Judge Richard Goldstone, who issued the infamous Goldstone Report in 2009, backtracked on his most serious accusations late last week. The Goldstone Report, which was part of a UN “fact-finding” mission into “Operation Cast Lead” (Israel’s 2008-2009 defensive action against Hamas/Gaza), accused both Israel and Hamas of “actions amounting to war crimes, possibly crimes against humanity.”
Goldstone outraged Israel by asserting that that the Jewish State intentionally targeted Palestinian civilians. He now has taken this accusation back:
“I regret that our fact-finding mission did not have such evidence explaining the circumstances in which we said civilians in Gaza were targeted, because it probably would have influenced our findings about intentionality and war crimes…If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document.”
Judge Goldstone’s retraction is more than a day late and a dollar short. His report is the epitome of l’shon harah – evil speech – and has added fuel to the anti-Israel, anti-Semitic fires that are ablaze across the globe. What makes his actions so disturbing is that the judge did have information available to him that proved, beyond a doubt, that Hamas’ violence against Israel was the cause of Operation Cast Lead, Hamas deliberately placed Palestinians in harm’s way and that Hamas lied about the proportion of combatants among the Gaza dead. Judge Goldstone, a Jew and a supposed Zionist, has, through his irresponsible report, engaged in Motzi Shem Ra – murdering of the good name of Israel. This is a huge offense. The damage done to Israel’s reputation is enormous. And the number of innocent Israelis who continue to be murdered and terrorized by Hamas and others who were emboldened by the Goldstone Report continues to grow.
Hamas continues to fire missiles into Israel from Gaza. Yesterday, the terrorist organization fired a Kornet anti-tank missile at an Israeli school bus in the Negev. Sixteen year old Daniel Viflic is now lying in an Israeli hospital clinging to life. Did this make it onto the news you watched last night or the front page of the paper your read this morning?
In honor of Daniel and every other victim of Hamas terror and aggression, supporters of Israel have an obligation to raise our voices, lift our pens and write our emails in support of Israel and the truth.
For more information on how you can stay informed and speak out – please visit these links which I provided in April’s Tekiah:
The Jerusalem Post – www.Jpost.com
The Jerusalem Post is a leading Israeli daily newspaper available on-line and in English. The site will keep you up to date on all current events in Israel. Insightful Op-Ed pieces are accessible on-line.
Honest Reporting – honestingreporting.com
Honest Reporting is an extremely important site for anyone who cares about getting the facts about what is going on in and around Israel. The site takes on Israel bias in the media head on and regularly challenges and corrects inaccurate reports about the Jewish State. It is important to check this site often.
AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee) – www.aipac.org
The site for the leading pro-Israel lobbying group in the U.S. An essential site for those who want to insure a strong U.S. – Israel relationship. The site keeps readers informed of ways they can speak up and affect policy.
Stand With Us – www.standwithus.com
An important site for pro-Israel advocates. Stand With Us is an international education organization that is committed to telling Israel’s side of the story and getting people involved in pro-Israel activities. There is a wonderful section that keeps readers up to date on Israel advocacy on college campuses.
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs – www.mfa.gov.il/MFA
The official website site of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition to news, this site contains wonderful links to Israeli history, the peace process and the Iranian threat.
