Judge Goldstone. Murderer of natives?
Photo: AFP
Shooting the messenger
Focusing on Goldstone’s past has nothing to do with accuracy of his report
It isn’t easy being Richard Goldstone: One day you’re an Israel-hating
bleeding heart, and the next day a racist who condemns blacks people to death.
Yet what this report lacks is any connection whatsoever to the information contained in the Goldstone Report on the Gaza war.
After all, even if in the future we discover that Goldstone was previously a Hispanic woman who sexually abused dolphins, it won’t make the information contained in the report any less accurate.
The recent Yedioth Ahronoth investigative report, which exposed Goldstone’s past in the South African justice system during the apartheid era, is a fascinating story. In addition to the factual revelations, it reveals interesting things about “good” people under bad regimes, about past stains that will always surface sometimes in the future, and about personal hypocrisy.
Investigative Report
Tehiya Barak
Yedioth Ahronoth investigation reveals man preaching human rights, who authored scathing report against Israel's operation in Gaza, sent at least 28 black defendants to gallows as South African judge under Apartheid regime
Of course, the above will not stop our finest talkback writers from embarking on yet another anti-Goldstone offensive. If earlier Goldstone’s words were illegitimate because of his hate for Israel and love for the terrorists, now they will be disqualified on the basis of racism and affinity for hanging blacks in the afternoon. We’ll say everything, as long as we can avoid the need to cope with what we did during Operation Cast Lead.
Bad pizza
Hence, the current festival of Goldstone bashing will continue the approach chosen by most Israelis: Ignoring the bad news and shooting (white phosphorus) the messenger.
However, even if the delivery boy is problematic, this would not change the quality of the pizza he delivered, and the fact that the food poisoning and other trouble associated with this pizza are only ours.
Or in other words, we would do better to let the South Africans pick at their own ugly wounds (and prepare for the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament) while we focus on our own pus.
Yet there is another possibility: If Goldstone is indeed such murderer of natives, this is the right time to put aside past disagreements, announce our reconciliation, bring the honorable judge to Israel, and utilize his skills and his past experience in order to cultivate the Israeli apartheid mechanism that may be established here soon.
