Goldstone, A Victim of Extremist Israelis and Palestinians

The YouTube clip above shows Richard Goldstone defending his hotly debated report on the 2008 Gaza War in an interview on Al Jazeera conducted by former CNN anchor Shihab Rattansi. Goldstone certainly gives a reasonable impression and I suppose this is one of the reasons why the South African jurist was handed the job by the UN Human Rights Council. He’s well respected in the legal community and a Jew, an ardent supporter of the state of Israel. However, considering the history of the Council I understand why principally Israelis and their allies objected against his appointment. One of the problems with the United Nations is the fact that dictatorships are allowed to be members of the Council even though they frequently commit the crimes that the UNHRC wishes to abolish. Still, the report that Goldstone has presented (after insisting on that crimes committed by Palestinian groups be included) is not bad at all. We all watched the Gaza War in horror, angry at both Israel and Hamas for causing all this bloodletting and the report points at crimes committed by both sides.

The way the Goldstone report has been received shows how the extremists control the debate. In Israel people are appalled at how it could be written by a Jew and in Palestine terrorist groups are embracing the criticism of Israel as proof that their propaganda is true. I sincerely loath these views. The people of Palestine are like sullen children, electing terrorists as their leaders. The people of Israel are like sullen children, electing warmongers as their leaders. Both peoples are to blame for the current situation along with the lack of real political leaders that are prepared to make uncomfortable decisions. No one is prepared to make concessions, no one is prepared to stretch out a hand. And the sad thing is that these views are celebrated by many individuals all around he world as if the Middle East troubles can be solved with the defeat of one of the sides. They are supported by American Jews who consider all Arabs terrorists and they are supported by European leftists who consider Israelis as oppressors. There are real solutions to the conflict, but neither party is willing to budge.

Richard Goldstone wrote a report that covered both sides. That makes him a targeted man. It’s pathetic.

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