Goldstone to attend grandon's bar mitzva

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Richard Goldstone, the South African judge who presided over the UN commission charged with investigating Operation Cast Lead, will attend his grandon's bar mitzva ceremony in Israel, a South African Jewish organization announced Sunday.

The SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) said that following consultation between all the parties involved, an agreement was reached to enable Goldstone to attend the ceremony without drawing protests from Jewish groups. Goldstone will also meet with South African Zionist Federation leaders and explain his perspective on the IDF's Gaza offensive.

"I am delighted that I will attend the bar mitzva of my grandson," Goldstone said following the agreement.

The report published by commission he had headed had accused the IDF of committing war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during clashes with Hamas aimed at stopping the firing of rockets at Israel. The report also accused Hamas of crimes, but was widely endorsed by the Arab world. In Israel, the report drew widespread criticism, exacerbated by the Jewish background of Goldstone himself.

In its statement, the SAJBD requested that "all parties immediately desist all public activities on this matter so that the young man’s bar mitzva celebration can be returned to the privacy and dignity that it deserves."

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