Saed Bannoura

Israeli sources reported Saturday that the United States vowed to Israeli leaders to bury the report of Judge Richard Goldstone on Israel’s war in Gaza last year. The sources added that the Israeli government vowed to respond to the report of Goldstone by forming an independent committee.

The United Nations is set to convene soon to discuss the report but did not schedule a date for the discussion. But Israel sources said that Israel will not show “any further cooperation” and that the United States will not allow the report to reach the Security Council.

Last week, Israel reveled that a series of talks were held between Israeli and American officials in order to define the means to counter the Goldstone report and to bury it. Israel also said that the United States will not hesitate in using its Veto power should the efforts to bury the report fail. The Israeli response to the Goldstones report came in 52 pages, and includes what Israel claims to be the “results of investigations carried out by the army”.

The United Nations stated that Israel responded to all allegations against it, but cannot be sure that both Israel and Hamas conducted independent and impartial investigations. On January 29th, Israel presented its official report to the Goldstone Report, and claimed that its army was committed to the international ethics and conducts of war, and did not deliberately bombard civilian areas. Israel embarked its war on Gaza on December 27th, 2008, and ended it on January 18,th 2009. More than 1419 Palestinians were killed and thousands were wounded during the war.