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World cannot have double standards for Israel, says UK minister

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, May 22, IRNA – Britain has warned Israel that it will be “an extraordinarily bad own goal” if it continues to deny access to Gaza for the UN Human Rights Council’s investigation into war crimes, according to Foreign Office Minister Lord Malloch-Brown.

“We have consistently said that all credible allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law during the military operation, by either side, should be properly investigated,” Malloch-Brown said.

“We cannot have a double standard. That is why we have pressed Israel to accept the investigation of the Human Rights Council led by Justice Goldstone,” he said.

The minister was speaking during a House of Lords debate on Thursday in which he was asked what pressure the UK government was prepared to put on Israel to cooperate with the UN war crimes investigation of its latest slaughter of more than 1,400 Palestinians in Gaza.

Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Tonge asked whether the Zionist regime will be allowed to “again get away with breaches of international law and the Geneva Conventions without any international censure, on the pretext of some sort of peace process.”

“We have warned Israel that it will be an extraordinarily bad own goal, if you like, if it does not allow Justice Goldstone access or co-operate with his inquiry,” the British Foreign Office Minister said.

He said that the South African judge and international war crimes prosecutor had made it clear that if he is unable to access Gaza through Israel, he will enter through Rafah crossing from Egypt.

“In today’s world these kinds of crimes, whether they occur in Gaza, northern Sri Lanka, or Darfur, must be subject to international accountability,” Malloch-Brown warned.

Despite the cynicism relating to Israel, he told peers he was still demanding “an adequate international investigation and, if necessary, adequate international accountability through international justice systems,” which he said was enormously important.

“For the people of Gaza, for the standing of Israel, and for international law more generally, it is important that these alleged crimes be looked into,” the minister said.