The Goldstone Report and the US Special Relations with Israel

By Eileen Fleming

ccun.org, October 18, 2009

 

Wake Up US Government: Go for the GOLD and Walk with the Wind!

The 47-member UN Human Rights Council has tabled a resolution on the 575-page report of the Goldstone fact-finding mission and calls for it to be sent to the UN General Assembly for its urgent consideration.

The Goldstone Report accuses both Israel and Hamas of war crimes perpetuated during 23 days which began two days after last Christmas day, when the Israeli military launched a full-scale attack on Gaza that killed 13 Israelis and 1,400 Palestinians.

Over 5,000 Palestinians were injured, 400,000 were left without running water, 4,000 homes were destroyed, rendering tens of thousands still homeless because of Israel's targeted attacks on schools, hospitals, streets, water wells, sewage system, farms, police stations and UN buildings.

The resolution passed by a vote of 25 in favor and six countries voted against it-the United States, Italy, Holland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Ukraine.

U.S. envoy to the UN, Douglas Griffiths admitted America voted against the document because, "This resolution goes far beyond even the initial scope of the Goldstone report into a discussion of elements that should be resolved in the context of permanent status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis." [1]

And it's about time!

The American Governments "special relationship" with Israel, is at the root of Israel's attack on Gaza for it has supported Israel’s illegal occupation and illegal settlements/colonies.

But we the people are suppose to be the government and those of US with a conscience say we want the GOLD: we want the US to uphold the gold standard of law which is international law and the Goldstone Report is leading US in that way.


Because the USA has NOT been an honest broker for justice the "peace process" has never been much more than photo ops and paper work that sits on shelves. The international community is the body that is now leading the way to an end of the Israeli Palestinian conflict which was rooted in 1947 by the UN Partition Plan and entrenched in 1967 by Israel's military occupation of the indigenous people of the so called holy land-which is in pieces-bantustans!


The 23 days of Israel's attack on the people of Gaza was fueled by US-supplied weapons paid for with US tax dollars. We the people who pay taxes in the USA provide $30 billion annually to Israel which has consistently misused U.S. weapons in violation of America's Arms Export Control and Foreign Assistance Acts.

Imagine how many American citizens could receive basic health care with that!


During the 23 days of Israeli assault on Gaza, "Washington provided F-16 fighter planes, Apache helicopters, tactical missiles, and a wide array of munitions, including white phosphorus and DIME. The weapons required for the Israeli assault were decided upon in June 2008, and the transfer of 1,000 bunker-buster GPS-guided Small Diameter Guided Bomb Units 39 (GBU-39) were approved by Congress in September. The GBU 39 bombs were delivered to Israel in November (prior to any claims of Hamas cease fire violation!) for use in the initial air raids on Gaza. [2]

In a 71-page report released March 25, 2009, by Human Rights Watch, Israel’s repeated firing of US-made white phosphorus shells over densely populated areas of Gaza was indiscriminate and is evidence of war crimes.

"Rain of Fire: Israel’s Unlawful Use of White Phosphorus in Gaza," provides eye witness accounts of the devastating effects that white phosphorus munitions had on civilians and civilian property in Gaza.

"Human Rights Watch researchers found spent shells, canister liners, and dozens of burnt felt wedges containing white phosphorus on city streets, apartment roofs, residential courtyards, and at a United Nations school in Gaza immediately after hostilities ended in January.

"Militaries officially use white phosphorus to obscure their operations on the ground by creating thick smoke. It has also been used as an incendiary weapon, though such use constitutes a war crime.

“In Gaza, the Israeli military didn’t just use white phosphorus in open areas as a screen for its troops," said Fred Abrahams, senior emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch and co-author of the report. "It fired white phosphorus repeatedly over densely populated areas, even when its troops weren't in the area and safer smoke shells were available. As a result, civilians needlessly suffered and died." [Ibid]

 

During the 23 days of attack on Gaza, the UN Security Council, Amnesty International, International Red Cross, and global voices of protest rose up and demanded a ceasefire, but both houses of Congress overwhelmingly endorsed resolutions to support a continuation of Israel’s so called "self defense."


The US is the largest arms supplier to Israel and under a Bush negotiated deal with Israel; the US also agreed to provide another $30 billion in military aid to Israel over the next decade.


It is way past time to change course from seeking SECURITY in imperialism and militarism when over 2.5 billion people on our planet exist on less than $2.00 a day and over 15,000 babies and young children die daily because of malnutrition and substandard or nonexistent health care!

 

The 42 years of Military Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and disregard of democratic and human rights values and justice by the USA government –also by Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Congo, Honduras, Haiti, Syria, Myanmar, Iraq, Russia, Pakistan, and China to mention a few-is at the root of INSECURITY for all!

 

I conclude with a paraphrase of John Lewis' March on Washington Speech taken from Walking With the Wind:


For the first time in 61 years this nation is being awakened…We are now involved in a serious revolution. This nation is still a place of cheap political leaders who build their careers on immoral compromises and ally themselves with open forms of political, economic and social exploitation…which side is the federal government on?

The revolution is at hand, and we must free ourselves of the chains of colonialism,  imperialism and militarism.

The nonviolent revolution is saying: We will not wait!

 To those who have said, "Be patient and wait," we must say that "patience" is a dirty and nasty word. We cannot be patient for Gaza Palestine will never be freed gradually. We want their freedom, and we want it now!

We all recognize the fact that if any radical social, political and economic changes are to take place in our society, the people, the masses, must bring them about. In the struggle, we must seek more than civil rights; we must work for the community of love, peace and true sister-brotherhood.

Our minds, souls and hearts cannot and will not rest until freedom and justice exist for all people.

The revolution is a serious one. All of us must get in the revolution. Get in and stay until true freedom comes, until the revolution is complete.

We won't stop and by the force of our demands, our determination and our numbers, we shall splinter the empire into a thousand pieces and put them back together in the image of God and democracy.

We must say, "Wake up, America. Wake up!!! For we cannot stop, and we will not be patient."

 
Notes:

1. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1121610.html
2. http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/9-us-arms-used-for-war-crimes-in-gaza/

Only in Solidarity do "we have it in our power to begin the world again."-Tom Paine

Eileen Fleming,
Founder of WeAreWideAwake.org
A Feature Correspondent for Arabisto.com
Author of "Keep Hope Alive" and "Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory"  
Producer "30 Minutes with Vanunu" and "13 Minutes with Vanunu"

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