Goldstone apes Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat was notorious for speaking out of both sides of his mouth. He would say what the West wanted to hear in English and would tell his 'people' in Arabic what he really wanted them to do and where he really stood.Richard Goldstone seems to have learned from Arafat. In an interview with the Forward, he has 'backed off' the report that bears his name, minimizing its impact. In the Forward, the report suddenly became a 'fact finding mission' based on 'material we had' and not the authoritative 'findings of fact' and 'conclusions of law' that are contained in the report itself.
So which is it? Alan Dershowitz tries to get into Goldstone's head to sort it out.
Goldstone apparently lacked the courage to stand up to the other members and staffers of his commission and to insist that his clarifying language be included in the report itself. Nor did he have the courage to file a dissenting or concurring statement. Instead, he spoke out of both sides of his mouth, sending one message to those who read the actual report and a very different message to those who read his words in the Jewish Forward (and the New York Times for whom he wrote a more ameliorative op-ed on the day after the release of the Report). In doing so, he is trying to have it both ways.
Goldstone went so far as to tell the Forward that he himself “wouldn’t consider it in any way embarrassing if many of the allegations turn out to be disproved.” This is total nonsense. Goldstone has put his imprimatur—and his reputation—behind the reports’ conclusions. The only reason anyone is paying any attention to yet another of the serial condemnatory reports by the United Nations Human Rights Council is because Richard Goldstone—a “distinguished” Jew—allegedly wrote it and signed on to its conclusions. If he really doesn’t stand by its conclusions—if he doesn’t care one way or another whether they are true or false, proven or unproven—then no extra weight should be given to its findings or conclusions because of the “distinguished” reputation of its Jewish chairman.
But weight is being given by some to its “unproven” and uninvestigated allegations which Goldstone admits may be wrong. There have been calls for boycotts, divestments, war crime prosecutions and other forms of condemnation based on the conclusions reached (or not reached, depending on which side of Goldstone’s mouth one is listening to) by the Report.
If Goldstone stands behind what he told the Forward, then he must come forward and condemn those who are treating his report as if the allegations were based on “evidence” and “proven.” Don’t hold your breath, because such a statement would be heard by both of Goldstone’s audiences at the same time.
I don't believe what Goldstone told the Forward. I believe that he sees his report (and it's HIS report and not the committee's - everyone else has maintained a studied silence and let him do the talking) the same way it's seen in the 'Human Rights Council.' I believe that he has convinced himself that he has 'discovered' the truth, because he wanted to be convinced. Goldstone has sold his soul for a shot at being Secretary General of the United Nations - the FIRST JEWISH SECRETARY GENERAL - as the headlines would undoubtedly scream. He'd have no shot at that if his report told the truth: That Hamas fired thousands of rockets at Israel, that Israel absorbed them for eight years before reacting, that Israel did everything possible to minimize 'civilian' casualties and that Hamas - and not Israel - used 'civilians' as human shields.
The only comparison I can think of for Goldstone is Richard Falk. And Falk is despicable.
Draw your own conclusions.
Read the whole thing.
Israel Matzav: Goldstone apes Yasser Arafat
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment