South African Jewry rips Richard Goldstone
For those of you who saw the original in the JPost last week, this is a longer version of reactions of South African Jewry to the Goldstone Report. They are as angry as the rest of us, but they're taking it a lot more personally. Here's the bottom line. As expected, the South African Zionist Federations both in South Africa and in Israel (Telfed) released press releases condemning the report. Avrom Krendel Chairman of the SAZF wrote that Goldstone has tarnished his legacy “from his previous career of prosecuting crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda,” and that the report should “be treated with contempt having given legitimacy to terrorist’s initiatives while ignoring the obligation and right of every country to defend itself.”Well, if that's the end of the 'peace process,' that's a silver lining in the cloud in my book. And indeed it is the end of the 'peace process' in which Israel does nothing but give and the 'Palestinians' do nothing but receive.
Maish Isaacson, Chairman of Telfed, disdainfully described the Report as “legal manipulations” designed to “turn reality on its head” by falsely accusing “our sons and daughters serving in the army as behaving like criminals.”
To crown “Goldstone’s failings”, Abelesohn adds the following: “If as he has said that he has hoped to contribute to the peace process, he has achieved quite the opposite - the probable suspension of serious peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.”
Explains Abelsohn: “I live in Kfar Saba, a few kilometers from Kalkilya; well within potential rocket and mortar range. I supported Rabin and the Oslo Process and advocate the ‘Two State Solution’, but until the laws of war have been clarified providing the right of a nation to defend itself, Israel will be unable to relinquish any further territory. Suicide is not an option and with Goldstone having negated Israel’s right to defend itself against a terrorist organizations engaged in anti-civilian warfare, the journey ahead to peace has been extended not shortened. This has been Goldstone’s contribution.”
You see, so long as we had the right to defend ourselves, those Israelis who believe that we have to 'do something' could fool themselves that if worst came to worst, we could always take back the territory, just like Yitzchak Rabin told us we could in the aftermath of Oslo in 1993, and therefore it was worth taking 'risks for peace,' all our prior lessons to the contrary notwithstanding.
But with no right to defend ourselves, it should be clear to everyone that giving up the high ground, land along the narrow corridor near Netanya, the Jordan Valley, the area around the airport, etc. - all those are purely suicidal. Very few Jews in this country are willing to commit suicide anymore.
May the name of the wicked Goldstone rot (שם רשעים ירקב) and may he never be named UN Secretary General or anything else of consequence. The Nazis had a word for people who betray their own: KAPO.
Read the whole thing.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:04 AM
2 Comments:
Brilliant analysis.
Barry Rubin reached the same conclusion before the weekend and he's been notable for his support of a two-state solution and sharing parts of Jerusalem with the Palestinians. Now he says in the wake of Goldstone its clear that any Israeli withdrawal will not be met with world understanding Israel has the right to defend itself but the opposite. No Israeli government is going to give up any territory now and the Israeli public will not back such a move. Goldstone not only means the end of the peace process but also the end of a Palestinian state. If the Palestinians and the world don't like it - well they made their decision.
Israel is not going to commit national suicide for them. That's the bottom line.
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