4 Thoughts On Goldstone’s “Mea Culpa”
April 3, 2011 10:34 by Pesach Benson 
Four thoughts Judge Richard Goldstone’s mea culpa. His Washington Post chest-beating is weak, but still has significance:
1. Goldstone’s clearly backtracking.
If he wanted to laud Israel for meeting his report’s demands (to investigate the army’s operation and implement changes to protect civilians), it would’ve been enough to simply say I’m satisified with Israel’s response to my recommendations.
You can’t help but hear some serious regret when he instead says, “If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document.”
2. Give yourself a pat on the back.
The online community of Israel’s supporters — bloggers, readers, activists, everyone who spoke up at work, school, etc. — deserve credit for not letting the issue die and keeping up the pressure.
I don’t know why Goldstone chose to write this now, but I have to believe something about the conversation played a part in this. (For what it’s worth, the signs of something happening inside the judge’s mind were there even this past January. Maurice Ostroff saw the signs . . .
3. The media’s role.
Israel bashed big-time for “killing” Mohammed al-Dura, massacring Palestinians in Jenin, indiscriminately targeting Gaza civilians, etc. etc. etc. A French court eventually debunked the France 2 footage of al-Dura’s “murder,” while the UN eventually conceded there was no Jenin massacre. Only now is Goldstone distancing himself from his report.
Why is the media so quick to jump on the bash-Israel bandwagon, rather than take a critical look at all the allegations? How many more lives have to be lost, how much political damage has to be done, before Big Media takes a long, hard, look at itself?
4. What does this mean for the future?
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights denounced Hamas for endangering Gaza civilians. The Washington Post published maps of Hezbollah bunkers and weapons depots — many of which are in civilian areas.
So whether the next round of fighting takes place in Gaza or Lebanon, you know Israel will take another Big Media beating for targeting civilians.
Steve Mann
11:55 am
Apr 03, 2011
Goldstone- can be likened to Sir Gerald Kaufman the UK Labour MP .
Who when, last week in the commons when Lousie Ellman stood to ask questions on Israel, said The Jews again and other derogatory remarks. Needless to say he was reprimanded and so not to be excluded made a grovelling apology-
These anti-Semitic Jews should be ashamed of themselves- “But they are not”
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steve mann
12:14 pm
Apr 03, 2011
And by the way- “Judge” did you take notice of Col.?Richard Kemp, former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, who declared in front of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which your chaired, that Israel “did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.”?
An expert in the field of war fare- No you preferred to listen to certain anti-Israeli NGO`s-
Who if only Hamas would put away their rockets would be out of a Job!
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ambrosine shitrit
12:30 pm
Apr 03, 2011
None of the above. After what I believe to be the fogel family massacre, this was a warning to Other Jews who lie about Israel, that maybe they will be next on the end of a terroist attack by supporters of the “Goldstone Blood Libel”
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4 Gedanken zu Goldstones „mea culpa“ « Medien BackSpin
2:14 pm
Apr 03, 2011
[...] HonestReporting Media Backspin, 3. April 2011 [...]
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A few links «ScrollPost
9:18 pm
Apr 03, 2011
[...] Defends the Indefensible Honest Reporting on Goldstone’s about-face Eichmann wasn’t just “following orders” Why do [...]
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