Palestinians seek U.N. inquiry into Israel assault on Gaza

Palestinians asked the United Nations on Tuesday to investigate into “all violations” of human rights and humanitarian law that they say have been committed by Israel during its military offensive in Gaza. The draft resolution is to be debated by the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday at an emergency session also requested by Egypt and Pakistan. The Palestinian observer mission to the United Nations seeks to have the 47-member forum “urgently dispatch an independent, international commission of inquiry … to investigate all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, in the context of the military operations conducted since 13 June 2014 …” Israel began air strikes against the Gaza Strip on July 8 and launched a ground offensive on Thursday to halt rocket fire out of the territory.