We get hatemail, Flotilla edition

Posted on 06/02/2010 by Meryl Yourish

Please enjoy these selections from the charming people who disagree with me. Note the depth, breadth, and soaring intellect of the average anti-Semitic anti-Israel commenter. And note, especially, the good humor, cheerfulness, and acceptance of a blogger having the choice of how the debate goes on her own blog.

From an Optimum Online user (I have no desire to waste any time searching my logs finding out exactly where, but this one’s in America:

First Israel has rationalized apartheid, then Israel rationalized the Warsaw Ghetto. Next is the rationalization of genocide. All in a spirit of Proceedings of the Nurenberg Process.

Calling in from work at Wide Open West Finance, we have this charmer:

Reminder that Hamas hasn’t fired a single rocket since it agreed to a ceasefire a month after Operation Cast Lead. Israel is just keeping the blockade on Gaza to be sadistic.

A Turk weighs in. Oh, the humanity of a native of the nation that performed the Armenian genocide!

because you damned you(r pirates) have heavy guns against those civilians, so they have knives, sticks and pipes. got it? I don’t think that you got, because only a human can understand..

From Ireland, Kevin is also blogging from work (Catalyst Design Ltd.). He posted a comment at 10:09 yesterday. As my comments are moderated, no one gets a comment approved without first having my approval. After that, you can post at will. I was working, therefore his comment was in the moderation queue. At 10:11, we have this:

Will you continue to delete comments you don’t agree with or will you be an impartial journalist and consider all views? I better screen-grab my comments as proof in future.

And at 13:06, Kevin The Entitled gets really mad and gives me what-for:

You’re a liar and a cheat Yourish.

At least fuck all people read your blog. Zero comments on most posts or is that because you delete the intelligent ones? Who do you think you’re fooling? Either you are not very intelligent or you are totally brainwashed.

Actually, thousands of people read my blog every day, but few of them comment. All of those who do are far more civil—and smarter—than Kevin The Entitled.

This is one of my favorites. It’s from another Turk using the handle “faith.” (Gee, let’s guess which faith he’s talking about.) After quoting me quoting an Israeli spokesman describing the weapons used to attack the IDF, I get existential insults. Classy.

What a fool you are!!! Truth is dimensionless with respect to your idiopatic brainç You are not a human but not even an animal either, rest is meaningless to discuss.

And of course, we have the Stormfront representative with the winning anti-Semitism of the week. This one is from Southwestern Bell in Texas, and he called himself—this is truly original here, hold onto your hats—Adolf H.

you filthy juden what is wrong with you? those people had every right to attack those jew pirates attacking their ship in international waters. what did the boat have that you jews wanted? pennies?

Dingdingding! Nazi phrases and a really old, lame stereotype all wrapped up in one post! We have a winner! (Who watches Nazi movies!)

And now you have a sampling of what I get when this blog gets linked around. It gets a whole lot worse when Yahoo! News links me. That’s when the real venom begins. And yet, every single time, I get the last laugh. Their words only see the light in posts like this, where I expose them for the hateful, effing morons that they really are.

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Israel Derangement Syndrome, Site news | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Friedman: imaginary friend

Posted on 06/02/2010 by Soccerdad

Thomas Friedman is apparently vexed, by the recent conflict between Israel and Turkey in When America’s friends fall out:

As a friend of both Turkey and Israel, it has been agonizing to watch the disastrous clash between Israeli naval commandos and a flotilla of “humanitarian” activists seeking to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Personally, I think both Israel and Turkey have gotten out of balance lately, and it is America’s job to help both get back to the center — urgently.

Except, as Shiloh Musings points out:

Turkey has betrayed Israel by supporting the terrorists in Gaza. No whitewashing or urging of by the United States can repair the relationship.

The rift that so bothers Friedman consisted of Turkey moving away from Israel and embracing Israel’s enemies.

Friedman again:

Therefore, it has been painful to hear the same Prime Minister Erdogan in recent years publicly lash out with ever-greater vehemence at Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians in Gaza. Many see this as Turkey looking to ingratiate itself with the Muslim world after having been rebuffed by the European Union. I have no problem with Turkey or humanitarian groups loudly criticizing Israel. But I have a big problem when people get so agitated by Israel’s actions in Gaza but are unmoved by Syria’s involvement in the murder of the prime minister of Lebanon, by the Iranian regime’s killing of its own citizens demonstrating for the right to have their votes counted, by Muslim suicide bombers murdering nearly 100 Ahmadi Muslims in mosques in Pakistan on Friday and by pro-Hamas gunmen destroying a U.N.-sponsored summer camp in Gaza because it wouldn’t force Islamic fundamentalism down the throats of children.

That concern for Gaza and Israel’s blockade is so out balance with these other horrific cases in the region that it is not surprising Israelis dismiss it as motivated by hatred — not the advice of friends. Turkey has a unique role to play linking the East and West. If Turkey lurches too far East, it may become more popular on some Arab streets, but it would lose a lot of its strategic relevance and, more importantly, its historic role as a country that can be Muslim, modern, democratic — and with good relations with both Israel and the Arabs. Once this crisis passes, it needs to get back in balance.

He considers it “not surprising” that Israelis dismiss Erdogan as motivated by hatred. How condescending. It’s as if there’s a misunderstanding here. But there’s no misunderstanding the actions of the Turkey’s Islamist government. They hate Israel. They hate Jews. They are allied with Iran.

But it’s not just Friedman’s whitewashing of Turkey that’s frustrating. Towards the end he writes:

But I sure know this: It is overwhelmingly in Israel’s interest to bring more diplomatic imagination and energy to ending this Gaza siege. How long is this going to go on? Are we going to have a whole new generation grow up in Gaza with Israel counting how many calories they each get? That surely can’t be in Israel’s interest. Israel has gotten so good at controlling the Palestinians that it could get comfortable with an arrangement that will not only erode its own moral fabric but increase its international isolation. It may be that Hamas will give Israel no other choice, but Israel could show a lot more initiative in determining if that is really so.

Let’s go back five years to a column of Friedman’s from February 2005, The Tipping Point.

The Israel-Palestine drama has gone from how Ariel Sharon will use any means possible to sustain Israel’s hold on Gaza, which he once said was indispensable for the security of the Jewish state, to being about how Mr. Sharon will use any means possible to evacuate Gaza – with its huge Palestinian population – which he now says is necessary for saving Israel as a Jewish state. The issue for the Palestinians is no longer about how they resist the Israeli occupation in Gaza, but whether they build a decent mini-state there – a Dubai on the Mediterranean. Because if they do, it will fundamentally reshape the Israeli debate about whether the Palestinians can be handed most of the West Bank.

Got that? Not even five years ago he wrote that evacuating every single Jew from Gaza would place the onus on the Palestinians. They would have to show their commitment to peace by building a “decent mini-state” in Gaza. They didn’t. They built a launching area from which to shoot rockets into Israel. Israel’s “siege” was a foreseeable consequence of Israel following a policy that he advocated. (That Gaza would be turned into a terror staging area was something that, I think, was reasonably predictable. It wasn’t obvious to Friedman though.) Now he’s blaming Israel for lacking imagination!

Given that the Palestinian did not “reshape the debate” it’s more than a little hypocritical of Friedman to blame Israel for not responding “creatively” to unchanged circumstances.

Friedman concludes:

This is a critical moment. Two of America’s best friends are out of balance and infuriatingly at each other’s throats. We have got to move quickly to get them both back to the center before this spins out of control.

But this isn’t about some silly fight that the United States to mediate. One of those friends, has abandoned the United States too. Turkey, as Barry Rubin writes is Marching towards Islamism. The more important question is will the United States recognize this change and treat Turkey accordingly.

Friedman clearly hasn’t.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.

Posted in Israel, World | Tagged | 2 Comments

Anti-Piracy Techniques and Violence

Posted on 06/02/2010 by Rabbi Kaufman

Looking at the latest video that Meryl posted below as well, it appears that at least in the case of that particular vessel that anti-piracy techniques were being employed. The use of water cannons, stun grenades, and even chains would be standard means for passengers to use to try to avoid being boarded. It appears that they, perhaps along with passengers of the other ships, were hoping to treat the Israelis as pirates and to fend them off using those techniques. The problems with this are many, but two primary factors made that more dangerous than useful.

The first is that Israel had and has no choice but to stop vessels that have not been searched by it from reaching the shores of its enemy’s territory which could easily contain weaponry or dangerous militants, though admittedly this ship does not appear to have carried such cargo. Future ships attempting to land in Gaza certainly could and would be much more likely to carry them if other ships sail on through the blockade.

The second problem that using piracy techniques against the Israeli soldiers caused was the most deadly one. Passengers were able to overwhelm at least two soldiers and put their lives in jeopardy. This would have turned a limited violence seizure of the ship into an all out rescue mission, dramatically upping the stakes for the Israelis who said in reports following the raid that they felt that the passengers intended to “lynch” them. This may well have been the case. Whether or not live fire was used first by the activists on the ship or by Israelis trying to gain control of a situation that threatened not only the lives of their friends but their own lives is really moot. Riots get out of hand and this was a riot. Unfortunately for all sides, because soldiers were seriously injured in the initial rush, Israel could not have pulled back without jeopardizing the lives of the injured soldiers even further or possibly creating new Gilad Shalits for Hamas.

The fact that the passengers used anti-piracy techniques rather than non-violence is significant. The anti-piracy techniques turned the events into battles and the activists into soldiers simply fighting with inferior weaponry. Under these circumstances, it is amazing that there were only nine fatalities.

Posted in Israel | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Latest IDF video: Attacked before boarding

Posted on 06/02/2010 by Meryl Yourish

Funny, the liars who keep on saying that the flotilla “activists” were all peaceful and meant no harm whatsoever (this Guardian article is particularly execrable) keep on being proven wrong by the video evidence of the Mavi Marmara “activists” attacking the IDF.

Who are you going to believe? The Guardian, or your lying eyes?

Posted in Gaza, Israel, Media Bias, Terrorism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Why Israel Had and Has No Choice

Posted on 06/02/2010 by Rabbi Kaufman

There are more than a few people out there who are saying, “Israel should have understood that it would have been better to simply let the ships through. Some have compared the Mavi Marmara with the Exodus. They were both ships trying to run a blockade, but the DIFFERENCE between the two makes all the difference.

In the case of the Exodus, Jews who had no other place to go, were willing to fight and die for THEMSELVES to live. The British were trying to appease the Arab population by preventing more Jews from arriving. Haj Amin Al Husseini led riots and pogroms against the Jews already in the land. The British wanted to make nice with the Arabs in order to advance their political and economic interests. The Jews were stateless and scattered. They had no possibility of creating a state of their own if not in Judea, whose name was changed by Rome  to Palestina, after the historic enemies of the Jews in order to spite the Jews.

In the case of the Mavi Marmara, the activists were trying to aid those who are fighting and trying to kill the Jews. The humanitarian aid was going to get to Gaza no matter what, they already knew that. Israel would have handled it as it had in the past. The only reason to resist what they were told was going to be a non-violent takeover of the ships was to prevent that from happening. One could argue that they intended to run the blockade and hoped that their resistance would prevent the Israelis from taking the ship. One could even argue that they may have intended to capture or kill Israeli soldiers to make that happen.

Those on the Mavi Marmara were not fleeing for their lives and not fighting for their lives, at least not until they created a situation in which that was indeed the case. Even then they were not fighting for their lives because of who they were, but because of the actions they had done in those very minutes. That some innocents may have perished, people who had not used violence, is unfortunate to say the least. Tragic in fact. But that some attempting to kill were killed is tragic only in the fact that they were motivated not for peace for all, but for the peace of some, Gazans, at the expense of others, Israelis.

Israel faces mortal enemies in Gaza. Not only in Hamas, but in other even more radical groups that are not controlled by Hamas including affiliates of Al Qaida. Militants regularly fire home made rockets out of Gaza. Most fall harmlessly in fields, but occasionally they do real harm. While “aid ships” might well not have problematic cargo, especially if those sending them know that they will be seized and searched, they certainly might if they were not going to be seized or searched. This is the necessity of the blockade. So long as there is no peace between Israel and the Palestinians, the threat that long range missiles entering Gaza would have is beyond question, they would come from Gaza against Israeli civilian targets.

Israel fought a war that resulted in hundreds dead to stop small scale rockets and destroy medium range ones. How much more must it fight to stop the importation of long range missiles into Gaza??? Those who do not understand this necessity on Israel’s behalf cannot possibly contribute to peace in the Middle East. If Hamas were to gain more military strength, it would simply escalate violence and bloodshed on both sides going forward.

That is why Israel had no choice.

Posted in Israel | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Why Israel Had and Has No Choice

Flotilla briefs, Wednesday edition

Posted on 06/02/2010 by Meryl Yourish

I’m not even going to try to parse the AP news bias anymore. Except to say that they now use the words “Israel says” and “Israel claimed” when describing facts like the attackers having knives and metal rods stashed on the Marmalade Motel. Having proof in videos of soldiers being stabbed is apparently not enough for the AP.

Say goodbye to Ashdod: The activists (actually, the real ones) are being deported from Israel—all but the 50 or so who took part in the attack on the Moshi Moshi. Good move, Bibi. Throw the bums out.

I know, I’m shocked, too: The New York Times says Israel should end the Gaza blockade. You have to love this part:

What happened once Israeli forces got on board? The Israeli Defense Forces have distributed a video showing that the commandos were attacked. Why weren’t they better prepared to defend themselves without using lethal force?

If they were, the last sentence would have been, “Why did Israel send heavily-armed commandos onto a civilian ship?” Really, Israel can’t win, no matter what.

The IHH is gloating. The Times profiles the terrorist charity group, and the group is thanking Israel for the publicity. Oh, and the author excuses Greta Berlin’s wish to see Israel disappear because she’s against all> national borders. And yet, she’s only trying to destroy one nation—Israel.

Because the last flotilla went so perfectly. Free Gaza is sending another ship. Really, beating your head against a wall just to see if the wall breaks is not a smart thing to do. And they’ve named the ship after Rachel Corrie. Lovely. No way this ends well.

Turkey doubles down: The latest offer from Turkey to make it the premier champion of the Palestinians? If Israel ends the blockade of Gaza, Turkey will normalize relations. Um. That’s really not much of a carrot, dude. And I’m thinking, well, with Israelis cancelling their vacation plans in Turkey due to mobs of thousands of people chanting about Israeli blood running in the streets, perhaps Israel may not believe that Turkey has Israel’s best interests at heart. Just sayin’. And the constant threats? They really aren’t helping Israel see you as a mediator.

It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye: And that adage came true for an American protesting at a West Bank checkpoint. I’m sorry she lost her eye. The story says she was standing far back from the protestors. But when you’re at a protest that turns violent, frankly, your best bet is to run like hell.

Posted in Gaza, Israel, Israel Derangement Syndrome, Media Bias, World | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Flotilla briefs

Posted on 06/01/2010 by Meryl Yourish

Heartless IDF commandos order elderly man to “sit down.” The horrors! Relevant quote:

After the Israelis gained control of the ship, he said, “they didn’t harm anybody after that. They harmed some folks in getting on board as people tried to block them from taking over.

Yes, once again, the only real violence happened aboard the Mahatma Maru.

“Activists” turning out to be “terrorists”: Evidence is mounting that the attackers on the Mama Mia were trained terrorists looking to murder Israelis. Gee. Who could have predicted that?

Obama continues the abandonment of Israel: Who could have seen this coming? The Obama administration wants an investigation into the Mu Mu attack. Actually, I second the motion, but I don’t want the UN anywhere near it. I would like to see, say, an American addition to an Israeli investigation. That would satisfy those who want an “independent” investigation, and it would satisfy me that it wouldn’t be a hatchet job.

“Peaceful protestors” came with bulletproof vests and night vision goggles: Seriously. But they’re peaceful protestors, and bulletproof vests are a natural part of a peaceful protest. Oh, and they were carrying thousands of dollars in cash. So they were trying to smuggle into Gaza cash and military equipment—isn’t that what all peaceful protestors do?

Posted in Gaza, Israel, Terrorism | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

The updated Yourish.com comments policy

Posted on 06/01/2010 by Meryl Yourish

Because so many new people have been coming to my blog lately and attempting to leave comments, I think it’s time to reiterate my comments policy. First caveat: My blog, my dime, my rules. If you don’t like it, tough. Go somewhere else. If you think I owe you a hearing, I don’t. If you think I should be an objective journalist, you are not in the reality-based community. I am a blogger, not a journalist. I get to publish my opinions and the opinions of people that I like or want to hear from. I am under no obligation to read yours. Ask me if I care that you’re upset about that.

This is a No Israel-Bashing Zone. Israel is bashed in every single web forum that it can be bashed. This is not limited to political or news forums. I have seen discussions about gardening devolve into anti-Semitism. I have seen discussions about children’s toys devolve into anti-Semitism. Where there is a discussion, there is an anti-Semite waiting to bash Israel. I won’t have it here. Period. Ask me if I care that you’re upset about that.

This is also a Zionist blog. If you’re an anti-Zionist, I don’t actually give a flying leap what you think Zionism is. Its original definition was the establishment of a Jewish state in our ancestral homeland. Zionism now means support for and the continued existence of that Jewish state. I am a proud supporter of Israel and a staunch Zionist. Ask me if I care that you’re upset about that.

Comment flames are not allowed. That means no personal attacks on me or other commenters. This also means that I’m not interested in bigoted anti-Muslim posts, or posts advocating violence against Israel’s critics, or the mass murder of Palestinians. I don’t approve those comments, either. Ask me if I care that you’re upset about that.

If you’ve read through this post, and the two that I linked, and still don’t understand why I won’t approve your comment, well, you’re just about too stupid to be able to dress yourself in the morning. And I don’t want someone that stupid on my blog. Do I care that you’re upset about that?

Absolutely not. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass as you leave.

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Israel, Site news | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Turkey Now Demanding US Condemnation

Posted on 06/01/2010 by Rabbi Kaufman

Turkey is now demanding that the US condemn Israel’s actions. The US response should be to criticize TURKEY’S actions and to inform Turkey that its status as an ally under the protection of NATO is dependent upon it ceasing to reach out to the enemies of the United States such as Iran and Hamas.

Posted in Israel | 9 Comments

The UN condemns “acts”

Posted on 06/01/2010 by Soccerdad

No surprise. The United States tried for some ambiguity, but didn’t really get it.

In a formal statement that seemed less forceful than what had been demanded by Palestinians, Arabs and Turkey the council also demanded an impartial investigation into the incident on Monday.

The statement also urged that aid ships seized in the raid be released along with civilians held by Israel.

“The Security Council deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries resulting form the use of force during the Israeli military operation in international waters against the convoy sailing to Gaza,” the statement said, adding that the 15-member body “in this context, condemns those acts which resulted in the loss” of lives.

The wording seemed designed to dilute demands for condemnation exclusively of Israel, which argues that its soldiers acted in self-defense in response to violent resistance to their interception of the vessels from passengers on board. After the incident, Israel seized hundreds of activists as well as the ships.

“The Security Council requests the immediate release of the ships as well as the civilians held by Israel,” the United Nations statement said on Tuesday , calling for “a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards.”

Read through the article and there are a few bits of conventional wisdom.

Israel used excessive force. For example the French ambassador in a display of hypocrisy is quoted:

Gerard Araud, the French ambassador, said the death toll indicated “there was disproportionate use of force and a level of violence which nothing justifies and which we condemn.”

Barry Rubin writes:

Why were people killed in the sea off of Gaza? The Islamist-led forces there. Because–as was shown with five of the six ships–if they didn’t fight nobody would be hurt but if they assaulted Israeli soldiers, the latter would defend themselves.

Another theme from the article is that Israel’s blockade of Gaza is “unsustainable.”

But he also described the situation in Gaza as “unsustainable” and called on Israel to undertake a credible investigation.

Barry Rubin again:

The blockade has definitely had a downward effect on living standards in the Gaza Strip. And of course there are two blockades since Egypt’s government, which doesn’t want Hamas’s close associates, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood to seize power and execute is leaders, also maintains an embargo.

But there is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. That can be easily proven. Israel allows a great deal of supplies to cross over. That can be proven. Hamas destroyed the border economic zone’s facilities thus denying Gazans jobs. That can be proven. And there is a lot of smuggling across the Egypt-Gaza border which makes up for a good part of the deficit. There is even a humorous angle to all of this, like the way Israel supplied electricity to the Gaza Strip for years even when the bills weren’t paid and Hamas was firing rockets at it.

Repeatedly the article cites that Israel in violation of international law. Daled Amos quotes the relevant section of International law:

According to The San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, 12 June 1994

SECTION V : NEUTRAL MERCHANT VESSELS AND CIVIL AIRCRAFT

Neutral merchant vessels

67. Merchant vessels flying the flag of neutral States may not be attacked unless they:

(a) are believed on reasonable grounds to be carrying contraband or breaching a blockade, and after prior warning they intentionally and clearly refuse to stop, or intentionally and clearly resist visit, search or capture;

The article also persists in describing the mission as strictly humanitarian.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey, whose country’s once close relations with Israel have deteriorated markedly since Israel’s invasion of Gaza in 2008, called the attack “tantamount to banditry and piracy; it is murder conducted by a state.”

Noting that the ships were carrying items such as a playground, cancer medicine and milk powder, he said that given the history of the Jews the Israelis should be more conscious than others of “the dangers and inhumanity of ghettoes as the one we currently witness in occupied Gaza.”

The IDF has an inventory and photographs of the arms seized on the ship, Mavi Marmara:

The activists on board had planned an assault on the soldiers boarding the ship, and a battle ensued. Soldiers reported that the passengers used knives, metal rods, firebombs, and other weapons to attack the forces as soon as they boarded the ship.

Finally the article makes a point of emphasizing claims that Israel’s actions have harmed its relations with Turkey. But Turkey, under its current Islamist government and embrace of Israel’s enemies has made a mockery of any friendship that existed between the two countries. Claudia Rosett writes (via Daled Amos):

But one of the main players appears to be Turkey. It was a Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara, which after a big sendoff from Turkey apparently took the lead in the flotilla, its passengers professing nonviolence while waiting with knives and metal cudgels to start a fight. And in Turkey, a lead player in this bloody exercise has been a Turkish foundation, the radical Islamist IHH, or Foundation for Human Rights, Liberties, and Humanitarian Relief. The IHH enjoys consultative status with the UN as a non-governmental organization, or NGO, has an office in Gaza, and has apparently been taking part in this Gaza stunt with the blessing of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. Far from serving as a seal of good housekeeping for the IHH, such ties ought to call into question the judgment of both the UN and Erdogan.

While the Times quotes Israel’s ambassador towards the end, the bulk of the article amplifies phony charges made by Israel’s enemies. Instead of illuminating the issue, it simply serves as a clearinghouse for condemnations of Israel.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.

Posted in Israel | Tagged | Comments Off on The UN condemns “acts”

Who strengthened Hamas?

Posted on 06/01/2010 by Soccerdad

A month ago, Elder of Ziyon had strung together a number of reports from different sources (and different levels of credibility) that suggested that Hamas was losing its grip on Gaza.

The items listed by Elder of Ziyon, with Hamas’s increased oppression of Gaza through executions, house demolitions and general thuggery, have lead to a decline in Hamas’s popularity.

(Another indication that Hamas’s popularity had been declining is that we’ve stopped seeing stories in the media claiming that the blockade was counterproductive because it was boosting Hamas’s popularity.)

Given indications that Hamas is losing the support of its citizens, it’s disappointing that it’s apparently getting support elsewhere.

I know that Elder of Ziyon got to this first, but Khaled Abu Toameh quotes Moussa Abu Marzuk in the Jerusalem Post:

A number of Hamas leaders have hinted over the past few days that the US administration has begun talking to the Islamist movement through both official and non-official channels.

Musa Abu Marzouk, deputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, was quoted on Sunday as saying that Washington was talking to the movement despite its declared policy of boycotting it.

“Their official policy states that there are no contacts with Hamas,” Abu Marzouk said during a visit to Algeria. “However, they are engaging Hamas for objective reasons.”

He added: “There are several open channels [between Hamas and the US]. Some are official and some are unofficial. All those who are talking to us receive permission from the US State Department and the White House. The US administration tells them to talk to Hamas but without causing a big fuss.”

Abu Marzouk claimed that the US administration had reached the conclusion that Hamas is a factor that can’t be ignored.

So is it any surprise that Hamas felt it had nothing to lose with this effort to break the blockade? In the end Hamas is convinced that the United States recognizes its importance, and wouldn’t pay a political price for challenging Israel. (Or having its stooges challenge Israel.)

This is the complete opposite of the Glenn Kessler’s presentation, Israeli assault complicates efforts to improve relationship with U.S. in the Washington Post (via memeorandum):

The worldwide condemnation of the deadly Israeli assault on the Gaza aid flotilla will complicate the Obama administration’s efforts to improve its tense relations with Jerusalem and likely will distract from the push to sanction Iran over its nuclear program.

This “analysis” is from the school of “I don’t understand why Israel defends itself” thought, carefully taking only statements that reinforce the idea that Israel must not upset the Muslim world. Were the Israeli soldiers supposed to have courteously surrendered themselves to be beaten and thrown to the water?

And to suggest that Israel’s actions alienate Turkey are absurd. Turkey organized this stunt. Turkey, that has recently publicly snubbed the Obama administration and declared its fealty to Iran and Syria, is the problem. But not a single one of Kessler’s sources point this out. I guess for balance, he included a comment from Daniel Levy, who is Israeli, but not a single one of his sources could be considered pro-Israel.

By his choice of sources, Kessler demonstrated that this was a blatantly anti-Israel hit piece rather than any sort of objective analysis. If it belonged anyplace, it belonged as an op-ed, not in the news section.

The Obama administration, while seemingly criticized by Kessler for not being more forceful in its condemnation of Israel, could manage only to say that it is “working to understand” Israel’s reasons for fighting back. It is this sort of equivocation along with its fruitless outreach to our enemies that emboldens them.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.

Posted in Hamas, Israel | Tagged | Comments Off on Who strengthened Hamas?

The flotilla attack: Aftermath

Posted on 06/01/2010 by Meryl Yourish

The armchair analysts have been at it since late Saturday night, blaming Israel for the deaths of the attackers of the IDF, even though the photographic evidence that the attack was laid well in advance is mounting. There’s news about the pistols used against the soldiers:

The officer said that the two pistols were snatched from IDF troops and were found on the bodies of those killed. They were without bullets because they had been fired.

I guess it’s a good thing they were awful shots, or there’d be dead soldiers to go along with the dead “civilians.”

Reports of Sheikh Raed Salah’s dire injuries turn out to be—lies. He is, however, in jail awaiting a hearing.

Most of the activists will be deported. The ones who will remain in jail are no doubt the terrorists from the Mahi-Mahi (yeah, what-EVER). Funny, but everyone else came off the ship peacefully. The ones who fought the IDF? Well, they’re the dead and wounded that the world is crying over. It seems that not a single actual activist was harmed. Five of the six ships, remember, surrended (mostly) without a fight. What was different about the Mary Mary? Jihadists.

A first-hand report of the soldier who was thrown to the deck below by the terorrists. I think he’s got his numbers exaggerated (understandably so), but you can count the attackers in the IDF video and see how many were attacking each soldier.

Turkey sent military jets to evacuate its citizens, and PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to lie about Israel.

“People were killed and badly wounded, some from shots, even when bound.

He continues to stir up his people and the Islamic world against Israel. Why, you’d almost think that the Turkish sponsorship of the flotilla was part of an anti-Israel agenda by the Islamic nation.

And here’s an interesting tidbit from the above article:

Most of the inured activists are Turkish citizens, and the rest are citizens of Great Britain, Australia, Indonesia and the Palestinian Authority.

“Activists.” “Peace protestors.” “Civilians.”

Uh-huh.

As you make your way through this article, which makes it look like the Israeli soldiers boarded each ship and started beating everyone in sight, you finally find a nugget of truth:

“Several people who tried to stop the Israeli forces from getting to the bridge were hit by electric shocks and plastic bullets,” he said. We didn’t resist at all. Even if we had wanted to, what could we do?”

Those that did not resist were not harmed. Color me shocked, shocked to hear that the IDF is not full of raging bullies.

More later.

Posted in Gaza, Israel, Media Bias | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The flotilla attack: Aftermath

Differing Witnesses and “The truth must be somewhere in between”

Posted on 06/01/2010 by Rabbi Kaufman

Many of those who were on the Mavi Marmara are speaking out and what they are saying is damning of Israel. Of course, what they are saying is also contradicted directly by the video of the event. MK Hanin Zuabi was on the ship and said according to a JPost article that:

“There was not a single passenger who raised a club. We put on our life vests. From where I was standing, I didn’t see any clubs or anything of the sort. There were gunshots, I don’t know if they were live bullets or not. There were gunshots fired from the ships in our direction. A clear message was being sent to us, for us to know that our lives were in danger. We convened that we were not interested in a confrontation. What we saw was five bodies. There were only civilians and there were not weapons. There was a sense that I many not come out of it alive. Israel spoke of a provocation, but there was no provocation.”

It is infuriating to hear this, not because it is true, but because it is so far from the truth of what occurred. Zuabi may well not have seen the fighting that occurred and is clearly shown on video, but her statement will certainly be used as evidence against Israel in any probe. So here we are, once again is a situation where Israel explains what happened and so does the opposition, while those far from the event postulate not that Israel’s explanation is accurate and that eye witnesses didn’t see the truth or are biased to the point of fabricating a truth, but that the truth must be “somewhere in between.”

This is where the Goldstone Commission had no chance of understanding the truth even if everyone made every attempt to find it. This is where an “impartial independent” commission would have no chance of finding the truth about what happened on the Mavi Marmara. An independent commission would have to form biases about whom to trust in order to discern the truth and as no one is truly impartial and the people likely chosen to sit on such a commission would almost certainly not be friends of Israel, Israel can expect any theoretically “impartial” commission to be partial against it. This is where the US opposition to such a commission is of vital importance.

Posted in Israel | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Real Problem is Turkey

Posted on 06/01/2010 by Rabbi Kaufman

It is becoming clearer and clearer that Turkey is not simply critical of Israel, but is in fact hostile to Israel. Think about this for a moment. In the past couple of weeks alone, Turkey has worked with Iran to fabricate a completely bogus nuclear enrichment protocol in the hope of aiding Iran in avoiding sanctions, but not in preventing them from obtaining nuclear weaponry. Turkey has unofficially sponsored a flotilla of ships including one with passengers not only hostile but willing to die and were obviously intent on violence. The most violent group was a TURKISH pro-Hamas “humanitarian” organization, the IHH which controlled the Mavi Marmara in the flotilla. Turkey additionally spoke in the harshest terms about Israel in recent days and clearly has little interest in Israel’s security needs, much less respect for them. Add to this, PM Erdogan’s condemnation of Israel’s efforts in Operation Cast Lead, Turkey’s opposition to America using its territory to preserve American lives and enhance operational capabilities in the invasion of Iraq, and numerous hostile statements made over the past several years and you not only wonder what kind of ally would act in this fashion, but wonder whether or not Turkey is even an ally of America, much less Israel. Erdogan’s goal is for Turkey, if not himself personally, to achieve hegemony over the Arab World and even over the Muslim world just as Turkey once did in those happy and peaceful days of the Ottoman Empire.

Posted in Israel | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Real Problem is Turkey

UN to Israel: You asked for it

Posted on 06/01/2010 by Meryl Yourish

The United Nations is telling Israel that the fault for the attack on their commando force from the Turkish ship during the Free Gaza flotilla wouldn’t have happened had there been no seige of Gaza. In other words, if Israel hadn’t been wearing such a short skirt, she wouldn’t have been raped.

Incredible.

Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco said in his briefing to the UN’s most powerful body that Monday’s bloodshed would have been avoided if repeated calls on Israel to end the “counterproductive and unacceptable” blockade of Gaza had been heeded.

I’m going to guess that none of these European muckety-mucks watched any of the IDF videos of the “peaceful” ah, “civilians” brutally attacking the IDF. (The video link at “peaceful” is the one where they use the Islamist chant about killing Jews.)

“Every German government supports unconditionally Israel’s right to self defense,” said Wilhelm. But he added that Israeli actions should to correspond to what he described as the “basic principle” of proportionality.

“A first look does not speak in favor of this basic principle being adhered to,” he said. Berlin would await further details before judging the incident, he added.

I would love to hear every single anti-Israel statement met with a reporter asking “Did you see the videos?” But of course, we won’t see that. We won’t hear Ban Ki-Moon expressing his shock at the actions of the “passengers” on the Turkish ship attacking IDF soldiers as they landed on the deck.

No, it’s Israel’s fault. If only she hadn’t blockaded Gaza, then there would have been no flotilla, and her soldiers wouldn’t have been attacked.

She asked for it.

Posted in Gaza, Israel, Media Bias, United Nations | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment