Netanyahu seeks to change rules of war

[Don’t like the obeying international law? Can’t stop committing war crimes?  What do you do? Change the rules!]

JERUSALEM (JTA) —
Benjamin Netanyahu ordered several government ministries to look into
floating an international initiative to change the rules of war in
light of global terrorism.

The Israeli prime minister at a meeting Tuesday of the Ministerial
Committee on National Security also ordered the justice minister to
form a committee to deal with international legal proceedings against
Israel and Israeli officials in the wake of the Goldstone report.  

Also, the committee declared 500 organizations to be terrorist
organizations. Most of the organizations direct their activities toward
various targets in the West and not necessarily against Israel, and
nearly all are connected to al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden or the Taliban.

“Our challenge is to delegitimize the continuous attempt to
delegitimize the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said at the meeting,
according to a statement released by the Government Press Office. “The
most important arena where we need to act in this context is in the
arena of public opinion, which is crucial in the democratic world.  We
must continue to debunk this lie that is spreading with the help of the
Goldstone report.”

He added: “In Lebanon, in Gaza and in other places, weapons are
being piled up around us with the sole aim of firing them at the
citizens of the State of Israel. I want to make it clear to everyone:
No one will undermine our ability and right to defend our children, our
citizens and our communities.”

Though the meeting had been called to discuss the implications of
the Goldstone report, Defense Minister Ehud Barak refused to address
the idea of forming a commission to look into its findings regarding
Palestinian civilian casualties, according to reports.

The Goldstone report was adopted last week by the United Nations Human Rights Council and sent on to the U.N. Security Council.