If Israel Is Accused Of War Crimes, Is The US Next?

Though Abbas's plan to go to the UN in November to have his "state" granted non-member status is almost ignored amidst the more pressing matters going on in the Middle East, there are implications that should not be ignored.

Evelyn Gordon notes that Abbas's UN Bid Carries Implications for Peace, U.S. Military:

Giving 'Palestine' the UN recognition it needs to revive its ICC case against Israel over the Gaza war could pave the way for similar cases against America

"...But while the threat UN recognition poses to peace talks is clear, the threat to American military personnel may seem less obvious. Though Abbas openly admits to wanting UN recognition primarily so he can file charges against Israel in the ICC, media reports often imply that Israel's main concern is an indictment over the settlements - an issue irrelevant to the U.S. military.

The threat to the US lies in the similarity in the measures taken by both the US and Israel in combating terrorism is the Middle East. And the key to that threat lies in a report that has been discredited to the extent that even the person for whom the report is named has disavowed its accuracy and reliability.

That would be the Goldstone Report:

The PA's case rests on the infamous Goldstone Report, which accused Israel of war crimes in Gaza and recommended that these findings be submitted to the ICC prosecutor for consideration. Both the UN Human Rights Council and the General Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed the report (though even its author has since disavowed it).

But there's virtually nothing Israel did in Gaza that the United States and some of its European allies haven't done in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. For instance, the Goldstone Report assailed Israel for having caused civilian casualties, ignoring the difficulties of avoiding such casualties when fighting terrorists who wear no uniforms and deliberately launch attacks from civilian population centers. Thousands of civilians have been killed under similar circumstances in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thus if Israel could be indicted for this, so could America.

Read the whole thing

It's all very nice that during the Obama administration the US has become increasingly cozy with the UN Human Rights Council. The question is, how many members of the UN Human Rights Council would in fact jump at the chance to indict the US for war crimes?

The Obama administration may claim that it has improved the image of the US in Human Rights Council, but then again -- that is what Obama claimed about the Muslim world too.

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