Gaza Flotilla Stormed by Israel, Part II

This hallowed ground policy, whereby partisan supporters who take it upon themselves to act as spokespersons for their respective political interests, and insist that their statements and motives be exempt from criticism, and moderators subsequently shut down any such criticism, thereby protecting such statements and blatant motives...a steaming crock if there ever was one.  Just sayin.

I haven't seen any video or maps yet of the attack.  I do think that in the long run, it will be a public relations disaster for the Israelis and a victory for the Palestinians, particularly the Gazans.  Here's why:  It forces the European countries to choose between Turkey (a NATO country) and the US (Israel's largest ally.  Yes, Canada is the best ally, but not the largest in terms of $$$).  It also splits the Americans and Turks.  If the US won't help the Turks deal with the Israelis. why should the Turks help the Americians with Iraq through the American use of Turkish militrary bases and airspace?  Israel is losing an important Muslim ally in the Middle East by upsetting Turkey.

She is 21 and lost an eye to the brave, brave IDF. No unarmed person too non-threatening to be attacked.

The Bloc is often better than the other 3 - on some foreign policy matters - put together. Funny how that works when you're representing - or trying to represent - a national minority.

The Palestinians need the kind of solidarity in this country that South Africans had with the anti-apartheid movement. Thing is, that took decades to build. With the horrific Israeli violence and ethnic cleansing, the Palestinians may not have that sort of time.

Agreed. And with one exception being the CIA's abduction of Haiti's first and last democratically elected leader. A certain Bloc MP insisted that the NDP cease referring to Aristide as removed in favour of the word departed. And I'm sure the Bloc member's double speak wording for it in Canada's Parliament was departed and not deported.

Really? I don't think it is clumsy at all. If people were generally smart, we'd live in a better world. They are not. People are selfish, people are horrid to each other and the vast majority of people are incredibly uninformed.

I read somewhere on the weekend that Israel was planning to jam all communications as part of their assault. I also read somewhere on the weekend that Israel was referring to the flotilla as an "act of war". 

re; 10#

and the anti-Israeli Apartheid formations, here in Toronto anyway, have so many good, hardworking Jewish anti-Zionists, that nobody would stand for any of that stupid shit, were it to manifest. It was good to see the traditionalist Rabbis from Jews United Against Zionism at the Netanyahu event standing with one of the imams at the front facing off against the JDL browshirt boys over on the dark side.

This confrontational style of yours George...must say that it's quite an improvement over the utterly useless category that I had previously assigned your offerings here.  Keep it up, its a refreshing and promising change for the better in my estimation.

You should start a support group with George.

LOL - George snagged a dangling descriptor! I think we need a little humour to cool down the standoff, and I see George's gambit as a peace offering. C'mon, you two, I like you both, so quit tangling. As someone here said, I'm pretty damn sure we're on the same side when it comes to the atrocities committed by this rogue state.

from Cynthia Ann McKinney, former United States Representative and the 2008 Green Party nominee for President of the United States. McKinney served as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2003 and 2005 to 2007, first representing Georgia's 11th Congressional District and then Georgia's 4th Congressional District. She is the first African-American woman to have represented Georgia in the House.

rabble blog

Just finished off a dry reisling instead...well it had been opened yesterday, mustn't let it lose that Lake Erie bouquet.  And it's done the trick. Nighty nite.    And yes, we really really are onside...and we really must keep reminding ourselves of that.   Yep, the enemy's  out there...    

A Turkish Navy escort. That should be interesting. If Israel attacks the military vessels of a NATO member state, does that mean Canada is automatically at war with Israel? Or will it be that recent "two tiered" NATO membership ... one for the rich countries, and one for the "other" members ...

The sheer brutal amateurism of the Israeli action is stunning. Apparently they had no plan B if any resistance was offered. They resorted to indiscriminate shooting. Even friends of Israel must be appalled by this slow descent into mindless violence. Once the state of Israel showed at least a limited openness to possible futures. That openness seems to have narrowed and hardened. Ever since 1973 the resort to force has paid decreasing dividends, but the government and the military seem to have exhausted their imaginations. This is a graphic illustration of how the resort to force ultimately coarsens and impoverishes the spirit of those who use it. Now there seems to be no answer but blood, no plan but spilling more blood. Poor embattled Israel reminds me of nothing so much as Macbeth at bay: "I have supp'd full with horrors; Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts Cannot once start me." And so he straps on his harness and goes off to kill yet again in a lost cause. I can only hope that Israel will somehow recover its imagination. Condemnation from the outside world seems to have little effect on a country that has in the past found itself encircled by enemies. Israelis must heed the voices within that warn them off the path they have chosen.

UN Tells Israel To End Siege of Gaza

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=128565&sectionid=351020202

"UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco has called on Israel to end its 'unacceptable' blockade of the Gaza Strip...The UN official also called for a thorough investigation.."

Israel Has Lost All Legitimacy

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=128571&sectionid=351020204

"Ahmet Davutoglu said that Israel has 'lost all legitimacy' because of the onslaught that left at least 20 peace activists dead and many others wounded. MOst of those killed in the assault were from Turkey...

'A nation-state that follows this path has lost its legitimacy as a respectful member of the international community,' he said. The Turkish foreign minister said that Israeli leaders must be brought to justice over the crime because 'Israel's action is a grave breach of international law.'

'This is tantamout to banditry and piracy,' he said, adding, 'It is murder conducted by a state. Israel has committed a serious crime, in total disregard of all the values that we have vowed to uphold..'"

Some apologists have tried to depict this atrocity as "an accident" or a "tragic mistake" or some such fiction. We have, however:

Not only that.

Finklestein tears 'em a new one.

What's the response of the Israeli press? Besides comparing Monday's atrocities to a baseball game, and looking to end Israel's "losing streak", the following Jerusalem Post author treats the humanitarian activists as suicide protestors ... who can (obviously!) simply by physically exterminated.

After all, says the Post author, didn't they name the lead vessel the "Rachel Corrie" ?

Most of the article is devoted to the NPT and nuclear arms "controls". The slaughter in the Meditteranean is only a small distraction.

Well, there were 6 Israeli soldiers wounded. Gosh. Terrible! A real tragedy.

The Fethullah Gülen movement probably funded this flotilla of aid ships. The Gülenists are slowly, but surely taking over Turkey, dumping Kemalism and turning it into an Islamist beachhead in NATO. And I'd suspect this very public 'aid convoy' was one steaming pile of public provocation laid out for the Israelis...and they stepped right into it like paranoid, hot-headed fools (i.e., just like the Georgians with South Ossetia). The Gülenists wanted an excuse for Turkey to sever ties with Israel (and discredit the Kemalist military) and they got it.

Amid Censorship, Israel's Media Does Its Part

http://news.antiwar.com/2010/05/31/amid-censorship-israels-media-does-th...

"In the end, Israel's makeshift prison camp at Ashdod got its money's worth. Faced with an official story from the military that flies in the face of all reason and a domestic population so jingoistic that there are now calls for boycotts of Turkey for complaining about the massacre.."

Erik Redburn,

You say the media is trying to spin this in support of Israel and then you have 100 or so MSM links of media discussion on the issue. That's very confusing. If the media were being orchestrated to induce apologist sentiment, would it not simply ignore the issue?

As I understand it Israel's rationale for boarding the boats is that they suspected many of the passengers were intent on violence and/or armed, and/or transporting arms to the military wing of Hamas in Gaza, and indeed they have produced evidence of small arms thich they claim to have seized.  It was therefore puzzling to read reports from IDF spokespersons in this morning's papers that IDF soldiers were armed only with paintball guns when they board the floatilla.  Huh??  Any officer who sent his troops into a potential ambush armed only with a paintball gun would be considered incompetent and negligent, at a minimum.

Look, we both know you are smarter than this comment of yours suggests.

Experienvce here alone would tell you that all power  is sustained through  managing of the messaging. Not even going to bother with   noting it should be less than confusing given, the historical outcomes of those who have managed the message, and its impact upon Jewish peoples. Oh gee, I just noted it anyway I guess.

Then we have the factor of in the abscence of rebuttal, stated positions stand. ignored issues  do not go away, especially now in this day and age of computers.

Following that is the use of "megaphone" to surf the net looking for negative talk about Israel, so it can be challenged.

They were boarded by pirates.  It's called self-defence.

Funny how those "suicide" protesters resist dying.

Haven't we been told for years that the IDF and Israeli intel folks are the toughest, smartest guys in the business? Are they not held in awe by every Western government that has decided that "national security" is a neat trick to play to trump any human-rights or basic democratic objection to any government's violations of international law?

But look at the videos the IDF are releasing now. The last one I watched: two heroic commandos, no less, each with his left arm in a sling (yeah, sure), whining for the cameras because no one told them that aid activists might actually try to defend themselves when attacked by guys wearing body armour and carrying guns.

It would be comical, if only ...

when it comes to people as human beings, be very careful to make moral judgements based on what any human being might or might not do in an adrenaline fight/flight situation...especially considering that 'flight' was not an option as they were trapped aboard the vessel.

it's easy for anyone to hypothesize that they would not have fought back/it was wrong to fight back against the IDF as it invaded the boat, but when people have no escape route, have their back against the hull, have military choppers above their heads and are faced with well trained, armed and uniformed soldiers, you don't know how any human being would/should have reacted...

"The commandoes were equipped with handguns but were told they should only use them in the face of life-threatening situations. When they came down from the chopper, they kept on shouting to each other “don’t shoot, don’t shoot,” even though they sustained numerous blows." So 19 or so suicide activists turned the paintball guns on themselves? Why didn't I think of that?! Explains a lot. 

Tying the helicopter rappelling rope to an antenna? I can only hope I'd have such presence of mind in the midst of chaos in the dark. 

The attack has encouraged Egypt to (temporarily) defy it's master with an "unlimited" opening of border:

Some repulsive atrocity apologist made the paintball marker claim on The Current this morning.  He also said that Turkey is becoming an Islamist state and that it wanted to provoke the Israelis into killing the peace activists as a means to move to the head of the Islamic world.

I kept waiting for Pollyanna Tremonti to say, "Get the hell out of my studio!" but she kept to her fair and balanced approach and allowed this hasbarnik to spread his manure.

And as long I'm in the neighbourhood:

Gaza aid flotilla: Israeli sabotage suspected

You are not really trying to espouse this bull shit, as truth, are you?

If so, please read the implications of your espousing that line of bull shit, in my post above, as that indicates that the IDF were planning on murdering them, or at least some, all along, no matter what transpired, in fact it is quite apparent that it was their RoE....given that Israeli parliament discussed what to do for a week before the midnight murderous 'mission' occured.

Look it, if Israel was being legitimate in its actions, it would have surrounded them in broad daylight, at, or in, Israeli waters, and told them to prepare to be boarded and escorted to dock, or to drop anchor right there, or be arrested for illegal entry into Israel,

That is what a rational country would do.

Is it necessary to mark every comment with a Rabble-approved sarcasm tag and if so, where might I find it?

You can always read some of my other posts if you need proof of my point of view on Israel-Palestine, remind. 

Say GG, keep in mind that everyone here is an individual and, except for the moderators, not a representative of rabble.

By all means, let fly with sarcasm, and please don't resort to pointing out when you're being sarcastic.  Doing so undermines the whole effect, even if some cannot pick up on it.

There's the rub.  Each of the Federal parties is as pro-Israel as the next, so making a choice between them is pointless.  It would be nice to see Jack Layton leap to the humanitarian fore and declare his party solidly on the side of Palestinians' human rights, but there isn't much chance of that happening.

aQ:

"Say GG, keep in mind that everyone here is an individual and, except for the moderators, not a representative of rabble.

By all means, let fly with sarcasm, and please don't resort to pointing out when you're being sarcastic.  Doing so undermines the whole effect, even if some cannot pick up on it."

Also, do not specify who you are quoting. That really keeps the troops guessing. Although only for a week or so...then it becomes obvious as hell.

They had more than pistols. Keep in mind that is an Israeli approved image. Images from Rupert Murdoch's SkyNews (an Israel-friendly news source) as per the above link:

So are those pistols? Because they look nothing like the "paintball" gun above.

I think this paintball thing is a red herring. What if it's proved that the IDF were all carrying paintball rifles (I'm surprised they even admitted they were carrying pistols)? The attack is unacceptable in principle, on the whole, not because of details like this, especially details we don't really know (another non-accident on the part of Israel). I mean, it is positively cartoonish to board a ship from Black Hawk helicopters in full gear in the middle of the night and then claim surprise at resistence because of pepper guns or paintball rifles. Even their excuses are ludicrous. We don't need to "prove" that they were carrying assault rifles to expose this farce. There is one stat that matters (and even it is not confirmed): at least ten dead and counting.

Gaza: investigate the raid, end the blockade

Petition at avaaz.org

Commentary removed as being beneath the intent of this thread.

Regarding the Israeli- filmed version of the assault on the main passenger vessel:

• a proposed title:' The Keystone Commandos'
• review: an example of a propaganda video made by the Israeli hasbara that is as phoney as Ariel Sharon's present day heartbeat.

• award: a long,loud GONG to sound out over all the pro-Zionist apologies that are appearing in the mainstream media.      

*(The IDF wishes to dissociate itself from this inaccurate portrayal of its competence in engaging in maritime activities.)

Authority figures and the media are pure fucking cowards ... they know that if they say anything at all negative about this that the Zionist propoganda machine will brand them as anti-Semites.

Most are probably aware of FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting). I find it a useful resource, though it deals with US media almost exclusively.

FAIR issued this media advisory today (an excerpt):

Reporting Israeli Assault Through Israel's Eyes
Attack on humanitarian flotilla prompts little media skepticism

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4081

Much of the U.S. press coverage takes Israeli government claims at face value, and is based largely on footage made available by Israeli authorities--while Israel keeps the detained activists away from the media (not to mention from lawyers and worried family members). The Washington Post (6/1/10) reported the attack this way:

Upon touching down, the Israeli commandos, who were equipped with paint guns and pistols, were assaulted with steel poles, knives and pepper spray. Video showed at least one commando being lifted up and dumped from the ship's upper deck to the lower deck. Some commandos later said they jumped into the water to escape being beaten. The Israeli military said some of the demonstrators fired live ammunition. Israeli officials said the activists had fired two guns stolen from the troops.

As Salon.com's Glenn Greenwald wrote (5/31/10): "Just ponder what we'd be hearing if Iran had raided a humanitarian ship in international waters and killed 15 or so civilians aboard."

And the paintball guns they use are no different than the one used at the park? I don't think so. I think the image above is what the US and Israeli militaries call "information warfare".

Here's one that should be save for posterity (linked above a N.Beltov in the JPost):

So they disarmed the IDF attackers and then emptied the ammo from the weapons. If we accept the IDF account these peace activists were true to their cause.

In terms of the image war, I think the big mistake the supporters of the Palestinians are doing is focusing on the sea conflict between the Israeli soldiers and the flotilla supporters.  It doesn't matter who battled whom first.  Instead the supporters of the Palestinians should be framing the discussion on "Israel starves Palestinian children by denying them food."  The supporters of the Palestinians can get more milage by focusing on the recipients instead of the Israeli military.  One does not need to be a supporter of Hamas or Fatah in order to support the Palestinian children.  A mental or physical image of starving Palestinian children is more powerful than a battle on some boats.

Picture this frame: "Israelis eat like pigs, while Palestinian children scour for food."

"Israelis force the children of Gaza to eat the candy of Hamas."  Essentially, Israel created the Hamas candy.  Israel is starving any democratic hope for Palestinian society.  Israel treats Palestinian children like dogs by forcing the children to jump like dogs while Israel raises a bone higher as the children jump.

No I disagree skiny dipper, both need to be focused upon, especially the act of aggression, as it was an act of war, by Israel.

If people cared about the Gaza children there  would have been the outrage before yesterday,m ffs they murdered people in their sleep.

America's Complicity In Evil - Barbarism on the High Seas

http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts06012010.html

"Thus has Obama made America complicit once again in Israel's war-crimes. Just as the US Congress voted to deep-six Judge Goldstone's report on Israel's war crimes committed in Israel's January 2009 invasion of Gaza, Obama has deep-sixed Israel's latest act of barbarism by pretending that he doesn't know what has happened..

No one in the world will believe that Israel attacked ships in international waters carrying Israeli citizens, a Nobel Laureate, elected politicians and noted humanitarians bringing medicines and building materials to Palestinians in Gaza, who have been living in the rubble of their homes without repairs or medicines since January 2009, without first clearing the crime with its American protector.

Without America's protection, Israel, a totally artificial state, could not exist. No one in the world will believe that America's spy apparatus did not detect the movement of the Israeli attack force toward the aid ships in international waters in an act of piracy, killing 20, wounding 50, and kidnapping the rest..

Obama's pretence of ignorance contains his complicity.."