The government also agreed today not to vote officially against cooperation with the UN team coming to investigate the Jenin battles (what the PA continues to call an \"Israeli massacre\") until Sharon completes his contacts with the Americans on the matter - probably tomorrow. However, as of now, the committee will not arrive in Israel. Foreign Minister Shimon Peres called the delegation members in Geneva and advised them to postpone their arrival for the meantime.
Education Minister Limor Livnat said today that there is a general consensus among all the ministers that \"we must object to any attempt to conduct a blood-libel against Israel and to have the committee question our soldiers.\" Livnat explained that the soldiers \"must not testify or talk to this committee - first of all because we are a sovereign country and our soldiers should not testify before a foreign body, and secondly, let\'s remember who this body is: They never sent anyone to investigate the deaths of the 470 Israelis in the past year and a half. The UN is not an objective body, and the entire purpose of this committee is to place the blame on Israel…\"
Israel\'s dispute with the UN revolves around two main issues. Israel demands that the committee members be changed in order to give it a more \"security-oriented\" flavor, while the UN insists that its current political/social nature is the correct one. The Israelis know that they have a better chance of convincing those with a military background that the battle was a difficult one and that Israel took the required measures to safeguard civilian lives. Israel also objects to granting authority to the committee to recommend practical steps, and insists that it simply formulate findings without operative conclusions.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Sha’ul Mofaz, Public Security Minister Uzi Landau and former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu joined the chorus of those who publicly object to any cooperation with a UN fact-finding committee. \"I cannot understand why anyone would accept such an idea,\" Netanyahu told reporters today. \"It\'s total insanity. For over 50 years - for four of which I was Israel\'s Ambassador to the UN - we rebuffed these types of plans that were designed to put us into [difficult positions]. The UN is not a body that can evaluate these issues in a responsible manner, and certainly not after it has proven its lack of sincerity by not offering to investigate even one of the terrible terrorist massacres that we have suffered at the hands of the Palestinians - and we therefore should not cooperate with this body.\"
Education Minister Limor Livnat said today that there is a general consensus among all the ministers that \"we must object to any attempt to conduct a blood-libel against Israel and to have the committee question our soldiers.\" Livnat explained that the soldiers \"must not testify or talk to this committee - first of all because we are a sovereign country and our soldiers should not testify before a foreign body, and secondly, let\'s remember who this body is: They never sent anyone to investigate the deaths of the 470 Israelis in the past year and a half. The UN is not an objective body, and the entire purpose of this committee is to place the blame on Israel…\"
Israel\'s dispute with the UN revolves around two main issues. Israel demands that the committee members be changed in order to give it a more \"security-oriented\" flavor, while the UN insists that its current political/social nature is the correct one. The Israelis know that they have a better chance of convincing those with a military background that the battle was a difficult one and that Israel took the required measures to safeguard civilian lives. Israel also objects to granting authority to the committee to recommend practical steps, and insists that it simply formulate findings without operative conclusions.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Sha’ul Mofaz, Public Security Minister Uzi Landau and former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu joined the chorus of those who publicly object to any cooperation with a UN fact-finding committee. \"I cannot understand why anyone would accept such an idea,\" Netanyahu told reporters today. \"It\'s total insanity. For over 50 years - for four of which I was Israel\'s Ambassador to the UN - we rebuffed these types of plans that were designed to put us into [difficult positions]. The UN is not a body that can evaluate these issues in a responsible manner, and certainly not after it has proven its lack of sincerity by not offering to investigate even one of the terrible terrorist massacres that we have suffered at the hands of the Palestinians - and we therefore should not cooperate with this body.\"