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Last update - 02:38 12/01/2009 Things one sees from The Hague By Gideon Levy Tags: israel news, israel  Click here for more articles by Gideon Levy When the cannons eventually fall silent, the time for questions and investigations will be upon us. The mushroom clouds of smoke and dust will dissipate in the pitch-black sky; the fervor, desensitization and en masse jump on the bandwagon will be forever forgotten and perhaps we will view a clear picture of Gaza in all its grimness. Then we will see the scope of the killing and destruction, the crammed cemeteries and overflowing hospitals, the thousands of wounded and physically disabled, the destroyed houses that remain after this war. The questions that will beg to be asked, as cautiously as possible, are who is guilty and who is responsible. The world's exaggerated willingness to forgive Israel is liable to crack this time. The pilots and gunners, the tank crewmen and infantry soldiers, the generals and thousands who embarked on this war with their fair share of zeal will learn the extent of the evil and indiscriminate nature of their military strikes. They perhaps will not pay any price. They went to battle, but others sent them. Advertisement The public, moral and judicial test will be applied to the three Israeli statesmen who sent the Israel Defense Forces to war against a helpless population, one that did not even have a place to take refuge, in maybe the only war in history against a strip of land enclosed by a fence. Ehud Olmert, Ehud Barak and Tzipi Livni will stand at the forefront of the guilty. Two of them are candidates for prime minister, the third is a candidate for criminal indictment. It is inconceivable that they not be held to account for the bloodshed. Olmert is the only Israeli prime minister who sent his army to two wars of choice, all during one of the briefest terms in office. The man who made a number of courageous statements about peace late in his tenure has orchestrated no fewer than two wars. Talking peace and making war, the "moderate" and "enlightened" prime minister has been revealed as one of our greatest fomenters of war. That is how history will remember him. The "cash envelopes" crimes and "Rishon Tours" transgressions will make him look as pure as snow by comparison. Barak, the leader of the party of the left, will bear the cost of the IDF's misdeeds under his tutelage. His account will be burdened by the bombing and shelling of population centers, the hundreds of dead and wounded women and children, the numerous targetings of medical crews, the firing of phosphorus shells at civilian areas, the shelling of a UN-run school that served as a shelter for residents who bled to death over days as the IDF prevented their evacuation by shooting and shelling. Even our siege of Gaza for a year and a half, whose ramifications are frighteningly coming into focus in this war, will accrue to him. Blow after blow, all of these count in the world of war crimes. Livni, the foreign minister and leader of the centrist party, will be remembered as the one who pushed for, legitimized and sat silent through all these events. The woman who promised "a different kind of politics" was a full partner. This must not be forgotten. In contrast to the claims being made otherwise, we are permitted to believe that these three leaders did not embark on war for electoral considerations. Anytime is good for war in Israel. We set out for the previous war three months after the elections, not two months before. Will Israel judge them harshly in light of the images emanating from Gaza? Highly doubtful. Barak and Livni are actually rising in the polls instead of dipping. The test awaiting these individuals will not be a local test. It is true that some international statesmen cynically applauded the blows Israel dealt. It is true America kept silent, Europe stuttered and Egypt supported, but other voices will rise out of the crackle of combat. The first echoes can already be heard. This past weekend, the UN and the Human Rights Commission in Geneva have demanded an investigation into war crimes allegedly perpetrated by Israel. In a world in which Bosnian leaders and their counterparts from Rwanda have already been put on trial, a similar demand is likely to arise for the fomenters of this war. Israeli basketball players will not be the only ones who have to shamefully take cover in sports arenas, and senior officers who conducted this war will not be the only ones forced to hide in El Al planes lest they be arrested. This time, our most senior statesmen, the members of the war kitchen cabinet, are liable to pay a personal and national price. I don't write these words with joy, but with sorrow and deep shame. Despite all the slack the world has cut us since as long as we can remember, despite the leniency shown toward Israel, the world might say otherwise this time. If we continue like this, maybe one day a new, special court will be established in The Hague. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Celebrities scam Arab world celebrities 'swindled of millions by Egyptian fraudster'. Holocaust denial Vatican: Bishop who denied the Holocaust must recant his positions.   1.   Justice will be done. 08:06  |  Adam 12/01/09   2.   just stop it 11:04  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/01/09   3.   #1 Count me in, Adam 11:24  |  Ben Alofs 12/01/09   4.   #1,#3: and on me. Thanks Gideon 13:45  |  Rafael Tesoro 12/01/09   5.   Things one sees from The Hague 18:10  |  Awni Samara 12/01/09   6.   God will bring the criminals to Justice 18:20  |  Madhu 12/01/09   7.   Gideon- You Assessment Is Wrong 18:29  |  nate 12/01/09   8.   Congratulations 18:32  |  Peacefull Observer 12/01/09   9.   Too right Gideon 18:34  |  Will Rogers 12/01/09   10.   Thanks, Gideon 18:45  |  friend-of-Israel 12/01/09   11.   Mr Levy and blame 18:45  |  Siem 12/01/09   12.   the parallel track to the Hague 19:02  |  peaceful 12/01/09   13.   deep shame 19:02  |  Jack 12/01/09   14.   only justice but justice 19:56  |  pozzoli marguerite 12/01/09   15.   Gedion`s foolishness 20:21  |  Jay Belsky 12/01/09   16.   Bush and Blair then too 20:21  |  Leslie Hamilton 12/01/09   17.   Why do you blame ONLY Israel Gideon? 20:41  |  Jonathan 12/01/09   18.   Gideon upholds the last vestige of honour in Israel 20:44  |  Ivar 12/01/09   19.   gideon the anti jew 20:52  |  JfromC 12/01/09   20.   A warped mirro 20:54  |  Simon 12/01/09   21.   Gideon, it`s time to go !!! 20:55  |  Barney 12/01/09   22.   Levy sheds tears for terrorists 21:02  |  Connie 12/01/09   23.   #2 Cipora 21:34  |  Martin 12/01/09   24.   No Connie he sheds tears for Israel... 21:47  |  Blackpool Rock 12/01/09   25.   once again thank you Gideon Levy 21:48  |  Sam (UK) 12/01/09   26.   100% right 21:57  |  stop the killing 12/01/09   27.   Leslie Hamilton 22:05  |  Janice 12/01/09   28.   war crime 22:06  |  matt 12/01/09   29.   haaretz its wrong publishing this artiule, I really disapoined 22:11  |  Jaime 12/01/09   30.   Anti-Semites 22:12  |  Gábor Fränkl 12/01/09   31.   Godeon Ley, Things one sees from The Hague 22:26  |  Constance Blackwell 12/01/09   32.   gideon levy... 22:40  |  bentzy 12/01/09   33.   Gideon Levy article 22:46  |  Celia Ladeira Mota 12/01/09   34.   Thank you, Mr. Levy 22:57  |  Carolien 12/01/09   35.   Gideon, Yes, You sure don`t write those words with JOY, Yes Sure! 23:00  |  Gil 12/01/09   36.   Why you don`t go into politics? 23:09  |  IRI 12/01/09   37.   The banalization of tragedies 23:10  |  Robert 12/01/09   38.   The beginning of every Israeli spinmeister begins with 23:18  |  anton 12/01/09   39.   things one sees from The Hague 23:22  |  andreas 12/01/09   40.   That`s Incredible! 23:49  |  gandalf 12/01/09   41.   Things one sees from The Hague 23:52  |  Linda 12/01/09   42.   What a joy 00:05  |  MK 13/01/09   43.   they could have maintained the truce if they wanted to 00:11  |  newageblues 13/01/09   44.   What to do? 00:14  |  Dianne Foster 13/01/09   45.   The use of phosphor 00:15  |  Alicia 13/01/09   46.   Gideon Levy continued 00:21  |  Charles 13/01/09   47.   What about the things seen on European TV? 00:22  |  Silvienne 13/01/09   48.   Not to worry! 00:23  |  Johnboy 13/01/09   49.   This author is a poor deluded soul 00:24  |  harvey 13/01/09   50.   #2, Ms.Kohn, keep saying it... 00:24  |  Silvienne 13/01/09   51.   #1, Adam & #3, Rafael...well said!! 00:25  |  Silvienne 13/01/09   52.   Gideon Levy is a left wing fraud and hypocrit. 00:28  |  Ken Jurist 13/01/09   53.   Violence is not the answer 00:38  |  musings 13/01/09   54.   # 38 Linda 00:38  |  Joseph.E 13/01/09   55.   Levy`s exaggerated willingness to forgive Hamas 00:40  |  Chris 13/01/09   56.   gideon`s world 02:32  |  Zolman ben Moshe 13/01/09   57.   When Arabs were protecting jews..... 02:37  |  Antar AL Farissi 13/01/09   58.   Let us hope! 05:18  |  Sara D. 13/01/09   59.   Free Fish And Chips Absolutely Free 05:20  |  Brendan 13/01/09   60.   A Light Unto Other Nations 05:26  |  Nathan Biebitz 13/01/09   61.   To allow Hamas to war on Israel without responding 06:10  |  Susanna/Shoshana 13/01/09   62.   when arabs protected jews in spain andalusia 06:21  |  karl 13/01/09   63.   gideon is my hero 06:22  |  sam 13/01/09   64.   thank you Gideon 06:25  |  tamer 13/01/09   65.   to gabor the terorist 06:26  |  dan 13/01/09   66.   Purist Mr. Levy--Right for the wrong reasons! 06:56  |  George 13/01/09   67.   every rotten one of you who agree with Gideon Levy 06:59  |  Susanna/Shoshana 13/01/09   68.   great respect for g levy and haaretz 07:03  |  joseph 13/01/09   69.   gideon tells it like it is. 07:06  |  chuck 13/01/09   70.   gideon is a beacon in this dark world 07:08  |  jane 13/01/09   71.   insanity 07:14  |  gary rosen 13/01/09   72.   a fifth columnist in our midst 07:25  |  Mark 13/01/09   73.   Traitor 07:39  |  alanm 13/01/09   74.   iam lebanese and i will say this the chances of convicting an 08:25  |  ahmad 13/01/09   75.   Anti-Semite!! Self-Hating Jew!! Fifth Columnist!! Traitor!! 08:41  |  chet 13/01/09   76.   Congratulations Haaretz 08:44  |  chet 13/01/09   77.   War on hamas 08:46  |  A Yehudi 13/01/09   78.   There should be a law against this article! shame on Haaretz!! 08:52  |  Dr Eric 13/01/09   79.   #71 Gary 08:52  |  David R. Zukerman 13/01/09   80.   The Hague`s "moral and judicial test" 09:37  |  Ivar 13/01/09   81.   Thanks to Gideon. 09:48  |  Jan 13/01/09   82.   Give your hug to Haniyeh, Mr.Gideon Levy! 09:50  |  VLAD 13/01/09   83.   35 Gil, It was the actions of the IAF that killed Ghayan`s family 09:51  |  Dutch 13/01/09   84.   Beg to differ Dr #8 09:53  |  Esther 13/01/09   85.   No truer words ever written 09:57  |  Joe 13/01/09   86.   PLEASE READ THIS POST 09:59  |  Shoshana 13/01/09   87.   continuation of PLEASE READ 10:10  |  Shoshana 13/01/09   88.   You know chet`s has an inability to perceive truth 10:13  |  SDHD 13/01/09   89.   continued 10:16  |  Shoshana 13/01/09   90.   Jews for justice for Palestine 14:31  |  Labane Kelevberg 13/01/09   91.   that`s what Israël is all about 15:56  |  demonastir 13/01/09   92.   Gideon Levy 17:30  |  Pete 13/01/09   93.   Thanks 18:07  |  MK 13/01/09   94.   Honor 20:57  |  Friend of Israel 13/01/09   95.   You won`t get this in America 06:00  |  S. Sen 14/01/09   96.   Surprise 15:21  |  Jørgen 14/01/09   97.   To be more patriotic 17:19  |  Claude Sternberg 14/01/09

Read & React Archbishop who ran arms to PLO said aboard seized Gaza aid ship Responses: 81 Gaza doctor who lost daughters in IDF strike: Everyone makes mistakes Responses: 64 Amira Hass: Gaza burn victims exhibit possible signs of white phosphorous wounds Responses: 50 Hamas: Draft for Gaza truce has been reached Responses: 44 Israeli Arab push for election boycott gathers momentum Responses: 43 Stockholm police arrest two for throwing shoe, books at Israeli envoy Responses: 45 More Headlines 19:38 Olmert okays transfer of NIS 175m from West Bank to Gaza 16:56 Russia plans to start up Iran nuclear plant in 2009 19:39 Egypt detains senior Hamas official taking $11m to Gaza 19:51 Archbishop who ran arms to PLO said aboard seized Gaza aid ship 19:55 Elections 2009 / Livni: Every Israeli must do IDF or national service 12:22 IDF kills Jihad man in West Bank over plot to attack Israel 11:08 Gaza burn victims exhibit possible signs of white phosphorous wounds 20:06 WATCH: British Mandate-era arms cache found in Hod Hasharon synagogue 12:29 Madoff scam victims named; sons and brother on list 19:46 U.S., EU experts consider naval force to stop Gaza arms smuggling 17:28 Top defense official Gilad heads to Cairo for Gaza truce talks 14:13 Elections 2009 / Israeli Arab election boycott gathers speed 19:17 Umm al-Fahm vows to block far-rightist from entering city on election day 11:02 Stockholm police arrest two for throwing shoe at Israeli envoy 19:01 Elections 2009 / Labor officials urge Barak to rule out partnership with Lieberman 13:03 After years of hunting Nazi 'Dr. Death,' Germany now looking for his body 11:01 South Africa Jews welcome minister's apology over 'Jews control America' jibe Previous Editions Select Day 04 feb 03 feb 02 feb 01 feb 30 jan 29 jan 28 jan 27 jan 26 jan 25 jan 23 jan 22 jan

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