Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2011 12:28 PM
To: Johnson, Kevin; Kulwin, Hollis; Amann, Diane Marie
Subject: Mr. Goldstone's invitation to speak at UCD Law School


Dear Dean Johnson, Assistant Dean Kulwin, and Professor Amann:

It is very troubling to learn that the UC Davis Law School has invited Judge Goldstone to speak tomorrow on Thursday February 20, 2011 and further, that he has been invited to take part in Professor Amann’s constitutional law class following the presentation.

Apartheid South Africa

Mr.Goldstone has a dark past and it is commonly known that he is on a publicity campaign to rehabilitate his status among the “human rights” community in an effort to whitewash the bare facts of his complicity with oppressive regimes. During his tenure as a sitting judge in the South African Apartheid appellate court during the 1980s and 1990s, he sentenced at least 28 black defendants to the gallows. It should be noted that whites, granted superior status under Apartheid Law, were the ones calling that such a heavy price be exacted for violent crimes, while the black majority in South Africa consistently opposed the death penalty. Judge Goldstone has responded that he was “just following the law”.

If we fast forward to 2009, we find further evidence of a man preaching human rights, but who willingly complies with extremist and oppressive regimes. Goldstone was commissioned by the notoriously anti-Semitic United Nations Human Rights Council following Israel’s defensive war against Hamas in 2008/2009, with the pre-ordained mandate to find the Jewish army guilty of “war crimes”.

The Goldstone Report

The Goldstone Report was the result of the January 9, 2009 HRC 9th Special Session entitled “The Grave Violations of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” in response to Israel’s military operation in Gaza. The Council voted to send a mission of “experts” to assess Israel’s alleged human rights violations in Gaza. The mandate of the mission was codified on January 12, 2009 in Human Rights Council Resolution S/9-1 as “The Grave Violations of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” The mandate states that the HRC “Decides to dispatch an urgent, independent international fact-finding mission, to be appointed by the President of the Council, to investigate all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law by the Occupying Power, Israel, against the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, due to the current aggression, and calls upon Israel not to obstruct the process of investigation and to fully cooperate with the mission.” See pages 31-35 of the document in the attached ADL link for a full explanation of the Goldstone Report and its bias against Israel. http://www.adl.org/israel/advocacy/advocacy_guide_facts_UPDATED.PDF

The Goldstone Report’s biased methodology is discussed in the attached link to an article by Alan Dershowitz. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-dershowitz/the-case-against-the-gold_b_442412.html

The official title and mandate obviously presumed Israel’s guilt before the “investigation” commenced. This set the tone for the investigation, methodology and conclusions ultimately reached. The title presumes “grave violations” prior to commencement of the investigation. Note also the reference to “Occupied Palestinian Territory.” Gaza was not occupied at the time of the Gaza War because Israel completely withdrew from Gaza in 2005. Moreover, the war had nothing to do with the West Bank.

Mr. Goldstone allegedly tried to change this one-sided approach, but the fact is that no official change was ever made to the mandate or the resolution.

The Goldstone Report relies in large part on the “testimony” of civilians living under the theocratic, brutal and fanatically anti-Israel Hamas. The testimony occurred under the watchful eyes of Hamas officials. The report also relied on allegations by nongovernment organizations with decades-long track records of condemning Israel while turning a blind eye to the conduct of those who do not hide their goal of destroying Israel.

The Goldstone Report’s conclusions about the number of Palestinian deaths were recently effectively repudiated by a Hamas leader. See link to Dershowitz article. http://www.hudson-ny.org/1738/finally-a-hamas-leader-admits-that-israel-killed

For additional information on the Goldstone Report please see the two links below.

http://www.aipac.org/Publications/AIPACAnalysesMemos/AIPAC_Memo_-_US_-_Goldstone_Biased_and_Flawed.pdf

http://www.aipac.org/Publications/AIPACAnalysesMemos/FAQs_on_the_Goldstone_Commission_Report.pdf

The Goldstone Report is a Tool Used by Haters of Israel

The Goldstone Report has become an important tool used in the ongoing international campaign to single out and delegitimize Israel, which is the latest manifestation of the 2000 year-old tradition of delegitimizing and dehumanizing Jews. For example, the Goldstone Report is used to attack Israel on college campuses throughout the United States, and particularly to turn American college students against Israel.

U.S. House of Representatives Condemns Goldstone Report on Gaza

U.S. House of Representatives Condemns Goldstone Report: House Resolution No. 867 passes on 11/03/09 by unprecedented vote of 344 to 36.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/HouseRes867.html

In closing, a man such as Goldstone should never have been given a forum at UC Davis Law School. Doing so only serves to give him a cloak of respectability which he so justly does not deserve. He sided with the racist regime of South Africa. He sided with the racist regime of Hamas which preaches genocide against the Jewish people. So, what part of his being a “human rights advocate” did I miss?

I respectfully urge you to reconsider your invitation to Mr. Goldstone.

Gail Rubin J.D.

Davis, Ca