Jerusalem  - The Palestinian Authority has decided to withdraw its draft resolution in the UN Human Rights Council to condemn Israel's conduct of the Gaza Strip offensive, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported Friday on its website.

The Geneva-based body had been expected to vote on the resolution later Friday.

The resolution would have endorsed the Goldstone Commission report on the Gaza conflict, which accuses both sides of war crimes.

Citing a "political source" in Jerusalem, Haaretz said that dropping the resolution would meant that a new effort to pursue the Goldstone Commission's report could not start before next year.

The paper cited its source as attributing the Palestinian decision to pressure from the US government, which has said that the Goldstone proposals should wait until after Mideast peace talks have resumed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Thursday that passage of the resolution would have been a "critical blow" to the peace process. (dpa)