Goldstone to Seek Nullification of UN Report

From: Commentary Magazine Judge Richard Goldstone has accepted Interior Minister Eli Yishai’s invitation to Israel, and now says that he will work at the UN to nullify his September 2009 on Israel’s war in Gaza, the Jerusalem Post reports: According to Yishai, Goldstone said that he would be happy to come and that there will always be love in his heart for the State of Israel. . . . Additionally, Yishai said that Goldstone made a promise to work towards retracting his UN report. Former ambassador to the UN Danny Gillerman, who also spoke with Goldstone, added that the judge would not act immediately to do so.

This is a promising development, as well as a surprising one. The anti-Israel movement has largely dismissed Goldstone’s recantation in the Washington Post, arguing that it doesn’t discredit the actual UN report. But if Goldstone goes ahead with a petition to the UN to nullify the report, then he will be pitting himself against the same anti-Israel activists who once worshiped him.

Whether this actually happens remains to be seen. According to the Jerusalem Post, the justice wants to “wait for the dust to settle” before he begins working to rescind the report. This is a good idea. Since Goldstone’s column was published, he has faced an enormous backlash of criticism from his former allies. And he likely needs time to come to terms with the enormity of his actions before he will be fully prepared to take a more activist stance.