Bill Moyers recently interviewed Judge Goldstone concenring the report on Operation Cast Lead. The Judge has a long CV of analyzing the conduct of nations in conflict. He has analyzed South Africa, Kosavo etc . . . . Judge Goldstone seemed to articulate the objective criteria he used to make fine distinctions in behavior between acts of legitimate warfare and war crimes.
Judge Goldstone is quite erudite, articulate and the his self assured air puts forward an honest presentation of his investigations’ findings. Listening to the Judge one clearly sees how he can claim his credentials as a Zionist. The Judge in his mind is quite fair and objective.
This is problem his finely hone academic standards seem to completely miss the fundamental notion of war as Patton said is make sure the other fellow dies for their country. Certainly Israel does not wish to harm anyone. However, if the prime purpose of a government is to protect its citizens Rockets and now missles were being launched without restraint into Israeli population centers render Judge Goldstone’s nice little protocols quite laughable.
How could massive attacks against Gaza be disproportionate or collective punishment? It should be obvious the only way to defeat Hamas is to deny them safe haven within Gaza .Hamas can only stay in Gaza as long as the civilian population tolerating Hamas in their midst. The most obvious way to uproot Hamas from Gaza is to make the price for harboring Hamas so great the Gazans would no longer be willing to do so.
Judge Goldstone’s failure to recognize this as well as the how Hamas as other terrorists use decency as a weapon against democracies belies a .how too much scholarship detaches even a brilliant person from reality. Judge Goldstone belittled Israel’s efforts at warning civilians because the Gazans had nowhere to go-i.e. Israel is responsible for Egypt not opening its border with Gaza?
Judge Goldstone is an exemplar of how brilliance and scholarship devoid of Torah and faith leaves one detached and seeming foolish in the light of truth and rationality.
