Gaza flotilla drives Israel into a sea of stupidity
Of course the peace flotilla will not bring peace, and it won't even manage to reach the Gaza shore. The action plan has included dragging the ships to Ashdod port, but it has again dragged us to the shores of stupidity and wrongdoing
By Gideon LevyThe Israeli propaganda machine has reached new highs its hopeless frenzy. It has distributed menus from Gaza restaurants, along with false information. It embarrassed itself by entering a futile public relations battle, which it might have been better off never starting. They want to maintain the ineffective, illegal and unethical siege on Gaza and not let the "peace flotilla" dock off the Gaza coast? There is nothing to explain, certainly not to a world that will never buy the web of explanations, lies and tactics.
Only in Israel do people still accept these tainted goods. Reminiscent of a pre-battle ritual from ancient times, the chorus cheered without asking questions. White uniformed soldiers got ready in our name. Spokesmen delivered their deceptive explanations in our name. The grotesque scene is at our expense. And virtually none of us have disturbed the performance.
The chorus has been singing songs of falsehood and lies. We are all in the chorus saying there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We are all part of the chorus claiming the occupation of Gaza has ended, and that the flotilla is a violent attack on Israeli sovereignty - the cement is for building bunkers and the convoy is being funded by the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood. The Israeli siege of Gaza will topple Hamas and free Gilad Shalit. Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy, one of the most ridiculous of the propagandists, outdid himself when he unblinkingly proclaimed that the aid convoy headed toward Gaza was a violation of international law. Right. Exactly.
It's not the siege that is illegal, but rather the flotilla. It wasn't enough to distribute menus from Gaza restaurants through the Prime Minister's Office, (including the highly recommended beef Stroganoff and cream of spinach soup ) and flaunt the quantities of fuel that the Israeli army spokesman says Israel is shipping in. The propaganda operation has tried to sell us and the world the idea that the occupation of Gaza is over, but in any case, Israel has legal authority to bar humanitarian aid. All one pack of lies.
Only one voice spoiled the illusory celebration a little: an Amnesty International report on the situation in Gaza. Four out of five Gaza residents need humanitarian assistance. Hundreds are waiting to the point of embarrassment to be allowed out for medical treatment, and 28 already have died. This is despite all the Israeli army spokesman's briefings on the absence of a siege and the presence of assistance, but who cares?
And the preparations for the operation are also reminiscent of a particularly amusing farce: the feverish debate among the septet of ministers; the deployment of the Masada unit, the prison service's commando unit that specializes in penetrating prison cells; naval commando fighters with backup from the special police anti-terror unit and the army's Oketz canine unit; a special detention facility set up at the Ashdod port; and the electronic shield that was supposed to block broadcast of the ship's capture and the detention of those on board.
And all of this in the face of what? A few hundred international activists, mostly people of conscience whose reputation Israeli propaganda has sought to besmirch. They are really mostly people who care, which is their right and obligation, even if the siege doesn't concern us at all. Yes, this flotilla is indeed a political provocation, and what is protest action if not political provocation?
And facing them on the seas has been the Israeli ship of fools, floating but not knowing where or why. Why detain people? That's how it is. Why a siege? That's how it is. It's like the Noam Chomsky affair all over again, but big time this time. Of course the peace flotilla will not bring peace, and it won't even manage to reach the Gaza shore. The action plan has included dragging the ships to Ashdod port, but it has again dragged us to the shores of stupidity and wrongdoing. Again we will be portrayed not only as the ones that have blocked assistance, but also as fools who do everything to even further undermine our own standing. If that was one of the goals of the peace flotilla's organizers, they won big yesterday.
Five years ago, the noted Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, who is a Jerusalem Prize laureate, after concluding his visit to Israel, said the Israeli occupation was approaching its grotesque phase. Over the weekend Vargas Llosa, who considers himself a friend of Israel, was present to see that that phase has since reached new heights of absurdity.
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An Israeli woman sunbathes off Tel Aviv coast as she takes part in a 16-boat protest against a Turkish ship sailing for Gaza, on May 22, 2010. |
| Photo by: Reuters |
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We need people who can think and see what is really happening. Thank you Gideon Levy for the clarity of your search for truth. I hope your wisdom guides our country in the end, and I hope the end of these policies is soon and if necessary that the US and the world pushes us into a new era. We need not punish aid workers for their travels to help others, take water from our ancestrally-related brothers, and many other tragic deeds.
The axis created by PM Natanyahu and FM Lieberman can be trusted to do the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong place always, without fail. Aside from speculation regarding the I.Q. of the duo and their hangers on, and assuming that they have enough social intelligence to be measured at all, it comes down to this. If my government was an individual, strong, heavily armed at just a bit paranoid, and he did to a fallen enemy what we are doing to innocent unarmed Palestine civilians, "he" would be tossed in jail by any self respecting Jewish cop. We are not guilty of misdemeanors, we are guilty of premeditated murder of the peace process.
Even if I still do hope that this time they WILL manage to reach Gaza. Sailing from International waters to Palestinian territories the only illegal presence are Israeli Occupation Forces and their war boats.
"The Israeli government's position is mainly that since the area is a war zone, from where the Hamas organisation shoots against its civilians, it simple wishes to make sure that the the material will not help the enemy." - That is probably the reason, why it even prevented pasta and childrens schoolbooks to reach Gaza.
As usual, it is a joy to read your clear sighted, incisive and remarkably well formulated argumentation. No matter what happens, Freedom Flotilla has won its wager. The world watches with suspense the outcome of the confrontation between David and Goliath. If anything happens to them, they will be martyrs, in the meantime, they are heroes. This is the achievement of the Israeli government.
This is what l suspected all alone, this Israel leaders are arrogant and stupid to core,we loose in this confrontation no one else my family lived in Turkey for centuries and we have never treated badly, even now they say this is not the Jews this is Israel govrement and hold no anger toward us,Turks are best friend Israel can ever have dating 500 years,many of us inculding me a live becz of Turks and look what we do to them insult their ambassador, their PM, and Turkish people all over these site with these absurd comments, peronoia of Jews reached new hights, and all the Wolrd looking us like bunch of idiots, it is a shame and l have not other explanation other than a shame.
In bad times you will know who are your friends. As long as Turkey say only "yes" to Israel they will be a good friend. As soon as a country protest against the Israel regime they will have a problem.
Imagine how will you be treated when they don't, if this is their "love".
Israel has great scientific, technological,. medical etc experts. What has happened over the years to the public relations skills? I find it most upsetting that Israel should be perceived to be "fools." Please find a modern orator with great skills...we need to project a better image and be perceived to be "with it." Our love for Eretz Yisrael demands action from better "spinners" to keep up with those who excel in the art of deception.
Remember "Exodus" ship of 1947! That was a humanitarian help to Jews but similar situation now for Gazzan is a challange to Israel's sovereiignty! Where is humanity, logic, civility and consience. Has power and world support intoxicated the Israeli regime?
Many of you has difficulties to accept the metaphor of Israel being childish, meaning a mean child. Believing that well formulated lies goes for truth, also incapable of true empathy in its world of self-righteousness. I would claim it to have a mental age of 5 years. Yes it becomes silly when the child try to play together with grownups, not knowing what is missing.
just another drama of Palestinian "victimhood" I thought the world was getting tired of it, but apparently this act is a winner. Nonetheless, Israel has more invested than PR. It doesn't matter what the "world" thinks - the "world" will not be there for Israel when they need them anyhow.
In this apparently "no win" situation, Israel should first inspect the demonstrating ships to verify the cargo of humanitarian supplies and then let them proceed to Gaza without the (anti-Israel) fanfare and publicity that the protesters hope to achieve. We should do the same for any ship that we deem as a publicity stunt. We can then maintain the blockade on all the other ship traffic as part of our defense against Hamas in Gaza. At some point the political protesters will lose their enthusiasm when they see that they are no longer attracting world attention and when others see that humanitarian aid to Gaza is an ongoing process supervised by Israel / Egypt.
Apart of destructive critics – do you have something positive to say? Do you have something to suggest? To end Gaza blockade? To give them to freely import weapons, including missiles? Telling us that they get them anyhow? To forget Gilad Shalit? Or to give some 500 convicted assassins that will continue their holly acts? Tell us, please! But if you don't have some better solutions, please, stop telling cheap ineptness and shut up!
Gilad Shalit only? What about the life of all the Palestian people?
"Beginning in September 2007, Israel openly stated that it would restrict the movement of goods into and out of Gaza (not for security), but (to) apply 'pressure' or 'sanctions' on the Hamas regime." I don't like Hamas, but I don't think the children in Gaza should starve for whom their parents chose to vote for.
One that's sure to irk the far right cheerleaders in the 'talkback'. And me, I find myself increasingly at a loss for words in response to your articles, except to comment on their excellence, because they leave nothing much to be added.
One has to feel sorry for you guys. Mr Levy. Your decency is bravery coming from where you are. I just visited your country and Palestine and physically and mentally i was drained. What shockes me the most is the national state of mind and opinion is as if the whole or most of the nation was hypnotized. The denial of the horrors of GAza is just silly at this point in time. One very honest advice. Leave Mr Levy. Leave very soon. Someone with the sense of responsibility that you have is destined to go mad.
How is anybody sending aid to Gaza violating Israeli Sovereignty. JPost says Lieberman claims a violation of Israeli sovereignty. But If Israel left Gaza, how is Israel sovereign in Gaza? The claim of a violation of Israeli sovereignty has no basis in logic or reality unless Israel claims sovereignty over Gaza. In that case, how can it proclaim that Israel freed Gaza? Is there anybody rational left in the Israeli government? Is there any logic?
Superb logic! Now, Israel, what will be your answer to that?
The Israeli singer was defeated in the lame Eurovision singing contest. It is a bad sign. Not only no one believes that Israel is in Europe, but also no one believes that the Israel has the right of life and death over 1,5 millions of human being. Read again .. human beings.
"It's like the Noam Chomsky affair all over again, but big time this time" Hardly at all Gideon, this flotilla thing has hardly a whisper in international media. The top news in Australia is the aftermath of Eurovision song contest.
This says more about Australian media! Maybe Australia should listen to European media. Indeed, we, Europeans, have been informed and are following daily the progress of these heroic people.
i have read it in the NY time the Candian press, not to much as it owners would prefer it on the back page.Also in the Sydney papers and one of the london papers .sorry i have a life so I didn't get to any more news paper
How many international media have you read, Zelkah? Here are just a few: France's Figaro: "Tensions autour d'une mission humanitaire." Today's front page. France's Le Monde: Une flotille humanitaire fait route pour la bande de Gaza" . Today. England's Guardian: "Coalition for Gaza". Frid. 28/5. New York Time: "Gaza flotilla organizations protest Israeli response to their mission." Frid. 28/05. Norway's Aftenposten: "Støre kritisk til stengning av Gazastripen" (Støre critical to the blockade of the Gazastrip): Thursday 27/05 Same newspaper: "Gaza flåten stanset ved Kypros" (Fleet to Gaza stopped in the harbour of Cyprus), Sat. 29/5. See? Your comment tells us more about the Australian media than about the importance attached to Freedom Flotilla.
when you are surrounded and your spplies are cut off, then your army is defeated and you are supposed to drop your arms and beg for peace and mercy. If you don't then you continue to starve. untill you overcome your pride and get some common sense. Israel's actions are standard tactics of course it was stupid to start a war against a much stronger opponent, however much you are flattered by your fellow Arabs.and by so called peace activists. The flota is indicative of the defeat
"Israel's actions are standard tactics of course it was stupid to start a war against a much stronger opponent, however much you are flattered by your fellow Arabs." *sigh* This is an OCCUPATION, jochai. The actions and the justifications put forward by Israel are those of an OCCUPYING POWER, however much its propaganda tools insist that the occupation ended. This entire episode throws Israel into a tantrum precisely because it strips away the pretense i.e. Israel wants to continue to insist that it IS NOT the occupying power even as it want to continue to insist that it IS able to act AS IF it were still the occupying power. Levy nails it in this article, even if that all flies waaaaaay over your head.
Nothing will happen to Israel. Hammas is destroyed anyway. It has no political arguments and from the military perspective it cannot harm Israel anymore. Regarding America, Obama has recognized that it was foolish to tackle Israel. It is true that he needs jewish money but at the same time he is realizing the disastrous outcomes of a stupid strategy of engagement with radicals. Israel should not fear of a flotilla. Israel is not an occupying power in Gaza, and its policies of blockade maybe RIGHT AND MORAL, but not necessarily usefull. Israel can and should take some risks like opening the blockade. It is indeed a risk but worth of taking precisely because Hammas has no military or political arguments.
Very well enunciated Gordon even if tinged with sarcasm. The self defeating and hypocritical behaviors on display by the ;'powers that be' would be amusing if not for their tragic consequences. When will this silliness end. Heaven only knows.