“Israel” calls Goldstone report ‘ridiculous’ along with US support

"Israeli" President Shimon Peres describes South African judge Richard Goldstone's fact-finding report on the Gaza war as "ridiculous" and "full of lies."

Goldstone's report on "Israel's" war crimes is a "bunch of lies", Peres told the United States' envoy to the United Nations, Susan Rice, on Thursday.

Harshly condemning the report, he said the UN is assisting the spread of baseless stories against "Israel" and added that this international body should not be a platform for hatred.

The UN human rights investigator in his report was more critical of "Israel" than Hamas in committing war crimes in Gaza in the period between December 27 and January 18, when over 1,400 Palestinians, many of them civilians, were killed in the "Israeli" assault.

Goldstone has lashed out at Washington, saying many of those who are against the report have not even read it. He called for the issue to be referred to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

Rice told Peres that the Obama administration has disproved the report as flawed. "Israel" has the full support of the United States, and that her country will be the strong ally in the "fight against the report of judge Goldstone."

On his part, Richard Goldstone, the former judge who led the UN report, challenged the US to justify its objections to his report on Thursday.

In response to the US opposing stance of the report, Goldstone told Qatar-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera International that US President Barack Obama's administration "seems to be ambivalent" in its response to his 575-page report on the attack, which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians.

"I have yet to hear from the Obama administration what the flaws in the report that they've identified are. I'd be happy to respond to them if and when I know what they are," he added.

The former war crimes prosecutor clarified that no one in the US administration had asked for additional information through any official channels from him or his team.