Israel Matzav: Obama flip flops on Goldstone, throws Israel under the bus

Obama flip flops on Goldstone, throws Israel under the bus

Late Thursday night, I received an email with a JTA article attached, which said that the Obama administration had pledged to 'quash' the Goldstone Commission Report and not to allow Israel to be brought to the International Criminal Court. While my first reaction to the report was "what's this going to cost us," when I clicked on the link I discovered that the official who had given that first statement had 'misspoken.' In a flip-flop reminiscent of his flip-flop on Jerusalem during the 2008 Presidential campaign, Obama is now throwing Israel under the bus.

The White House says an official "misspoke" when he said the Obama administration would not allow the Goldstone report recommendations on Israel's conduct in the Gaza war to reach the International Criminal Court.

A top White House official told Jewish organizational leaders in an off-the-record phone call Wednesday that the U.S. strategy was to "quickly" bring the report -- commissioned by the U.N. Human Rights Council and carried out by former South African Judge Richard Goldstone -- to its "natural conclusion" within the Human Rights Council and not to allow it to go further, Jewish participants in the call told JTA.

Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, called JTA later to say the official "misspoke" and that administration policy on the Goldstone report remains as articulated last week by Susan Rice, the U.N. ambassador.

Rice described the UNHRC mandate as "unbalanced, one sided and basically unacceptable. We have very serious concerns about many of the recommendations in the report. We will expect and believe that the appropriate venue for this report to be considered is the Human Rights Council and that is our strong view."

She did not mention what the United States would do were the report to be referred to the ICC.

...

The Obama administration is ready to use the U.S. veto at the U.N. Security Council to deal with any other "difficulties" arising out of the report, the White House official said Wednesday. The administration also has made clear to the Palestinian Authority that Washington is not pleased with a P.A. petition to bring the report's allegations against Israel to the International Criminal Court.

So the White House is 'not pleased' with the 'Palestinian Authority' petition to the International Criminal Court, but won't do anything to stop it.

What could go wrong?

Israel Matzav: Obama flip flops on Goldstone, throws Israel under the bus