Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, is facing a growing backlash over the postponement of a vote on a UN report that criticises Israel for the Gaza war.

The report by Richard Goldstone, a South African judge, blamed both the Israeli military and Palestinian fighters for war crimes during Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip between December and January, but it was more critical of Israeli troops for "targeting and terrorising civilians".

Abbas has dismissed accusations that he bowed to US pressure to support the postponement, but that has done little to quell growing anger from all sectors of Palestinian society.