Judge Goldstone stops the debate before it begins

“ISRAEL intentionally went after civilians in Gaza — and wrapped its intention in lies. That chilling — and misguided — accusation is the key conclusion of the United Nations investigation, led by Richard Goldstone, into the three-week war last winter,” says David Landau, former editor –in-chief of Haaretz, in an opinion piece in the International Herald Tribune this week.

Israel anticipated condemnation and harsh criticism in the report, but didn’t expect to be accused of deliberately aiming at civilians. This accusation, says Landau, has stymied the debate which should be taking place in Israel, as to whether bombing and shelling the other side is always justified, when the cost in civilian terms is likely to be high.

“When does negligence become recklessness, and when does recklessness slip into wanton callousness, and then into deliberate disregard for innocent human life?” he asks.

“But that is the point — and it should have been the focus of the investigation. Judge Goldstone’s real mandate was, or should have been, to bring Israel to confront this fundamental question, a question inherent in the waging of war by all civilized societies against irregular armed groups. Are widespread civilian casualties inevitable when a modern army pounds terrorist targets in a heavily populated area with purportedly smart ordnance? Are they acceptable? Does the enemy’s deployment in the heart of the civilian area shift the line between right and wrong, in morality and in law?