Don't turn blind eye to Gaza excesses

On Nov. 4, the U.S. House voted 344 to 36 in favor of HR 867, which called on the president and the secretary of state to "oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration" of the U.N. Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, or the Goldstone Report.

The report, conducted by a South African Jurist Jew (and self-proclaimed Zionist), concluded that during the 20-day conflict, Israel and Hamas were "in serious violation of human rights and humanitarian law." The report specifically describes the Israeli Army as perpetrating "disproportionate aggression, designed as deliberate attack to punish, humiliate and terrorize the civilian population," and claims Israel "committed actions that can be considered war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity."

The actions and conduct of Hamas also received denunciation, including Hamas' approval of rocket attacks launched at nearby Israeli cities. This report of a conflict that killed 1,387 Palestinians and nine Israelis, was based on more than 180 interviews, and was supported by the U.N. General Assembly.

The House Resolution was approved by Israel and was sponsored by Howard Berman and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. It was passed not to defend peace but as propitiation to Israel and its policy of aggressive expansion. This obsequious behavior toward Israel serves only to exacerbate conflict in the region. Peace is not achievable by promoting ignorance and self-deception but by holding oneself and one's allies accountable to international standards, including U.N. Resolutions and the Geneva Convention.

The U.S. cannot flout the very laws that it expects other nations to abide by (specifically Iran) if it hopes of having any legitimacy on matters of international policy. By ignoring blatant war crimes and denying justice to the victims, our politicians not only sully the values upon which our nation is founded, but undermine any real chance at achieving a lasting peace.

T. Kooh Davis

Wheaton