Goldstone report

The U.N. General Assembly scheduled debate on the Goldstone Report, a document that faults both Israel and Hamas in Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli leaders said they were acting in national self-defense against rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip in ordering Operation Cast Lead last December and January. More than 1,000 Palestinians were killed in the fighting.

South African jurist Richard Goldstone led a U.N. commission looking into the events. The commission report concluded Hamas and the Israeli military both likely committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.

Israel rejected the findings as biased against the country's right to defend itself. It also complained of the report's alleged heavy reliance on Hamas witnesses.

The U.N. Human Rights Council voted (25 for, six against, 16 abstentions) to endorse the Goldstone Report, going as far as to ignore recommendations from Goldstone himself and single out Israel while not mentioning Hamas. Tuesday the U.S. House of Representatives accepted a resolution 344-36 (22 "present" votes) asking U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to oppose endorsement of the report.