Israel seeks UN allies on Gaza War crimes vote

Israel's Netanyahu calls on UN members to vote against Gaza War crimes resolution

(AP)  JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday called on members of the U.N.'s Human Rights Council to reject a resolution endorsing a report accusing Israeli forces and their Palestinian opponents of war crimes during the fighting in Gaza last winter.

The Geneva-based council is expected to vote Friday on a resolution that would ask the Security Council in New York to determine within six months whether both sides are carrying out credible investigations into alleged abuses or to refer the issue to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands.

"Israel's only real crime is that it does not have an automatic majority in the U.N.," Netanyahu said at a joint press conference with visiting Spanish Premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

"We hope that all responsible countries will tomorrow vote against that decision, which aids and encourages terror and strikes at peace."

Netanyahu argues that the resolution, if adopted, would hamper Israel's ability to defend itself and therefore discourage it from making possibly risky concessions for peace with the Palestinians.