United Nations Radio

The United Nations fact finding mission on the recent conflict between the Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza on Monday began its second round of public hearings in Geneva.

Richard Goldstone

The first round of the hearings was held for two days just over a week ago in Gaza City.

The head of the mission, Judge Richard Goldstone says the mission had hoped to hold the second round of the hearings in Israel and the West Bank.

Judge Goldstone says this was not possible because of the Israeli government's refusal to cooperate with the mission.

He notes that victims don't have the opportunity like governments and governmental authorities to put their views before domestic and international media.

He says too frequently the victims of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law are lost in numbers or statistics.

"And there is, in the process, a dehumanizing of the victims, represented not by real people but by statistics, by numbers. The purpose of holding public hearings both in Gaza and in Geneva is precisely to show the faces and broadcast the voices of the victims. And, of course, there are victims on all sides: in Gaza, in the West Bank and in Israel."

On Monday the mission heard from victims of the alleged violations in Israel, particularly in the southern part of the country which was attacked with rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.

Donn Bobb, United Nations Radio.

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