Israel Matzav: Miami Herald: US should use its veto

Miami Herald: US should use its veto

In an editorial in Wednesday's editions, the Miami Herald calls on the United States to use its veto to put a stop to the Goldstone Report in the Security Council. Here's part of it.

The Israelis cannot get a fair hearing from the council, nor impartiality from any of its offshoots. Mr. Goldstone, a Jewish South African and trustee of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, is a distinguished former prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal and points to the report's criticism of Hamas for ``serious war crimes and crimes against humanity'' as proof of the commission's even-handed approach.

Mr. Goldstone's record and good intentions aside, this formulation is both naive and mistaken.

Such symmetry fails to make obvious and necessary moral distinctions. For countries like Israel, the death of civilians is an unintended tragedy of war. Prior to the Gaza incursion, the Israeli Defense Forces dropped leaflets in civilian areas and otherwise tried to warn of an impending attack in an extraordinary effort to avoid collateral casualties.

For terrorist groups like Hamas, inflicting civilian casualties is a way to score points and advance an evil agenda.

They deliberately target noncombatants and routinely use human shields to protect their fighters.

Regardless of the report's ``even-handed'' contents, it is being used as a cudgel against Israel. Criticism of Hamas's methods and conduct is routinely ignored by Palestinian advocates, who see the document as a great opportunity to smear Israelis as war criminals.

Read the whole thing.

Using the veto is something that would grate on the Obama administration, especially if it's done to benefit Israel. I don't believe it will use the veto. I believe that the Obama administration will try to water down whatever resolution is presented (and I have a pdf of a draft of one - it can be found here) to the point where it can vote in favor - something which is likely to hurt Israel. And if the Obama administration cannot vote in favor of the resolution, it will abstain. But I believe that it's highly unlikely that the United States will use the veto for Israel.

Israel Matzav: Miami Herald: US should use its veto