Today, Friday, marks the last day of the three-month deadline for Israel’s response to the United Nations’ Goldstone Report, which condemned Israel’s counter-terrorism offensive against the Gaza-based Hamas regime known as Operation Cast Lead.

Israel has signaled it will submit a response the justifies the military operation after enduring over seven years of unprovoked rocket attacks against civilians in southern Israel without actually responding the points of the report, which accuse the IDF of war crimes.

The UN General Assembly has adopted the report and the international body’s Human Rights Council recommends taking its case against Israel to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Arab representatives to the UN are calling on the Security Council to impose sanctions against Israel.

Defense Minister recently told UN Secretary-General Bank ki-Moon that Israel agrees to pay $10.5 million in compensation, not as an admission of guilt, but a good-will gesture towards the UN for damage caused to UN structures in Gaza during the military operation.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)