Investigating the investigators
In a scathing critique in Sunday's JPost, Richard Landes calls on the State of Israel to investigate the Goldstone Commission. GIVEN ALL this, I'd like to suggest a different approach to the question of "investigation." I propose that either the State of Israel, or an International Citizens' Tribunal, should begin an investigation into the Goldstone Fact-Finding Mission's proceedings.Read the whole thing. It's spot-on.
In it they should ask the fundamental question: "How could this Mission have conducted itself with such systematic violation of the simplest rules of equity in judgment?"
In doing so Israel could bring to light three fundamental issues that the Goldstone report systematically downplayed in its considerations: Israel's plight (Sderot, surrounding population, long-term negative trends); the repugnant behavior of Hamas - its use of human shields, indoctrination of genocidal hatred, suicidal death cult; and the role of the mainstream news media and NGOs in giving credence to Palestinian claims, many of which could not stand up to serious examination.
An investigation team should gather high-level legal and military experts, summon witness testimony that Goldstone either refused to hear - Yvonne Green, Richard Kemp; or ignored - Dr. Siderer, Noam Bedein; people who have worked on the "data" - Jonathan Dahoah Halevy, Elihu Richter, as well as specialists on urban warfare to compare Israel's records to other nations. Not just to those like Sri Lanka and the Soviet Union, who have no concern for civilians, or to Arab "armies" who target civilians as in Sudan and Iraq, but also to the US, Great Britain and other countries who uphold the Geneva Conventions.
At the end of the article, the JPost notes that Professor Landes has just launched a new collective website: Understanding the Goldstone Report. I am pleased to inform you all that I am one of the participating bloggers in that collective website. I urge you all to bookmark it and to visit it regularly (as of this writing, parts of it are still under construction).
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:34 PM
2 Comments:
This is a very welcome development - and congrats on being part of the team.
I think such a response on Israel's part has merit and ought to be pursued on a national level though not principally by the government. No Israeli reply should seek to give legitimacy to Goldstone.
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