Arab delegates to the United Nations are floating a draft resolution that would require UN chief Ban Ki-moon to bring a damning report on the Gaza war before the Security Council.
The United Nations General Assembly is scheduled to take up the Goldstone report on Wednesday, a day after the US House of Representatives is slated to vote on a resolution calling on President Barack Obama to reject its findings.
The draft resolution circulated Monday by Arab delegates, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, said the 192-nation assembly calls on Israel and the Palestinians to undertake investigations "that are independent, credible and in conformity with international standards" into the alleged war crimes.
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It also requests that Ban monitor the implementation of the draft resolution and report back to the General Assembly within three months.
Named after former South African judge Richard Goldstone, who headed the inquiry committee, the UN report accuses Israel and Hamas militants of war crimes during the 22-day conflict that ended in January, killing some 1 400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.
The non-binding resolution could easily be adopted by the General Assembly, even if the United States and European countries vote against it as expected, as it is likely to earn the support of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 developing nations.
But at the Security Council, it faces a US veto threat and is unlikely to obtain the nine out of 15-vote majority to pass. Russia has already indicated its opposition to the report's findings.
The draft resolution recommends that the Swiss government "undertake the necessary steps as soon as possible" to reconvene a conference "on measures to enforce the (Fourth Geneva) Convention in the occupied Palestinian territory."
The Swiss government would hold the conference of the convention's high contracting parties in its capacity as depositary of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians during times of war.
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