Thursday, March 3rd, 7PM
A debate between Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) and former US Representative Brian Baird. Moderated by Roger Cohen of the New York Times.
In the spring of 2009, South African judge Richard Goldstone set out on a mission to the Gaza Strip on assignment from the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate possible war crimes committed by both Israel and Hamas during “Operation Cast Lead,” Israel’s invasion of Gaza a few months earlier. Many other reports on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had been conducted, but the account Goldstone’s mission produced later that year was different — it became the report heard round the world, as it alleged that both Israel and Hamas committed atrocities during Israel’s 2009 incursion into Gaza, with Israel aiming to “punish, humiliate and terrorise a civilian population.” This characterization incited an uproar in Israel and abroad.
The Goldstone Report (Nation Books) contains analysis, commentary, and a context for a new debate with regards to the report’s importance. Join moderator Roger Cohen (The New York Times), former US Representative Brian Baird, a critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza (whose essay on Congress and the report appears in The Goldstone Report), and Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY), a strong supporter of Israel’s policy in Gaza and an informed critic of Goldstone’s findings, for an engaging conversation on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the report’s findings, and the ramifications of the changing landscape in Egypt for the future of peace in the Middle East.
Admission is free; RSVP required to publicprograms@newschool.
