Watch out for the Goldstoners

[shira]

Nobody knows yet when the next war will break out. Maybe in a decade, maybe in a year, or maybe even next month. It is also not clear where the next war will erupt - perhaps on the Gaza border, perhaps the West Bank, or maybe in Jerusalem. But it is already clear what the next war's name will be - the Goldstone War. It will be the war brought upon us by the Goldstone report, Judge Goldstone and his Goldstoner followers.

It's a simple story. In the absence of peace in the Middle East, deterrence prevents war. Israeli deterrence has been eroded considerably by two Lebanon wars, two intifadas and two unilateral withdrawals. Thus Israel is incessantly subjected to terror attacks.

To prevent the region's deterioration into complete chaos, Israel must exercize force once every few years. These limited demonstrations of power do not achieve a decisive military victory or a breakthrough in the peace process.

Their entire purpose is to stabilize the violent relationship between Israelis and Arabs. Thus they create a temporary, strong-arm balance that subdues the conflict and ensures calm for a few years. For better or worse, Operation Cast Lead created such a balance. It weakened Hamas and deterred it, at a terrible human cost. It strengthened the moderate Palestinians and enabled them to grow, at an intolerable moral cost.

more...
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1119643.html

[shira]

1. cont'd...

Cast Lead granted Israel's southern residents a rare time-out. Brutal as it was, the operation created an infrastructure of stability on which it was possible to build - layer by layer - a new, sober peace process.

However, in recent weeks the balance has been disrupted. Hamas is rearing its head while the Palestinian moderates are becoming more radical. A trickle of Qassam rocket fire has resumed in the south, while the embers on the Temple Mount are glowing red-hot.

This is no coincidence. The Goldstone report and the Goldstone spirit are causing a situation in which the deterrence that was achieved for such a high price at the beginning of the year could expire prematurely. They are bringing the next round of Israeli-Palestinian war closer.

More than enough has been written about Richard Goldstone's double standard. However, today it is clear that Goldstone is not only guilty of a double standard (see Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Tibet...), but of a double political crime.

With one hand he pushed peace further away, by making it clear that even after Israel withdraws to the Green Line it is not permitted to defend its citizens and its sovereignty. With the other hand he brought war closer, by binding Israel in a straitjacket that prevents it from exercising its power in the future.

On the one hand Goldstone played into the Israeli right wing's hands (by increasing the risks of withdrawal). On the other hand he inflamed Palestinian extremism (by burning Israel at the stake).

The Palestinians see Goldstone as a sort of Delilah, who found the Israeli Samson's weakness and sheared off his tresses. This can lead to only one outcome - violence and more violence, more and more violence - up to war.

The problem isn't just Goldstone. The problem is the Goldstoners. For decades the Goldstone bunch has been conducting an insane incitement campaign against Israel. Israel contributed its part to this campaign with the occupation, the settlements and its arrogance. But the Goldstoners are not driven by an honest attempt to divide the land, create peace and establish universal justice that would apply to all nations. They are driven by a deep need to isolate Israel, condemn it and destroy it.

Although some of the leading Goldstoners are Jews and Israelis, they don't recognize Jewish history, the Jewish tragedy and the difficult circumstances in which the Jewish state is trying to survive. They treat Israel like a wicked, omnipotent power that is responsible for all the conflict's sins and the region's ills.

The Goldstone report would never have been written without the joint work, joint bias and joint Israel-hatred of all the Goldstoners. Thus the report reflects both the Goldstoners' holy fury and their complete belief that the Palestinians can do no wrong.

That belief is now endangering not only Israel but calm and stability. In their fanaticism and extremism, Goldstone and the Goldstoners have brought us closer to bloodshed.

[shira]

2. A license to kill

While the Goldstone report is being eagerly read in Israel and in capitals around the world, it is also being intensively studied by terrorists bent on destroying the State of Israel - and they must be breathing a sigh of relief.

This is not only because the Hamas terrorists in Gaza are in effect getting off scot-free in the report - they, in any case, did not have to be concerned about being brought before the International Court of Justice.

They can also interpret the report as international approbation for carrying out military operations from civilian population centers - schools, hospitals, refugee camps, etc. - as they did in the years when they were launching rockets into Israeli towns and villages in the south of Israel, and as they continued to do during the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.

From the report it is clear to them that establishing military units and rocket launchers in civilian population centers will from now on be an effective military tactic that they can hope to apply with impunity, enjoying at least partial immunity from an Israeli response. That response is likely to be withheld out of concern that it will lead to Israel being charged with committing a war crime.

The report is in effect a license to kill - for Hamas, for Hezbollah, and for terrorists all over the world. No less.

"The bastards have changed the rules," Spiro Agnew, Richard Nixon's vice president, supposedly said when his wrong-doings caught up with him. He resigned on October 10, 1973. That was 36 years ago, during the Yom Kippur War, a conventional battlefield war, tanks against tanks and soldiers against soldiers, with no civilians in the vicinity. And also no war crime inquiries.

But since that Israeli victory, things have changed. Faced by the overpowering force of the Israel Defense Forces, terror attacks against civilians have become the weapon of choice for Israel's enemies. And here the Goldstone report is changing the rules of warfare so as to favor the terrorists. As long as they operate in civilian surroundings, they should have nothing to worry about.

Hezbollah pioneered this tactic in Southern Lebanon, and put it into practice very effectively during the Second Lebanon War. Hamas in Gaza, tutored by Hezbollah, followed suit. And the Goldstone report has now enshrined it with international legalese, which may very well serve as a precedent in future encounters with terrorists.

This will have far-reaching effects on the war against terror, wherever it is being waged, and it will empower the terrorists, whether Justice Richard Goldstone realizes it or not. It will be especially damaging for Israel, whose civilians are under almost constant threat from terrorists.

During Operation Defensive Shield the IDF showed that the commonly held wisdom that terrorism could not be defeated by military means was dead wrong.

Whereas Palestinian terrorism could not be deterred, it could be physically eliminated by military means. The terrorists could be pursued into their lairs and destroyed, or brought to justice. Since then, terrorism from Judea and Samaria against Israeli civilians has essentially ceased. Now, after the Goldstone report, that kind of operation is going to be difficult to repeat.

The report is a blow to the war on terror everywhere and for all nations engaged in fighting terrorism. Hopefully, the nations of the world will have the strength and political will to reject the report, and make it clear to all that terror operations carried out from civilian areas are the war crime, and not the attempt to eliminate these attacks. That using civilians as a shield is a war crime.

If that does not happen, we can expect that areas densely populated by civilians will become the base for terrorist activities in many parts of the world - with the expectation that "international law" will provide them with immunity from counterattacks.

Israel, knowing that its existence is at stake, will find a way to defend itself even under these changed circumstances. But the peace process is bound to be set back. This will not be the time to take big risks.

Thank you Justice Goldstone. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1119133.html

[Kurska]

3. A very somber analysis, one I tragicly agree with.

Palestinians seem to now have everything to gain by provoking Israel into another war, which is of course going to end disastrously for somebody.

Excuse my butchering of Alas babylon, but "Wars don't happen because one side can win, wars happen because somebody thinks they can win." I read the book a long time ago, so forgive me if I didn't get the quote right.

[shira]

4. 'Hamas may put Gazans on Strip's border'

The IDF is concerned that Hamas is planning to resettle thousands of displaced Gazans in caravans and temporary homes along the border with Israel, defense officials said on Sunday.

The army learned recently of the plan, initiated by Hamas Housing Minister Yousef al-Mansi, under which thousands of Palestinians who are waiting for their homes that were damaged during Operation Cast Lead to be repaired will be housed in temporary structures and caravans along the border with Israel.

The IDF believes that Mansi plans to set up the temporary villages to serve as obstacles in the event that Israel sends ground forces into Gaza. The border villages will also likely serve as cover for tunnels that Hamas will dig under the security fence and into Israel to carry out attacks.

"This is part of Hamas's overall strategy to use built-up areas to hide in and to launch attacks," a senior defense official said. "This basically means that Hamas will want to use the people it places there as human shields against Israel."

On Sunday, the IDF escalated its response to the Kassam rocket fire from Gaza and for the first time since Operation Cast Lead bombed a weapons manufacturing plant in the heart of Gaza City.

The upgrade in the army's response followed last week's decision to begin to target rocket launchers as well as terrorist cells that are preparing to fire rockets into Israel.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1254673319571

---------------

Is this really surprising, given that Goldstone has given Hamas a free pass to continue to exploit Palestinians as human shields?

The Goldstone Report is an absolute disaster for the cause of peace and human rights.

[ixion]

5. to blame a report as a cause for war is ludicrous

nation-states make war, not reports.

[Kurska]

6. Reports can make wars inevitable.

Lord Runciman's report is probably more responsible for world war 2 then any other document besides the treaty of versailles.

[stranger81]

17. A report doesn't make any action inevitable.

Rather, it's the irrational response of the Israeli state to that report that may cause a war. Blaming the report is just another excuse Israel will use to try to shift responsibility for its own actions. And it certainly isn't the only excuse Israel will use. Arguing that the report somehow makes a war more likely -- when all it does is provide yet another fig leaf for Israel to use to mask its own aggression -- is nothing more than posturing.

[bemildred]

18. Israel should make its own war-preventing report to counter Goldstone's.

I'll bet they could stop the war that the Goldstone report was going to cause in no time at all. In fact, they should enhance their report-making capabilities so as not to be caught flat-footed next time somebody tries to get them into a war with a report.

[shira]

19. it's beyond delusional to think that Hamas will not take full advantage of the Goldstone Report ...

...in the future.

And we both know that means taking full advantage of helpless Palestinian shields, using hospitals, ambulances, children in combat, etc. when they fire more rockets in their attempts to draw fire (not deter it).

It also means Israel has no "legal" means (by Goldstonian standards) of defending its citizens, since nothing they do in defense would be good enough since Israel has to abide by "standards" that NATO and the USA, UK don't live up to.

[bemildred]

20. Well. that's why you need your own report right away, to fight back with. nt

[shira]

21. so you don't believe Hamas will try to take full advantage of the Goldstone Report in the future?

[bemildred]

22. I believe Israel needs to make its own report right away to fight back. nt

[shira]

24. check out post #4 with Hamas planting civilian shields at the border - are you okay with that?

also, do you think the majority of the nations represented by the UNHRC are honestly concerned with peace and human rights in the middle east (like the Arab bloc nations, Cuba, Burma, China, etc..)?

[LeftishBrit]

33. Hamas will take advantage of anything

If there were no report, they would claim a cover-up.

I don't think that countries should avoid investigations and accountability because their enemies COULD take advantage of it; they will take advantage of anything, as I said above!

[shira]

34. if we assume an investigation is honest and accurate that's one thing, but Goldstone's was not...

...the deck was stacked from the very beginning. Hamas' most serious warcrimes like shielding were ignored, as was any evidence that explained Israeli actions. Instead, Goldstone accepted any Hamas propaganda and testimony - no matter how incredulous.

The report is a complete disaster for the cause of human rights and peace.

If the report was honest and legitimate, I'd agree with you and Hamas could do whatever they wish with it. But you get what you get with the UNHRC and most of its members who are sympathetic to Hamas and who knew when they appointed Goldstone that he would do their bidding and work against the interests of peace and human rights.

[shaayecanaan]

7. This article

is simply a collection of turds that have been placed in an envelope and thrown against the wall. There is barely a single cohesive thought in there. I can't even begin to figure out where the Spiro Agnew reference is going.

[bemildred]

8. Desperate times call for desperate babble I suppose.

"Goldstoners"? Are we still in sixth grade here?

[azurnoir]

9. The article could have been called

"Retort of the Gallstoners"

[bemildred]

11. There is no surer sign of intellectual bankruptcy then inventing collective pejorative names

for people who happen to disagree with you about some particular subject.

[azurnoir]

12. well I stand corrected n/t

[bemildred]

13. Corrected, true, but I can agree with the sentiment.

You were just retaliating in kind anyhow.

Still, an undue fondness for word play will get you in trouble sometimes. It's a weakness of mine too, so I know.

The outpouring of bewilderment and outrage at Obama's Nobel looks to be even more debased than these scurrilious attacks on Goldstone and his report. But I think all this "You dare to question me?" stuff is wearing thin, boring, old hat.

[azurnoir]

14. actually it came from my first mistaken reading of the title n/t

[bemildred]

15. A mistake anyone could make.

My first image was a bunch of pot smokers painted gold ...

[pelsar]

10. if anything it will cause more Palestinians deaths...

the report is hardly taken seriously in israel.......its just one more in a long long long line of reports that have little in terms of solutions for conflicts in urban areas. They're have been so many, with some basic themes:

israel breaks intl law
israel is democratic and powerful, (therefore has a different standard then the "less intelligent" Gazans/Palestinians/Hamas who don't seem to understand intl law)
the Palestenians/hizballa/Hamas, etc at best should not do what they are doing, but......
never mind that other countries haven't found a solution either for combat in urban areas.......(and do much more damage), israel is responsible for finding a solution to this world wide problem

and the unspoken conclusion: since israel can't fight back without breaking intl law...its preferable that it simple accept the terrorism until a peaceful solution is found.....(this is the conclusion when one cannot answer the "what can israel do to stop the terrorism without breaking intl law?"....silence usually follows or at best: an i don't know)


the report has a nice long list of israeli transgressions...from womens rights to trying to kill civilians (piss poor job given the density of the population)....and it appears to neglect that fact that if there were no attacks on israel, there would be no attacks on gaza....

[shira]

16. cue the crickets from Goldstoners

Goldstoners aren't interested in human rights and peace - if they were, they would have a big problem with the way Goldstone encourages Hamas warmongering by insidiously ignoring their crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, thereby guaranteeing Palestinians suffer under the Hamas occupation farther into the future.

Goldstoners believe Palestinian human rights come in a distant 2nd place to Gazans being ruled and occupied brutally by Hamasnik religious nutters who are of their own gene pool. Nationalism trumps civil rights.

Where are all the Goldstoners who are trying to help Palestinians suffering under Hamas rule? Where are the Goldstoner advocates of human rights in Gaza?

There are none.

:eyes:

With "pro" Palestinian friends like Goldstoners, Palestinians don't need enemies.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

29. No Shira, we need more friends like you. Cue the violin strings.

Poor, poor Israel. All it wants to do is live with its boot on the necks of a couple of million dirty Arabs, murder a few hundred of their women and children when they get uppity, and those f'ing left-wingers just won't drop it!

Sheee-it!

[shira]

30. yes, we all need friends like Hamas who are so good for the Palestinian people

and so giving to the good people of Sderot and southern Israel.

They're great freedom fighters, aren't they?

[oberliner]

31. The vast majority of those killed were not "women and children"

Less than 10 percent of those killed were women.

This is a pretty low percentage relative to, say, the United States (and coalition forces) invasion of Afghanistan (which is, incidentally, ongoing) and civilians, men, women, and children, continue to be killed.

[Violet_Crumble]

32. Uh, the poster yr replying to didn't make that claim...

Not that I think that pointing out that the vast majority killed weren't women and children is any sort of excuse for what Israel did in Gaza...

[Name removed]

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[bemildred]

27. Ari Shavit / Israel needs legitimacy to wage war and peace

It seems as if everything is fine. Israel's borders are quiet, the state is stable, the economy is recovering. Hezbollah and Hamas have been deterred, real estate prices are skyrocketing, and chemist Ada Yonath is on her way to Stockholm to pick up the Nobel Prize. Even Ra'ad Salah's attempt to ignite Jerusalem has thus far not succeeded: Palestinian sanity and Israeli discretion are still maintaining order. So it is not surprising that according to a recent comparative survey, Israel is one of the 30 countries in the world in which life is just fine.

With a strong shekel, relative security and temporary calm, life here really is good. Corruption and cynicism have both been hit hard, and today's Israel is cruising on still waters. Without major achievements and without major failings, without peace and without war, it seems as if things are all right. Not great, but all right.

But things are not all right - they really are not. Why? Because underneath those still waters on which Israel's ship is sailing lurks an iceberg. The Goldstone report marked the iceberg's first appearance. Turkey turning its back on Israel was the second. Attempts by European courts to try Israel Defense Forces officers were the third; the boycott of Israeli products and companies in various places round the world was the fourth; and global indifference to the nuclearization of a regional power that threatens to wipe Israel off the map is the fifth. Every week, almost every day, the iceberg peeks above the surface. And when one takes a good look over the railing of this pleasure cruise, one can see exactly what it is: The iceberg is the loss of the State of Israel's legitimacy.

Ninety-two years ago, Lord Balfour sent Baron Rothschild a letter in which he recognized the Jewish people's right to create a national home in the Land of Israel. Sixty-two years ago, the United Nations recognized the Jewish people's right to establish a Jewish state. The 1917 Balfour Declaration and 1947 UN partition resolution gave Zionism the diplomatic foundation on which the Jewish state was established and perpetuated.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1121263.html

[bemildred]

28. The Golda wars

Those who are to blame for everything have been found: the "Goldstoners." Not the occupation, the settlements, Israeli aggressiveness or brutality; just Goldstone. According to Ari Shavit (Haaretz, October 8), the spirit of Judge Richard Goldstone will bring the next war upon us, and it will be called the Goldstone War.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week reiterated that sentiment in amazingly similar terms this week in his speech to the Knesset. Not since Golda Meir said she would never forgive the Arabs for making us kill their children have such self-righteous, infuriating and damaging statements been made. It is fairly certain that the next war will break out at a time and place of Israel's choosing. That is the way it has been in all the wars since 1973. We have embarked on three unnecessary wars on Israel's initiative because of the "Golda spirit" of Shavit and those like him, who see war as a legitimate and even desirable weapon.

The next war will also be a "Golda war," like that accursed war in 1973, which could also have been avoided if not for the spirit of Golda. Shavit and the other Goldas, busy with self-deception and moral blindness, who incite, repress and lie, who reject every possibility of a just solution - they are the ones who will bring it, just like its predecessors.

The Goldas are doing everything possible to avoid a peace agreement. They whine and self-victimize.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1121262.html