Take a look at what Irwin Cotler has to say about the Cast Lead Investigation:
In a word, Roth writes not like a lawyer - let alone a human rights lawyer - but as a propagandist.
And this is really it in a nutshell. The Cast Lead Report is not a legal document. It is a propoganda document that was headed by a an extremelly noble human rights lawyer specifically to give it the imprimatuer of impartiality because the architects knew that the mission was fundamentally flawed and biased.
The there is the participation of Professor Christine Chinkin who long before the investigation was announced had already publicly stated that Israel had committed war crimes. Kinda like the judge saying publicly, I know the defendant is guilty but I will look at all the evidence anyway.
19 British lawyers and academics have penned an open letter calling upon Chinkin to disqualify herself as her expression "on the merits of the issue... prior to seeing any of the evidence... give rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias..."; and saying that her continued participation necessarily compromises the independence of the inquiry and its report.
But this is what really gets to me, and this is the Daily Kos playbook. Ken Roth of HRW attacks Cotler as being a pawn of the State of Israel. This is the most common play in their playbook. If you criticize bias against Israel, it is because you are a pawn of the Israelis. It is because you can't allow criticism of Israel. Never mind that Irwin Cotler is one of the greatest civil rights lawyers alive today. Nelson Mandella's lawyer, a lawyer who has represented Palestinians in front of Israeli courts, and who, until he became Justice Minister of Canada was counsel to the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group.
For this is the "Human Rights" playbook. You cannot be a human rights lawyer or advocate if you ever fail to accuse Israel. And so Roth, and mis supporters, miss the key point. By engaging in such a ridiculously biased report, the report loses credibility among actual human rights lawyers. But human rights lawyers aren't the target because this is not a legal document. This is a political propoganda document inteded to continue the public relations war against Israel.
Cotler's words:
ROTH SEEKS to justify his defense of Goldstone - who deserves a better defense than this - by yet another false accusation, namely that I am "part of an intense campaign by the Israeli government and some of its uncritical supporters to smear the messenger and change the subject." Never mind that I have appeared in Israeli courts and made representations to the Israeli government on subjects ranging from the protection of Palestinian refugees to the status of Ethiopian Jews; never mind that I served as international legal counsel to the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group - until I became minister of justice and attorney-general of Canada - on issues regarding human rights violations in the occupied territories and in Israel; or that I have visited Israel and Gaza more than Ken Roth has, including meeting with Palestinian government leaders and leaders of Palestinian civil society in Ramallah this past August. These are simply "inconvenient truths" that might undermine Roth's false ad hominem diatribe, which permeates his piece.
But even if his smear were true - that I am an uncritical supporter of Israel - it is beside the point. My critique of the Goldstone mission was based on the fact that it was established under the enabling authority of the UN Human Rights Council, which has systematically singled-out one member state in the international community (call it X, since for Roth accusations of war crimes against Israel seem to be a right of passage necessary to engage in international human rights discourse) while the major human rights violators have enjoyed exculpatory immunity. And it was advanced as a critique of the denial of international due process to a member state, and as an expression of concern with the work of the UN Human Rights Council and the integrity of UN missions under its authority.
I encourage you all to use this article if you are brave enough to tread in the waters at Daily Kos.
Regards,
DKW
What can anyone say?
ReplyDeleteThe investigators determined that there were war crimes before they even did any investigating.
Now, I do not necessarily doubt that war crimes were committed. There are war crimes in every war. But, as you point out, it's obvious that this commission determed guilt prior to investigation, thus undermining their entire mission.
This will not prevent them from screaming to the heavens on Daily Kos, however.
Oh, and btw, you're probably aware that I have been calling out unspeakable on his claim that "Arabs abuse their children" is a common anti-Arab racist theme.
I would not have done so had he not accused me of that very thing and, yet, he is unable to come up with any reliable source that discusses the notion that "Arabs abuse their children" as a common anti-Arab racist theme.
Why is no one capable of demonstrating the truthfulness of this claim?
Baffling.
Great article and great points.
ReplyDeleteKarma....there is just no material out there to support his claim BUT, and this is a big but, the Mohammed as pedophile meme is probably the basis for the complaint. That meme has of course taken on new forms as the public has become educated about Islam such as: abuse of women; child marriages; 12 year old pregnant; clitorectomies; human shields; etc but I think the oldest trope is that of pedophilic prophet.
IMHO what Mohammed did may have been ok for his time but today? Well that's a different story and of course, the practices are NOT universal but the accusations sometimes are.
unspeakable is probably frustrated that he can't convey what he feels properly for some reason and because anyone who isn't an Arab/Muslim can't really "get," where he is coming from.
This is the absolute maximum kumbayah I can do for the guy tho because I feel that most times he is a shark jumper just like so many over there.
And I feel for you because it would be like a black guy calling me a racist at work. WTF can I do?
Precisely.
ReplyDeleteIt may very well be that it's a common anti-Arab racist theme. If so, however, it is exceedingly strange that no one can verify that.
But, really, I would not have made an issue, period, if I had not been falsely accused of repeating the theme.
What does this mean?
deaniac got banned for merely implying that heathlander was anti-Semitic. He didn't even make that statement, but merely implied it.
I am getting called a racist and that's A-OK.
No evidence necessary.
And, furthermore, the comment that I made kicking off this shitstorm was a comment on the use of asymmetric warfare as a propaganda tool. It was not a comment suggesting that Arabs abuse their children.
Yeah I know it sucks eggs but it seems to be the name of the game over there...thus we need here. I too have been called a racist and accused of repeating the child abuse meme for questioning the Hamas TV shows which teach kids hate and Jihad. How something that factual can be off limits because it might hurt an Arab feeling or two is beyond me except as a tool to censor discussion of real issues. I mean we have VIDEOS and PICTURES and CONFESSIONS about using children as shields so WTF?
ReplyDeleteNow on that point how many times have we heard that given the imbalance of power, discussion of Israeli/western woes is meaningless or less important in comparison? I don't buy that mindset now or ever.
Just look at what is going on there. It is mesmerizing. I am not the only person to point it out.
ReplyDeleteI know I am beating a dead horse here, but it just amazes me.
There are like 10 front page articles agreeing with Carter that attacks on Obama are racist. Of course none of them are overt. We deduce they are racist by the context, the oft repeated turn of phrase, the vile rhetoric, the trumped up charges. And based on this, they are free to call Obama's critics, in my opinion mostly justified, racists.
But apply the same logic to the attacks on israel and people play dumb. The same context, the same turn of phrase, vile rheotirc, trumped up charges. In that case, not only is it not anti-Semitism, but we are using the claim of anti-Semitism to stiffle criticism of Israel.
Now, what will the Kos community do when the right says, and they will if they haven't already, that the claim of racism is just an attempt to stiffle criticism of Obama?
Regards,
DKW
Israel sits at the back of the bus now DKW and dKos has a more popular fish to fry.
ReplyDeleteIt appears the US is supporting Israel regarding this report. It should mean that the report will become just another stupid UN trick against Israel.....one in a very long long line.
ReplyDeleteYup.
ReplyDeletebtw, doodad, thanks for providing those links to the response of some in Congress.
DKW,
ReplyDeleteconsider this a rec of your comment above.
You should consider writing up that criticism for the front page, if you get a chance.
L'shanah tovah, folks!
ReplyDelete