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EJP: European Jewish group calls on EU to take ‘courageous step’ against Goldstone report

Source:EJP

Source: European Jewish Press

PARIS – The European Jewish Congress (EJC) has called on the European Union to coordinate an attempt to reject the Goldstone Commission report on Gaza when it reaches the UN Human Rights Council.

EJC President Moshe Kantor expressed outrage at the high level of politicization during the whole process culminating in the report.

The report by a UN find-finding commission chaired by south African Judge Richard Goldstone said both Israel and Palestinian groups committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during the 22-day operation in December-January that Israel launched in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave.

“From its original mandate this commission has shown itself to be nothing more than an exercise in demonization of one nation, namely Israel,” Kantor said.

“We call on the European Union, particularly those nations represented on the UN Human Rights Council to unequivocally reject the report just as they rejected the original resolution and mandate.”

The one-sided nature of the initial resolution was the reason it was not supported by many states, including Canada, Japan, Switzerland and the European Union, the EJC stressed.

The European Jewish umbrella group called called on them “to once again take a courageous stand against the report.”

Several European nations are represented on the Council including the United Kingdom, Italy and France.

“This report places at risk any decent nation who wishes to fight and eliminate terror and will jeopardize the efforts of many European armies defending our continent around the world from the ravages of the ever increasing terrorist threat,” Kantor said.

“The placing of Hamas, listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union, on an equal footing with a democratic nation like Israel in the report is outrageous.”

“Good, decent and civilized nations must stand up to the bullying tactics of the initiators of the commission, like Cuba, Syria and Somalia,” Kantor continued.

“If Europe and like-minded nations do not reject the report when it arrives for discussion at the UN Human Rights Council then it will hammer the final nail in the coffin in an organization whose lofty mission has never been met and this can only be bad for those truly in need of a human-rights monitoring body.”

The European Jewish Congress will lobby the European nations represented on the UN Human Rights Council to reject the Goldstone commission report.