Following the UN Human Rights Council's endorsement of the Goldstone Commission Report in Geneva on Friday, the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem stated that Israel rejects the "one-sided decision" and calls on "all the responsible states" not to accept it.
Despite Israeli lobbying efforts against the Goldstone report, a resolution endorsing the document passed 25-6, with eleven countries abstaining. Five states, including France and the UK, declined to vote. The move is expected to send the report on to more powerful UN bodies in New York for action.
"The council’s decision undermines efforts to safeguard human rights in accordance with international law, as well as the efforts to advance the peace process in the Middle East," the ministry said in a statement. "The decision encourages terror groups in the whole world and harms world peace. The decision also ignores the fact that the IDF took unprecedented measures to avoid harming civilians, and [ignores] the terrorists’ use of civilians as human shields."
In the statement went on to stress that Israel would continue "to implement its right to self defense, and will work to ensure its residents’ safety."
Israel also thanked the states "that supported its [Israel’s] position and those who expressed, in the manner of their vote, opposition to the unjust decision, which ignores the murderous attacks carried out against Israel by Hamas and other terror organizations," apparently referring to the 11 states that abstained the vote, as well as the 5 states that declined to vote.
In the statement, the Foreign Ministry stressed that Israel rejects the decision "despite the significant improvement in the current vote’s results in comparison with the original decision to establish the Goldstone Commission – 25 in favor, 6 against and 11 abstaining [in Friday’s vote], in comparison to 33 in favor, 1 against and 13 abstaining [in the precious vote]."
Earlier Friday, Interior Minister Eli Yishai called the move "an anti-Israeli resolution which joins an anti-Israeli report."
"The council’s resolution constitutes diplomatic anarchy," he said, adding that the IDF treated innocent civilians with "kid gloves," during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza last winter, during which the report alleges the Israel committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.
Science Minister Daniel Herschkowitz said it was "a shame that he UN has made itself irrelevant."
MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List) praised the UN Human Rights Council for endorsing the report, and said that the international community had "regained its lost honor."
"The report’s endorsement is an important legal and moral statement. We mustn’t leave the civilian population defenseless," Tibi said.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas expressed hope that the resolution would "give impetus to the protection of the Palestinians from Israeli attacks."