Soccer Dad

The wrong accounting

In an affront to Jews worldwide, the Chicago Tribune published an op-ed essay by Rabbi Brant Rosen, before Yom Kippur, "A call to moral accounting." Rosen uses the Hebrew term "cheshbon hanefesh" to give a religious patina to his blatantly political argument.

I don't mean to suggest that the report is perfect. No human endeavor is. Evidence of bias in the commission's make-up is important, and should be honestly addressed, as the White House has suggested. But to categorically reject the Goldstone findings -- which echo the work of highly respected Israeli and international human rights groups such as B'tselem and Human Rights Watch -- is to thrust our heads into the sand. In the end, the report's most critical recommendation is that Israel and Hamas thoroughly and credibly investigate themselves, and hold accountable any combatants or commanders who violated the law.

True, no human endeavor is perfect - certainly not Rosen's op-ed - but this underplays the Goldstone Commission's report's faults. The makeup of the Commission isn't a cosmetic problem, but one that goes to the purpose of the report. Including Christine Chinkin on the commission was problematic for she signed a letter arguing that Israel has no right of self-defense. So the commission's biased charge - to focus on Israeli violations - was reinforced by the personnel. Goldstone's claim that he sought to change the focus of his commission's mandate is undermined by the fact that he paid only cursory attention to Hamas's terror gererally and its campaign against Israel civilians that necessitated the Israel invasion.

The actions of the Jewish State ultimately reflect upon the Jewish people throughout the world. We in the Diaspora Jewish community have long taken pride in the accomplishments of the Jewish State. As with any family, the success of some reflects a warm light on us all. But pride cannot blind us to the capacity for error on the part of the country we hold so dear. We cannot identify with the successes, but refuse to see the failures.

As we approach Yom Kippur, I call on America's Jews to examine the Goldstone findings, and consider their implications. In the spirit of the season, we must consider the painful truth of Israel's behavior in Gaza, and understand that we must work, together, to discover the truth -- and then urge on all relevant parties in the search for peace.

On the other hand I would consider the Israeli effort to avoid civilian casualties to be a success.

I have, by the way, examined some of Goldstone's findings and found that they showed a lack of curiosity and a predisposition to find Israel guilty. The implications are that Goldstone deliberately ignored exculpatory evidence that would favor Israel and accepted at face value any charge against Israel.

Take for example the testimony of Gaza police spokesman Islam Shahwan. In at least 3 cases, the Goldstone commission accepted his testimony at face value. Yet as bloggers Elder of Ziyon and Israel Matzav note, Shahwan recently promulgated the rehashed fiction that Israel was flooding Gaza with gum laced with aphrodisiacs in order to corrupt Palestinian youth. Isn't this someone whose testimony should be treated with at least a grain of skepticism.

On the other hand take the testimony of Dr. Mirela Siderer.

On May 14, 2008, my life was changed forever. I was working in my clinic. Suddenly, the building was hit by a missile, fired from Gaza. I was terribly wounded. Blood was everywhere. My patient was also wounded, and more than 100 others. Next month will be my eighth operation.

Judge Goldstone, I told you all of this, in detail. I testified in good faith. You sent me this letter, saying, "Your testimony is an essential part of the Mission's fact-finding activities."

And how essential was Dr. Siderer's to Judge Goldstone's report?

But now I see your report. I have to tell you: I am shocked.

Judge Goldstone, in a 500-page report, why did you completely ignore my story? My name appears only in passing, in brackets, in a technical context. I feel humiliated.

Why are there only two pages about Israeli victims like me, who suffered thousands of rockets over eight years? Why did you choose to focus on the period of my country's response, but not on that of the attacks that caused it? Why did you not tell me that this council judged Israel guilty in advance, in its meeting of last January? Why did you not tell me that members of your panel signed public letters judging Israel guilty in advance?

Got that, Rabbi Rosen? The Goldstone Commission took the testimony of a confirmed propagandist in order to make its case against Israel and rejected the testimony of a doctor who treats both Arabs and Jews. This kind of discrepancy could not occur by accident. It can only be the result of a deliberate attempt to condemn Israel.

Rabbi Rosen asks American Jews to accept the findings of the Goldstone report in order to effect a "moral accounting." Rabbi Rosen is the one who ought to be doing the accounting as he supports the slander of Israel. But before he does he could use an introductory course on debit and credits.

Thanks to Daled Amos for the sources for this post.

Crossposted on Yourish.

Posted by SoccerDad at September 29, 2009 6:13 AM