The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution Friday calling for Israel and the Palestinians to conduct impartial investigations into war crimes committed during Israel’s assault on Gaza last year as documented in the Goldstone report. The United States, along with Canada, Nauru, Panama, Macedonia and Micronesia, joined Israel in voting against the resolution. US Deputy Ambassador Alejandro Wolff reiterated the US view that the Goldstone report is “deeply flawed.”

Alejandro Wolff: “We have previously noted shortcomings that include its unbalanced focus on Israel, the negative inferences it draws about Israel’s intentions and actions, its failure to deal adequately with the asymmetrical nature of the Gaza conflict, and its failure to assign appropriate responsibility to Hamas for deliberately targeting civilians, and basing itself and its operations in heavily civilian-populated urban areas.”

The Palestinian Authority’s permanent observer to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, criticized Israel and called for action.

Riyad Mansour: “Acting above the law, Israel has inflicted untold suffering and devastation on the Palestinian people it has oppressed for over four decades in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and has its course gravely undermined the applicability and credibility of international law. It is high time to end and reverse this destructive, obscene pattern of behavior by Israel, and that begins with ensuring accountability by punishing those responsible for the perpetration of war crimes against innocent civilians and ensuring justice for the many victims of those crimes.”