A Botched Raid, a Vital Embargo

[Fozzledick]

IN the last few days, Jerusalem has been blanketed by an unusual combination of humiliation and steely determination. How is it, people here wondered aloud, that the same country that tripled its size in three lightning days in June 1967 and then pulled off the rescue at Entebbe nine years later now seems to botch everything?

We lost the 2006 war in Lebanon, believing — incorrectly — that our venerated air force could win the war from the skies. The strikes on Gaza in December 2008 were a military success, but we have utterly failed to convince the world that it was a defensive effort precipitated by eight years of Hamas’s firing Qassam rockets at us, killing and maiming and destroying any semblance of a normal life for Israelis living near the border. And then came Monday’s attack on the flotilla trying to break through the naval blockade of Gaza.

Yet, despite widespread criticism at the way the raid was conducted, few here doubted that stopping the flotilla was the right thing to do. Life in Gaza is unquestionably oppressive; no one in his right mind would choose to live there. But there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza; if anyone goes without food, shelter or medicine, that is by the choice of the Hamas government, which puts garnering international sympathy above taking care of its citizens. Israel has readily agreed to send into Gaza all the food and humanitarian supplies on the boats after they had been inspected for weapons.

...

Like every other country, Israel has as its foremost obligation the protection of its citizens. Given that, why should it have allowed the flotilla to enter without inspecting its goods? If the United States were to impose a blockade on Iran (which seems unlikely), and another country dispatched a string of ships in a similar operation, is there any chance the United States Navy would let them through without inspection?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/opinion/03gordis.html?hp

[subsuelo]

1. No excuse for executing peace activists trying to help. n/t

[LakeSamish706]

2. The difference in your scenario is the US Navy would not slaughter innocent

unarmed people like Israel has done.

[Fozzledick]

6. Oh yes, we've all seen the video of how innocent and unarmed the IHH thugs were

And I'm sure U.S. forces would gladly submit to such a vicious assault without defending themselves.

[EFerrari]

7. IDF had already killed at least one person before they boarded.

Gee, I wonder why those people armed themselves.

[EFerrari]

3. The embedded cliche is that Israel wanted to inspect the cargo.

Witness after witness says the boarding parties wanted no such thing.

It doesn't matter how the propagandists flood the US media. The tide has turned.

[whosinpower]

10. Exactly - inspection was never an option

The only option was to divert to Ashdod(?spelling)where Israel would dole out the aid as it saw fit.

At no time, was there ever any attempt to stop the flotilla and inspect its cargo for weapons - and the option of allowing it to continue to its destination.

In the cover of darkness, with masked faces, and concussion grenades flaring they attacked....

There are hundreds of eyewitnesses from many different nations who all say the same thing.

Hamas is evil. And they won without a single rocket flare. If that gives Israeli citizens pause - it should. Their leaders are failing them - just as badly as Hamas fails Gaza. The issue is collective punishment in an open air prison of Gaza. If the blockade was simply about weapons, there would be no reason why pasta was forbidden - or grapes, or toys, or notebooks, or shoes, or medical supplies, or coriander, or this week perhaps melons, next week might be tomatoes.....there is no other reason than collective punishment.

In some fantasy land of some Israeli politician, they somehow dream that by denying these people of a life, that somehow they will overthrow Hamas. And this Israeli politician dreams that somhow, somewhere in the ghetto a visionary will be born and realize that Israel is not at all bad, even though it bombs them, kills their neighbors indiscriminately, raids them, denies them a livelihood - that even with all that, this visionary will want to give Israel a big old hug and make friends - and not only that, but unite all the people of Gaza behind him to a new political force that will finally enable a two state solution. Sadly - this is the sort of person who holds power in Israel.

[EFerrari]

15. The Israeli hard right's Gaza policy, beyond being criminally inhumane,

has only empowered Hamas. And it's time for people of conscience and common sense to demand that it ends.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

24. Not required for blockade runners under CLOS

Yes they could have done that, but they chose not to.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Strange analogy

If the United States were to impose a blockade on Iran ? Would sure need some inventiveness to do that.

[Scuba]

5. The flotilla was in international waters. Your excuse doesn't hold water.

[Fozzledick]

9. They publicly proclaimed their intention to breach the blockade,justifying interdiction to stop them

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=314484&mesg_id=314486

[Tripmann]

11. Wrong

The blockade itself is illegal as it contravenes article 33 of the geneva convention, based on it collective punishment of civilians.

You cannot legally enforce an illegal blockade.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

19. He is correct. The MEZ which is the mechanism of the blockade has been respected so far

The lack of a legitimate challenge gives it inherent recognition

[LakeSamish706]

20. That still doesn't make it legal even if it has been in place for 3 years. The problem is

there doesn't seem to be a country with a vested interest in taking Israel on in a conflict (not that I particularly want to that happen) but someone needs to take them on.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

23. Israel followed the letter of the law. The MEZ is most likely legal

Which in turn provides the legal justification/coverage for the rest of it under CLOS. There is yet to be a legal challenge to it. If there is a presumption, its on the side of Israel at this point. Not saying its right, just that it looks like its legal.

[Ignis]

26. All they had to do was wait for the flotilla to travel 6 more nautical miles.

Why attack in international waters during dawn prayers? Why not wait for them to cross the line and make it much more legal and above-board?

:shrug:

It's either bad policy or tactical incompetence.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

28. Good question. Once it was light, it really did not matter that much.

Tactically they should have attacked several hours earlier. They also should have had used flash-bangs and had jamming support.

Not sure dawn prayers figured into it.

[Ignis]

34. I think "macho" won out over "smart" here.

They eyes of the world are watching now, and it's important to do everything possible to minimize the risk of deaths during a boarding scenario.

Shooting down into a crowd on deck from a 'copter doesn't fit that bill.

[EFerrari]

21. Not really. Even the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories

calls it a crime.

That the United States backs Israel in this criminality is not authorizing. In fact, it just de-legitimizes both the United States and Israel.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

22. He can say what he wants, it does not override CLOS

[EFerrari]

25. It's a crime against humanity and the world is finished with it.

This will not end until the siege is lifted.

Before this is over, Israel will be looking at reparations to people all over the world.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

29. I don't think the world really cares. It will fade when something else sensational happens

Repeat your memes to your hearts content, but outside of activists, the entire incident has very little legs.

[EFerrari]

30. And you would be wrong.

There have been huge protests all around the world. Shown here at 25:20

http://www.linktv.org/mosaic/20100601

[ProgressiveProfessor]

31. Give it month...or six

Outrage fatigue and short attentions spans will rule the day

[Scuba]

17. There is no justification for what they did....

...murdering unarmed civilians carrying humanitarian aid to the people Israel oppresses.

By the way, your assertion that they they were justified because the flotilla had announced its intention to land sounds an awful lot like the Bush Doctrine, and we know where that got us. And the blockade is illegal anyway.

[EFerrari]

27. Nope. No justification for illegalling boarding them in international waters

let alone, beating them, killing them or kidnapping them.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

32. CLOS allows for boarding of declared blockade runners in international waters

I was surprised to read it, but its clearly there.

[Fumesucker]

8. The difference is that for many years Israel only had its troops engage in well planned operations..

Vital operations with a well thought out strategy and meticulously crafted tactics.

But that was back when the government of Israel was not under the rule of insane right wingers.

Now though, high officials in the Israeli government have fallen into the trap of believing their own PR, that their troops are superhuman and can perform any mission, no matter how ineptly conceived or strategized.

It is stupidity and hubris at the highest levels of the Israeli government that have led to the military blunders it keeps finding itself engaged in, change the government to a sane one and watch the military successes return to the IDF.

[backscatter712]

12. "No humanitarian crisis in Gaza"

:rofl:

When Charles Krauthammer made the same claim, that there was no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Jon Stewart rebutted him perfectly...

"You know, whatever you may think of the respective leaderships, the Israelis or Hamas, whatever Gods you pray to or whatever direction you may pray to them in, if you can't even look at Gaza, and agree that there is suffering there that needs to be alleviated, no matter who's to blame for it, then your heart is so dead, tourists flock there to float on their backs in it!"

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-june-2-2010/clusterf--k-to-the-war-house---korean-peninsula---middle-east

[Fozzledick]

13. I can see why tourists would flock there

http://www.rootsclub.ps/index.php

but I wouldn't advise going by sea.

[whosinpower]

14. It is VERY unusual yes?

That all these links and blogs and quotes about the above club are all dated May 27, 2010 or after......kinda makes a person say hmmmmm....could it be Israeli propeganda at play???????

And wait - it is the Irsael government who is recommending the above said club....jeez to have a club PROSPER so much under the despicable government of Hamas - and yet the Israeli government is recommending it.....things get stranger by the day.

[Tripmann]

16. Just like the links claiming IHH a terrorist organisation

All are less than a week old.

Even Goebbels would have a hard on at this level of propaganda.

[Hardrada]

18. They're good. Gotta give 'em that.

Won't change many minds or help their case but they do work hard at this! Won't keep them from condemnation by the world either. They are in the same sort of bubble as North Korea.

[ConsAreLiars]

33. Being again known as a state ruled by brutal amoral mass murdering cowards is no big deal.

The US has been there, done that and is still around and still doing that. Don't worry yet. Psychopathic death cults often last a long time.

(slight edit)