Following the publication of an article in which Judge Richard Goldstone expressed regret over his report accusing Israel of committing war crimes during Operation Cast Lead, US Congress members and Jewish organizations have demanded that the UN retract the Goldstone report.
Florida Congressman Ted Deutch published a statement where he said that by Goldstone’s own confession the committee’s report was deeply flawed and that Goldstone acknowledges that the UN Human Rights Committee is prejudiced against Israel and so the must bring about the immediate retraction of the original report.
The American Jewish Committee published a statement calling on Goldstone to “present his updated conclusions to the UN Human Rights Council, as well as to the General Assembly, which endorsed the skewed report, and press for its rejection.”
Meanwhile, Professor Alan Dershowitz who has battled against the global media, speaking out against the report, expressed pleasure towards Goldstone’s rebuttal, in an interview given to Ynet from South Africa, Dershowitz said that he wasn’t looking to “settle an account” with Goldstone and the damages caused by his report.
Stating that that “this is a good start”, he added that “Jews must always accept those who repent back into the fold and this is the case here.”
After reading Goldstone’s article, Dershowitz said that “the article must take any possibility of launching an investigation against Israel off the International Court’s agenda. The investigation must end here as he no longer stands behind the harsh accusations in the report according to which the State of Israel committed the offenses deliberately.”
Dershowitz added that “Goldstone made it clear that Israel had at least fulfilled its obligation to carry out an independent report. Hamas has not done so. The important thing is that there is now possibility for the international court to open a credible investigation based on the Goldstone report. It pulled the rug from under any attempt to use the report as a basis for international prosecution against Israel.”
“Israel acted correctly during the war and its investigation. Israel doesn’t need to be on the defensive. Goldstone falsely accused Israel and now even the author of the report said he wouldn’t reach the same conclusions again,” Dershowitz stressed. “Israel will have to decide how to deal with it.”
Alan Dershowitz explained that many articles published in the global media and even books use the Goldstone report as a basis for their accusations against Israel. Goldstone’s latest statements are a harsh blow against Israel’s maligners.
“It speaks for itself. This is an important step and from every point of view it’s a positive development for Israel and the international law. We must go back to the point where every country is treated equally.”
