JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday criticized an upcoming United Nations report into last year’s war in the Gaza Strip, calling it a waste of time.
Instead, he said an in-depth Israeli report – and another unofficial report compiled by a group of retired Western generals – show “the truth” behind the fighting. Both documents say Israel did its utmost to avoid civilian casualties and said Gaza’s Islamic militant Hamas rulers deliberately attacked Israeli civilians while using their own people as human shields.
“Those who want to know the truth should read this report and read the report of the top generals,” Netanyahu told his Cabinet. “Whoever wants a baseless, automatic accusation against Israel can waste their time reading the U.N report. As far as we are concerned, we will continue to protect our soldiers and they will continue to protect us.”
Over 2,200 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, were killed, while 73 people died on the Israeli side.
Israel says Gaza’s Hamas rulers are responsible for the civilian casualties because it launched attacks from residential areas. Palestinians have said that the Israeli army violated the rules of war, which include giving adequate warning to civilians, using proportionate force and distinguishing between civilians and combatants.