Goldstone Criticizes UN Council on Human Rights

Richard Goldstone, the primary author of the infamous Goldstone Report, is now trying to distance himself from the way in which the report is being used to single out Israel for condemnation. Most recently he criticized the United Nations Council on Human Rights, which commissioned the report, for the contents of its referral to the Security Counsel. This is what he said: "The draft resolution saddens me as it includes only allegations against Israel. There is not a single phrase condemning Hamas as we have done in the report."

Goldstone, as usual, is trying to have it both ways. The truth is that the report itself barely criticizes Hamas. Indeed, the summary--which was intended as a press release--is replete with condemnations against Israel but never once criticizes Hamas. Instead it gently criticizes "Palestinian armed groups," as if to suggest that these were vigilante grass root killers who were not sponsored by and doing the work of Hamas. The text of the report devotes infinitely more space to condemning Israel than it does to condemning Hamas or even "Palestinian armed groups." It is not surprising, therefore, that the resolution of the UN Council, which is intended to briefly summarize the report, would focus its attention on condemning Israel. Goldstone, who is a savvy and experienced international diplomat, had to realize this when he signed onto the report. The crocodile tears he is now shedding, in claiming that the resolution "saddens" him, is simply another example of him talking out of two sides of his mouth.

Goldstone did the same thing when he told the Jewish Daily Forward that his group had not conducted "an investigation," but rather a "fact-finding mission" based largely on the limited "material we had." Since this "material" was cherry-picked by Hamas guides and spokesmen, Goldstone acknowledged that "if this was a court of law, there would have been nothing proven." He emphasized to the Forward that the report was no more than "a road map" for real investigators and that it contained no actual "evidence," of wrongdoing by Israel.

That is certainly not what the report itself says. The report repeatedly accuses Israel of war crimes and other violations of international law. It concludes that Israel "violated" the law and that these violations "constitute a grave breach." It does not qualify its accusations the way Goldstone now seems to--at least when talking to Jewish audiences.

In his recent press offensive, Richard Goldstone complained that many of his critics have not read the report, have not responded to its conclusions, and are resorting to attacks on the credibility of those who are responsible for producing it. In an interview, not surprisingly, with Al Jazeera, Goldstone said the following: "I have yet to hear from the Obama Administration what the flaws in the report that they have identified are, I would be happy to respond to them if and when I know what they are." He continued "I have no doubt, many of the critics--the overwhelming majority of critics--have not read the report, and, you know what proves that, I think, is that the level of criticism does not go to the substance of the report."

This of course misses the point. Many of the most severe critics have studied the report in detail and have focused on specific errors. As far as I know, Goldstone has not responded to any of these substantive criticisms. Moreover, there is a good reason why there has been so much focus on Goldstone himself and others on his commission, as well as on the source of the report, namely the UN Council on Human Rights. First, as to Goldstone: The only reason anyone has given any credence to yet another report of the obviously biased Human Rights Council is because Goldstone was its chairman. As the Associated Press reported recently, Israel tends to ignore reports of the Human Rights Council, "which includes many Arab and Muslim countries [and] is hopelessly biased against Israel." It continues, "But Goldstone's credentials as a former war crimes prosecutor..., his Jewish faith and his close ties to Israel have made it hard for Israel to ignore his findings." Goldstone obviously understood that he was putting his personal credibility behind this deeply flawed report. His credibility has suffered a fatal blow as the result of his association with such bigotry. It is not surprising, therefore, that critics are questioning his motives.

If Goldstone wants a debate on the merits and demerits of his report, I am ready and willing to debate him. I await his reply.

 

 

Comments

[calmcreek]

Prof. Dershowitz, I am trying to understand why a man of Mr. Goldstone's credentials and accomplishments would do what he has done . . . that is, produce a one-sided report that only helps condone the unspeakable evil committed by Hamas. Can you try to explain how Goldstone let this happen if he is truly impartial? I've read your blogs but I do not see an explanation. Did he think he could manage the investigation and then find that he could not but was too embarrassed to admit it? Did he think he could get Israel to participate?

What happened?

Calmcreek

[Freenation]

http://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2009/10/19/goldstone_why_i_investigated_israel_conduct_gaza_97273.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rcw-today-newsletter

here is goldstone's reply, stop making accusations like 'crocodile tears' and 'cherry picking' comments.... as I commented last time he has criticized both parties, what is wrong here?

[lightningbolt]

Goldstone himself admitted that the findings of his report would not be considered evidence in a court of law. This effectively destroys the report's credibility. The U.N. Human Rights Council is clearly biased against Israel, since they fail to even acknowledge that Hamas started the conflict, which makes them guilty of ALL the war crimes committed during the war, including Israel's crimes.

[Justtellthetruth]

You'll be happy to know that he is now backing the Obama administration up against the wall by asking them to provide him with explicit examples of how his report is, as they lamely contended, so flawed that it should not be considered by the UN or any of its member states.

It is a testament to Goldstone's integrity that he is castigating the UN for not also bringing Hamas to task for their crimes which he fully and fairly documents in the report , but make no mistake, He backs the veracity of his own report and in no way is suggesting that it should NOT be investigated and acted upon by the UN and its member states.

[Black North]

Prof. Dershowitz, as famous for his works of fiction as for his works of fact, is painting an interesting picture here. It seems he would have us believe that the Goldstone report belongs only to the allegedly anti-Israeli Human Rights Council to use for its nefarious purposes like ignoring the crimes of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in their recent draft (emphasis, draft) resolution. But in truth the report belongs to the wide world and not only the anti-Israel lobby. That Israel denied the Judge (a Jewish jurist of impeccable international renown and not the “savvy and experienced international diplomat” that Prof. Dershowitz claims) suggests an nascent guilt more than righteous indignation. If Israel is unwilling to hear the truth from Goldstone who then can it trust? Furthermore, the attacks on the report and its author before, during and after its publication suggests a malicious strategy of creating an atmosphere of obfuscation rather than factual clarity. Maybe for a while yet Prof. Dershowitz’s abusive fiction can fool some of the people but what he should understand is that there are enough people to whom his lies and standing reality on its head represent not just a kind of deliberate craziness but the antithesis of the core Judeo-Christian beliefs of honesty, morality and compassion. Judge Goldstone’s example of fearless application of the law can only encourage those who wish to see the Holy Land saved from the violence of madness and the madness of violence!

[StCuthbert]

Yeah! Let's see a debate between Judge Goldstone and Mr. Dershowitz. I'm game.

[FairuzGhowar]

ooooooh we agree...see there is hope