STRASBOURG (EJP)---Despite intense lobbying efforts from Jewish groups and attempts by the Christian-Democrats to prevent a vote, the European Parliament adopted Wednesday in Strasbourg a joint resolution urging "both sides" to follow up the Goldstone Report’s conclusions by conducting "investigations within five months”.
(Thanks Katarzyna)
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The EU has endorsed Goldstone. This is huge news and a big victory for Palestinians and the friends of Palestine.
ReplyDeleteBe interested to know what the Israeli response to this will be.
Goldstone attacked Hamas quite hard; which I mention to those who claim that Goldstone's 575 page research report was biased or misleading.
Hamas had crimes of intent (that Goldstone mentions.) But Hamas also had crimes of incompetence; including doing a whale of a job training its security forces.
Hamas fighters are no where near as capable as Hezbollah; and the blame for this belongs squarely on the shoulders of Hamas' political leaders.
In 2006, the IDF performed better than it had ever performed before. The reason Hezbollah held up as well as it did (Hezbollah didn't win; it was more akin to a draw with Hezbollah taking far higher casualties than the IDF) was because Hezbollah respected the competence, leadership and motivation of the IDF. Hezbollah was not as smug and over confident as Hamas. Hezbollah prepared carefully for the war over many years. Hezbollah also performed better than any Arab force has ever performed in combat, second only to the performance of the Iraqi Army in 2007 and 2008 (which came after Hezbollah's 2006 war; and which might have been partially inspired by Hezbollah's perormance in 2006.).
Hamas' militia was far more poorly lead, trained, equipped and prepared than either Hezbollah or the Iraqi Army.
I hope Hamas learns from this; and actually trains its fighters.
Apparently Abu Mazen is trying to train the Palestinian National Security Forces (NSF.) Let's see how the Palestinian NSF holds up. If the NSF really does prove competent (which I hope it will), then Hamas' fighters can join it to create the first competent national unity trans partisan Palestinian army fielded since the Ottoman Turks conquered Palestine.
yeah...
ReplyDeleteA close vote on a weak resolution, all piss and wind.
ReplyDelete