Haneyya gov’t welcomes EU parliament’s adoption of Goldstone report

Haneyya gov’t welcomes EU parliament’s adoption of Goldstone report

In a statement to the Palestinian information center (PIC), Palestinian minister of justice Faraj Al-Ghoul expressed hope that this decision would be circulated in European countries whose law allows the prosecution of Israeli war criminals in order for the Palestinians to be able to file lawsuits with their courts.

“The government had already welcomed Goldstone mission and facilitated its work, and when the report was issued we supported it with some reservations about points affecting the resistance,” Ghoul underscored.

The Hamas Movement welcomed the European decision and considered it an important step forward to confront the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people and bring their perpetrators to justice.

Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri urged in a press statement to the PIC the European parliament to translate its decision into reality.

335 European lawmakers voted on Wednesday in favor of the resolution, 267 opposed it and 43 abstained.

The resolution demanded EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to monitor Israel’s compliance with the report, which was criticized severely by Israel.

The resolution called on both Israel and the Palestinians to conduct transparent investigations into their actions, pursuant to the request issued in this regard by the UN General Assembly last February.

It also called on Israel to open Gaza crossings and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid.

In another context, the European parliament on Wednesday evening demanded the Palestinian resistance to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, ignoring thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Head of the European parliament Jerzy Buzek along with 20 other lawmakers received yesterday the father of the captive soldier in the French city of Strasbourg prior to holding a session to issue an appeal to Palestinians to release Shalit.