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UK Commander Challenges Goldstone Report


GENEVA, October 16, 2009 -- Today's emergency UN Human Rights Council debate on
the Goldstone Report predictably saw a line-up of the world's worst abusers condemn
democratic Israel for human rights violations. In a heated lynch mob atmosphere, Kuwait
slammed Israel for “intentional killing, intentional destruction of civilian objects,
intentional scorched-earth policy,” saying Israel “embodied the Agatha Christie novel,
'Escaped with Murder'.” Pakistan said the “horrors of Israeli occupation continue to haunt
the international community’s conscience.” The Arab League said, “We must condemn
Israel and force Israel to accept international legitimacy." Ahmadinejad’s Iran said “the
atrocities committed against Palestinians during the aggressions on Gaza should be taken
seriously” and followed up by the international community “to put an end to absolute
impunity and defiance of the law.”

What the world's assembled representatives did not expect, however, was the speech that
followed (see text below), organized by UN Watch. We invited as our speaker a man who
repeatedly put his life on the line to defend the democratic world from the murderous
Saddam Hussein, Al Qaeda, and the Taleban. The moment he began his first sentence, the
room fell silent. Judge Goldstone, author of the distorted report that prompted today's
one-sided condemnation of Israel but not Hamas, had refused to hear Col. Kemp's
testimony during his "fact-finding" hearings. But UN Watch made sure today that this
hero's voice would be heard -- at the U.N., and around the world

                                UN Watch Oral Statement
                           Delivered by Colonel Richard Kemp
                                UN Human Rights Council
                          12th Special Session, 16 October 2009
                               Debate on Goldstone Report

Thank you, Mr. President.

I am the former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan. I served with NATO
and the United Nations; commanded troops in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Macedonia;
and participated in the Gulf War. I spent considerable time in Iraq since the 2003
invasion, and worked on international terrorism for the UK Government’s Joint
Intelligence Committee.

Mr. President, based on my knowledge and experience, I can say this: During Operation
Cast Lead, the Israeli Defence Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a
combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.

Israel did so while facing an enemy that deliberately positioned its military capability
behind the human shield of the civilian population.
Hamas, like Hizballah, are expert at driving the media agenda. Both will always have
people ready to give interviews condemning Israeli forces for war crimes. They are adept
at staging and distorting incidents.

The IDF faces a challenge that we British do not have to face to the same extent. It is the
automatic, Pavlovian presumption by many in the international media, and international
human rights groups, that the IDF are in the wrong, that they are abusing human rights.

The truth is that the IDF took extraordinary measures to give Gaza civilians notice of
targeted areas, dropping over 2 million leaflets, and making over 100,000 phone calls.
Many missions that could have taken out Hamas military capability were aborted to
prevent civilian casualties. During the conflict, the IDF allowed huge amounts of
humanitarian aid into Gaza. To deliver aid virtually into your enemy's hands is, to the
military tactician, normally quite unthinkable. But the IDF took on those risks.

Despite all of this, of course innocent civilians were killed. War is chaos and full of
mistakes. There have been mistakes by the British, American and other forces in
Afghanistan and in Iraq, many of which can be put down to human error. But mistakes
are not war crimes.

More than anything, the civilian casualties were a consequence of Hamas’ way of
fighting. Hamas deliberately tried to sacrifice their own civilians.

Mr. President, Israel had no choice apart from defending its people, to stop Hamas from
attacking them with rockets.

And I say this again: the IDF did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat
zone than any other army in the history of warfare.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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UK Commander Challenges Goldstone Report

  • 1. UK Commander Challenges Goldstone Report GENEVA, October 16, 2009 -- Today's emergency UN Human Rights Council debate on the Goldstone Report predictably saw a line-up of the world's worst abusers condemn democratic Israel for human rights violations. In a heated lynch mob atmosphere, Kuwait slammed Israel for “intentional killing, intentional destruction of civilian objects, intentional scorched-earth policy,” saying Israel “embodied the Agatha Christie novel, 'Escaped with Murder'.” Pakistan said the “horrors of Israeli occupation continue to haunt the international community’s conscience.” The Arab League said, “We must condemn Israel and force Israel to accept international legitimacy." Ahmadinejad’s Iran said “the atrocities committed against Palestinians during the aggressions on Gaza should be taken seriously” and followed up by the international community “to put an end to absolute impunity and defiance of the law.” What the world's assembled representatives did not expect, however, was the speech that followed (see text below), organized by UN Watch. We invited as our speaker a man who repeatedly put his life on the line to defend the democratic world from the murderous Saddam Hussein, Al Qaeda, and the Taleban. The moment he began his first sentence, the room fell silent. Judge Goldstone, author of the distorted report that prompted today's one-sided condemnation of Israel but not Hamas, had refused to hear Col. Kemp's testimony during his "fact-finding" hearings. But UN Watch made sure today that this hero's voice would be heard -- at the U.N., and around the world UN Watch Oral Statement Delivered by Colonel Richard Kemp UN Human Rights Council 12th Special Session, 16 October 2009 Debate on Goldstone Report Thank you, Mr. President. I am the former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan. I served with NATO and the United Nations; commanded troops in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Macedonia; and participated in the Gulf War. I spent considerable time in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, and worked on international terrorism for the UK Government’s Joint Intelligence Committee. Mr. President, based on my knowledge and experience, I can say this: During Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defence Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare. Israel did so while facing an enemy that deliberately positioned its military capability behind the human shield of the civilian population.
  • 2. Hamas, like Hizballah, are expert at driving the media agenda. Both will always have people ready to give interviews condemning Israeli forces for war crimes. They are adept at staging and distorting incidents. The IDF faces a challenge that we British do not have to face to the same extent. It is the automatic, Pavlovian presumption by many in the international media, and international human rights groups, that the IDF are in the wrong, that they are abusing human rights. The truth is that the IDF took extraordinary measures to give Gaza civilians notice of targeted areas, dropping over 2 million leaflets, and making over 100,000 phone calls. Many missions that could have taken out Hamas military capability were aborted to prevent civilian casualties. During the conflict, the IDF allowed huge amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza. To deliver aid virtually into your enemy's hands is, to the military tactician, normally quite unthinkable. But the IDF took on those risks. Despite all of this, of course innocent civilians were killed. War is chaos and full of mistakes. There have been mistakes by the British, American and other forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq, many of which can be put down to human error. But mistakes are not war crimes. More than anything, the civilian casualties were a consequence of Hamas’ way of fighting. Hamas deliberately tried to sacrifice their own civilians. Mr. President, Israel had no choice apart from defending its people, to stop Hamas from attacking them with rockets. And I say this again: the IDF did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare. Thank you, Mr. President.