[Jerusalem Post] Herb Keinon - If the UN Human Rights Council sends the Goldstone report to the Security Council, it is widely expected that the U.S. would veto any resolution to refer it to the International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC). The likely scenario is that the issue will then be taken up by the General Assembly, which, because of its automatic anti-Israel majority, will send it to the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ), the body that issued a decision against Israel's construction of the security fence in 2004. Though it does not have the jurisdiction to issue criminal indictments, a negative ruling by the ICJ could give a strong tail wind to various groups in countries where there is universal jurisdiction, and where it is possible to get local authorities to prosecute Israelis. The conventional wisdom for the past three years is that the only way Abbas will be able to gain the upper hand from Hamas among the Palestinian public is for there to be a diplomatic process that can improve the situation for the Palestinians. But if the Goldstone report deep-freezes the diplomatic process, Hamas could very well end up the biggest beneficiary.
2009-10-16 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive