Goldstone – "my loyalty is to justice"

This is a guest post by AKUS
Goldstone received this glowing commendation from an eager fan in the thread below his article: My mandate on Gaza was even-handed, my loyalty is to justice:


Several South African Jews who have known Goldstone from childhood do not share presidio’s high opinion of him. In fact, presidio needs to read this:

‘Goldstone sent 28 SA blacks to death’
Jurist Richard Goldstone was responsible for sending at least 28 black South Africans to death when they appeared before him during the apartheid regime, Yediot Aharonot reported Wednesday.
According to the report, Goldstone, who headed the UN committee which investigated alleged war crimes perpetrated by the IDF during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, handed down the sentences while serving as a judge in the South African Court of Appeals.
Goldstone presided during the 1980s and 1990s, and wrote in one of his rulings that the gallows are the only deterrent for killers.

Unless, apparently, they are members of Hamas.

However, he responded to the report by saying that he was a part of the system and had to respect the laws of the state, occasionally having to enforce laws he was opposed to.
The former judge was also responsible for sending four men accused of violent acts to receive lashes alongside the upholding of other racist laws, Yediot Aharonot said.

Ah, yes – part of a “system” … “When I was offered an even-handed mandate … my position changed.” There is a pattern here: “just following orders”
Ignorance of Goldstone’s record allowed some to praise him for his “fight against apartheid” or his single-minded focus on carrying “serving justice”, no matter how distasteful. In fact, South African Jews have suddenly become the flavor of the day on CiF (unless, of course, they oppose Goldstone or made aliyah):




But Goldstone was not just any “South African Jew”. He was a white judge during the apartheid regime who blindly carried out the apartheid laws against blacks, and, like other judges of that period, refused to appear before South Africa’s “Truth and reconciliation Commission’ (the TLC):

A CRITIQUE OF SELF-APOTHEOSIS – Ayal Rosenberg Friday, October 09, 2009
After the demise of apartheid the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was set up. During October 27th to 29th 1997 the TRC held its Legal Enquiry which also investigated how the apartheid judiciary buttressed, “aided” and “abetted” the crime of apartheid. The TRC 13 requested that the Judges, especially the apartheid era judges, appear before it in order to account to the nation for their actions during apartheid. While a few judges made a joint written submission no judge appeared before the TRC in person. The written submissions were made by the judges of the new South Africa and not by any judge from the apartheid era. Notably, the foghorn of accountability, Goldstone, did not account.
…
Goldstone has left South Africa, the scene of his crime. Good riddance – we do not need him and my children who live here certainly do not need to hear the wind bag moralizing of this most quintessential apartheid judge. If you really think about it, after all, Goldstone had to leave. The new South Africa with a black majority is unbearable for a white man who sucked and sucked at the ample but putrid tit of apartheid for 25 years of his life.

Goldstone continues to this day his contemptible and incredible attempts to paint himself as opposed to the obvious purpose for which the UNHRC requisitioned his poisoned report, and unbelievably pretends not to see how it has been used in the campaign to delegitimize Israel:

I am not aware that the UN Gaza report has or is being used to delegitimise Israel by questioning her right to exist as a member of the international community. I would object to any such use being made of it. I also express my expectation and hope that the UN Human Rights Council will treat all violations of humanitarian law, no matter by who committed, in an even-handed manner and hold all members of the United Nations to the same standards.

How can he ignore the endless comments like the following (including a deleted snippet from “selfexiled”), for which his report has formed the basis? Israel is like the Taliban? Israel is one of the most brutal nations the world has known?


Just as Goldstone refused to appear before South Africa’s TLC, he is refusing to accept his role in aiding those who would destroy Israel. The man is so blinded by his “loyalty to justice” that he has no moral compass and no willingness to see what his report has done.