Goldstone Condemns UN Human Rights Council For Endorsing His Report

That is what this charade has come to.

No one should be surprised that the UN Human Rights Council approved Goldstone's Report:

The Human Rights Council voted 25 to 6 Thursday to endorse the report and recommend that other U.N. bodies heed its recommendations.

The report recommends that Israel and authorities in the Gaza Strip prosecute fighters for alleged war crimes committed during last winter's Gaza war and, should that not happen within six months, for the U.N. Security Council pursue such prosecutions. The Human Rights Council resolution cites only Israel.

Sure, the report mentions Hamas, but the UNHRC resolution mentioned only Israel--surprising Judge Goldstone himself. He did not realize that while he was originally assured that his mandate had been magically changed to investigate both Israel and Hamas:

all violations of International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law that might have been committed at any time in the context of the military operations that were conducted in Gaza from 27 December 2008 - 18 January 2009, whether before during or after

nevertheless, in the minds of the members of the UNHRC, the orginal written text--condemning only Israel--was all that mattered:

to dispatch an urgent independent international fact-finding mission, to be appointed by the President, to investigate all violations of international human rights law and International Humanitarian Law by the occupying Power, Israel, against the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, due to the current aggression, and calls upon Israel not to obstruct the process of investigation and to fully cooperate with the mission;

In hindsight it is clear that in the new language of Goldstone's mandate, which does not specify Israel by name--Hamas is not mentioned either. Goldstone's mandate was never reworded to be evenhanded, it was merely reworded to be more vague.

Goldstone knew what his report was all about.
But the members of the UNHRC knew better.

Having failed to learn his lesson, Goldstone now wants the text of this resolution changed too: [hat tip: Soccer Dad]

This draft resolution saddens me as it includes only allegations against Isreal. There is not a single phrase condemning Hamas as we have done in the report. I hope that the council can modify the text.

Not this time.
Judge Goldstone has been played, and the ultimate loser is Israel--and any other Democracy that is faced with defending itself against terrorists.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Technorati Tag: Goldstone Commission Report.