Israel said on Wednesday that it will not cooperate with a United Nations Human Rights Council investigation into this year's Gaza conflict because its findings are "pre-determined".

The UN panel, due to make its first report by March, is to look into the conduct of both Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza, during the 50-day conflict.

Israel's government has dismissed the investigation as a "kangaroo court", accusing its chairman, Canadian academic William Schabas, of having an anti-Israel bias.

"In view of the fact that the Schabas committee is not a fact-finding panel but an investigation whose results are pre-determined. ... Israel will not cooperate with the committee," Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Reuters

(China Daily 11/14/2014 page11)