Comment is Free: Holding Israel Accountable for Gaza War Crimes

The Guardian’s Comment is Free has just published a new piece I wrote about the burgeoning movement demanding accountability for Israeli war crimes during the Gaza war. I address the question of whether the international effort this time will be more successful than past stalled efforts that followed Israeli atrocities like the 2006 Lebanon war. While I don’t have a definitive answer, I note that momentum is greater and specific efforts by human rights campaigners more organized than in the past. I note increased interest in the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions movement even among American Jews.

There’s a pretty lively debate in the comment section to which I invite you.

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Tags: Add new tag, American Jewish groups must speak up over Gaza, comment-is-free, israeli war crimes

This entry was posted on Monday, April 20th, 2009 at 11:12 PM and is filed under Mideast Peace. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Comment is Free: Holding Israel Accountable for Gaza War Crimes”

John Yorke says:

April 22, 2009 at 3:31 AM

War crime investigations must be viewed as a very necessary exercise where certain matters are concerned but, by themselves, they do suffer comparison from shutting the stable door long after the horse has bolted. Assigning blame, usually with some considerable period of time having elapsed, tends to impact only marginally on the present and future conduct of those involved or on others predisposed toward a similar course.

If such investigations are to maintain any lasting effect or achieve some real resonance upon whatever framework they happen to deliberate, then their outcome should be able to command results far more palpable and immediate than all those we’ve previously experienced.

Judgement without justice is rarely effective. But human justice is often compromised and coloured by our inability to sustain true impartiality towards the events and actions of our fellowman. So little is straightforward in this life; its complexity always defeats or delays what should be the appropriate response. And retaining the ability to keep the world’s attention on such matters has never been the easiest of tasks.

Maybe, in the interests of some final justice, something more tangible – and more entertaining – can be employed to focus everyone’s awareness on this scene and others of similar character.

http://yorketowers.blogspot.com

‘Bread and circuses’ still hold their value in the world’s estimation. As ‘bread’ has ceased to have much relevance in this region, it may be that ‘circuses’ can yet suffice to carry the day, the year, the generation.

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Mark Bernadiner says:

August 11, 2009 at 4:13 AM

[comment deleted for violation of comment rules]

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