UN Gaza inquiry head resigns after Israeli objections

GENEVA

The head of a United Nations inquiry committee formed to investigate war crimes during the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict has resigned following allegations of anti-Israel bias.

The President of the U.N. Human Rights Council, Ambassador Joachim Ruecker, received a letter from Professor William Schabas Monday night informing that he was resigning as chair and member of the Commission of Inquiry on the Gaza conflict with immediate effect, the U.N. said in a statement Tuesday.

"This letter follows one sent to the council president on Friday, 30 January, by the Permanent Mission of Israel in which they ask for Professor Schabas’ dismissal from the Commission of Inquiry due to what they refer to as a conflict of interest," the statement said,

"The president has accepted the resignation of Professor Schabas and thanks him for his work over the past six months as chair of the commission," it said.

After his resignations, the commission will continue investigating all alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. The commission is said to be now in the final phase of collecting evidence from as many victims and witnesses as possible from both sides, the statement added.

The commission’s report is scheduled to be presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council on March 23. 

Following the resignation of Schabas, Ruecker is currently in discussions with the remaining two members of the commission to discuss the appointment of a new chairperson, the statement said.

The Israeli government had already said it would not cooperate with the council’s committee.

The Israeli offensive had left more than 2,160 Palestinians dead and some 11,000 injured -- the vast majority of them civilians -- while partially or completely destroying thousands of residential structures across the Gaza Strip.

The onslaught, which was launched with the stated aim of ending rocket fire from the coastal enclave, finally ended with the announcement last August of an open-ended cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian resistance factions.