WHERE IS THE MEDIA? AND THE FLOTILLAS?EGYPT CRACKS DOWN ON GAZA.

Remember when Gaza was an “open air prison,” as the Huffington Post called it? Remember when the tunnels, smuggling terrorists and weaponry in and out of the Strip, were “a legitimate trade and passenger route, one that is necessary for survival,” according to The New York Times?

That was when Israel was trucking in tons of goods and the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza was open.

Well, Israel is still trucking food, medicine, clothing, construction materials and other supplies into Gaza. Last week, September 8-14, Israel sent 1,428 trucks carrying 38,545 tons of goods into the Palestinian enclave. So what’s changed? Egypt is cracking down on Gaza, that’s what.

Then how come you don’t hear much about the suffering of Gaza residents? Because it can’t be blamed on Israel.

IRIN, the Integrated Regional Information Networks, describes itself as an editorially independent, non-profit project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). On September 17, IRIN reported:

Residents and officials in Gaza say the repeated closures of the border crossing into Egypt, a key lifeline for Palestinians in the occupied territories, is destroying livelihoods, harming health and lowering basic living conditions.

The border crossing at Rafah has now been closed for seven consecutive days - the second sustained closure in the past few weeks - following instability in the Sinai region on the Egyptian side of the border.

A reopening is promised tomorrow, Wednesday, but the closures, reduced operating hours and the crackdown on smuggling tunnels are squeezing the country’s most important supply line.

The closures, along with the large-scale destruction of smuggling tunnels that were a major supply route into Gaza, are leading to shortages and higher prices for basic goods.

CHA estimates that fewer than 10 tunnels are operational, down from 50 in previous weeks and 300 before June [when demonstrations erupted in Egypt, culminating in the removal of President Mohamed Morsi].

So, Egypt –which is not trucking supplies into Gaza– closes the Rafah crossing and shuts down the smuggling tunnels that are “necessary for survival”. Naturally you’ve read about this in The New York Times and the Huffington Post. No?

Ahram Online, the Egyptian news Web site, reported on statements by Ahmed Ali, spokesman for the Egyptian Armed Forces:

According to Ali, the army has arrested around 309 militants and confiscated a number of munitions, including mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

He added that some of the confiscated hand grenades bear the stamp of Al-Qassam brigades –the militant wing of Gaza’s Islamist ruling party Hamas.

“Hamas is also responsible for securing the borders,” said Ali, who added that houses placed on the border with the Gaza strip are a threat to national security.

Ali stated that while no buffer zone has been declared between Sinai and Gaza yet, the army is securing a distance of between 500 meters and 1 kilometer at the border.

Gaza exports terrorism and terrorists to Egypt and Egypt cracks down. Egypt destroys smuggling tunnels, closes the crossing, and secures territory on the border. Naturally, human rights activists around the world are planning large-scale demonstrations and setting off on their protest ships. No?

The Arab press, Jewish and Israeli media have covered this story. To their credit, there has been some reporting on this subject by United Press International but it has not been picked up by most of the popular press which has given it precious little attention.

When Israel tries to protect its citizens from thousands of rockets, missiles and terrorist attacks from Gaza, there’s a hue and cry, outrage and indignation. When Egypt responds to terrorism in the Sinai… Where are the protests? Where are the flotillas? And for heaven’s sake, where’s the coverage?

Setting sail for Egypt? Don’t hold your breath.

Comments

(1) There is little western coverage because the situation is nuanced and the west prefers the good vs. evil narrative. Whereas with the present situation between Gaza and Egypt it is hard to assign which is which: both bad, both good.

(2) Why no Flotilla's to Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan, Somalia etc where thousands of civilians have been murdered in the last few months by Muslims killing Muslims. Why, cause they cant blame the JOOOOOOOOOOS

The Flotilla Megilla

A megilla is defined as a long story and Gaza is certainly a long story.

Having returned from a month in Canada where it is refreshing to hear the vast majority of people speak about the realities of Gaza as they see it and for once truly reflecting the reality, I have returned to the story of the latest flotilla attempts to provoke Israel into actions which will see it once again condemned by the world at large. There are some bigotted Canadians who just can't or won't see the wood for the trees.

The following article in the National Post http://tinyurl.com/6ly834m shows how the bigotted just do not want to be confused by facts.

Kelly McParland - National Post - June 23, 2011

Things must be getting tougher in the Hate Israel industry these days, what with Arab leaders slaughtering their own people everywhere you look, in order to hold onto their jobs.

People were killed in Egypt, people were killed in Tunisia and Bahrain, people are still being killed in Yemen, Libya and especially Syria. They’re being killed because they’d like to change the government, which you can do in Israel just by turning up to vote. They’re being killed because they’d like to be more like Israel. How can you focus the world’s attention on the despicable state of affairs in apartheid Israel when the people in neighbouring countries insist on giving up their lives in hopes of winning similar rights to those Israel already offers? It’s almost like the protesters in all those places didn’t realize that the source of all their troubles lies in Jerusalem, not in their own countries.

Hate Israel people aren’t easy to persuade, though, so they’re persevering despite the headwinds. The folks behind the

Canadian boat to Gaza sent their little contingent off on the weekend to join the heroic struggle to break the murderous Israeli blockade of Gaza and bring life-saving supplies to its besieged people. The people of Gaza aren’t really besieged, and it’s not really that hard to send them supplies, if that’s your intention, but admitting as much would spoil all the drama and self-serving bombast of the Hate Israel folks, so they’re pretending otherwise. If they’re really lucky, Israel will try to turn back the boat and they can try to provoke a confrontation, enabling them to get a ton of international publicity for themselves, which is what they live for. It might be a bit more difficult than in the past, though, since Israel may be reluctant to play along, and since the blockade has already been eased. And Turkey, which has been supportive of the flotillas, has its hands full trying to deal with the flood of civilians fleeing Syria to escape the government’s murderous campaign to put down a popular revolt. (Syria is one of those countries that kills people who challenge the government, a state of affairs the Hate Israel people have to studiously ignore.)

The United Church of Canada, or a faction within it, is also keeping up its campaign to pretend Israel is worse than the countries that want to annihilate it. A “task force” within the church which has all of 15 members

is trying to drum up support for a boycott of firms that do business in Israel. The campaign, as reported by the National Posts’ Charles Lewis, seems a little unfocused. It hasn’t been endorsed by the Church’s national body, “but it hasn’t unendorsed it either,” says Brian McIntosh, a reverend, pastor and spokesman for the campaigners. (The U.S. Senate hasn’t unendorsed it either, so I guess they must also be on board. Kind of a surprise, but there you go.)

Rev. McIntosh acknowledges that the group hasn’t called for boycotts against any of the many oppressive regimes in Africa or the Middle East, or China, where government critics get chucked in jail and members of many religious faiths may be persecuted. So why Israel?

No. 1, because Israel purports to be a democracy. No. 2, they are in violation of international law and even the UN has tried to call Israel to account. So what is left for people who want to see international law enforced? Libya just happened and the U.S. jumped to take on the presumed responsibility to protect civilians; they jumped in with all kinds of force. But they won’t do that against Israel ever because Israel purports to be a democracy.

“Purports to be”, like, they have elections and stuff. Which they don’t bother with in Syria or Libya or Bahrain. They just shoot people, which is evidently cleaner and more effective. One of the companies Rev. McIntosh wants boycotted is Indigo books, because owners Heather Reisman and Gerald Schwartz personally support a foundation that provides scholarships to Israeli soldiers. They do it on their own, but Rev. McIntosh figures they get their money from Indigo, though a quick Google search would show that Mr. Schwartz actually has one or two other business interests as well. So why pick Indigo? Rev. McIntosh doesn’t really have an answer, just as the Hate Israel people don’t really have an answer for why they hate Israel and not its murderous, repressive, anti-democratic neighbours.

They just do.

WEASEL Words

(Reprinted with permission from the Birmingham Recorder)

According to Wikipedia, the expression weasel words is an informal term for words and phrases that while creating a vague or ambiguous claim, give an impression that something specific and meaningful has been said. It apparently derives from the egg-eating habit of weasels, who can suck out the contents of an egg leaving the empty shell looking intact.

Therefore, words or claims that turn out to be empty upon analysis are known by this term. Unfortunately, many of these deceiving words and expressions are now in common usage among Israel’s detractors in the media and are being skillfully employed to twist the truth and actually lie about current events here.

SO-CALLLED GAZA BLOCKADE

BLOCKADE has to be the first word on our list of weasel words, because of its constant use in connection with Gaza and the untruthful portrayal of Gazan citizens as starving, without fuel, medical equipment or treatment, that appear constantly in the media. It is largely this distorted view that is leading to so much overt animosity to Israel in the world’s media which in turn leads to boycotts such as the regrettable one recently approved by the Methodist Church in the U.K.

If only it was possible here to show you the many pictures we have received of Gaza shops bursting with goods and shoppers and market-stalls stacked high with fresh produce, comparable with that available in the Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem. Also there are many advertisements, circulating on the internet, for luxury restaurants and wedding halls in the Strip, illustrated by mouthwatering pictures of Cordon-Bleu meals and buffets. Events are pictured and can be seen to be attended by superbly dressed guests. Not exactly what most of the world is being shown!

Goods of every kind apart from materials that could be used for arms manufacture or the creation of bunkers and rocket-launching pads, pour into Gaza from Israel daily, through the various crossing points.. We don’t have the latest figures of supplies but the details from between May 2nd and 8th when a total of 714 truckloads, consisting of 17,060 tons of humanitarian aid went into the Strip, are typical.

Additionally, 370 medical patients and accompanying individuals from the Gaza Strip crossed into Israel during this brief period and the Judea and Sumaria region for medical treatment and 93 Palestinians entered Israel for other, various reasons. 191 staff members of international organizations crossed into the Strip and 192 crossed into Israel.

Note that this was in one week only, does it sound like a blockade? We are not denying that there are people who are suffering from general shortages there because, Hamas steals most of the supplies to be sold to the wealthier Gazans on the black-market!

Another Ship Aiming to Break the Blockade

So another ship, this time sponsored by Libya, that bastion of "human rights" and supporter of terrorism, is on its way to bring aid to the Gazan population. See location on map as of noon 14th July.

Israel has already taken a major measure to improve conditions in Gaza. In a move called a “welcome development” by the international Quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia), on 20 June, the government of Israel decided to end all restrictions on the entry of civilian goods into Gaza. Therefore,

1. There is absolutely no need for another superfluous ship to the Gaza Strip. Gaza is open to all civilian goods, a fact known the Libyan government.

Restrictions are placed only on weapons, war materiel and items that can be used for military purposes. Still, it is important that all goods are checked to ensure that they are not on the restricted list of dangerous items.

Israel allows the transfer to the Gaza Strip of approximately 800 truckloads of supplies (15,000 tons) per week. The projected amount of supplies on the ship is less than the amount that Israel transfers to Gaza in a single day. This ship has nothing to do with humanitarian aid, and everything to do with creating a provocation and a public relations exercise.

2. The organizers of the ship have been offered the opportunity to avoid an unnecessary confrontation by delivering their supplies to Gaza via the Israeli port of Ashdod or the Egyptian port of El Arish

Israel allows boats to off-load their cargo at Ashdod port for transport to both the West Bank and Gaza after appropriate screening. Anyone truly interested in sending aid to residents of Gaza can use the existing overland channels, as do all the respectable international organizations.

Recognizing that “Israel has legitimate security concerns” the Quartet declared (21 June) that it “urges all those wishing to deliver goods to do so through established channels so that their cargo can be inspected and transferred via land crossings into Gaza. The Quartet emphasizes that there is no need
for unnecessary confrontations…”

The US State Department issued (13 June) a similar statement that refers directly to the Libyan ship:
“we are conscious of the fact that there is a Libyan aid ship en route to Gaza as we speak, and that we, along with our partners in the Quartet, urge all those wishing to deliver goods to do so through established channels so that their cargo can be inspected by the Government of Israel and transferred via land crossings into Gaza. We have urged the Libyan Government to avoid unnecessary confrontations. We call on all parties to act responsibly in meeting the needs of the people of Gaza.”

That is why there is absolutely no need for any “humanitarian flotillas” to Gaza. So said (21 June) Tony Blair, when referring to the Israel’s updated policy. He stated that “if we implement this policy so that the things that people are trying to bring in by flotilla you can bring in through the legitimate
existing crossings, do it that way. That is the more sensible way to do that.”

Just last Friday (9July), the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy expressed her apprehension regarding more ships headed for Gaza: "I am concerned about reports of further ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. I would like to call on all of those involved to exercise calm and restraint at this particular juncture…. An escalation of tensions and unnecessary confrontations should be avoided.”

3. The purpose of the ship is to create a provocation and to open a sea lane to Gaza that will allow the free entry of weapons and terrorists.

The ship is nothing more than an attempt by the radical axis in the region to cause the peace efforts currently being led by PM Netanyahu and President Obama to fail.

The organizers are attempting to do by creating a provocation that will embarrass Israel, as well as opening a new maritime route to Gaza for Hamas weapons and terrorists. This is not a humanitarian aspiration, but rather a hostile intent.

The proof of the fact that the goals of the organizers of the ship are political can be found in their own words. The Gaddafi Foundation published (11/6) on its website a notice reading: "Had our destination been the El Arish port, we would have spared ourselves the time and the effort, given money and sent a land convoy as we did last year."

A potential threat has already been conveyed in the words of a passenger. Atzam al-Sudani stated in an interview to al-Jazeera television that: “As Muslims, we are not afraid of death. On the contrary, we love shahada” [a martyr’s death for Allah’s sake].


4. Israel acts in accordance with international law.

The maritime blockade off the coast of Gaza was established in accordance with international law and conventions. It is designed to prevent the large-scale smuggling of weapons to be used against Israel by the Hamas terrorist organization. As Tony Blair noted (9 June) "There's no question that there are
rockets fired from Gaza and that there are people in Gaza who want to kill innocent Israelis. When it comes to security, I'm 100 percent on Israel's side. Israel has the right to inspect what goes into Gaza."

The Flotilla - Will it or won't it?

Not only does it seem that the ships Iran was planning to send to Gaza are not likely to set sail because "of Egypt's refusal to let them come via the Suez canal", now there is talk of problems concerning those planning to sail from Lebanon. What seems to be more important to the organisers is the media hype rather than actual sailings themselves.

The Saudi newspaper “Al-Shaq Al-Awsat” is reporting today that, according to the Lebanese Minister of Transport, the women’s’ ship “Miriam” is fictitious, and the Lebanese flotilla consists of just one vessel – the French-registered “Julia”, which has taken the name “Naji El’adi”.

A source close to the flotilla, who refused to be identified, told the newspaper that the flotilla’s organizers are encountering difficulties. He added that the vessel “Naji El’adi”, which will fly the Bolivian flag, will carry just 1000 tonnes of equipment, and 16 people on board, 7 of them crew members. This comes in spite of reports that there will be 50 journalists, as well as dozens more human rights activists and European members of parliament, on board.

He also noted that another option exists: that the flotilla’s organizers will rent another boat. In any case, however, there is no expectation that the flotilla will depart from Lebanon to Cyprus in the next 2-3 days.

Throughout the day on Tuesday, maintenance work continued on the “Naji El’adi”, while soldiers from the Lebanese Army guarded the vessel and prevented people from approaching it. Workers at the port told the newspaper that cargo has not yet been loaded onto the ship.

Regarding the international perspective on the ship, the newspaper reported that a large number of foreign embassies in Beirut expressed suspicion that their citizens will participate in the flotilla, and even approached the Lebanese government about this, though this is probably not intended to achieve anything to prevent them from sailing to Gaza.

In conclusion: According to this report, it can be seen that the key operations currently being undertaken by the organizers of the Lebanese flotilla media-oriented only.

On the other hand, Samar Al-Hajj – the organizer of the women’s flotilla – was interviewed today by Al Jazeera and said that all the preparations for the departure of the ship “Miriam” have been completed, and that soon the ship will set out on its journey. It is interesting to note, however, that the very reporter from Al Jazeera that interviewed Al-Hajj expressed doubt about this.

Why There Has to Be A Blockade of Gaza

From the Sderot Media Center http://sderotmedia.org.il/ comes a report of a family formerly living in Gaza whose son was injured in a Kassam attack. They firmly believe the blockade of Gaza must remain.

Just when will the world wake up to the realities of life under the shadow of Hamas and how they are being conned left, right and center.

Iris Twito, the mother of two sons injured by Qassam rockets in the city of Sderot, decided to grant an exclusive interview with Sderot Media Center, following the Gaza aid flotilla fiasco. "The entire world hates us," says Iris, "but they don’t know what we’ve been through."

The Twito family is a living testament for why there is a naval blockade on Gaza. "It’s not just Sderot that is under threat today, but the whole country," said Iris. "It is vital that we stop these flotilla boats because we cannot allow Hamas to terrorize our Israeli children."

Sitting on her patio in Ashdod, with a cigarette in hand, Iris recalls the most horrifying experience a mother can go through. Three years ago, Iris’s sons Osher and Rami, then eight and 19 respectively, were walking to an ATM machine in Sderot, when the rocket alarm went off. As the two brothers frantically attempted to locate a shelter in the middle of one of Sderot's main streets, the Qassam rocket struck meters away from the two.

The exploded shrapnel sliced through the boys’ legs. Residents poured out to the street to help but another rocket alert went off, forcing everyone to flee to shelter again. Moments later, the ambulances arrived to transport the boys to the closest hospital, Ashkelon's Barzilai hospital located 20 minutes away from Sderot.

Amidst the flashing cameras at what was one of Sderot’s goriest scenes resulting from a rocket attack, Iris collapsed from the shock of seeing of her two sons lying next to each other, surrounded by a pool of their own blood. The entire city of 19,000 were subsequently shocked by the developments to follow.

The rocket attack left Osher in a coma for two weeks. The young boy had to go through intensive surgeries; his left leg had to be amputated, and doctors had to operate on a hole in his chest and his injured lungs. The older brother Rami's legs were also badly damaged and operated on.

After a year in the hospital, Osher was released in a bright red wheelchair. His right leg was still badly damaged, but a new artifical limb was fitted on his left.

"Osher goes to intensive therapy every week to this day to help adjust to walking again," said Iris. Osher, with big brown eyes and a freckled face, walks over to sit by his mother, slowly limping and murmurs hello.

Iris and her husband decided that it would be best to move the family from the heart of Hamas’s target city, Sderot, to Ashdod, Israel’s fifth largest city, that at the time located 40 kilometers (24 miles) away from the Gaza Strip was not under missile threat.

"But the rockets can reach Ashdod now too," Iris remarks fretfully. During Operation Cast Lead, Grad missiles, which are smuggled into Gaza from Iran, struck Ashdod playgrounds, kindergartens and homes, killing one Israeli woman at a bus stop and seriously injuring many more.

"Ashdod is not sheltered like Sderot" Rami explains. "Even our home doesn't have a bomb-shelter yet."

Rami, now 21 and married with two young daughters, a toddler and a baby, expressed how the last week and a half had been hard on the family. "When we heard that the flotilla from Turkey was heading to the Gaza port, we were very scared because we had no idea what kind of weapons could be on the ships."

As Iris’s youngest son, Osher, shyly cuddles up to his mother, Iris Twito reemphasizes the need for the Gaza naval blockade in order to protect innocent Israeli civilians like her family from future missile warfare.

"The government of Israel needs to ensure security for all Israelis and make sure that other Israelis are protected from the kind of tragedy that struck our family," said Iris. "Even Barack Obama at one time agreed with us. Osher met Obama two years ago," explained Iris, as Obama following the flotilla events said the territory's situation is "unsustainable." According to Iris, the US President after hearing the young boy’s harrowing story privately told him "I would do everything to defend my daughters from rocket attacks, if they were in your position."

As the Gaza flotilla was clearly only a provocation, carrying merely 10 thousand tons of aid, when Israel gave over 738,000 tons of aid in 2009 alone. This violent political stunt was only aimed at weakening Israel’s security and strengthening the Hamas military to put more families like the Twitos under threat.

Three years ago, Iris’s maternal instincts made her remove her kids from the daily horror of the Sderot rocket reality to what was a safer city. Today, under a larger missile threat, Iris’s maternal instincts are standing up against immense international pressure to lift the Gaza naval blockade implemented to protect Israeli children from going through what her two boys were forced to endure.

Turkish Government Collude with IHH

Once again "Pallywood" productions have produced a blockbuster. however as with bhollywood and Bollywood, it is all based on fiction, not fact.

As the truth begins to be accumulated, we see a very different picture from the original story line that was put out by the "Free Gaza activists" (surely terrorists?)

A full analysis of the facts that have now come to light show that:-

1. An initial analysis of statements taken from passengers aboard the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara after it was towed to the port of Ashdod show that operatives belonging to the radical Islamic Turkish IHH led the violent confrontation with the IDF.

2. The statements confirmed that the violence met by the IDF soldiers was not spontaneous but rather an organized, premeditated action carried out by a hard core of 40 IHH operatives (among the 500 passengers). The operatives, who acted according to a clearly-defined internal hierarchy, boarded the ship in the port of Istanbul without undergoing a security inspection (as opposed to the other passengers, who boarded in Antalya after a full inspection).

3. The IHH operatives’ preparations included handing out walkie-talkies as they boarded the ship, taking over the upper deck, setting up a situation room for communications, and a briefing given to the operatives two hours before the confrontation by IHH head Bülent Yildirim, who was on board the ship and commanded his men. IHH operatives wore ceramic vests and gas masks, and were armed with large quantities of cold weapons which they had prepared from equipment found on board (knives, axes, metal cables, metal pipes used as clubs, wrenches, etc.). They were also equipped with box cutters which had been prepared on the upper deck in advance.

4. The passengers, including the IHH operatives, stated that there were close relations between the organization and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and that the Turkish government was involved in preparations for the flotilla. The statements reinforce the original assassment that the objective of the flotilla was not merely to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, but focused on provocation and a violent confrontation with Israel.

For a full analysis read :-
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hamas_e110.htm

Lynching Attempt on the High Seas

I received this letter from an eye witness to the attempted lynching and hostage taking of an Israeli who was part of the operation.

O.K. So Hamas (Turkish Branch) comes up with a brilliant idea. 'We send 5 ships loaded with 'humanitarian aid' from Turkey and sail right in to Gaza, ignoring the Israeli Navy and their orders to dock in Ashdod...' Turkey recently elected a Conservative Pro-Shariah Law Government which has become more and more anti-Israel during the past year, when once we had extraordinary relations with them. Over 60% of Israeli Tourism was to Turkey (very cheap and great holidays) Now Israelis have been warned to cancell Turkish trips and get out of Turkey.

After four days of Media Frenzy, the boats arrive off Israel's coast.

They are stopped. Israeli boats and helicopters surround them. The Israelis then make their first and tactical error. They hover over the first two ships, drop commandoes onto the first one and that goes quietly, then drop onto the second boat. Now remember, they were unarmed. No rifles. Only batons and a pistol stuck in the back belt is all.

As the second wave of 9 Israelis landed on the second boat, each one was surrounded by five of six Hamas terrorists and beaten severely with iron crowbars. Three were stabbed and one was hit in the face with an iron pellet from a catapult.They were all down and being slaughtered when the second wave dropped in over them, opening fire immediately with their weapons that this time they took with them, killing 9 Hamas immediately and arresting all those on deck wearing face masks, battle gear and carrying cold steel weapons.

Nine Israelis are in hospital, three of them on the 'critical list.' All badly hurt by 'Peace Activists' bringing Humanitarian Aid to Gaza.On the deck of that boat there were 50 crowbars, 20 knives, 4 catapults and 5 automatic pistols. Someone needs to explain to me why Peace Activists need to wear flak jackets and face masks and have all those cold steel peace equipment..?

The boats were all boarded peacefully and turned around to dock in Ashdod. There everyone was disembarked. Palestinians were sent back to Gaza. Foreigners were either flown back to Turkey or boarded a vessel for Turkey, which was standing by in Ashdod Port. All the Hamas Fighters on board the 2nd boat were arrested, There were clear video shots of what happened on the 2nd boat deck, so everyone still alive who participated in the violence is now in jail.

Everyone has 20-20 Hindsight. As for me, I would have gone on board with Tasser shock guns and water canons.

The Israeli High Command fell for Hamas's propaganda. They really thought 'Peace Activists' and be careful, otherwise it will be 'Israeli Atrocities' all over the Media. When the 3rd wave dropped down and saved the solders being beaten to death with iron bars, killing nine of them, THAT is what appeared on every news station in Europe. Turkey called for an Emergency Meeting of the Security Council. The U.K.. Germany, Spain and Turkey all condemened Israel as War Criminals. Turkey has withdrawn its Ambassedor.

There's still one boat out there somewhere. It had engine trouble. It should arrive tomorrow. This time we know what to expect.

***** Bottom line, Hamas want pressure brought to bear in Israel to open the Gaza Border to free traffic for everyone, but NOT recognise Israel. They know fully well that if they can get that, they can restart the waves of suicide bombings and terror again. Well SCREW 'EM if they can't take a joke. No-one's starving in Gaza. No-one needs 'humaitarian aid.' They need employment and to be able to earn a living. Hamas makes sure that won't happen. We are now very comfortable with the fact that there's relative peace here, no 5,000 rockets coming over for 5 years on the trot, no stabbings or suicide bombings in bus stations and supermarkets every day. Peace and quiet.

It's tough on the people of Gaza. Sorry about that. I'd rather it was that way than Hamas' formula for a better future (for whom ?)

A Well Thought Plan

I am taking the opportunity to reprint an article by Ari Bussel who sends "Postcards from Israel" from time to time. http://web.me.com/bussel/Site/ISRAEL/ISRAEL.html

I feel that he is echoing the views of some many here in Israel, I would welcome your comments

At 10 PM Pacific Standard Time the news started coming in. First it was two dead, then 16 later 20. Bloomberg reports “Israeli Forces Clash With Gaza-bound Ships; Reports of 10 Dead.” Al Jazeera in English: “Israel attacks Gaza aid fleet, up to 16 people reportedly killed and dozens injured after troops board ships trying to break Gaza siege.” Israeli Debka site in Hebrew, among the very first to report the news: “At least 20 dead and tens wounded in the vessels of the flotilla to Gaza during the IDF’s boarding. The IDF soldiers who were attacked by cold weapons started firing.”

The IDF Spokesperson announced in a press release “IDF FORCES MET WITH PRE-PLANNED VIOLENCE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO BOARD FLOTILLA:”

“IDF naval personnel encountered severe violence, including use of weaponry prepared in advance in order to attack and to harm them. The forces operated in adherence with operational commands and took all necessary actions in order to avoid violence, but to no avail.”

The response to the breaking news was immediate, as it was pre-planned for weeks, possibly months: Turkey called the Israeli ambassador to the Foreign Ministry. The Turkish Government announces that the Israeli aggression against the flotilla will bring about horrendous results whose end is unforeseen. Hamas calls the Arabs of Judea and Samaria and the Palestinians of Gaza to go out (to protest) for a Day of Rage. In leading role is Turkey, now overseeing and coordinating the attack against Israel. Viva Palestine has done its job organizing the flotilla. From here, the powers to be take over.

All that needed was a cue, and the ball started rolling. There was nothing spontaneous, just a well-thought, well-rehearsed and well-executed plan. The next few hours will show if Israel, too, has had a plan it could immediately put to action. Let us pray this is the case.

This was not the first flotilla aiming to reach Gaza. Yet with each execution, the level of sophistication had increased, each time the level of daring had expanded. This time around, children were brought as human shields. One is only left to wonder if dead bodies were boarded onto the ships prior to departure. [Palestinians used exhumed bodies before to show the effects of Israeli atrocities in Gaza, so it will not be the first time, nor beyond their normal modus operandi to do the same.]

This is how wars break. A ruse is used, which then leads to an avalanche. The cost, whether in human life or otherwise, is meaningless to the organizers of the convoy to Gaza. Their goal was to break the naval siege at all costs, or in the alternative to cause as much harm to Israel as possible, both on the international public diplomacy front and on the domestic resistance / fifth column of Israeli Arabs. In either case they are the victors.

One would remember the Palestinian terrorists taking over the Church of Nativity. There was no respect to the holy place. It served a purpose, thus whether desecrated or defiled, they did not care. Likewise now, there is meaning to human life, the goal of humiliating and hurting Israel is worth more than the means used to achieve it.

This will not die down. The flotilla to Gaza was the match that was needed to be lit. The Middle East was getting ready for this day.

The real question is not whether or not Israel has a plan of action, now that the vessels (most or all) have been stopped and taken over. Rather, it is: Does Iran – via her cronies, Hizbollah, Hamas, Syria and Turkey – have the urge to wipe Israel off the map now, or is she still waiting. It all boils down to Iran’s will and determination. For if Iran were ready, then the war would start in the next few hours, Israel will be bombarded with rockets and missiles from all fronts.

The looming war was generally accepted for some time now. It was only a question of time. In the meantime, a game was played, primarily by Israel (“the International community needs to act against Iran”), the USA (forcing upon those who were clearly uninterested “Proximity Talks”) and Russia (supplying advanced weapon systems and overall reclaiming its spot as the bully no one dares say a word against). On the other side, Turkey, Brazil, Syria and Hizbollah continued their preparations, laughing at the meager efforts by a weak global leadership and the Nobel Peace Laureate, the head of the US-Superpower.

Despite Israel’s legitimate claims for being right, the only images that will be seen in the coming hours and days and later remembered are her brutality against children and humanitarian aid convoys; her soldiers boarding vessels of peace and starting to shoot; her top spokesmen (the Foreign Minister and his Deputy) following the lead of the Minister of Defense who said the convoy will be stopped at all costs. Israel, the aggressor, the occupier, the country committing a bloodbath in Gaza – to use the phraseology of a leading Israeli reporter – has this time crossed all red lines. It is indeed just for Israeli Arabs to set their march onto Jerusalem and for the Palestinian People to declare their nationhood. The world, finally, will not allow it to go on, and one after another, the members of the world community will say “Yes” when asked to vote for the formation and declaration of the new Palestine.

Oh cry Israel, for whatever you do you are found guilty. Facts and figures, logic and justice no longer hold. We are in the midst of a fantasia, where a flotilla that was never needed in the first place and could only result in bloodshed (present or future – had it been allowed to reach its intended destination) ushers in the new war. When will we wake up from this nightmare?