Monday, May 31, 2010

Fuck you, Israel

CNN, dateline May 31, 2010: 9 dead as Israeli forces storm Gaza aid convoy.

The international community on Monday condemned an Israeli naval commando raid on a flotilla carrying aid for Palestinians in Gaza, leaving 9 people dead.

Israel claimed it was defending itself, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) saying the soldiers' lives were in danger after they were attacked with "severe physical violence, including live fire, weapons, knives and clubs."


This was done in international waters.

This is an act of piracy.

This is an act of war, against the world.


I wonder what the American politicians/sycophants will say to justify this terrorism and try to ingratiate themselves with the Israel lobby even more.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday he was "shocked by reports of killing of people in boats carrying supplies to Gaza. I condemn the violence and Israel must explain."

The Spanish and French governments called the action "disproportionate." The Italian foreign minister asked the European Union to investigate, and several nations, including Greece and Sweden, were summoning their Israeli ambassadors.

An indignant Turkey recalled its ambassador from Israel, canceled three planned military exercises with the Israeli military and called home its youth national football team, which had two games scheduled in Israel, said Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc.



Because this blog is read mostly by Americans, let me explain the Gaza blockade here for them. Gaza is Hamas territory, an anti Israel militia/political organization stronghold. Trouble is, Hamas won a democratic election, being chosen by the Palestinians tired of the ineffectiveness and corruption of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). America and Israel supported (and support) the PLO after the election results, going so far as to egging them on into armed action against Hamas - Hamas won that round, and nipped a possible Palestinian civil war in the bud.

So now, West Bank is PLO territory, and Gaza is Hamas.

To punish Gazans/Palestinians for electing Hamas, Israel has put in place an economic blockade of that territory.

The blockade is targetting the whole Gaza population (many of whom do not support Hamas, are neutral and just civilians caught in the middle of the craziness) - which is a war crime.

BBC has a good primer on the Gaza blockade, listing what can get in and out.

Long story short - all kinds of foods, fuel, building materials are prohibited, to prevent Gaza from functioning normally, and prevent them from rebuilding their homes and businesses and most of all prevent any semblance of a normal life.

Tell me if the items listed here make any sense if your aim is to prevent terrorism:

The UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees Unrwa's list of household items that have been refused entry at various times includes light bulbs, candles, matches, books, musical instruments, crayons, clothing, shoes, mattresses, sheets, blankets, pasta, tea, coffee, chocolate, nuts, shampoo and conditioner.


Many other items - ranging from cars to fridges to computers - are generally refused entry.

Building materials such as cement, concrete and wood were nearly always refused entry until early 2010, when some glass, wood and aluminium were allowed in.


Right, they do not.

The aim is to fuck up Gaza and its inhabitants, to make them suffer for daring to defy "generous" Israeli peace offer of Israeli dependent banstustans (Israel has learned a lot about apartheid from South Africa of the 1970's and 1980's).

The blockade is designed against civilians, not against Hamas - if the prohibited items were limited to arms, ammunition, bomb making materials, I would understand.

But preventing shampoo, bricks and mortar, cement, candles, shoes, blankets, tea...

Of course, you can guess how "american" politicians fawn and sway and smile as they justify this travesty of economically destroying a whole people as they prominently display their lapels with ISRAELIamerican flags on them (buy them yourself here, be just like Obama).


This aid convoy was an attempt by the world (and not just the moslems, mind you) to bring this Gaza blockade to the attention of the world, the blockade which has been going on since June 2007.


I have to admit, Israel has brass balls when confronting the international community (it is probably not that difficult, as America will support Israel no matter what it does - Israeli companies can use Arab children for SPAM and American media will find a way to put a positive spin on that).

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev accused the leaders of the flotilla of looking for a fight.

"They wanted to make a political statement. They wanted violence," according to Regev, who said Israel wanted a peaceful interception of the ships trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. "They are directly responsible for the violence and the deaths that occurred."


The bitch was wearing a short skirt and walking alone at night - your honor, she is responsible for my client raping her - she wanted it!


So what now?

Palestinians are divided, which was the strategic aim of Israel for quite some time - the old divide and conquer strategy.

Hamas is an Israeli creature - and if you think I am nuts, feel free to research this:

Wall Street Journal:

"Hamas, to my great regret, is Israel's creation," says Mr. Cohen, a Tunisian-born Jew who worked in Gaza for more than two decades. Responsible for religious affairs in the region until 1994, Mr. Cohen watched the Islamist movement take shape, muscle aside secular Palestinian rivals and then morph into what is today Hamas, a militant group that is sworn to Israel's destruction.

Instead of trying to curb Gaza's Islamists from the outset, says Mr. Cohen, Israel for years tolerated and, in some cases, encouraged them as a counterweight to the secular nationalists of the Palestine Liberation Organization and its dominant faction, Yasser Arafat's Fatah. Israel cooperated with a crippled, half-blind cleric named Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, even as he was laying the foundations for what would become Hamas.


Got the picture?

Looks like Israel has won.

The Palestinians are divided and splintered into two factions which are de facto at war with one another, they are herded into bantustans, their access to books, food, medicines, cement, candles, matches, shampoo etc. totally controlled by Israel.

The settlements continue to expand, there will be no independent Palestine.

And apart from Israel, the moslem radicals also win.

New outrage, new young moslems watching TV news of another Israeli outrage, new bombings, new special forces missions, new suicide bombings, endless war.

Moslem radicals and American big business and elites are in hog heaven.

Boom.

1 comment:

Frank Hope said...

Hi AG - I haven't posted anything on the Gaza flotilla massacre. It's not that I don't care. It's just that I don't know what more I can say than what I have already said in previous posts.

I looked at my last article I wrote about Gaza and Rachel Corrie, and everything I say there applies to the current brutal attacks by Israel.

Rachel Corrie and the People of Gaza
"Again, and again, and again the People of Palestine are asked to sacrifice their lives. When will it end? When will the world put an end to this insane bloodshed?... The Lion of Judea is on a rampage, devouring its victims by the thousands to satisfy its never ending hunger for conquest. This is insanity! Has the world lost its mind? Is there no one who will stand up against the madness? Not just speak up, but stand up. It is well past the time for this bloody sacrifice to end."

Here is a link to an Al Jazeera blog that is being updated in real time with the latest news related to this massacre:
Live coverage: Israel's flotilla raid

Personally, I have come to the conclusion that the best thing that I can do to help the people of Gaza is to keep them constantly in my prayers. Faith is the only thing left after protests, and letters and calls to congresspeople have had no effect.

Peace,
Frank Hope