[Gaza] IDF investigation 'not credible'

Al-Jazeera 090423
[LinkTV/Mosaic]

- A coalition of Jewish and Arab human rights groups have criticised as inadequate an Israel Defence Forces investigation into its activities during the January offensive in Gaza. The IDF's internal investigation found that no Palestinian civilians were harmed intentionally by IDF soldiers during the 23-day offensive, which killed more than 1300 Palestinians and wounded more than 4000.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak hailed the report as further proof of the IDF's moral stature. 'The IDF is not afraid to investigate itself and, in that, prove that its operations are ethical,' Mr Barak said.

A coalition of Israeli human rights groups, which includes B'Tselem, Physicians for Human Rights, Yesh Din, The Public Committee Against Torture and Rabbis for Human Rights, said the only way to truly investigate alleged war crimes was through an independent inquiry.

Israel has refused to cooperate with a newly created UN body investigating its policy during the war on Gaza last December -- which comes as no surprise to those familiar with past Israeli practices in this regard.

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