Friends of Peace

Recently Hamas in a message urged the United Nations to distinguish between Israeli “crimes” and Palestinian “resistance” in its investigation of human rights violations in the Gaza war. They have “asked any investigation commission to be just towards the Palestinian people and … not to put on a same level the Zionist crimes” and the acts of “resistance” by Palestinians.

“What the Palestinian people did and our resistance during the war … amount to self-defence to protect the Palestinian people,” The rep. Former international prosecutor Richard Goldstone was named on Friday to lead a broadened human rights probe into violence during Israel’s 22-day Gaza offensive in December and January.

At the same time, the Israeli government hailed what it said was Obama’s commitment to Israel’s security. Leading Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat focused instead on “the statements by President Obama confirming the principle of a two-state solution.” Israel should understand “that the track leading to an end of the occupation since 1967 of the Palestinian and Arab territories and to the start of a two-state solution is the only track that can be followed,” said the rep.

A November 2007 conference in Annapolis, near Washington, relaunched peace negotiations on the basis of the roadmap, although dozens of rounds of talks between Israel and the Palestinians have produced little visible progress.