BREAKING NEWS

Netanyahu: Not having automatic UN majority is 'Israel's only crime'

Netanyahu Not having a

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday called on members of the UN's Human Rights Council to reject a resolution endorsing a report accusing Israeli forces and their Hamas opponents of war crimes during IDF Operation Cast Lead last winter. The Geneva-based council is expected to vote Friday on a resolution that would ask the Security Council in New York to determine within six months whether both sides are carrying out credible investigations into alleged abuses or to refer the issue to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands. "Israel's only real crime is that it does not have an automatic majority in the UN," Netanyahu said at a joint press conference with visiting Spanish Premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. "We hope that all responsible countries will tomorrow vote against that decision, which aids and encourages terror and strikes at peace." Netanyahu argues that the resolution, if adopted, would hamper Israel's ability to defend itself and therefore discourage it from making possibly risky concessions for peace with the Palestinians.