Ismail Haneyya, said in a statement on Saturday that any international, foreign or legal committee arriving in Gaza to investigate the Israeli occupation forces' war crimes would be met with complete cooperation on the part of the Palestinian government and people.

He drew the world's attention to the Israeli war machine's vast destruction in the Gaza Strip and to the IOF war of annihilation against entire Palestinian families and unarmed civilians topped by women and children.

Commenting on the UN committee chairman Richard Goldstone's statement that he would investigate violations on the part of both the Israeli and Palestinian sides, Rezka said, "We are not afraid of investigation committees because the occupation crimes are obvious".

He pointed out that Falk's report clearly pointed to Israeli violations of the international laws during its war on Gaza.

International arrest warrants should be issued against Israeli leaders rather than Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir, the Palestinian advisor underlined, adding that most of the victims of the Israeli war on Gaza were innocent civilians.