THE three co-authors of a scathing United Nations report on Israel’s conduct during its 2008-2009 offensive in Gaza have said they stand by their work.

NOTHING in the recent history of the Arab-Israeli struggle had done more damage to Israel’s standing of Israel than the Goldstone report.

Israel said today it would not conduct an independent inquiry into its conduct in the Gaza Strip war, rejecting a key recommendation from an explosive UN report that accused the Jewish state of war crimes.

Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu today said Israel has refused him permission to lead a fact-finding mission to investigate Israeli-Palestinian violence.