Lead U.N. investigator of 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict resigns over bias allegations

NEW YORK, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- William Schabas, the head of a United Nations investigation into the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, has resigned due to bias allegations for his previous work with the Palestine Liberation Organization.

The investigation seeks to determine if potential war crimes were committed in the 50-day war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The panel's inquiries, sanctioned by the U.N. Human Rights Council, are set to be released in March.

Israel has refused to cooperate with the investigation and accused Schabas of "clear and documented bias."

Schabas said a legal opinion he wrote for the PLO in 2012 was normal advice he has given to many other governments and organizations. He was paid $1,300.

"My views on Israel and Palestine as well as on many other issues were well known and very public," he said in a statement. "This work in defense of human rights appears to have made me a huge target for malicious attacks."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the investigation to be "anti-Israeli" and called for the inquiry to be terminated.

The death toll for the conflict was more than 2,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians, about 67 Israeli soldiers and six Israeli civilians.

Recently, protesters climbed the walls of the United Nations compound in Gaza and damaged property in response to the U.N.'s decision to halt aid funding to Palestinians who need to rebuild after the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict.

The U.N. Relief and Works Agency has only received $135 million of the $720 million it needs to rebuild damaged or destroyed Palestinian homes.