Abbas changes mind on delaying vote on Goldstone probe

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday that he has instructed his envoy to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to resubmit a proposal for a vote on the Goldstone Commission's report on Gaza war crimes. The president's address comes nearly two weeks after his decision to defer a vote on the report garnered unprecedented criticism from Palestinians across the various factions. The council must reach a decision "to judge anyone who committed crimes against the Palestinian nation," said Abbas in a televised address to the nation. Abbas added that the Palestine Liberation Organization had formed a panel of inquiry to determine why the decision had been made to defer the vote.