The “infamous” Goldstone report on the most recent war in Gaza has now been accepted by a body at the UN, its parent organization. Israel and its supporters have used the anti-Semitism defense to discredit Goldstone, while the eminent Jewish South African jurist, not surprisingly, has managed to head off detractors.
Israel was found guilty of war crimes during its offensive, and possible crimes against humanity. We’re all aware of the record: the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the targeting of civilians, and the use of nontraditional weapons – white phosphorous is a chemical, isn’t it?
The Israelis, predictably, tried to sabotage the report, and then sabotage the impact of its acceptance by the UN Human Rights Council. For the most part, the focus has been on Israel’s crimes, and the fall-out, and the counterattack.
But there’s another part of the report, which concerns the Hamas movement. It was also found guilty of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, although the scope of its actions, and responsibility for mass casualties, for example, was quite less.
In any case, we can’t be selective and embrace the Goldstone report for its major contribution, cataloguing Israel’s illegal behavior, and then ignore what it says about the Hamas. The 25 out of 47 countries on the Council that voted to endorse the report were acting based on the entire report, and not just a part of it.
The Goldstone report blamed Hamas for targeting civilian areas with its rockets, and for its treatment of Fatah officials under its rule in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinina Authority’s reaction to the report has gone from “abstention” to “voting yes,” while Hamas has rejected it.
Fatah and Hamas see eye to eye on very little and are mired in a political stalemate, so it would be ridiculous to expect them to get their act together on the Goldstone report, coordinating a united stance on how to handle its ramifications and recommendations. Again, it’s not surprising to see the feud between Hamas and Fatah produce Palestinian politics that is this dysfunctional.
We can’t forget that Goldstone mentioned Hamas and condemned what it did. It can’t be edited out of the record. How will Palestinians accommodate Goldstone and preserve the report’s achievements for them and on their behalf?
It’s a challenge that will decide if these groups, the current leaderships of Fatah and Hamas, will finally set Palestine on track. Or will we have to wait, for an unknown span of time, and for a still-undetermined type of politician, for Palestine to emerge as a partner in peace?
The region has been pleased by the Goldstone report’s shaming of Israel, but will the other side employ the same response that the Jewish state is using: ignoring criticism and covering up?
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