In an unprecedented move, California mortgage broker Richard Maize put immense efforts into creating human rights information sites on the Internet to call into question the conclusions reached in the UN Goldstone Report which was released last week. The biased report ended weeks of speculation into the Gaza War enquiry, a commission that Israel chose not to be involved in. As Richard Maize states, “When the UN Goldstone Report was released anyone could see that it was highly biased, one sided, a pure example of discrimination against Israel.”
It is a known fact that one of the four members of the Goldstone Commission had already made up her mind before the war ended, having signed a letter stating that Israel’s actions in Gaza were war crimes. The UN Human Rights Counsel includes in its members states that are known to have questionable records regarding human rights or hostile feelings towards Israel, such as Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Pakistan, Bahrain, Mauritius and Qatar.
In fact, the mandate was not upheld by several of the democratic members of the Human Rights Commission, including the European Union, Japan, Canada and Switzerland, all of whom refused to support the resolution.
When it comes to witnesses called by the commission, some of them were in fact Hamas operatives directly involved in terrorist activities. One of those witnesses, Mohammed Fuoad Abu Askar, was only one of the many senior Hamas operatives who offered their own homes in which to store arms and ammunition. The IDF targetted Askar’s “home” in its strikes against terror in Gaza.
Even though Hamas held the entire population of Gaza hostage by planting its rockets and terrorist infrastructure with the civilian residential areas and using those civilians as human shields, the commission did not acknowledge these crimes.
Richard Maize, through the Richard Maize Foundation, donates time and funds to worthy causes locally and spanning the globe. This unfair and biased UN report on Israel’s attempt to defend herself from Arab aggression is an example of anti-semitism that he feels needs to be addressed in the strongest possible way. Through the creation of two websites, he reports the facts on the ground in the Gaza War. They can be seen at:
http://www.israelhumanrights.com
http://www.ungoldstonereport.com
Prime Minister Netanyahu CNN Interview
In a CNN interview with Prime Minister Netanyahu, the prime minister states the truths of the upside down Goldstone Commission:
BLITZER: You know this United Nations commission, which just came back with a scathing report suggesting that Israel, your military, committed war crimes or something close to that, crimes against humanity, perhaps, even, during the fighting in Gaza. And I know you strongly disagree, but I want you to react to that United Nations report.
NETANYAHU: Now you’re being a diplomat. I strongly disagree? I think this is preposterous. It’s absurd. Israel was rocketed, pummeled for eight years by thousands of rockets that came from Gaza. We vacated all of Gaza, hoping that this thing would stop, and they fired not one rocket, but thousands of rockets, after we left Gaza.
So, what’s a country to do? I mean, what would you do if thousands of rockets fell on – Where are you talking from, Wolf, Washington, right? – Washington, D.C., or any part of the United States? You know what the United States would do.
BLITZER: The argument, though, Mr. Prime Minister, in this U.N. report is that you overreacted, and, in the process, you killed a lot of civilians.
NETANYAHU: We overreacted, did we? Well, let me tell you, after a million or so of our people were under rocket fire, progressively larger and larger circles of rockets falling on our cities, we did what every reasonable country would do. We tried to get at the rocketeers, those terrorists firing those missiles and rockets who placed themselves, embedded themselves in homes and schools and mosques, and you name it.
And we tried to target these people. We even sent them SMS text messages, telling the Palestinian civilians, please get out of harm’s way, cellular phones, you name it. So, we did everything possible to minimize the loss of innocent civilian lives.
And yet the Hamas actually was committing a double war crime, firing on civilians while hiding behind civilians. That’s a double war crime. They’re the ones who sort of get a free bill out of this biased U.N. report, and Israel, that is defending itself, is accused.
BLITZER: All right.
NETANYAHU: So, the terrorists are exonerated. The victims are accused. That’s an upside-down world. And I think this does grievous harm to the battle against terrorism, because the terrorists are basically being told, you get a free ride. All you have to do is fire at a democracy from built-up areas, from residential quarters, and you will get a clean bill of health. And I think it does a great disservice to peace, too, because we’re asked to take risks for peace. The international community says, if you take risks for peace, we will support your right of self- defense. And yet we did just that. We vacated Gaza in the hopes that this would advance peace. And when we’re rocketed with thousands of rockets and missiles from the places we vacated, people say Israel is the war criminal.
BLITZER: If there is a trial at the International Court and the accusation is that Israel committed war crimes, or crimes against humanity in Gaza, will you cooperate with that?
NETANYAHU: Well, the question is, will any serious country cooperate with it?
I took note of the fact that the leading democracies that were in this U.N. commission, they opposed this. They were against this mandate, because it looked like a kangaroo court in the first place, where Israel was basically hanged, drawn, and quartered morally and given an unfair trial to boot right at the start of these proceedings.
I think this is wrong. But understand this. It’s not only we who will be damaged. It’s you, too. I mean, American pilots, NATO pilots, let alone Russia and other countries that are fighting terrorists, are going to be put on the dock, too, because it’s said that you cannot fight terrorists.
It means that all the terrorists have to do is put themselves in a residential quarter, and they receive immunity. And that’s not something that any country fighting terrorism can accept. And I don’t think you can accept it either.
The Rochelle and Richard Maize Foundation is a philanthropic organization that supports and contributes volunteer and financial resources to causes locally in the community and worldwide by supporting meaningful programs focusing on art, culture, family services and health care that work to help people live more fulfilling lives.
Richard Maize has generously supported organizations and causes including the American Cancer Society, Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services, Hurricane Katrina, Los Angeles Police Foundation, and Cedars Sinai Board of Governors.
The Rochelle and Richard Maize Foundation supports the Friends of Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif. For three days in 2008, the Rochelle and Richard Maize Foundation helped sponsor the California Spirit XXIV for the Vital Work of the American Cancer Society.
As a young and ambitious graduate from California State University, Northridge, Richard Maize began his business career investing in Southern California real estate. In 1988, Richard Maize co-founded a mortgage banking company that has grown into one of the largest and most well-regarded mortgage brokerage firms in the country.
A leader, mentor and dedicated mortgage professional, Richard Maize resides in Beverly Hills along with his wife and foundation co-founder, Rochelle Atlas Maize and their two daughters, Amanda and Ally.
