Controversy Over PA's Goldstone Stance

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is being widely criticized for his decision to back away from supporting the UN Goldstone Report in the UN Human Rights Council.

Critics accuse him of conceding to U.S. pressure by postponing action on a vote on the report that found Israel's offensive in Gaza to violate international law.

The PA agreed on Friday to delay a vote in the Council condemning Israel's refusal to cooperate with the inquiry. It also would have sent the report to the Security Council.

The negative Palestinian reactions are coming from the street, NGOs, bloggers, even PA ministers, as well as Hamas -- despite the fact the report implicates Hamas's conduct during the invasion as well.

Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh accused Abbas of personally instructing the PA representative in Geneva to revoke his demand that the UN Goldstone Report be adopted by the UN Human Rights Council, according to ynet.

Though the Palestinian leader may gain standing with the United States for complying, analysts think Abbas is going to pay a hefty domestic political price.

"Abu Mazen has lost a lot from this," said Shawan Jabarin, who runs the al-Haq human rights watchdog in Ramallah.

"Even the average man in the street thinks Abu Mazen has given up the rights of the victims and given up on pursuing Israeli war criminals."

The American position is that relaunching peace negotiations between the PA and Israel requires that the U.N. body give both Israel and Hamas more time to consider Goldstone's recommendations that they each launch their own credible investigations into the report's allegations.

Israel has rejected the report. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said if the UN took action on the report, it would be a "fatal blow" to prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

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