SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Congress Should Not Reject the Goldstone Report
On Tuesday, November 3, Congress is poised to vote on H.Res.867, which calls on the "President and the Secretary of State to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the `Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict' in multilateral fora.' "
Nov 02, 2009
On Tuesday, November 3, Congress is poised to vote on H.Res.867, which calls on the "President and the Secretary of State to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the `Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict' in multilateral fora.' "
The Resolution instructs the Obama Administration to prevent further consideration of the Goldstone Report (as it is informally known) in any international body. For Congress to do so, without a hearing where Judge Goldstone can testify and based upon a Resolution rife with factual errors, makes a mockery of assertions by the United States that fundamental protections of human rights laws law apply equally to all. It leaves the United States, and especially Congress, without a thread of moral authority.
This Resolution is a rush to judgment. It is a rush to judgment made on the basis of serious factual errors and mischaracterizations of the Goldstone Report. The Goldstone Report documents in a dispassionate and even-handed manner "violations of international human rights and humanitarian law and possible war crimes and crimes against humanity" committed by all parties prior to, during, and after Israel's assault on the occupied Gaza Strip in December 2008-January 2009.
The text of the Resolution is directly at odds with the actual mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission and its report. The Resolution asserts that the mandate of the Fact Finding Mission was aimed only at Israeli violations of the laws of war. This is a blatant lie. In a letter to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Judge Goldstone states that the mandate he "demanded and received clearly included rocket and mortar attacks on Israel and as the report makes clear was so interpreted and implemented."
The Resolution claims that the Goldstone Report "repeatedly downplayed or cast doubt upon" allegations of Hamas committing war crimes. In fact, however, it examined Palestinian militants rocket and mortar fire into Israel and concluded that "these attacks constitute indiscriminate attacks upon the civilian population of southern Israel and that where there is no intended military target and the rockets and mortars are launched into a civilian population, they constitute a deliberate attack against a civilian population. These acts would constitute war crimes and may amount to crimes against humanity."
It is likewise with the spurious claim in the Resolution that the report "denied Israel the right to self-defense." The Goldstone report examined the conduct of the party's conduct of the war and not the right of Israel to use military force. As Judge Goldstone said, "Israel's right to use military force was not questioned."
The United States provides $3 billion for weapons and military equipment every year to Israel. The Goldstone Report concluded that " grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention were committed by Israeli forces in Gaza: willful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, and extensive destruction of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly. " In these circumstances the United States has a special responsibility to insure that serious investigations are undertaken of the use of the weapons it supplies. Congress should not be blocking such an investigation.
Contact your Congressperson asap (202-224-3121) to oppose the resolution. Endorse the Gaza Freedom March (see www.gazafreedommarch.org).
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Michael Ratner
Michael Ratner, 1943-2016, was an American attorney and president of the Center for Constitutional Rights. He served as attorney for Julian Assange and Wikileaks. He is co-author with Margaret Ratner Kunstler of "Hell No: Your Right to Dissent in the Twenty-First Century" (2011).
On Tuesday, November 3, Congress is poised to vote on H.Res.867, which calls on the "President and the Secretary of State to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the `Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict' in multilateral fora.' "
The Resolution instructs the Obama Administration to prevent further consideration of the Goldstone Report (as it is informally known) in any international body. For Congress to do so, without a hearing where Judge Goldstone can testify and based upon a Resolution rife with factual errors, makes a mockery of assertions by the United States that fundamental protections of human rights laws law apply equally to all. It leaves the United States, and especially Congress, without a thread of moral authority.
This Resolution is a rush to judgment. It is a rush to judgment made on the basis of serious factual errors and mischaracterizations of the Goldstone Report. The Goldstone Report documents in a dispassionate and even-handed manner "violations of international human rights and humanitarian law and possible war crimes and crimes against humanity" committed by all parties prior to, during, and after Israel's assault on the occupied Gaza Strip in December 2008-January 2009.
The text of the Resolution is directly at odds with the actual mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission and its report. The Resolution asserts that the mandate of the Fact Finding Mission was aimed only at Israeli violations of the laws of war. This is a blatant lie. In a letter to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Judge Goldstone states that the mandate he "demanded and received clearly included rocket and mortar attacks on Israel and as the report makes clear was so interpreted and implemented."
The Resolution claims that the Goldstone Report "repeatedly downplayed or cast doubt upon" allegations of Hamas committing war crimes. In fact, however, it examined Palestinian militants rocket and mortar fire into Israel and concluded that "these attacks constitute indiscriminate attacks upon the civilian population of southern Israel and that where there is no intended military target and the rockets and mortars are launched into a civilian population, they constitute a deliberate attack against a civilian population. These acts would constitute war crimes and may amount to crimes against humanity."
It is likewise with the spurious claim in the Resolution that the report "denied Israel the right to self-defense." The Goldstone report examined the conduct of the party's conduct of the war and not the right of Israel to use military force. As Judge Goldstone said, "Israel's right to use military force was not questioned."
The United States provides $3 billion for weapons and military equipment every year to Israel. The Goldstone Report concluded that " grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention were committed by Israeli forces in Gaza: willful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, and extensive destruction of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly. " In these circumstances the United States has a special responsibility to insure that serious investigations are undertaken of the use of the weapons it supplies. Congress should not be blocking such an investigation.
Contact your Congressperson asap (202-224-3121) to oppose the resolution. Endorse the Gaza Freedom March (see www.gazafreedommarch.org).
Michael Ratner
Michael Ratner, 1943-2016, was an American attorney and president of the Center for Constitutional Rights. He served as attorney for Julian Assange and Wikileaks. He is co-author with Margaret Ratner Kunstler of "Hell No: Your Right to Dissent in the Twenty-First Century" (2011).
On Tuesday, November 3, Congress is poised to vote on H.Res.867, which calls on the "President and the Secretary of State to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the `Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict' in multilateral fora.' "
The Resolution instructs the Obama Administration to prevent further consideration of the Goldstone Report (as it is informally known) in any international body. For Congress to do so, without a hearing where Judge Goldstone can testify and based upon a Resolution rife with factual errors, makes a mockery of assertions by the United States that fundamental protections of human rights laws law apply equally to all. It leaves the United States, and especially Congress, without a thread of moral authority.
This Resolution is a rush to judgment. It is a rush to judgment made on the basis of serious factual errors and mischaracterizations of the Goldstone Report. The Goldstone Report documents in a dispassionate and even-handed manner "violations of international human rights and humanitarian law and possible war crimes and crimes against humanity" committed by all parties prior to, during, and after Israel's assault on the occupied Gaza Strip in December 2008-January 2009.
The text of the Resolution is directly at odds with the actual mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission and its report. The Resolution asserts that the mandate of the Fact Finding Mission was aimed only at Israeli violations of the laws of war. This is a blatant lie. In a letter to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Judge Goldstone states that the mandate he "demanded and received clearly included rocket and mortar attacks on Israel and as the report makes clear was so interpreted and implemented."
The Resolution claims that the Goldstone Report "repeatedly downplayed or cast doubt upon" allegations of Hamas committing war crimes. In fact, however, it examined Palestinian militants rocket and mortar fire into Israel and concluded that "these attacks constitute indiscriminate attacks upon the civilian population of southern Israel and that where there is no intended military target and the rockets and mortars are launched into a civilian population, they constitute a deliberate attack against a civilian population. These acts would constitute war crimes and may amount to crimes against humanity."
It is likewise with the spurious claim in the Resolution that the report "denied Israel the right to self-defense." The Goldstone report examined the conduct of the party's conduct of the war and not the right of Israel to use military force. As Judge Goldstone said, "Israel's right to use military force was not questioned."
The United States provides $3 billion for weapons and military equipment every year to Israel. The Goldstone Report concluded that " grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention were committed by Israeli forces in Gaza: willful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, and extensive destruction of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly. " In these circumstances the United States has a special responsibility to insure that serious investigations are undertaken of the use of the weapons it supplies. Congress should not be blocking such an investigation.
Contact your Congressperson asap (202-224-3121) to oppose the resolution. Endorse the Gaza Freedom March (see www.gazafreedommarch.org).
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy