Israel threatening the peace process

[Hawkeye2j]

We can not continue our blind support of Israel. It looks like Jimmy Carter was right all along.

Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Israel and called for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council as criticism and condemnations arose across Europe and the Arab world Monday over Israel's deadly commando raid on ships taking humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Turkey's prime minister said that Israel had violated international law and shown that it does not want peace in the region.
"It should be known that we are not going to remain silent in the face of this inhumane state terrorism," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The raid, in which at least nine pro-Palestinian activists, mostly Turks, were killed, was a new blow to Israel's international standing at a time when the West — including the United States — have grown frustrated with its stance in the peace process. The bloodshed particularly hurts its relations with Turkey, which was once a close regional ally of Israel but has become increasingly critical of it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100531/ap_on_re_eu/gaza_ships_protest

[CommonCents]

Jimmy Carter is an anti-Semitic liar.

So Hawk, explain to me why those "Humanitarians" were armed?

Israel is surrounded by countries that want to destroy them, so they have every right to defend themselves. The UN can say anything they want, but it will not change the actions Israel takes one damned bit.

So, how long have you sided with terrorists Hawk?

[Hawkeye2j]

Jimmy Carter is an anti-Semitic liar.

So Hawk, explain to me why those "Humanitarians" were armed?

Israel is surrounded by countries that want to destroy them, so they have every right to defend themselves. The UN can say anything they want, but it will not change the actions Israel takes one damned bit.

So, how long have you sided with terrorists Hawk?
So you really think Israel was innocent in all this? How naive you are.

[Kanadesaga]

Jimmy Carter is an anti-Semitic liar.

So Hawk, explain to me why those "Humanitarians" were armed?

Israel is surrounded by countries that want to destroy them, so they have every right to defend themselves. The UN can say anything they want, but it will not change the actions Israel takes one damned bit.

So, how long have you sided with terrorists Hawk?


Freedom fighters.

[Bill Cosby]

The very ppl demanding the right to bare arms & defend themselves are asking why were they armed...LMAO

Obviously they needed to be... bibi is a cold killa' just like bush................

The right wing wackO's there, like here are out to spill blood & fulfill their hatefilled imperialist ambitions @ any cost- to others....

[CommonCents]

The very ppl demanding the right to bare arms & defend themselves are asking why were they armed...LMAO

They were supposed to be peaceful humanitarians, so why is it they were armed Bill? Why did they ignore warnings, then attack the Israelis when they boarded?

Could it be..... never mind. You know exactly what's going on Bill, even if your beliefs won't allow you to admit it.

[Bill Cosby]

LOL.......... So Israel or any country attacks a ship from Turkey in international waters & they are defending themselves????:hi:


A Special Place in Hell / The Second Gaza War: Israel lost at sea
We are no longer defending Israel. We are now defending the siege, which is itself becoming Israel's Vietnam.
By Bradley Burston
(http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/a-special-place-in-hell/a-special-place-in-hell-the-second-gaza-war-israel-lost-at-sea-1.293246)


A war tells a people terrible truths about itself. That is why it is so difficult to listen.

We were determined to avoid an honest look at the first Gaza war. Now, in international waters and having opened fire on an international group of humanitarian aid workers and activists, we are fighting and losing the second. For Israel, in the end, this Second Gaza War could be far more costly and painful than the first.

In going to war in Gaza in late 2008, Israeli military and political leaders hoped to teach Hamas a lesson. They succeeded. Hamas learned that the best way to fight Israel is to let Israel do what it has begun to do naturally: bluster, blunder, stonewall, and fume.

Hamas, and no less, Iran and Hezbollah, learned early on that Israel's own embargo against Hamas-ruled Gaza was the most sophisticated and powerful weapon they could have deployed against the Jewish state.

Here in Israel, we have still yet to learn the lesson: We are no longer defending Israel. We are now defending the siege. The siege itself is becoming Israel's Vietnam.

Of course, we knew this could happen. On Sunday, when the army spokesman began speaking of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in terms of an attack on Israel, MK Nahman Shai, the IDF chief spokesman during the 1991 Gulf war, spoke publicly of his worst nightmare, an operation in which Israeli troops, raiding the flotilla, might open fire on peace activists, aid workers and Nobel laureates.

Likud MK Miri Regev, who also once headed the IDF Spokesman's Office, said early Monday that the most important thing now was to deal with the negative media reports quickly, so they would go away.

But they are not going to go away. One of the ships is named for Rachel Corrie, killed while trying to bar the way of an IDF bulldozer in Gaza seven years ago. Her name, and her story, have since become a lightning rod for pro-Palestinian activism.

Perhaps most ominously, in a stepwise, lemming-like march of folly in our relations with Ankara, a regional power of crucial importance and one which, if heeded, could have helped head off the First Gaza War, we have come dangerously close to effectively declaring a state of war with Turkey.

"This is going to be a very large incident, certainly with the Turks," said Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, the cabinet minister with the most sensitive sense of Israel's ties with the Muslim world.

We explain, time and again, that we are not at war with the people of Gaza. We say it time and again because we ourselves need to believe it, and because, deep down, we do not.

There was a time, when it could be said that we knew ourselves only in wartime. No longer. Now we know nothing. Yet another problem with refraining from talks with Hamas and Iran: They know us so much better than we know ourselves.

They know, as the song about the Lebanon War suggested ("Lo Yachol La'atzor Et Zeh") that we, unable to see ourselves in any clarity, are no longer capable of stopping ourselves.

Hamas, as well as Iran, have come to know and benefit from the toxicity of Israeli domestic politics, which is all too ready to mortgage the future for the sake of a momentary apparent calm.

They know that in our desperation to protect our own image of ourselves, we will avoid modifying policies which have literally brought aid and comfort to our enemies, in particular Hamas, which the siege on Gaza has enriched through tunnel taxes and entrenched through anger toward Israel.

For many on the right, it must be said, there will be a quiet joy in all of what is about to hit the fan. "We told you so," the crowing will begin. "The world hates us, no matter what we do. So we may as well go on building [Read: 'Settling the West Bank and East Jerusalem'] and defending our borders [Read: 'Bolster Hamas and ultimately harm ourselves by refusing to lift the Gaza embargo']."

Hamas, Iran and the Israeli and Diaspora hard right know, as one, that this is a test of enormous importance for Benjamin Netanyahu. Keen to have the world focus on Iran and the threat it poses to the people of Israel, Netanyahu must recognize that the world is now focused on Israel and the threat it poses to the people of Gaza.

[MintJulep]

WTG Israel.

Activists on board a six-ship flotilla carrying aid to the Gaza Strip tried to lynch the Israel Navy commandos who boarded their Turkish-flagged boat early Monday, Israel Defense Forces sources told Haaretz on Monday afternoon. At least nine people were killed and several more were wounded in the fighting that erupted aboard one of the ships.

The IDF confirmed that at least seven Navy commandos had been wounded, two of them seriously, in a fight which apparently broke out after activists tried to seize their weapons.

The commandos, who intercepted the Turkish ferry Mavi Marmara after it ignored orders to turn back from its course to Gaza, said they had encountered violent resistance from activists armed with sticks and knives. According to the commandos, the activists threw one of the soldiers from the upper deck to the lower after they boarded. The organizers of the flotilla said the troops opened fire first.
An Israeli military spokesman said some of the commandos were equipped with paintball guns but the non-lethal weapons were not enough against activists who charged in with batons.

"They had pistols with live ammunition as back-up, to defend themselves," he said. The IDF said it had confiscated two pistols from the boat.

One of the commandos told reporters he descended by rope from a helicopter onto one of the six ships in the convoy and was immediately attacked by a group of people waiting for them.

"They beat us with metal sticks and knives," he said. "There was live fire at some point against us."

A Reuters cameraman on the Israel Navy ship Kidon, sailing close to the convoy, said IDF commanders monitoring the operation were surprised by the strong resistance put up by the pro-Palestinian activists.

One of the commandos said some of the soldiers were stripped of their helmets and equipment and a several were tossed from the top deck to a lower deck, forcing them to jump into the sea to escape. "They jumped me, hit me with clubs and bottles and stole my rifle," one of the commandos said. "I pulled out my pistol and had no choice but to shoot."

http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.293313.1275312330!/image/577873088.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_295/577873088.jpg

A left-wing activist on board the Gaza flotilla holding a knife after Israel Navy commandos boarded their ship on May 31, 2010.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-navy-commandos-gaza-flotilla-activists-tried-to-lynch-us-1.293089

[Bill Cosby]

This is going to hurt the ppl (image) of Israel more than anyone else.........

[Hawkeye2j]

They were supposed to be peaceful humanitarians, so why is it they were armed Bill? Why did they ignore warnings, then attack the Israelis when they boarded?

Could it be..... never mind. You know exactly what's going on Bill, even if your beliefs won't allow you to admit it.
It is quite astounding that Israel has been able to create over the past 12 hours a news blackout, just as it did with its attack on Gaza 18 months ago, into which our main media organisations have willingly allowed Israeli spokespeople to step in unchallenged.

How many civilians were killed in Israel’s dawn attack on the Gaza-bound flotilla of aid? We still don’t know. How many wounded? Your guess is as good as mine. Were the aid activists armed with guns? Yes, says Israel. Were they in cahoots with al-Qaeda and Hamas? Certainly, says Israel. Did the soldiers act reasonably? Of course, they faced a lynch, says Israel.

If we needed any evidence of the degree to which Western TV journalists are simply stenographers to power, the BBC, CNN and others are amply proving it. Mark Regev, Israel’s propagandist-in-chief, has the airwaves largely to himself.

The passengers on the ships, meanwhile, have been kidnapped by Israel and are unable to provide an alternative version of events. We can guess they will remain in enforced silence until Israel is sure it has set the news agenda.

So before we get swamped by Israeli hasbara let’s reiterate a few simple facts:

* Israeli soldiers invaded these ships in international waters, breaking international law, and, in killing civilians, committed a war crime. The counter-claim by Israeli commanders that their soldiers responded to an imminent “lynch” by civilians should be dismissed with the loud contempt it deserves.

* The Israeli government approved the boarding of these aid ships by an elite unit of commandoes. They were armed with automatic weapons to pacify the civilians onboard, but not with crowd dispersal equipment in case of resistance. Whatever the circumstances of the confrontation, Israel must be held responsible for sending in soldiers and recklessly endangering the lives of all the civilians onboard, including a baby and a Holocaust survivor.

* Israel has no right to control Gaza’s sea as its own territorial waters and to stop aid convoys arriving that way. In doing so, it proves that it is still in belligerent occupation of the enclave and its 1.5 million inhabitants. And if it is occupying Gaza, then under international law Israel is responsible for the welfare of the Strip’s inhabitants. Given that the blockade has put Palestinians there on a starvation diet for the past four years, Israel should long ago have been in the dock for committing a crime against humanity.

Today Israel chose to direct its deadly assault not only at Palestinians under occupation but at the international community itself.

Will our leaders finally be moved to act?
http://www.counterpunch.com/

[CommonCents]

gYjkLUcbJWo

[Bill Cosby]

I guess the ppl on the boat should just of just allow others to take over the ship in international waters & w/out a fight...... Afterall they have no rights...lol

Funny the world is outraged & right wingers blame the victims.........

No surprise..........

[Hawkeye2j]

gYjkLUcbJWo
Israel has no right to control Gaza’s sea as its own territorial waters and to stop aid convoys arriving that way. In doing so, it proves that it is still in belligerent occupation of the enclave and its 1.5 million inhabitants. And if it is occupying Gaza, then under international law Israel is responsible for the welfare of the Strip’s inhabitants. Given that the blockade has put Palestinians there on a starvation diet for the past four years, Israel should long ago have been in the dock for committing a crime against humanity.

[CommonCents]

I guess the ppl on the boat should just of just allow others to take over the ship in international waters & w/out a fight...... Afterall they have no rights...lol

Funny the world is outraged & right wingers blame the victims.........

No surprise..........

Ala Akbar!!!!!

Die Jews die!

Have I captured the sentiments of you terrorist loving libs... Because that sure as hell is the sentiments of those mother fuckers on those boats you are defending.

As far as I'm concerned, as long as those heathens continue to not only advocate for the genocide of the Jews, but teach their children that there's no greater act they could ever commit, than to kill a Jew, then they have every right to prevent weapons from being shipped to Gaza.

[Bill Cosby]

Ala Akbar!!!!!

Die Jews die!

Have I captured the sentiments of you terrorist loving libs... Because that sure as hell is the sentiments of those mother fuckers on those boats you are defending.

As far as I'm concerned, as long as those heathens continue to not only advocate for the genocide of the Jews, but teach their children that there's no greater act they could ever commit, than to kill a Jew, then they have every right to prevent weapons from being shipped to Gaza.

You are welcome to your opinion as is the rest of the world for condemning this act of violence...........

Not everyone on these aid ships is like that, & you know it.........

While you attempt to discredit them, you infact appear to discredit your biased opinions..........:thumbsup:

[Hawkeye2j]

Ala Akbar!!!!!

Die Jews die!

Have I captured the sentiments of you terrorist loving libs... Because that sure as hell is the sentiments of those mother fuckers on those boats you are defending.

As far as I'm concerned, as long as those heathens continue to not only advocate for the genocide of the Jews, but teach their children that there's no greater act they could ever commit, than to kill a Jew, then they have every right to prevent weapons from being shipped to Gaza.
What Right does Israel have to stop humanitarian aid and stop ships in international waters?

[CommonCents]

You are welcome to your opinion as is the rest of the world for condemning this act of violence...........

Not everyone on these aid ships is like that, & you know it.........

While you attempt to discredit them, you infact appear to discredit your biased opinions..........:thumbsup:

Israel boarded that ship to check it's contents because they failed to heed the warnings. Israel has the right to prevent the Palestinians from importing weapons, and as far as I'm concerned, those terrorist loving asshole on that boat can go straight to fucking hell.

[CommonCents]

What Right does Israel have to stop humanitarian aid and stop ships in international waters?

One fucking word Hawk

SURVIVAL!

[Hawkeye2j]

Israel boarded that ship to check it's contents because they failed to heed the warnings. Israel has the right to prevent the Palestinians from importing weapons, and as far as I'm concerned, those terrorist loving asshole on that boat can go straight to fucking hell.
A blockade is an act of War. You do know that?

[MarkMiller]

Send in Darrell Issa the saviour of the middle east....or is he satan? Mmmmmmmm? LOL! Maybe the antichrist?

[Bill Cosby]

Israel boarded that ship to check it's contents because they failed to heed the warnings. Israel has the right to prevent the Palestinians from importing weapons, and as far as I'm concerned, those terrorist loving asshole on that boat can go straight to fucking hell.

Yea I know that is how you feel...........

I guess that cozy relationship w/ Turkey is not to important & neither is pissing off the rest of the planet.......

They have a right??

Funny the rest of the world (outside right wing wackO world) would not seem to be in agreement......... Just a thought.....

[CommonCents]

A blockade is an act of War. You do know that?

They have been at war for decades... You do know that?

[Hawkeye2j]

They have been at war for decades... You do know that?
My point is, they have every right to run the blockade. They are not the agressors here.

[CommonCents]

Yea I know that is how you feel...........

I guess that cozy relationship w/ Turkey is not to important & neither is pissing off the rest of the planet.......

They have a right??

Funny the rest of the world (outside right wing wackO world) would not seem to be in agreement......... Just a thought.....

After that statement Bill, you must understand why you and your ideological brothers are often called "terrorist lovers".

This was a conscience and very deliberate act designed to provoke Israel into taking aggression, so the Jew hating people you support, could once again play off the emotions of people just like you.

How about a little condemnation aimed toward the people who have vowed to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth?

Ala Akbar mother fuckers...... Ala Akbar!

[CommonCents]

My point is, they have every right to run the blockade. They are not the agressors here.

And they will suffer the consequences. They knew exactly what they were doing, so why in the fuck are people like you criticizing Israel instead of those idiots that purposely started this shit?

[Hawkeye2j]

And they will suffer the consequences. They knew exactly what they were doing, so why in the fuck are people like you criticizing Israel instead of those idiots that purposely started this shit?
Because Israel is in the wrong here. The whole world sees it except you.

[Bill Cosby]

After that statement Bill, you must understand why you and your ideological brothers are often called "terrorist lovers".

This was a conscience and very deliberate act designed to provoke Israel into taking aggression, so the Jew hating people you support, could once again play off the emotions of people just like you.

How about a little condemnation aimed toward the people who have vowed to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth?

Ala Akbar mother fuckers...... Ala Akbar!

Since you know not of what you speak I will not waste any more of my time wasting on you......lol

As I said previously, not everyone feels that way....... It works for your black & white world to see it that way cause you are perhaps incapable of seeing more than one or two reasons for anything to happen........ :dunno:

I am hopeful that much of the public in Israel as well as many politicians there will come around & join the rest of the world condemning the actions of this right wing (overly) reactionary government.......:thumbsup:

[MarkMiller]

I still say send Issa....:thumbsup:

[CommonCents]

Let me guess.....

You believe those people were just innocently trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, when out of nowhere, without warning the Israeli military opened fire on them and commandos raided their ships with guns blazing, while those poor peace loving souls cowered in the corner fearing for their lives?

Does that about sum it up Hawk?

[MintJulep]

After that statement Bill, you must understand why you and your ideological brothers are often called "terrorist lovers".

This was a conscience and very deliberate act designed to provoke Israel into taking aggression, so the Jew hating people you support, could once again play off the emotions of people just like you.

How about a little condemnation aimed toward the people who have vowed to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth?

Ala Akbar mother fuckers...... Ala Akbar!Exactly. Goodbye and good fucking riddance, head choppers.

[Hawkeye2j]

Let me guess.....

You believe those people were just innocently trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, when out of nowhere, without warning the Israeli military opened fire on them and commandos raided their ships with guns blazing, while those poor peace loving souls cowered in the corner fearing for their lives?

Does that about sum it up Hawk?
No, they tried to stop them from boarding their ships which they have a right to do. They were in international waters.

[foxbaron]

No, they tried to stop them from boarding their ships which they have a right to do. They were in international waters.


Israel is at war. In war there are no boundaries. International waters or not I would go after anyone I considered a threat to my country as well as anyone attempting to resupply them.

Food an medicine is just as valuable in war as are arms and ammo.

Maybe if they got hungry enough they would decide to give up and quit trying to kill the Jews. If not, then, oh well, so sad, too bad, they starve to death or die from lack of medicine.

Sorry, but I think Israel is done with making concessons and it is about time.

If I lived in Tehran, I think I would be calling my local moving van.