[Washington Post] Glenn Kessler - The House of Representatives on Tuesday is poised to pass a nonbinding resolution condemning a controversial UN report on alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza that has become a major complication in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's diplomacy in the Middle East. Israeli officials have warned that any effort by the UN to add further legitimacy to the report will undermine the administration's efforts to relaunch peace talks with the Palestinians. The resolution, co-sponsored by the two senior members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Calif.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), charges that the report by South African jurist Richard Goldstone for the UN Human Rights Council is "irredeemably biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy," in part because it was based on "a flawed and biased mandate," and that the militant group Hamas was able to "significantly shape the findings of the investigation." Lawmakers expect it to win easy approval, while the White House has taken no position on the resolution.
2009-11-02 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive