UN rights council endorses Goldstone report

The UN Human Rights Council endorsed a report Friday that accused Israel and the Hamas of war crimes in the Gaza conflict, dealing a fresh diplomatic blow to the Jewish state. Goldstone concluded that both Israel and Hamas, Gaza's rulers, committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during the conflict launched by Israel in response to rocket fire from the enclave in late December 2008.The report also recommends referring its conclusions to the International Criminal Court prosecutor in The Hague, if Israel and Hamas fail to conduct credible investigations within six months. Israel called the move a diplomatic farce and said it harms Middle East peace efforts, but the Palestinians welcomed the resolution which they said should be the trigger for follow-up action from the UN Security Council. Hamas also approved the move, thanking the nations that voted to endorse the report.