ISRAEL: NOW ISRAEL IS FREE TO DECLARE ITS INNOCENCE BEFORE THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE/NETANYAHU’S PLAN: A NEW SPIN TO AN OLD DANCE?

 NOW ISRAEL IS FREE TO DECLARE ITS INNOCENCE BEFORE THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

William A. Cook

Thank God Judge Goldstone recanted his judgment on Israel and its IDF forces in the slaughter inflicted on Gaza during its Christmas invasion in 2008-2009; both are now innocent of wrongful intent to kill Palestinian civilians since the Israeli military courts investigated Goldstone’s allegations and determined he was wrong. Now the good Judge has found, with the military court, that the Israeli government, that refused to cooperate with the United Nations investigation, did not intentionally send its forces to kill and destroy but only to kill and destroy Gaza; that the civilians were killed is simply a sad consequence of war. How astute, how learned, how compassionate; how absurd, how facetious, how despicable.

Yet, good may come of this decision. Now Israel is free to declare its innocence before the International Court of Justice since it is Israel’s investigation that can be presented as its case, with the good Judge as co-defendant. After all, isn’t this exactly what the Israeli government has wanted from the start, a way to demonstrate to the world that its Army is the most moral on the planet, its government the most democratic, acting only to defend its people, its weaponry the most sophisticated state of the art precision ordinance available, and its actions always proportionate to the crimes it seeks to address? Knowing now what they did not know before Judge Goldstone recanted his report, the government of Israel has nothing to fear from the ICJ but the justice it so rightfully deserves. Certainly it makes no sense for Israel or the UN to do nothing now that the report has been brought into question. The world has castigated Israel because of the report, now it’s Israel’s turn to seek revenge and put before the world how righteous and how legal its actions have been. How fortunate this turn of events.

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  NETANYAHU’S PLAN: A NEW SPIN TO AN OLD DANCE?

by: Mikail Jubran

Over the past few months it has become disturbingly clear that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has neither a clear vision for Israel’s future nor any meaningful diplomatic strategy he can implement.

It appears that the international community sits and watches as Israel’s government perpetuates a militaristic, racist, neo-colonialist policy.  Yet, some members of Israel’s polity have finally realized that Israel no longer has the privilege of sitting around and doing nothing.  They have seen that Netanyahu has enveloped himself within a web of arduous ideological and political constraints.  Now he may be seeking to extricate himself from these shackles.

When he arrives in the United States in the coming weeks, Netanyahu may just effect a public relations coup if he is granted the opportunity to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress from whose podium he will hatch Israel’s latest scheme for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Such an opportunity certainly underscores the power of the pro-Israeli Congressional clique and the notorious Israeli lobby AIPAC.  Bibi knows quite well that being able to address the U.S. Congress is one of the greatest media coups one can achieve.

We may ask, what is up Netanyahu’s sleeve?  Is he attempting to reshuffle the cards in a losing game?  On the face of it, it may appear to be one serious gamble – or a very distasteful farce.

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