Goldstone: ‘I Love Israel, and as a Jew I Must Investigate It’

Retired South African Judge Richard Goldstone told an interviewer today on the CNN cable news network that as a Jew, he had an “obligation” to investigate war crimes, such as the ones the he claimed the IDF committed in Gaza, reports Arutz Shevah. Goldstone headed a panel on behalf of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, which issued a report accusing the IDF of committing “war crimes” against residents of Gaza.While parts of the interview were dedicated to enumerating the supposed war crimes committed by Israeli soldiers – for example, he accused troops of killing thousands of chickens and destroying the egg industry in Gaza – Goldstone spent a good portion of the interview reflecting on his personal philosophy, and how the fact that he is Jewish figured into his investigation.

Speaking to CNN host Fareed Zakariah on the GPS program, Goldstone said that he tried to be fair to both sides, and that any limitations on his investigation was due to a lack of resources. For example, he said, his panel was unable to verify whether Israeli accusations that Hamas used Gaza Arabs as human shields in hospitals and schools were true or not. “We investigated specific incidents, we didn’t find the Israeli claims to be justified,” he told Zakaria, but added that did not mean that Israel’s claims weren’t true.

Goldstone said he was certainly not anti-Israel. “I have great love for Israel and have worked for many Israeli causes. What saddens me is that Jews, whether inside or outside of Israel, think that because I am a Jew, I should not investigate Israel. However, I believe I have a greater responsibility, as a Jew, to do so. If I have investigated war crimes in other countries, why should Israel be different? That should be welcomed,” Goldstone said. In general, he said, he believed Israel had the wrong idea about his mission. “We didn’t question the right [of Israel] to defend itself, we looked at the method,” he said.

Nicole Goldstone, the daughter of Richard Goldstone, maintains that her father “is a Zionist and loves Israel.” Speaking from Toronto, where she now lives, Nicole told Army Radio she had many conversations with her father after he was asked to head the UN inquiry.

“I know better than anyone else that he thought however hard it was to accept it, he was doing the best thing for everyone, including Israel,” she said. “He is honest, tells things how he sees them and wants to uncover the truth.”

Nicole, who said she had read the first 300 and last 100 pages of the report, concedes that it contained some “very harsh” allegations against Israel.

{Arutz Shevah/Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel/Jpost}