After a drumbeat of criticism against the Israeli investigation of the Gaza flotilla attack, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has joined in, noting the Israeli panel does not rise the level of a credible international inquiry. Ban also reinforced the criticism of the Israel siege of Gaza, saying the announcement of an easing of the blockade is insufficient to satisfy the world’s concern for easing Gaza’s suffering:
The panel announced by Israel to investigate the deadly assault on a flotilla seeking to run the Gaza blockade lacks adequate international weight to make the panel credible, the United Nations secretary-general said Friday.
Although Israel gave two foreigners observer status on the panel, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that most countries he had consulted agreed that “it is not sufficient enough to have international credibility.”
Mr. Ban also condemned the continued blockade of the Gaza Strip. Although he noted that Israel announced a slight easing of the blockade this week, Mr. Ban said a “fundamental change” was needed in its Gaza policy. “Much more is required to really meet the needs of the people,” he said at a news conference.
Why should the UN’s top official have a better sense of Gaza policy than our own president?
The article notes that Turkey has accepted Ban’s proposal for a UN investigation while Israel has refused. When will Obama and Bibi be forced to concede that the Tirkel commission is an empty charade and turn to the UN for the credibility such an inquiry requires?
There is a new flotilla being planned by Lebanon. Israel has warned that it considers the Lebanese effort a propaganda ploy by Hezbollah. In doing so, the Israeli UN ambassador has used exactly the same ominous, threatening rhetoric which preceded the Mavi Marmara sailing. Can there be any doubt that the U.S. and UN better do something to nip Israel’s predilection for disaster in the bud before we get a repeat of the last tragedy?
A German Jewish group and an English Jewish group also plan to join in the campaign to break the siege. I wonder to what terror group they will attribute the Jewish efforts? Perhaps the Stern Gang or Kach or maybe the military wing of Jewish Voice for Peace?
Interestingly, Haaretz buried the lede and consigned the story of Ban’s dissatisfaction with the Israeli inquiry to the middle of an article whose headline trumpets that Israel will do anything necessary to stop the Lebanese flotilla.
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- U.N. Leader Criticizes Israel’s Panel on Flotilla (nytimes.com)
Come on, Richard. A Jewish flotilla would be greeted with troops rappelling down carrying tea and cookies. Israel will use it to their advantage, spinning the whole episode into a shining example of peace and brotherly love, to show the world how barbaric those Turks are.
Speaking of Turks, why is it that suddenly the Knesset has decided it should look into the Armenian massacre, after all these years?
RE: “…or maybe the military wing of Jewish Voice for Peace…” – R.S.
MY RETORT: [spoken with a faintly prissy affectation] Go ahead and make your snide, little jokes at our expense; but I’ll have you know we’re actually a proud legion of über-ruthless basterds. And “inglorious” we’re not!
P.S. I’m only jesting, of course. My carpal tunnels are so badly damaged that I most likely could not even button my own shirt (should happenstance or some quaint notion on my part necessitate my attempting to do so) without the help of my cubicularius*, Sancho. Alas, no more tilting for me. Lances be damned (even the new ultralights)!
* Latin for bed-chamber servant, (eunuch) chamberlain
Cubicularius – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubicularius
All of this is very predictable behavior under a Zionist regime.
An illusion is being shattered. Zionism, justice and democracy are incompatible. If I had to sacrifice one of the three to protect and advance the other two, I wouldn’t think twice.
Israel’s idea of ‘international’ representation is rabid zionist and all round psychotic John Bolton and well known friend of Israel David Trimble. Pathetic.
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