The book comes out at an important new moment in the history of the conflict, with the collapse of talks between the two sides, and growing international calls for accountability for Israel’s conduct in the occupied territories.
A diverse group of leading commentators on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is assembled here. Our forward Is from Justice Goldstone’s longtime friend, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Our introduction, which says that the report has revived the principles of universal human rights and international law, is by bestselling author Naomi Klein. Human rights leader Raji Sourani describes the situation in Gaza today, legal scholar Jules Lobel explains the post-World War II standards on which the report is based, Jerome Slater takes apart the many criticisms of the report, Rashid Khalidi describes the rapidly-shifting western view of Israel that has given the report such an extended life.
Among other essayists, Noam Sheizaf explains the siege mentality inside Israel that the report has helped to generate, Letty Cottin Pogrebin says that the personal attacks on Goldstone have been a blot on the Jewish community, Henry Siegman says Israel’s indifference to the loss of innocent life has undermined its legitimacy, and Ali Abunimah lays out the manner in which Israel’s crucial support in the west, from liberal and progressive communities, is beginning to crumble in part due to the Goldstone Report.
We include a leading critical piece on the report, from Moshe Halbertal, a professor of philosophy at Hebrew University, while former Washington State congressman Brian Baird relates that when the Report came to the House, “many of my colleagues, several of them prominent, literally did not understand either that collective punishment is a war crime, or why it is a war crime.”
The book concludes with a wrenching piece by Laila El-Haddad, about how her family survived the onslaught.
Our book can be read by newcomers to the issue and by old hands. It anchors the historic report with a range of insights on what is happening to Israeli and Palestinian politics. It will be widely read, and we ask for your help in getting out the word.
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2 thoughts on “THE GOLDSTONE REPORT”
Where’s “Lebanon 1” in the chronology?
Chronology aside (which could be extended considerably) the book is excellent, people of all faiths should note page 413.