Saturday, July 24, 2010

Nasty words and white phosphorus bombs

For a whole year Judge Goldstone was attacked. Ministers of the government of Israel daily abused him, and the government's official spokespersons, and its unofficial spokespersons, and its friends and agents all over the world. He was called an enemy of Israel, and a self-hating Jew, and an antisemite, and a servant of the Iranian regime, and a servant of the Apartheid regime. Even at the Bar Mitzvah of his grandson an attempt was made to prevent him from attending. The Goldstone Report was continually denounced as a collection of lies and vicious propaganda.

Still, now the Israel Defense Forces officially informed the UN that in future wars it will take greater care not to use White Phosphorus bombs in civilian areas. It is no coincidence that this was one of the main points in the much-maligned Goldstone Report.

This came too late for the residents of Gaza who got Israeli White Phosphorus burning deep into their living flesh, in a fire which cannot be extinguished. But those who will in the future get visited by the most moral army in the world can give heartfelt thanks to Judge Richard Goldstone.

More about the same

The UN Human Rights Council decided yesterday to establish an International Commission of Inquiry to look into the killings on board the Gaza Flotilla boats. The government of Israel already announced that it will not cooperate with this commission.

That's how it started with Goldstone, too.