(IsraelNN.com) Former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold faced off Thursday night against Judge Richard Goldstone in a debate hosted by Brandeis University over the United Nations Goldstone Report, which condemned Israel for alleged human rights violations during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.

"Let me begin by being very direct. The U.N. Gaza report is the most serious and vicious indictment of the State of Israel bearing the seal of the United Nations since the General Assembly adopted the 'Zionism is racism' resolution,” Gold stated. “The report simply distorts the very essence of what Israel stands for.”

Before addressing the Goldstone Report, Gold mentioned the Iranian weapons ship that was halted in the Mediterranean on Tuesday, bearing thousands of rockets. “Those rockets were intended to kill Israeli civilians,” he stated.

As Gold began to describe the instructions IDF soldiers receive in avoiding civilian casualties, he was interrupted by a group of hecklers. The hecklers were silenced, and Gold went on to inform his audience that Israeli soldiers are taught to respect civilian life even at the risk of their own.

Report 'Went Beyond Evidence'
The Goldstone Report went “beyond its own evidence” to impune intentions and motives to Israeli leaders, Gold charged. In addition, the report went “months beyond its own research,” condemning Israeli actions before and after the report. “How does the Gaza report of the U.N. reach these conclusions?” he asked.

In contrast, Hamas “is almost protected” in the report, Gold charged, pointing out that Hamas officials themselves had interpreted the report as vindicating their position.

What Would You Do?
Gold challenged his audience to state what they would do in Israel's place. “What would you do if your population was facing repeated attacks for eight years?” Gold asked, after showing videos showing the damage wrought by terrorist rockets. He pointed out, with help from aerial maps, that Hamas positions were embedded within the Arab civilian population.

He presented three choices: attack the enemy indiscriminately, despite civilian casualties - citing actions by the Russian government against terrorists in Chechnya as an example -- give up and allow Hamas to kill civilians, or – as Israel did – attempt to separate Arab civilians from Hamas terrorists by sending multiple warnings, calling off attacks due to the presence of civilians, and more.

"A country that goes through all of these efforts to try to protect Palestinian civilians... is that a country that engages in deliberate attacks on the civilian population?” Gold demanded.

Hamas Not Mentioned
Gold challenged Goldstone over the report's cautious approach to Hamas. “Why doesn't Hamas appear as a responsible party for what happened? Hamas is not criticized for the policy that led to the disaster on the Palestinians,” he declared. Instead, Hamas terrorists were referred to as members of “Palestinian armed groups,” he said, and the connection between Hamas “policemen” -- many of whom have been found to be members of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations -- and terrorism was ignored.

As Goldstone continued to refer to destruction wrought by Cast Lead in Gaza, Gold said there was no question that Gaza had faced considerable damage. The real question is who bears responsibility for that damage, he said.

The report does not mention who boobytrapped the buildings in Gaza, who dug the tunnels under the civilian houses, said Gold. "This war never would have happened if rockets had not been fired at Israel," he stated. "Remember, Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, and never wanted to go back there," he reminded.

"One of our central disagreements is how to relate to the Hamas regime,” he said. Do you treat Hamas as the legitimate authority in Gaza, or do you treat it as a terrorist organization? “I don't think you deal with this adequately when you refer to 'armed groups,'” he said.

Can Israeli Investigators be Trusted?
During his initial statements, Goldstone called for Israel and Hamas to investigate the allegations in his report. However, during the question and answer period, and in response to Gold, Goldstone made it clear that he sees Israel's investigation as insufficient.

IDF investigations are taking place behind closed doors, Goldstone charged, and are therefore unreliable. He dismissed Israeli reports finding that the IDF had not bombed a mosque in Gaza during prayers, saying that he and his fellow investigators had seen the evidence themselves.