Gaza Boat Show Smaller Than Expected

Composed Sunday, May 30, 2010--

Last Sunday, eight boats were committed to challenging Israel's sovereignty and its obligation to all of its citizens to forestall shipments of war materiel by sea.

Today, three have abandoned the route, citing "technical difficulties" for cause, leaving five boats floating toward Israel's navy.

Although Israel Foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor may have said, as quoted by The Times of Earth, "If we let them throw egg at us, we appear stupid with egg on our face. If we try to prevent them by force, we appear as brutes," [1] Israel's defense and security plans belie any appearance as brutes, for they include the following:

• Detainee's debriefing camp providing immediate medical support and swift transfer to deportation for most or jail for some, including participating Israeli citizens.
• Plans to inspect and then, through United Nations shipping resources, distribute aid to Gaza as intended by donors. 

Folks, I hate to tell you, but if an operation involves a state's military, life just doesn't get much friendlier than that.

Composed Monday, May 31, 2010--

More important, Israel's own campaign to get goods into Gaza dwarfs the efforts of those at sea.  The state's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims, "Well over a million tons of humanitarian supplies entered Gaza from Israel over the last 18 months equaling nearly a ton of aid for every man, woman and child in Gaza. Millions of dollars worth of international food aid continually flows through the Israeli humanitarian apparatus, ensuring that there is no food shortage in Gaza. Food and supplies are shipped from Israel to Gaza six days a week. These items were channeled through aid organizations or via Gaza's private sector. [2]

How is that for "Zionist criminality"? 

The story only gets better.

No Palestinian is denied medical care in Israel. However, if the Hamas regime does not grant permits for medical care, the Israeli government can do nothing to help the patient. Israel will facilitate all cases of medical treatments from Gaza, unless the patient is a known perpetrator of terror . . . In 2009 alone, 10,544 patients and their companions left the Gaza Strip for medical treatment in Israel. Moreover, there were 382 emergency evacuations from Gaza for medical purposes. [2]

The May 25, 2010 Ministry of Foreign Affairs article covers in brief factoids the distribution of the basic elements of decent living, from the provision of building materials, including tons of concrete for direct use on known projects, to the distribution of electricity and sewage services.

Against that backdrop of Israeli efforts to contribute to the maintenance of a basic and decent quality of living even in its sworn enemy's camp, specifically, the Hamas government that has its hooks deeply set in the lives of Gaza's residents, have come the boat people.

In my fair and recession-battered small town, I too may take a camera into the low-rent districts and show all vacant buildings and structures, commercial and residential, in states of disrepair (truth to tell, given the age of some of neighborhoods here, even decent enough and occupied homes may sport their share of jury-rigged wires, peeling paint, and sagging porches), but I wouldn't claim such images to then represent the whole of a house, town, or region at large. 

Running coals to New Castle, as the saying goes, this would seem the way in which well-intentioned people get themselves involved in something that gets them killed.  With Israel's cooperation and resources providing essential goods and services (e.g., medical) directly and with donors around the world passing through to its people other than war materiel, Gaza has long been "rescued" despite the lethal agenda, not to mention fratricidal behavior, of Hamas.

In light of the above, we may now catch up with the story.  This has been posted on YouTube by AljazeeraEnglish, May 31, 2010:

Source: "Israeli troops storm Gaza flotilla": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFEBbDkyrqQ.

I have long mantained that a state's military, any of them, are generally "too large"--imprecisely lethal, minimally adjustable once mobilized--for the work at hand and have yet to be proven wrong on that; I've also said, and this in relation to Somalia, the best thing to do in the presence of an army if not directly engaged is to avoid or flee it.

Now you have watched above the flashy part of the story.  Let's fill in what happened before that happened.

Source: "Israeli Navy Addresses a Ship in the Flotilla and Offers it to Dock in the Ashdod Port."  May 30, 2010: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKOmLP4yHb4

It's an old ritual, the establishment of political and military policy, fair general warnings at sea, and then a request, followed by the bravado of an invitation: "Negative.  Negative.  Our destination is Gaza."

The boat show's destination was Gaza.

Israel says the troops returned fire after they were attacked with live rounds, knives and clubs, but the organizers of the Gaza blockade busting bid insist the soldiers started shooting the moment they hit the deck.

"They fired directly into the crowd of civilians asleep," the Free Gaza Movement said. [3]

Let the Tuesday morning quarterbacking begin: I have a feeling Gazans know the sources of their electricity and water, their beef and medicines, their building materials and manufactured goods of all kinds, and not only where they come from but how they're delivered in the main and overwhelming part.

All of this, and this in light of America's Memorial Day Weekend: propaganda, self-aggrandizement, and show business with real blood.

Not only did the peaceful of the world not need the Gaza Boat Show, it's doubtful whether the people of Gaza needed at all.

Reference

1. The Times of Earth.  "Israel ready to stop Gaza-bound ship convoy."  The Times of Earth, May 27, 2010: http://www.timesofearth.com/Politics/?NT=6&nid=22885

2. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  "Behind the Headlines: The Israeli humanitarian lifeline to Gaza."  May 25, 2010: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Behind+the+Headlines/Israeli_humanitarian_lifeline_Gaza_25-May-2010.htm

3. Krauss, Joe.  "The deadly last moments of the Gaza flotilla."  Agency France Press in The Vancouver Sun, May 31, 2010: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/deadly+last+moments+Gaza+flotilla/3092011/story.html

Other Reference

AP.  "Flotilla bound for Gaza delayed, loses key members."  The Jerusalem Post, May 30, 2010: http://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=176830

Deitch, Ian.  "Israeli gunships head to sea to block flotilla."  AP via Deseret News, May 28, 2010: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700036059/Israeli-gunships-head-to-sea-to-block-flotilla.html

Johnston, Cynthia.  "Israel flotilla action criticised by friends and foes."  Reuters via The Vancouver Sun, May 31, 2010: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Israel+storms+Gaza+bound+ships+dead/3091901/story.html

Katz, Yaakov.  "IDF to intercept Gaza flotilla."  The Jerusalem Post, May 27, 2010: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-gaza-flotilla-20100531,0,7691835.story

Katz, Yaakov.  "'We will remain non-violent'".  The Jerusalem Post, May 30, 2010: http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=176832

Sanders, Edmund.  "Gaza aid flotilla anticipates high-seas standoff with Israel."  Los Angeles Times, May 29, 2010: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-gaza-flotilla-20100531,0,7691835.story

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