WIESENTHAL CENTER URGES JUDGE GOLDSTONE TO DISASSOCIATE HIMSELF FROM OWN REPORT

October 14, 2009

 WIESENTHAL CENTER URGES JUDGE GOLDSTONE TO DISASSOCIATE HIMSELF FROM OWN REPORT

Center says that controversial report, which jurist himself admits is not a legal document, could have serious implications for states fighting terror.

As the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva readies itself to debate the findings of the controversial Goldstone Report on Thursday, the Simon Wiesenthal Center is urging its chief author, Judge Richard Goldstone, to disassociate himself from the Report based on his admission last week that it was not a full investigation and “if this was a court of law, nothing would be proven.”

“In his interview last week in the Forward, Judge Goldstone said that his Report could not be seen as a legal document, but if in fact the UNHRC adopts it, it will indeed have ominous legal implications not only for Israel but for any country fighting against terrorism by a non-state player,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Wiesenthal Center.

“Both the danger and folly of the Goldstone Report is underscored by today’s statement from  Secretary General Ban submitted to the Mideast debate at the Security Council in which he urged ‘all of the parties to carry out credible domestic investigations into the conduct of the conflict without delay’, said Cooper, adding, “Does anyone for a moment believe that Hamas, whose officials publicly boast about using Gazans as human shields, should ever be considered as anything other than what it is: a terrorist organization sworn to destroy the State of Israel?”

“We therefore urge Judge Goldstone to take the unprecedented step of disassociating himself from the fatally flawed document that bears his name and for the members of the Human Rights Council, led by the United States, to officially reject it,” Cooper concluded.

The Wiesenthal Center has launched online petition (at www.wiesenthal.com/goldstone) urging U.S. to take this action. As of today, it has gathered almost 10,000 signatures worldwide.         

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).

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