Previous message may be a fake

I'm taking down the previous message, about the alleged response from the Marmara until it can be confirmed.  Sorry.  Mark Finkelstein

REID STATEMENT SUPPORTING ISRAEL'S RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE

 

REID STATEMENT SUPPORTING ISRAEL’S RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE

 

Washington, DC — Nevada Senator Harry Reid released the following statement today in reaction to the recent incident in the Mediterranean Sea:

 

“Israel is one of our strongest and most important allies, and the United States stands firmly with Israel at this critical time.

 

“I deeply regret the loss of life in the flotilla incident, including the death of an American citizen.

 

“Israel has an obligation to protect its citizens and therefore has a clear right under international law to prevent weapons from getting in the hands of terrorists determined to target them.  Israel indicated it was willing to put in place a process to ensure that legitimate humanitarian relief reached Gaza.  Unfortunately this offer was rejected.

 

“Israel has pledged to carry out a transparent and thorough investigation of this incident, and I look forward to its findings.”

 

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Biden defends Israel's right to stop Gaza flotilla from breaking blockade

Biden: Israel right to stop Gaza flotilla from breaking blockade

6/2/10  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/biden-israel-right-to-stop-gaza-flotilla-from-breaking-blockade-1.293833

VP Biden tells Charlie Rose that the Israel Navy might not have needed to drop commandos onto the Gaza-bound ship, but insists that Israel is entitled to defend its security.
By Natasha Mozgovaya Tags: Joe Biden Gaza flotilla

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday defended Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip and its decision to intercept the pro-Palestinian flotilla bringing humanitarian aid to the coastal territory, though he did not go so far as to defend the Israel Navy raid that killed nine people two days earlier.

In an interview with Charlie Rose, Biden pointed out that Israel had given pro-Palestinian activists the option of unloading their cargo at the Ashdod port, and offered to bring it to the Gaza Strip on their behalf.

"They've said, 'Here you go. You're in the Mediterranean. This ship -- if you divert slightly north you can unload it and we'll get the stuff into Gaza,'", he said. "So what's the big deal here? What's the big deal of insisting it go straight to Gaza? Well, it's legitimate for Israel to say, 'I don't know what's on that ship. These guys are dropping… 3,000 rockets on my people.

"Look, you can argue whether Israel should have dropped people onto that ship or not  -- but the truth of the matter is, Israel has a right to know -- they're at war with Hamas -- has a right to know whether or not arms are being smuggled in."

During the interview, Biden also blamed Hamas for the crisis that has wracked the coastal territory and for the ongoing state of conflict with Israel.

"As we put pressure, and the world put pressure on Israel to let material go into Gaza to help those people who are suffering, the ordinary Palestinians there, what happened? Hamas would confiscate it, put it in a warehouse [and] sell it.

"So the problem is this would end tomorrow if Hamas agreed to form a government with the Palestinian Authority on the conditions the international community has set up," Biden told Rose.

U.S. Congress reacts to Gaza flotilla raid

In contrast to the barrage of condemnations all over the globe, many in the U.S. Congress expressed support for Israel.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed her regret for the loss of life and said the event "underscores the urgent need for negotiations designed to achieve an enduring and comprehensive regional peace."

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer said Israel "rightfully invoked its right to self defense."

"Hamas could end the blockade at any time by recognizing Israel’s right to exist, renouncing violence, and releasing Gilad Shalit," Hoyer continued.

Spectrum of opinion re: Gaza blockade

From the NY Times: A spectrum of opinion about the Gaza blockade

 

What is a concrete course of action to take now to maintain security for Israel while addressing the humanitarian and political crisis in Gaza?

• Ehud Eiran, Belfer Center, Harvard University
• Yossi Klein Halevi, Shalom Hartman Center, Jerusalem
• Hossam el-Hamalawy, journalist
• David Makovsky, co-author of “Myths, Illusions and Peace”
• Michele Dunne, editor, Arab Reform Bulletin
• Allegra Pacheco, lawyer
• Amjad Atallah, New America Foundation
• Rime Allaf, Chatham House

source:

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/rethinking-the-gaza-blockade/?ref=opinion

 

 

Gordis: A Botched Raid, a Vital Embargo

Gordis shows you how all the parts fit together. A must read. --M. Finkelstein jcrc@dmjfed.org

Excerpt: "It is no accident that Turkey sent the flotilla at this time. It is clearly cozying up to Iran these days, even teaming with Brazil to offer Tehran a deal on atomic fuel that would allow the mullahs to maintain their effort to build a nuclear arsenal. Ankara's warmongering talk this week was not intended for global consumption; it was meant to show Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that Turkey is playing a new role in the Middle East."

Op-Ed Contributor

A Botched Raid, a Vital Embargo
By DANIEL GORDIS
June 2, 2010 New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/opinion/03gordis.html

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

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

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

Thus this flotilla was no "peace operation." It was intended to break the blockade or to increase international pressure to end it. Its leaders, with the connivance of the Turkish government, set a trap, and Israel blundered smack into it.

But that does not make the blockade wrong. Hamas is a terrorist organization that completed its takeover of Gaza through brute force. It executes its political enemies at will. It is one of the world's most misogynist regimes, allowing the murder of women for the slightest infraction of family honor.

Hamas kidnapped an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, from Israeli territory and has held him for four years without giving the Red Cross any access to him, in violation of the most basic international standards of conduct. And, of course, Hamas openly insists that it will countenance no long-term peace with Israel; the resistance will not end, it says, until Israel is destroyed.

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

Israel will, of course, endure tremendous international condemnation for this week's events. Sadly, though, we Israelis are becoming somewhat inured to such criticism. And we know that we dare not capitulate now.

It is no accident that Turkey sent the flotilla at this time. It is clearly cozying up to Iran these days, even teaming with Brazil to offer Tehran a deal on atomic fuel that would allow the mullahs to maintain their effort to build a nuclear arsenal. Ankara's warmongering talk this week was not intended for global consumption; it was meant to show Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that Turkey is playing a new role in the Middle East.

Iran finances Hezbollah and Hamas and does everything it can to weaken and marginalize Israel, inching toward its vision of a world without a Jewish state. The West has known of Iran's nuclear intentions for well over a decade, but has effectively done nothing. Israelis understand that we — and we alone — will have to ensure our security and our survival.

The recent avalanche of international condemnation is very painful for Israelis, who remember the years in which we were seen as a beacon of democracy and sophistication in a repressive part of the world. Those days are gone, of course, because of the world's impatience with the "occupation" of the West Bank and Gaza.

Our problem is that though most Israelis want peace with two states — one Jewish and one Palestinian, living side by side — we cannot find anyone to make a deal with us. A decade ago, President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Ehud Barak, tried, but Yasir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, walked away. Now the supposedly moderate Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, refuses to negotiate, as of course does Hamas.

Israelis are resigned to the fact that reason will not shake the world's blatant double standard. Our blockade of Gaza is "criminal"; yet nobody mentions that Egypt has had a blockade of Gaza in place since 2007, and has never hesitated to use lethal force against those trying to break it. Israel's attempt to enforce a blockade becomes an international crisis, while most of the world shrugs when North Korea sinks a South Korean ship. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared his willingness to sit with Fatah leaders any time, anywhere, but they insist on mere "proximity talks," which they will probably now scuttle, using the flotilla as an excuse.

Israel's geographic vulnerability means that we do not have the luxury of caving in to the world's condemnation. We will have to gird ourselves for the long, dangerous and lonely road ahead, buoyed by hope that what ultimately prevails will be not what is momentarily popular, but rather what is just.

Daniel Gordis is a vice president of the Shalem Center, a research and education institute, and the author of "Saving Israel: How the Jewish People Can Win a War That May Never End."

IPT: American Islamists Ignore Hamas Aggression Within Gaza

 

 

" Any doubt that this week's "Freedom Flotilla" to Gaza was about politics – and not about providing aid to needy Palestinians in Gaza – was erased Wednesday when Hamas leaders refused to let the flotilla's cargo in. "  Double Standards on Hamas Action Against Palestinians June 2, 2010  by the Investigative Project on Terrorism  http://www.investigativeproject.org/1987/double-standards-on-hamas-action-against   Any doubt that this week's "Freedom Flotilla" to Gaza was about politics – and not about providing aid to needy Palestinians in Gaza – was erased Wednesday when Hamas leaders refused to let the flotilla's cargo in. Among the reasons, Hamas doesn't want to give Israel a public relations victory. Israel's economic embargo on the Hamas government in Gaza – designed to keep weapons and materials for explosives out of the hands of terrorists who would attack it - is decried as unjust and illegal. But don't expect global condemnation of Hamas' decision to play politics with the material released as promised all along. It is the latest example of the fact that, while Israel is castigated for its actions, when it comes to Hamas aggression against the Palestinian people, the silence from American-Muslim organizations is deafening. Since Hamas' electoral victory in 2006, there have been many questions about how the designated terrorist group would govern. Fears that the militant organization would not moderate were validated when it violently seized control of territory from the Palestinian Authority in 2007 and became the de facto government of Gaza. Since then, the group has continued on its path of armed violence against Israel, while at the same time destroying the Palestinian society that it claims to represent. All the while, American Islamist groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)—alleged champions of the Palestinian people who are more than happy to criticize Israel for what it views as similar acts of hostility— have sat on the sidelines while Hamas cracked down. When it comes to Hamas aggression against the Palestinian people, the silence from American-Muslim organizations has been deafening. While critics decry the Israeli blockade of Gaza as a violation of humanitarian law that deprives the Palestinian people of necessary resources, nobody blinks when Hamas runs the Gaza economy into the ground. Where Israel and Hamas destroy homes that were illegally built, Israel is taken to task by the international community while the criticism of Hamas is mild at best. When Israel is chastised for "targeting" Palestinian civilians, Hamas' brutal execution of "collaborators" barely receives a head shake. Ignoring Hamas' Oppressive Laws Among the most repeated criticisms against the Israeli government is that the current political climate is analogous to apartheid South Africa. At a "Jerusalem Day Rally" in 2000, MPAC's Dr. Maher Hathout, announced: "they say Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. This is a lie. Israel is not a democracy. Israel is a theocracy, and is an apartheid state, against every fiber of the modern world." More recently, Hussam Ayloush, the Executive Director of CAIR-Los Angeles, repeated the comparison: "Imagine if Black African persons from South Africa were required to take an oath of allegiance to the apartheid system and if one refused or dares to challenge such injustice he or she would be sentenced to prison…that is basically the news coming out of Israel these days." Although these groups are quick to denounce Israeli policies, they remain unwilling to do the same of Hamas. While the terrorist group ran, in part, on a platform to reform Fatah's corruption, since taking power it has forced restrictive provisions of Sharia on the residents of the Gaza Strip. Among the recent policies imposed by Hamas are bans on men working in women's beauty parlors, segregation of public beaches, and banning women from riding motorcycles. Ignoring Hamas' destructive economic policies in Gaza CAIR and MPAC often blame the Israeli government for the bleak economic situation in the Gaza Strip. Frequently, this criticism takes the form of claims that Israel's attempts to prevent weapons from entering the Hamas-controlled area have created a humanitarian crisis. Such claims reached a crescendo this week with the "Freedom Flotilla" fiasco. MPAC denounced Israeli defensive actions, saying: "the collective punishment of Gaza is a war crime, a violation of international law, and a massive impediment to any peace process." Similarly, CAIR announced: "It is imperative that President Obama not only speak out strongly against this massacre of civilians but also demonstrate our nation's outrage at Israel's brutal actions by taking concrete steps to end the humanitarian siege imposed on Gaza with America's support." While critical of Israel for allegedly "creating a humanitarian crisis," these groups have remained silent while Hamas has contributed to the awful economic conditions in the Gaza Strip. Although promising to revitalize the Palestinian economy in the Gaza Strip, the economic situation has become even direr since the militant group took over and failed to pay civil servants their salaries for nearly a year. In January 2010, it was reported that police and government employees on the Hamas payroll had again been denied pay. The response to this financial shortage has been disastrous for the Palestinian people. Unfair and strict tax laws have been implemented including a 60 percent tax on cigarettes, heavy taxes on property, and the seizure of more than a quarter of a million dollars from Arab Bank that had been frozen out of fear that it was funding terrorism. Enforcement of these policies has been swift and harsh. Hamas has confiscated cigarettes and painkillers from Gaza shops and destroyed them, and jailed people who refused to comply with the newly imposed economic regulations. Ignoring Hamas' Violent Oppression of Palestinians Claiming concern for Palestinians, MPAC and CAIR have frequently accused Israel of targeting and killing innocent Palestinians. At an Oct. 7, 2000 rally outside of the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C., CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad called Israel a terrorist state: "The Israeli's have been maiming children, have been killing innocent people, have been bombing cities, no objection by the United States…all these things are happening, are happening in the name of the United States." In a joint statement issued on May 20, 2004, American Muslim groups decried Israel's "indiscriminate killings of innocent Palestinians, including many children," and its "demolition of Palestinian homes" among other things. But when Hamas engages in similar behavior? Silence. More than simply imposing Sharia and strict financial regulations, Hamas has violently cracked down on the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. In March, Hamas executed two Palestinians who were suspected of "collaboration with Israel." Fathi Hammad, the Minister of Interior, announced that the group would "continue to implement execution sentences" despite public outcry. Most recently, and perhaps most controversially, Hamas has begun evicting Gaza residents and knocking down their homes, claiming that they were built illegally on government land. Gaza residents said that between 30 and 40 homes were razed, ranging from concrete structures to tin shacks. Commenting on the actions, one resident said: "They promised reform and change—instead they've destroyed our homes." Contrast the willingness to criticize Israel for alleged acts of aggression against the Palestinian people with the silence of the same critics when Hamas represses Palestinians. Today, CAIR demands that President Obama condemn what it calls a massacre on the flotilla. It has never condemned Hamas or called on others to do so.In 2002, CAIR's Ibrahim Hooper was challenged to do just that, but refused saying "we're not in the business of condemning." As recent events suggest though, that's only half of the sentence. In reality, it concludes, "...unless it's against Israel." Related Topics: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)  http://www.investigativeproject.org/ The Investigative Project on Terrorism 202-363-8602 - main 202-966-5191 - fax

Probe: lynchers have ties to global jihad

"some 100 people infiltrated the peace and
humanitarian aid activists ..



...

Some among that group are believed to have ties with World Jihad groups,
mainly al-Qaeda.


... it is clear that the majority were recruited by the same IHH handler who organized the flotilla.

 

source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3897667,00.html