OPINIONS

The infamous Goldstone Report was the result of the UN Commission study of Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli incursion into Gaza of December 2009. The incursion by the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] was Israel’s response to the rain of rockets and mortars which originated in Hamas controlled Gaza that terrorized the settlements, villages and major population centers including Beer Sheva, Ashkelon and Ashdod.  Israeli citizens had but a fewseconds to reach air-raid shelters, their lives held hostage to this threat.  The IDF finally responded in a three week battle in which 1300 Gazans were killed and 13 Israeli soldiers perished.

Israel’s foes called for an inquiry claiming that Israel had targeted civilians, inflicted unequal damage, and in short had committed war crimes.

The inquiry commission, after investigation condemned Israel in the Goldstone Report, so named for the commission chair, Richard Goldstone, a South African Jewish Judge.  Israel’s courts and the IDF conducted their own inquiry and came to a far different conclusion.  They showed that the IDF had sent phone messages and distributed leaflets warning civilians to leave areas in which Hamas had positioned the rocket launchers and had established their camps within apartment blocks and other domestic habitations such as schools and mosques.

However, the results of the Goldstone Report effectively ruined Israel’s reputation, made her Military and Political leaders into criminals subject to arrest and recrimination if they travelled outside of Israel and initiated a campaign of deligitimization and defamation that impinged on Israel’s right of future self defense.

When Hamas was asked to investigate Israel’s claims that Hamas’ military positions were all in civilian areas, where innocents were hostages and in harms way, their leaders refused.  After all, in a society which values death over life and promotes terror and martyrdom with promises of heavenly rewards for those inflecting mayhem, why and what to investigate?  Especially when the price of public relations victories and political victories were cheap in view of the opprobrium cast upon Israel, who was now cast as an evil Goliath, bully, and criminal with a terribly tarnished reputation.

Now Judge Goldstone – March 2011, has recanted.  In published interviews Judge Goldstone has admitted that Israel did not commit war crimes or inflict unproportional damage.  He has stated that Hamas truly did all the things Israel claims to put their rocket launchers and headquarters in civilian areas. They invited Israel’s military response in order to defame and criminalize Israel.

Israel is exonerated!  BUT!  The damage inflicted by Hamas deviousness cannot be so easily erased. We can see the ongoing results.  Again the Turks are sending a flotilla to Gaza, hoping Israel will again either be embarrassed or euchred into another deadly act that will further cast aspersions on Israel..  There are still European nations who continue to threaten Israeli officials, Diplomatic and Military, with arrest and incarceration for “war crimes”.  There is the ongoing BDS Campaign [Boycott, Delegitimization Sanctions] aimed at isolating Israel and making Jews pariahs, yes Jews who support Israel as well as Israeli’s.  There is this ongoing effort to declare and ratify an “Independent Palestinian State” even though the Palestinians refuse to negotiate an equitable two state solution, and they are succeeding in spite of intransigence.

Why this article?  First, to inform Israel’s supporters of the ongoing struggle for her existence.    And secondly, as a call to arms and action by every supporter of Israel to express our outrage at the lawlessness Israel faces.  To Whom?  To President Obama, to our Congressional and Senatorial leaders.  Not only from our districts and States, but those on the Foreign Relations Committee and Appropriations Committee, as well as the leaders of the United Nations.

Let’s write the media and spread the word: the battle against Israel is the battle against truth and justice.  And as we see in the Middle East that battle requires perseverance, energy, intelligence and courage.  We who believe Zion will be redeemed in justice must stand and labor to realize Isaiah’s prophecy.