There are No Winners in War
Sometimes, no matter how many words you use, it is the pictures that tell the truth, that can't be denied. Here then, is the evidence that Judge Goldstone and his mission chose to ignore.
Hamas Exploitation of Civilians as Human Shields
Almost as troubling as Hamas' using innocent civilians as human shields was their ongoing policy of hiding among civilian populations and even dressing as civilians. Goldstone mission members were not bothered by this:
493. The reports received by the Mission suggest that it is likely that the Palestinian armed groups did not at all times adequately distinguish themselves from the civilian population among whom the hostilities were being conducted. Their failure to distinguish themselves from the civilian population by distinctive signs is not a violation of international law in itself, but would have denied them some of the legal privileges afforded to combatants.
Actually, one wonders how little the members prepared or researched international law, which clearly states the opposite:
1. ...The following acts are examples of perfidy: (a) the feigning of an intent to negotiate under a flag of truce or of a surrender; (b) the feigning of an incapacitation by wounds or sickness; (c) the feigning of civilian, non-combatant status; and (d) the feigning of protected status by the use of signs, emblems or uniforms of the United Nations or of neutral or other States not Parties to the conflict. (Geneva Convention, paragraph 37).
Even more troubling is that the Goldstone mission was alerted to the Hamas policy of hiding among civilians and stationing their weaponry there numerous times. An organization called TakeAPen, sent this photo and other information to the commission:
July 2009 - The 2nd, SUPPLEMENTARY MEMORANDUM submitted by Take-A-Pen (July 22)presents hard evidence to the UN Fact-Finding Mission, supporting the statement in TAP's original Memorandum to the UN (June 30): that Hamas deliberately committed the Human Shield war crime; systematically exposing Protected Civilian Objects (like school buildings, hospitals, a mosque, a football stadium etc.) to maximum lethal danger. We present further and analyze two detailed IDF aerial maps - Read this wholeSupplementary MEMORANDUM. Using the evidence we submitted would have significantly changed the Mission's Report. For example, the Report states the Mission didn't see compelling evidence that Hamas used human shields - the aerial photos we provided prove it otherwise. And acknowledging that Hamas systematically used Human Shields, both civilian people and Protected Civilian Objects, would explain a large part of Palestinian civilian casualties; would clean them from Israel's responsibility and place them firmly on the list of Hamas War Crimes.
Therefore the Report must not be accepted by the HRC, or used now for any purpose, with its present crucial faults and omissions.
Hamas - Human Shield Confession
Hamas Using Human Shields (second video)
Weapons Stored Inside a Mosque
Goldstone's report states: "Although the situations investigated by the Mission did not establish the use of mosques for military purposes or to shield military activities, the Mission cannot exclude that this might have occurred in other cases." Again, the evidence was there, widely distributed throughout the war by Israel and other independent news agencies. The secondary explosions could be seen for miles around. Why would a mosque explode twice after being hit by an Israeli missile? The first would cause an explosion. Most buildings would crumble. And yet, instead of crumbling, mosque after mosque showed secondary explosions...because munitions were stored there. But again, Goldstone's mission couldn't confirm this because it wasn't in their mandate to explore, to prove anything beyond Israel's predetermined guilt.
Israeli Testimony Ignored
Israeli Doctor Asks Judge Goldstone why he ignored her testimony and produced a biased report:
Rocket attacks on Israel:
By limiting the information they would evalute starting with June 2008, even before they had begun, the Goldstone commission had "eliminated" the impact of thousands of rockets and mortars fired at Israeli towns and cities. Though he gave brief and completely unsatisfactory lip-service to the terror with which hundreds of thousands of Israelis have had to endure for more than 8 years, the Goldstone mission failed to adequately accept that normal people don't have to contemplating finding shelter from an incoming missile, without warning, in 15 seconds. More than 120 rockets and mortars were fired at Israel in the month before Israel began the Cast Lead operation. Not a word from Judge Richard Goldstone was heard during that month. Not from the so-called United Nations Human Rights Commission; nor from any member of the mission.
The people of Sderot have cried out repeatedly, begging the world, international leaders, the United Nations, and their own government to respond. The insult of this report's conclusions are a major blow to every man, woman and child in Sderot, Ashkelon, Ashdod, etc. etc.
For the information Goldstone ignored, see: History of Rocket Attacks on Israel
According to Goldstone:
"The Mission found no evidence that members of Palestinian armed groups engaged in combat in civilian dress. It can, therefore, not find a violation of the obligation not to endanger the civilian population in this respect."
And yet, in this video by a German TV crew it is clear that Palestinian Arabs were hiding weapons under civilian clothing in a crowded Gaza street.We see this clearly...one of many, readily available on the Internet, and yet this and so much other evidence was ignored by Goldstone's members.