Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Israel to Launch Diplomatic Offensive Over Gaza Report; UPDATE: Gaza Facts website launched by MFA

(IsraelNN.com).Israeli officials will engage in extensive diplomacy to deflect the consequences of the Goldstone panel report, diplomatic sources said Tuesday night. President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman will be manning the phones already on Wednesday, speaking to world leaders and foreign ministers, and asking them to publicly condemn what Israel called a one-sided report, which emphasizes alleged Israeli "war crimes," but takes a softer line on rocket attacks on southern Israel by Gaza Arab terrorists.

"This is going to be a long diplomatic and legal battle," one Israeli diplomat said Tuesday. "We will work with our friends around the world, especially the U.S., in order to prevent the isolation of Israel," the diplomat said.

UPDATE: Gaza fact website launched by MFA - The Operation against Hamas in Gaza: The Israeli Perspective - Operation Cast Lead - Israel Defends its Citizens

This website discusses various issues relating to the Israeli military operation undertaken by the Israel Defense Force (IDF), better known as "Operation Cast Lead" or "The Gaza Operation" in December 2008-January 2009.

This official website, managed by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provides factual information addressing the legal and political context of the conflict in Gaza, the issue of Gaza war crimes, the issue of human rights and the investigations into the Israeli military conduct during combat.