Yasher Koah, Judge Goldstone

[Jefferson23]

By LARRY DERFNER
22/04/2010 05:59


What the South African Jewish community did last week was shameful.

Judge Richard Goldstone, talking last October with a group of liberal North American rabbis, explained why he agreed to head the UN’s investigation of the war in Gaza.

“I knew,” he said, “there would be strong and negative opposition to my doing it on the part of members of the Jewish community and particularly with the government of Israel and its supporters in Israel and the Diaspora. But I really felt that to live with myself and to live with my own conscience, I couldn’t justify having gotten involved in the investigations in many other countries and because I was Jewish refuse to use the same norms and the same principles in relation to Israel.”

I don’t think there is a single Israeli or Diaspora Jew in a high position of leadership today who understands what Goldstone was talking about. What he was talking about, plainly and simply, was moral courage.

It’s not here. It’s not what Israel is about, not what Diaspora Jewry is about, certainly not the leadership, and not the followers, either, who want to stay inside the warmth of the consensus. To be a good, patriotic Zionist Jew today, you have to pour out your wrath on Goldstone. A “small man,” was how President Shimon Peres described him. An “evil” man, a “traitor,” was Alan Dershowitz’s description.

As far as I’m concerned, neither Peres nor Dershowitz nor any of the legions of other proud, patriotic Zionist Jews who’ve ganged up on Goldstone are worthy of carrying his briefcase.

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=173623

[oberliner]

1. Has JPost taken a turn to the left?

I've heard people describe it as a RW news source.

[Jefferson23]

2. You be the judge on this one. n/t

[oberliner]

4. Well, you posted the OP - do you agree with Larry Derfner's sentiments?

He certainly doesn't seem very right wing based on this article.

[Jefferson23]

5. Then you have your answer, don't you?

You seem to be seeking a simplistic answer that would cover the history of the publication, and I asked you to judge this OP for yourself.


The author is saying more power to ya Goldstone! I agree with him, 100%.

[oberliner]

6. JPost, as far as I know, is still owned by Murdoch

I don't know if Derfner is some kind of "token leftist" or what.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. It is neither. Israeli media is much more broad in who it publishes

Regularly there are columns from the hard right and hard left published by the same outlet, sometimes in the same edition. Its something our media could learn from

[FedUp_Queer]

3. From what I've heard...

his jockstrap (as my Dad would say).

[Mosby]

8. the goldstone report is a mitzvah?

Derfner can certainly comment as he sees fit about the IP conflict but I wish he and others could leave religion out of the discussions.

[shira]

9. Spewing libel as a mouthpiece for the fanatical, murderous leaders of Hamas is a mitzvah.

:sarcasm: