Israel has called on the United Nations to retract a report critical of the country during the three-week military offensive in Gaza more than two years ago, after the report's author expressed regrets over the conclusion.
South African judge Richard Goldstone, who authored the report, said Saturday that he believes the U.N. council that commissioned the document was biased against Israel. In a commentary published in the Washington Post, Goldstone said that had the report been written today, the conclusion would have been different.
The Goldstone Report concluded that both Israel and Hamas committed potential war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the report was distorted, while Israeli President Shimon Peres said the military acted out of self defense.
Some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in the 22-day conflict that ended in January, 2009. Goldstone said in the article Saturday that unlike Hamas, the Israeli military did not deliberately target civilians.
Israeli officials have called on the United Nations to issue a retraction of the report.
source : http://blogs.voanews.com