Israeli Intimidation Brings Shift In Gaza Report

[Purveyor]

Justice Richard Goldstone dropped a bombshell last week by appearing to repudiate parts of the 2009 report that bears his name.

The 575-page report, compiled under United Nations mandate by Goldstone and three highly esteemed experts, investigated 36 incidents during Israel's 2008-2009 assault on the Gaza Strip, including allegations of indiscriminate and disproportionate attack, illegal use of white phosphorous, using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure. The team concluded that Israel had launched "a deliberately disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorize a civilian population, radically diminish its local economic capacity both to work and to provide for itself, and to force upon it an ever increasing sense of dependency and vulnerability."

In response, Israel and its supporters shot the messenger. Justice Goldstone, although an admirer of Israel, suffered withering attack and ostracism. Leaders of his own South African Jewish community threatened to picket his grandson's bar mitzvah, should he attend. Still, for 18 months he stood his ground, publicly affirming the accuracy of the report. Now that he has buckled, Israeli politicians are crowing. Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed that "Everything we said was proved true," and demanded that the United Nations retract the Goldstone Report in whole.

There is no ground for that. The report is an officially approved United Nations document, and Goldstone is but one among four authors.

MORE...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/04/06/ED4O1IRBFD.DTL

[King_David]

1. 'Hence nothing should impede the progress of the Goldstone Report through the United Nations system'

What Bullshit, The author of the report has all but said,in writing ,that his report was wrong.

“if I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document” -Richard Goldstone.

The report is trash and trashed.

[azurnoir]

4. all but said , well Goldstone exactly said of his report is here

As for his report on the 2009 Gaza offensive, Goldstone reiterated that the "intentionality on the part of Israel" required review, and that "domestic investigation could lead to further reconsideration." The judge concluded, however, that no part of the report needed reconsideration at the present time.

http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=215347

[RZM]

2. The author provides zero evidence of 'intimidation'

In fact he admits in the body he doesn't know why Goldstone backpedaled. How they felt this headline was justified is anybody's guess (though I think I can guess why).

[aranthus]

3. The author is George Bisharat.

He doesn't need evidence. Or facts. He just says what he wants.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

5. The author writes mostly bad fiction as a rule

[whosinpower]

6. Everything they said was not proven true

At first, when confronted with the white phosphorus use - the IDF denied using white phosphorus. It was only later, under overwhelming evidence that they finally officially stated that they did use white phosphorus.....and would change operational procedures in the future.

There are currently some 47 criminal charges working their way through the israeli court system as a result of the Israeli investigation MAG internally investigating Operation Cast Lead. Would these claims have ever been taken seriously enough before the Goldstone Report?

There have been some fairly significant operational changes in procedure for the IDF - AS A RESPONSE TO THE GOLDSTONE REPORT. Would these changes have occured in the absence of the Goldstone Report?

The reality is that the Israeli government officially stated nothing at all to the authors of the report. They would not allow them to interview any soldiers. They would not even grant them access to Israel to interview citizens who have had to live under the threat of rocket attack. Goldstone BEGGED them and they gave him nothing....nothing at all, except slanderous attacks on his integrity, ostracization within his community, and backhanded condemnation through the media.

Everything they stated was not true. And they were strategically wrong to refuse to participate in the report....because if they had - the report would have been different...and the damage they claim the report caused would never have happened. To allow Hamas the only voice in the report was beyond stupid. I understand their strategy - but it was stupid.