Goldstone, Israel's Frankenstein Monster

I put off reading the Goldstone report the same way I put off scheduling a colonoscopy. I now realize it was for many of the same reasons. You know it's going to be tremendously uncomfortable, you don't want to know what they're going to find, and the consequences could be life-threatening. I know that I am not alone. Despite the many people who have made strident declarations about the report, few have actually read it, end to end.

It's a tough slog, the hundreds of pages of the UN-sponsored report on allegations of war crimes in Gaza. The material is infuriating at times, the content inconsistent, the methodology slapdash. But for anyone who cares about the future of this place, and for anyone who has paid close attention to the hyperbole and factual errors of Israeli leaders in condemning it, the read is more than worthwhile -- if only for the key element of its surprise ending: A marked degree of fairness.

It does not question the right of Israel -- or, for that matter, the Palestinians -- to self-defense, but it accuses both sides of having resorted to war crimes in the course of, or in the name of, defending themselves. The inquiry breaks new ground for the UN, and breaks sharply from its original mandate, in addressing Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians.

From the start, Israel's responses have been that of the brilliant blockhead -- the lawyer so in love with his own case that he persuades no one. And everything that Israel has done in its own defense has made its situation worse.

You know the Golem story. It opens with political pressures and popular frustration, channeled and fueled by frankly anti-Semitic clerics and their disciples under arms, all backed by a regional power interested in stirring up local trouble to consolidate and expand its own restive, second-rate empire. The result: attacks and threats of mass-murder against the Jews.

You know the response as well: A leader of the Jews, well-versed in tradition and tragedy, creates and puts into operation a monster to save his people. After apparent initial success, the leader discovers that the monster can be neither controlled, deactivated, nor dismantled. Its actions, taken the name of self-defense, have put the Jews, once again, in danger.

In retrospect, the Golem story was much more than Jewry's 16th century precursor to Frankenstein, the well-intentioned living construction which ultimately turns on its creator, who is a man too smart by far for his own good. It also turns out to have been the blueprint for Israeli history and policy from its very inception.

The direct outcome of success in facing the apparent prospect of wholesale slaughter of Jews in 1948 has stalked Israel ever since, in the ever-swelling form of the Palestinians' own version of the Golem, the Naqba. The direct outcome of success in averting the apparent prospect of wholesale murder of Jews in 1967 was the grand Golem of the occupation. The direct outcome of success in grooming Islamic fundamentalist charities and prayer groups to counter ostensibly Marxist Palestinian armed groups in Gaza in the '70s and '80s, was the creation in 1987 of the Islamic Resistance Movement -- for short, Hamas.

And now, as an outgrowth of all of these, and of Israel's war in Gaza and its handling of the fallout of that war, comes a dark new threat, amorphous, which with nothing more than a long shadow has struck terror into the most powerful men in Israel - many of whose decisions were instrumental in building it into what it is today, the monster whom Israel has come to know and dread by the name of Goldstone.

Like all contemporary versions of the Frankenstein story, this one has a twist. And like all version of the Golem story, the Jews have the best of intentions, no clue about the worst-case scenario, and an uncanny ability to make that scenario come to life.

What was Israel's role here? It began long before the creature began to take form, and long, long before it took its first tentative steps.

It was rooted in the belief that the only way to counter and deter Hamas, and, optimally, bring about its downfall, was a show of force of devastating proportion. It was rooted in the belief that after the poorly planned, poorly managed debacle of the Second Lebanon War, and 12,000 rockets and mortar shells pumped into the Negev from Gaza over eight years, an angry Israeli public, feeling abandoned by the world and inconsequential to their own leaders, would tolerate only a minute number of IDF casualties when war came, even if that meant a nearly unlimited number of Palestinian civilian losses.

It was also rooted in the belief -- oddly un-Israeli, more an outgrowth of the Polish shtetl than the Palmach -- that a fair hearing for Israel in international bodies of justice was so inconceivable, that the best defense was no defense at all.

Israel's decision not to cooperate with the Goldstone Mission, and, in many respects, to actively hamper its work, was calamitous. In revealing correspondence pointedly reproduced in the report, Justice Goldstone all but gets down on hands and knees to beg Israel to allow it to balance the report with on-site visits to rocket-torn Sderot, extensive direct testimony from victims of Qassam attacks, and first-person accounts and explanations of soldiers accused of violations of international law. Israel says no. Benjamin Netanyahu won't even go so far as to answer Goldstone's letter.

Now the report is out, alive and ticking, and Israel -- in its desperation to deflect the monster, no matter the consequences -- has already managed to hand it as a stick to Hamas, to beat and perhaps eventually defeat Fatah, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Palestinian Authority.

...

The bottom line, for Israelis, is simply this: Israel desperately needs a respected commission of inquiry of its own, to probe precisely the charges leveled by the Goldstone Mission. Israel owes its own citizens no less. It needs this, first and foremost, for the sake of its own future, and for the moral standards that it has explicitly set for itself. In fact, this is what Justice Goldstone is recommending that Israel do, specifically to avoid a summons to the Hague.

Then again, this government is led by Benjamin Netanyahu of MIT and Ehud Barak of Stanford, two men who may still be too blinded by their own brilliance to be able to see how blind they have become. Their temptation now will be to choose the risk of sacrificing their country's best long-term interests over the risk of being proven wrong. And, if current indications hold, both options may well come to pass.

Now I'll have to schedule that colonoscopy.

 

Follow Bradley Burston on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bradleyburston

Comments

[Wisdo]

"The bottom line, for Israelis, is simply this: Israel desperately needs a respected commission of inquiry of its own, to probe precisely the charges leveled by the Goldstone Mission"

THis is obvious to anyone but the Likud. Like the neocons they cannot accept responsibility for their blunders or the fact that violence never solves anything.

[MGarin]

Fatah and Hamas members throwing each other off of roofs is something less than the critical self analysis I had in mind. Israel is easy to pick on these days. It has a uniquely clumsy and inept way of making it's case. But at the end of the day, the idea that the Jewish people have a country and are defining themselves as opposed to being defined by others makes some folks go nuts. Scream all you want about colonialism and apartheid. It's crap and you know it. How can it be colonialism when it's the birthplace of the Jewish people? How can it be apartheid when Jews come in all shapes sizes and colors? And why focus on this nonsense when there are so many economic resourses within the Arab world to ease the plight of the Gazans? Israel almost had three Nobel Prize winners. The one winner was a woman. Who by the way suggested that all Palestinian prisoners be released in exchange for Noam Shalit. Did the police knock on her door in the middle of the night and cart her off? Of course not. The very freedom she has to express herself is the very freedom that produced brilliant scientific analysis. It's very easy to blame others. It's much healthier to look within and be rational.

[TheLonelyGod]

Right on.

[arvay]

Israeli Zionist propaganda, all the usual cliches and distortions.

I'll just mention one: there is no "Jewish people" but an artificially assemble group of people with similar religious practices that come, as you yourself note, in many shapes and colors.

The "culture" of Israel is a cobbled-together pastiche of ancient Judean ruins, Slavic potato pancakes, south European hora dancing, Easern European zither tunes, Romanian pastrami and other unconnected bits and pieces put together like the work of a Hermit Crab.

[TheLonelyGod]

"Israeli Zionist propaganda" = anything that arvay doesn't want to hear.

You sound just like a typical Israel hater. It's not your call what the Jewish people are and are not. Ever heard of "self-dete­rmination?­" Yes, the Jews have it too. If they think they are a people worthy of a state, you don't get to debate them about it. You get to say "thanks" and sit down.

[GrahamInCanada]

I think when you said "the birthplace of the Jewish people" what you meant was "the birthplace of the Jewish Religion", unless you intend to bring ethnicity into the argument.

In which case, it is also the birthplace of the Christian Religion, you know.

[alexa07]

"Scream all you want about colonialism and apartheid. It's crap and you know it. How can it be colonialism when it's the birthplace of the Jewish people?"

It's really very simple. Other people live there too. Their human rights & dignity are just as important as yours, & yours are not more important than theirs.

[MGarin]

What I meant was the Jewish People. We will define who and what we are. Not you or anybody else. I wish the concern for human rights in the region were equally distributed among the other nations. Like the free press in Syria. Or the position of women in Saudi Arabia. But it isn't. And why? Because a different standard applies. The real racism is the idea that democracy, free speech and feminism can't catch on in the arab world. It's too "Western" or some such rubbish. Dictatorships despise democracy and especially a prosperous democracy. Israel is by no means perfect, but would you rather be a woman in Mecca or Tel Aviv?

[Wisdo]

How can it be colonialism when it's the birthplace of the Jewish people?

Hey! well Germany is the birthplace of the Celts - so I suppose the irish can all move in to Frankfurt and kick the germans into a ghetto, without it being colonialism either.

[Rog49Thomas]

The problem that every colonial or occupying power faces is what to do in the face of resistance by the locals, particularly when that resistance takes up arms.

In a conventional war, pursuit of victory while not always easy is clear. The opponent has identifiable organizational infrastructures, which if destroyed or weakened threaten its continued existence. At some point to protect its continued existence it will capitulate. The dispossessed have no such targets and more importantly have nothing to lose - they don't have a state.

The colonist then faces two options.

A purely military one.

Or a political settlement which usually contain a military element but more as a matter of pressure than a solution.

The most effective (and that is not a moral judgment) military solution is extermination or forced expulsion.

Short of that military force by itself is generally ineffective.

The natural tendency is to apply progressively more force across a wider range of targets to make the cost of resistance so high that it collapses.

Collective punishment, targeting civilian areas, deliberately causing economic distress, terror campaigns.

And as history shows even so-called moral nations when caught in this dilemma apply pretty much the same tactics.

[Rog49Thomas]

When that colonist is dependent for his survival on foreigners, then the battle for public opinion becomes critical.

The great fear in Israel is that it is on the path of Apartheid South Africa with respect to world opinion.

And the opinion that matters most is that of Europe and the USA.

Dov Weissglas has stated that if Israel loses the support of Europe and the USA, its standard of living will drop to that equivalent to the Palestinians (which he set at $200 per month) and that it will lose its military edge.

And that is why the Goldstone report is being fought tooth and nail, why NGO Monitor was created, why Brother Bibi wants to outlaw foreign funding for dangerous Israeli NGOs (like BT'Selem, Breaking the Silence, HaMoMed, etc) and why Brother Cohen isn't going to J Street.

[Rog49Thomas]

Sorry, HaMoked.

[MGarin]

Self analysis, especially critical self analysis is a sign of a healthy body politic. Look around the middle east. When critical self analysis the the rule rather than the exception, there will be peace. Rather than castigating Israel, her neighbors should be emulating Israel.

[arvay]

Superficial.

And wrong, the Palestinians are in the process of vomiting up Abbas and the Fatah stooges who assumed the position when Israel and the US snapped their fingers over the Goldstone Report.

Healthy self-realization, I'd say.

[TheLonelyGod]

The Palestinians overthrow (and kill) anyone who doesn't do what the people ask. That's not self analysis or self-criticism. That's blaming someone else for your own problems, something the Palestinians do *constantly.* Just because this time they are blaming other Palestinians doesn't mean that their nations' psyche has changed at all.

[arvay]

Many people wonder about the Israelis -- what's wrong with these people?

Not that hard to understand.

The whole nation keeps itself in a perpetual state of post-traumatic stress -- the degree to which the memory of the Holocaust is cynically exploited by its leaders can't be determined without a mind-reading machine -- but the symptoms are easily spotted.

The Arabs are cited again and again as some continuation of the Nazis -- an ultimately sad effort by Israelis to do something with the anger many feel at the fact that so many Jews of Europe were led away without resistance to their deaths.

Practically every issue is framed in apocalyptic terms, and perceived slights are labeled as "blood libels" and "anti-Semitic" plots against them.

Most seriously, once Palestinians are framed as the new Nazis, Israelis are allowed to punish and kill them without guilt. We're just defending ourselves. In their rage, they are creating precisely the kind of anti-Jewish sentiments they fear. After WWII, much of the world sympathized with the Jews of Europe. Now, Israel has fostered anti-Jewish sentiment on a global scale.

The problem is, the patient is armed and dangerous. Why does it need 200 nuclear weapons? Is this nation preparing itself for some kind of Masada-like "last stand" -- except this time scattering atom bombs around the neighborhood?

[TAIsabel]

Hear, hear! The constant recycling of the Holocaust is relentless. However, very little is known about the following:

1. 1946: The KIng David Hotel in Jerusalem is bombed by Jewish terrorists killing 91 people.

2. November 1946: In one week, 19 people (11 British and 8 Arabs) were killed in Palestine by land mines and suitcase bombs laid by Jewish terrorists.

3. January, 1947: Jewish terrorists attacked 5 Palestinian cities using bombs, amchine guns and falme throwers.

4. January, 1947: Haganah, one of three illegal Jewish paramilitary groups (other two being the Irgun and the Stern Gang) proudly announces that more than 200,000 Jews had immigrated, illegally, into Palestine in the preceding 15 months.

Present history is well known to all, no need to elaborate on the many abuses. This "victim" mentality has resulted in creating a vindictive, cruel and colonialist mentality in Israel.

They have no intention of cooperating with the Palestinians. The election of Bibi proves that. We are now involved "hook, line and sinker" in the cleanup of the mess the British made of the area and have fallen for the "victim of Holocaust" argument.

The only solution, stop all aid to Israel! They have plenty of nuclear bombs at their disposal anyway (just being facetious!).

[Rand]

The wing of the King David Hotel which was bombed was being used, not as a hotel, but as British military headquarters. Military headquarters are, by any sane definition of the term, legitimate military targets

I will accept, only for argument's sake, that those who attacked a legitimate military target were "terrorists"

Will you apply the same word to those who threw Leon Klinghofer from the deck of the Achille Lauro for the "crime" of being Jewish? How about the kidnappers and killers of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics? Or those "brave freedom-fighters" who have blown up school busses, hospitals, bars and restaurants?

[ZenJu]

Arvay, the tone of your argument suggests that you blame rape victims for "asking for it" and "wallowing" in their trauma. You are seriously distorting so much about Israeli culture (oh, yeah, you don't believe that we have one, either, from your other comment) that unravelling your delusions is quite tedious. Well, guess what? We're here, we're thriving, and we're going to have real peace with our neighbours one day, in spite of haters like you.

[Wisdo]

Lets have some facts here:

Fact: Between 2005 and 2007, Palestinian groups in Gaza fired about 2,700 rockets into Israel.
Israel fired more than 14,600 artillery shells into Gaza during this same period (source HRW).

No mention is ever made of the continous shelling of Gaza, however at least most are aware that Gaza was also under siege also - making living conditions intolerable for its citizens.

The author claims that Israel has only "the best intentions", how can he tally this with the unending growth of settlements?

Is it not clear that Israel's intentions are to annex the entire West Bank and that it cynically prolongs conflict in order to achieve this objective?

[StCuthbert]

"Is it not clear that Israel's intentions are to annex the entire West Bank and that it cynically prolongs conflict in order to achieve this objective?"

No, it is not clear because that is not what's happening. Jews are moving to the West Bank and living there, but that has no bearing on Israel annexing the West Bank or not.

[ZenJu]

Who's been twisting the Palestinians' arms to reject peace treaties, nationhood, investment, development, and to keep from lobbing shells at Israelis and trying to import weaponry from Iran?
Silence.

[S1m0n]

Israel's response to every international accusation* has been a variation on the 'we're being singled out!" cri de coeur, which begins with a blunt, if never stated, concession on the substance of the accusation, whatever it was.

Frankly, we expect terror from terrorists, but we expect better of our friends and close allies. We're not picking on you, we're just not surprised about them. And there's none of our money supporting them. We ARE funding you, which gives us a strong reason to feel like we have the right to express some opinions about the tune.

*For at least the past decade, when Israel's decline in international sympathy from 'swing' nations began accellerating.

[TheLonelyGod]

So you admit the Palestinian armed groups in Gaza are terrorists?

So you admit that Israel is subjected to a double standard?

Thanks.

[TAIsabel]

Not when the will of 480,000 Jews can overwhelm the welfare of millions of Palestinians by building illegal settlements. No amount of "victim" arguments can hide the facts. You have a very loftly name (Lonely God) for such low arguments.

[GrahamInCanada]

There is hope for Israel, when such arguments can still be made.

Excellent, Mr. Burston!

[vascopyjama]

The Israelis really don't care what the report says. They know that at the end of the day the money they have given to our lawmakers is well spent. If there is a debate they know that the US delegation will either walk out or veto anything that even mentions Israel.

[Pem3]

They are holding the double blade sword close to the gut and are running head long into their foes.

[TAIsabel]

IT comes as no surprise. They are not blinded by their "brilliance", they are blinded and deafeaned by their Zionism and destructive "holier than though" mentality.

There will be no progress in Israeli/ Palestinian relations, ever. It takes two to tango...the Israeli's do not dance.

[Rand]

And saying that Israel has no right to exist is the tango?

[alysheba 3]

"The bottom line, for Israelis, is simply this: Israel desperately needs a respected commission of inquiry of its own, to probe precisely the charges leveled by the Goldstone Mission."

Having listened to ex-IDF soldiers (my husband included) tell me stories of what they were encouraged to do to Palestinians by their superior officers and army Rabbis, I know that any inquiry headed by the Israeli government will not be impartial. Too often we have heard that the IDF is a "moral" army, the most "moral" army in the world, when clear evidence has shown otherwise.

Israel has had opportunties to make itself at least seem honest and moral. It has refused. Now let the World Court decide how "moral" the Israeli army is.

To those who would bash me please note that now, and in the past, I have stated that Hamas should stand before the World Court with Israel.

[gandolf101]

Having listened to ex-IDF soldiers (my husband included) tell me stories of what they were encouraged to do to Palestinians by their superior officers and army Rabbis, I know that any inquiry headed by the Israeli government will not be impartial. Too often we have heard that the IDF is a "moral" army, the most "moral" army in the world, when clear evidence has shown otherwise


bet you dont have an Israeli passport or even israeli or even Jewish.
name the officers who gave your so called husband orders to abuse Palestinians.
Just 1 , ...for just 1 name of any officer who gave this order would get you world new coverage.
well ?
give 1 name please

[alysheba 3]

By the way, never said I was Jewish or Israeli.

[alysheba 3]

They won't publish names, or dates, or units. I've tried!

[lightningbolt]

I don't believe a word you say. You are making stuff up about your "husband" to make Israel look bad.

[GrahamInCanada]

There are none so blind as those that refuse to see.

Does it make you feel good to blind yourself like that?

Alysheba3 did not say anything unbelievable, or extraordinary, that would cause you to doubt what she said and call her out for lying.

You are like the monkey, covering its eyes and ears and mouth, and pretending that evil does not exist.

Please see, Breaking the Silence, http://www.shovrimshtika.org/index_e.asp

[jollyelle]

Does Israel really not consider itself to have pampered status in terms of US foreign relations?

Why it continually represents itself as the fallen figure while at the same time ignores international law, pushes boundaries of settlement expansions daily, takes billions in military aid, is silent with regard to Non Proliferation treaties and then without blinking disregards the Goldstone Report which to most was a balanced account, rightly critical of the Israeli War in Gaza.

At least spoiled children grow up, what happens to spoiled countries?
Occupation precludes safety. Terminal defeatism stagnates.

Dictating about who and when you'll make peace is not negotiating peace and compromise with an adversary.

[gandolf101]

Dictating about who and when you'll make peace is not negotiating peace and compromise with an adversary

first of all what negotiating ?the arabs lost the war end of story.
There is no Palestinian who speaks for all the Palestinians you know why ?
No such thing as palestinians. its all made up to help murder jews.
what the arabs failed to do in war , they are now going to use the UN to do.
But israel is not dumb and will beat the arabs in the UN ,after all jews rule the world ..
right ?