Support for the UN Goldstone Report

The motion

That the Parliament welcomes reports that the UN General Assembly will debate, from 4 November 2009, the UN report, Human Rights In Palestine And Other Occupied Arab Territories, Report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, which found both Israeli and Palestinian forces guilty of human rights violations; deplores the fact that the Government of Israel refused to cooperate with the UN mission; notes that Israeli violations listed in the report include the destruction of industrial infrastructure, food production, water installations, sewage treatment plants and housing, the use of white phosphorus, the use of civilians as human shields, reprisals against civilians, the collective punishment of civilians in Gaza for the detention of Gilad Shalit, the repression of dissent in Israel, including the restriction of access to information and the ill-treatment of human rights defenders, and also notes that the mission was “of the view that the Israeli system overall presents inherently discriminatory features that make the pursuit of justice for Palestinian victims very difficult” and that “the current constitutional structure and legislation in Israel leaves very little room, if any, for Palestinians to seek compensation”; further notes that Palestinian violations listed include not according Gilad Shalit his rights as a prisoner of war, internal violence and targeting of Fatah affiliates by security services under the control of the Gaza authorities and reprisals against civilians in the form of rocket attacks that have, among other things, adversely affected the right to education of children and adults living in southern Israel; calls on all member governments to support this comprehensive report, produced by a team headed by internationally respected Justice Richard Goldstone, and hopes that the Uniting for Peace Resolution (UNGA 377A) will be invoked, thus giving the General Assembly the same enforcement powers as those normally exercised by the Security Council where it can be said that US vetoes have consistently shielded Israel, and calls on all parties to cease human rights violations and make reparations for their past actions.


No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

SNP 4 LD 1 Green 1

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S3M-05090 by reference.