Goldstone Report to be used as defence at Decommissioners Trial

bristol | protests | news report Tuesday June 08, 2010 01:00 by Supporter - Bristol Stop the War/ Bristol PSC

The judge in the decommissioners trial at Hove Crown Court stated today that the jury would need to know the historical background to the trial. He recommended that a short summary of the Goldstone Report be submitted to the jury as part of the evidence for the defence. This is a highly significant decision as the report is extremely critical of both the Israeli Defence Force and Hamas. Of particular relevance to today's trial is that it finds that war crimes were committed by Israel in its attack on Gaza in 2009. This strongly supports the defendants' case and is of world significance for future trials.

Supporters of the decommissioners outside Hove Crown Court

Today the judge in the opening stages of the decommisioners trial at Hove Crown Court stated that the jury would need to be aware of the present situation in Gaza and of the circumstances during the Israeli attack in January 2009. He recommended that a short extract of the executive summary of the Goldstone Report be allowed as evidence for the defence and be presented to the jurors. In passing he mentioned the attack by the Israeli Defence Force(IDF) on the UN Relief and Works building during the conflict.

This is a highly significant development as the Goldstone Report is extremely critical of both /the IDF and of Hamas. Of particular relevance to the trial today is that the report states that war crimes were committed by Israel in its assault on Gaza. This strongly supports the fundamental argument of the decommissioners who have consistently said that they acted to prevent such crimes from being committed by the IDF. If this line of argument is accepted by the jury then the outlook is bright for the eight defendants in court today. It also has potentially historical significance for future trials both in th UK and the rest of the world.