The Goldstone Report on Gaza

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has released “Israel’s Analysis and Comments on the Gaza Fact Finding Mission Report.” 
Israel is “appalled” by the Report.  Carl in Jerusalem has an important post on the Report. Israel’s prior lengthy report on the Gaza war is here. Israel has also established a detailed fact page here.

One of the sections of the Israeli analysis catalogs some of the elements ignored by the Goldstone Report:

·       The Report all but ignores the deliberate terrorist strategy of operating in the heart of densely populated civilian areas which dictated the arena of battle.  Even when the Hamas terrorists mixed among civilians, the Report rejects the notion that there was an intention to put the civilian population at risk.

·       Astonishingly, despite the many widely reported instances in the international press of the abuse of civilian facilities by terrorist groups, and the statements of Hamas own leaders praising women and children who acted as human shields, the Report repeatedly stated that it could find no evidence of such activities. This, even despite its admission that those interviewed were “reluctant to speak about the presence or conduct of hostilities by the Palestinian armed groups”.

·       The Report also ignores
Israel‘s extensive efforts, even in the midst of fighting, to maintain humanitarian standards. While it does, reluctantly, acknowledge
Israel‘s “significant efforts” to issue warnings before attacks, it does not find any of these efforts to be effective.

·       While the Report passes judgment against
Israel in respect of almost any allegation, it seeks to absolve the Hamas of almost any wrongdoing. The word “terrorist” is almost entirely absent. Soldier Gilad Shalit, now held incommunicado in captivity for over three years, was “captured during an enemy incursion” and the Hamas members that the
Mission met with in
Gaza are thanked as the “
Gaza authorities” for extending their full cooperation and support to the
Mission.

·       Even the thousands of rocket attacks against Israelis which necessitated the
Gaza Operation are given the most cursory treatment, and indeed the Report indirectly blames
Israel even for these by terming them “‘reprisals”.

This is going to be a test for President Obama, the State Department, and U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice.   The Israeli paper concludes that unless it is repudiated, the Goldstone Report will “broadcast a deeply troubling message to terrorist groups wherever they are that the cynical tactics of seeking to exploit civilian suffering for political ends actually pays dividends.”