Haaretz.com
By Barak Ravid
Israel is preparing a report in advance of the United Nations General Assembly meeting to discuss progress in implementing the Goldstone report - even though Israel doesn't recognize that document.
The Goldstone report accused Israel of war crimes during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, sparking a storm of controversy.Israel and the Palestinian Authority have been asked to report on their progress to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who will present this at the February 5 meeting.
However, Israel is not planning to give its report directly to Ban, as the United Nations had requested, because it does not officially recognize the Goldstone report
Instead, it wants Ban to tell the General Assembly that he supports the Israeli report, which is being prepared by the Foreign Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces. Israel intends to distribute it at the United Nations before February 5.
A senior official in Jerusalem said, "The secretary general wants to be the messenger, not to take a stand." This would work against Israel in the General Assembly, because Israel "doesn't stand a chance" there.
Israel's report will include summaries of its investigation of injured Palestinian non-combatants during the Gaza operation.
The Israeli report was compiled by the Foreign Ministry, the Justice Ministry, the IDF Military Advocate General and the IDF's planning branch. It details 100 cases investigated by the IDF, 30 of which were cited in the Goldstone report.
A Foreign Ministry source said they fear Israel's report will not satisfy the international community, because "the world wants to know how many convictions or indictments there are" against soldiers for violating orders.
This is not the report that the IDF leaked to the New York Times on Saturday. That report is being written by the IDF to counter the Goldstone report and has "no diplomatic significance" an official said.
Meanwhile, outgoing Attorney General Menachem Mazuz has been pushing for an independent probe into the Gaza operation by a committee headed by a retired High Court justice. The Foreign Ministry, the Justice Ministry and the Prime Minister's Bureau reportedly favor the move, while the IDF and Defense Minister Ehud Barak oppose it.
Israel is not expected to present the idea of a probe to Ban, but senior officials in Jerusalem said the matter is still under discussion and things may change.
