In the face of Richard Goldstone's own retraction, Hamas seems to be resorting to a Dan Rather-esque defense: it's false... except it's true, darn it! In calling attention to itself here, of course, Hamas knows it will face no consequences for its ongoing, intentional targeting of civilians.
Rewarding bad behavior ensures it will be repeated. "Hamas: Goldstone report substance remains unchanged," from CNN, April 3:
(CNN) -- While the recent retraction of the most damning criticism against Israel's military offensive in Gaza came as a surprise to Hamas, the militant group says the substance of the controversial "Goldstone Report" hasn't changed.
The report, issued in September 2009 and authored by former South African jurist Richard Goldstone, found both Israel and Hamas likely committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during the conflict between December 27, 2008, and January 18, 2009. Israel launched the offensive against Gaza militants in response to ongoing firing of rockets against southern Israeli towns.
However, in a Washington Post op-ed column posted on the newspaper's website Friday, Goldstone said he would have reached different conclusions if the Israeli military had been more forthcoming and if he had known the results of subsequent investigations.
"If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document," wrote Richard Goldstone, a former South African jurist, in a Washington Post op-ed column Friday.
Still, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told CNN on Sunday that Hamas continues to support implementation of the Goldstone report as it was originally published and approved.
"Hamas (is) surprised by the position by Judge Goldstone that he expressed his retreat on parts of the international report and accepting the Israeli narrative even though the Israeli occupation refused the welcoming and corporation and we welcomed and facilitated the work of the team," he said.
Against Israel.
The report was a group effort by a commission, and not just Goldstone, so his sole change of opinion does not take away from from the report's credibility, he said. [...]
Pleading for the document's validity through circumstances, not facts.
In 2009, when the Goldstone Report came out, Ibrahim Khraishi, the Palestinian Authority's ambassador to the United Nations, called it professional and unbiased.
"This report should not be another report to just document and archive," Khraishi said. "My people will not forgive this council if they let these criminals go unpunished."
That was the whole point of the OIC-initiated report, as Melanie Phillips observed: "putting rocket-fuel behind Israel’s delegitimisation as a pariah in the eyes of the world"
But the United States, which along with with the European Union considers Hamas to be a terrorist organization, has contended the report was "deeply flawed."
In February 2010, Alejandro Wolff, U.S. deputy representative to the United Nations, criticized the report and "its unbalanced focus on Israel, the negative inferences it draws about Israel's intentions and actions, its failure to deal adequately with the asymmetrical nature of the Gaza conflict, and its failure to assign appropriate responsibility to Hamas for deliberately targeting civilians and basing itself and its operations in heavily civilian-populated urban areas."
(OT)
Show your respect for Eric Holder here:
http://fsunews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110404/FSVIEW/110403013
If Hamas had a zipper, it would get stuck in it, as did Goldstone...Of course Hamas would want the original Goldstone...their victim status is at stake...They rely on that a lot...The poor starving Gazans, living in rubble, attacked by Israel seeking to kill children...Right out of 'The Night of the Living Dead'...And it is all Israels fault...or more specifically, Jews...This is their most powerful image...Goldstone gave it to them and now Goldstone would take it away...Except for one thing...Hamas will not give it up...Nor will The OIC or any pious Mahoundian...
Not many other Jew haters will change their stories either...but if they insist on getting stuck in their zippers, it is on them...
Yes, the people of Gaza sure have it tough! Just don't mention the olympic sized swimming pool, luxury shopping mall and amazing restaurants like the Roots Club
http://www.rootsclub.ps/movie.php
Looks just like the restaurants in the Warsaw ghetto. Israel must be attacked to stop this genocide!
/Samantha Power, top foreign policy advisor and Special Assistant to Obama
Will Hamas never stop? Even when caught red handed targeting civilians it still tries to throw the blame back on Israel. Has the world no interest in the truth. Hamas has attacked the nation of Israel again and again, killing one civilian here and fifty there and still expects Israel to sit on their hands and do nothing. Negotiation has been tried again and again, all to no avail. Remember the Gulf War? Scud after scud fired into Israel and because of the pressure applied Israel does not fire back. What other nation on earth would show such restraint? Its time to get off Israel's back and call a terrorist organization that intentionally cuts the throats of little children or blows them up in their mother's arms, what At really is, a cold blooded sorry excuse of a human being. After 16 years of dealing with criminals of all kinds (I'm a one legged retired policeman) it's always someone else who's to blame.
Hamas will always target civilians because that's what Muslims do. Muhammad used to target innocent defenseless civilians. He was too coward to do the real man to man fighting. He used to hide behind his army unit and, when surrouded by his enemies, he said: "Who will sell his life for us?" thus sending his gullible followers to their death instead of fighting for his life. A bunch of cowards just like their prophet!
"Muhammad the Coward" (pps)
http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2011/03/muhammad-coward.html
Our current government and i mean all three branches thereof consistently failed. The government thru the people for the people and by the people has indeed varnished from this earth. They (the government ) dont serve this nation anymore but their own goals and ambitions. In the process destroying this great Republic and taking away our rights and freedom. Majority of the people have no respect nor sympathy for them They just about to write the last chapter of the history of the United States of America The title - treason.
Our current government and i mean all three branches thereof consistently failed. The government thru the people for the people and by the people has indeed varnished from this earth. They (the government ) dont serve this nation anymore but their own goals and ambitions. In the process destroying this great Republic and taking away our rights and freedom. Majority of the people have no respect nor sympathy for them They just about to write the last chapter of the history of the United States of America The title - treason. So let them condemn us just like Karzai order them to do We the people condemn this government of traitors. The history remember forever.
Hamas should invite Goldstone to Ramallah, convert him to Islam and make him their minister of justice. That role will suit him there
B-b-b-b-but HAMAS wants peace! They offered a peace deal, all they want is the tactical high ground- I mean the "occupied" land from the 1967 lines, even if their charter says they want to kill all of the Jews! Blood libel? Teaching children to hate Jews? I'll just ignore that!
...
Yes, I'm being sarcastic, and this is actually the posistion of one muslim poster here, who insists HAMAS wants peace because - they said they want peace! He hasn't even actknowledged the existance of blood libels and teaching hatred of Jews, every time I bring it up he ignores it.
Hamas never offered a peace deal. It offered hudna, and we had hudnas, but never peace. When they took power in Gaza they said all agreements the PA made with Israel are null and void, which meant a declaration of war.
Can someone give us a break with the holding Hamas to account nonsense. Demanding that these depraved animals investigate their atrocities is like asking a fox to investigae why vixens attack a hen house. This is what the do. They are terrorists.
The positive only thing I can say about these monsters and their lesser God is that at least we know where we stand with them, unlike Obama for instance. Meantime, it has yet to be confirmed whether the New York Times refused to publish Goldtsone's retraction - I reckon they did. At least they're consistent.