U-turn from Palestinian President over UN report

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he is pushing for a vote on a United Nation’s report that accuses both Israel and Hamas of war crimes during the Gaza war, reversing a decision that has left him at the lowest point of his presidency.

Also yesterday, Washington’s special Mideast envoy wrapped up his latest round of shuttle diplomacy in the region, again having failed to persuade Israelis and Palestinians to resume peace talks.

Mr Abbas’ renewed push for a vote on the war crimes report in the UN Human Rights Council reverses his decision earlier this month to delay voting for six months.

Palestinian officials withdrew their support under what Palestinian and US officials said was heavy US pressure.

This decision sparked sharp criticism across Palestinian society, with Mr Abbas and his aides scrambling to repair the damage.

“I have instructed our ambassador in Geneva to contact the groups to have an exceptional session of the council, and to move in this direction until in the end, having those who committed the worst, ugliest crimes against our people punished,” Mr Abbas said.

It remained unclear whether renewed Palestinian support would bring about a vote.

Mr Abbas defended his decision to agree to a six-month deferral by suggesting that the Palestinians had simply gone along with the prevailing view at the council.

“From a position of responsibility and honesty, I say that the deferral came after an agreement between all the groups in the Human Rights Council, and after studying all positions and seeking the utmost support for the project,” he said.

Mr Abbas noted that he’s asked a committee to look into the decision-making surrounding the UN report.

“If the committee finds any wrongdoing, any mistake in the deferral, we have the courage to take the responsibility and to say that we made a mistake,” Mr Abbas said.

However, the committee members are public figures with little clout, and it’s unlikely they would issue findings considered damaging to Mr Abbas.

Israel has vehemently denied the report’s allegations and said a push for war crimes prosecutions of Israeli leaders would damage US efforts to restart peace talks.

Yesterday, Washington’s special Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, spent more than an hour huddling with Israel’s prime minister and defence minister.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the talks “continued their discussions on moving the peace process forward”.

Two lower-level Israeli officials will head to Washington this week for further discussions, it added.

Mr Mitchell did not comment publicly after the meeting and was returning to Washington, US officials said.

Mr Mitchell, a former US senator and mediator of Northern Ireland’s peace deal, has been shuttling between Israeli and Palestinian officials for months, trying to restart negotiations that broke down late last year.

Mr Mitchell met with Mr Netanyahu and Mr Abbas late last week before travelling to Cairo over the weekend to meet with Egyptian officials, who often play leading roles in mediating the conflict.