Not for a few years have I felt quite this ashamed of my own government. As you know, 50 U.S. citizens have chartered a boat called The Audacity of Hope, to be part of the Gaza flotilla. The name of the boat was an attempt to tie the effort to the most optimistic, progressive aspects of Barack Obama’s political career. The ship is attempting to depart from a Greek port with the Greek government exerting extraordinarily intrusive measures to hinder its sailing, no doubt under pressure from the Obama administration and Israel.
Here is how Joseph Dana, who’s planning to join the U.S. boat described his understanding of the situation:
According to flotilla organizers…Israel has been meeting with Greek officials in a bid to persuade them to block Gaza-bound ships leaving from their ports. Israel, organizers say, could use economic incentives at a delicate time of EU-imposed austerity to put pressure on Athens. In recent years Greece and Israel have expanded trade ties, have carried out joint air force exercises and have begun discussions on a joint pipeline project that would exploit vast new Israeli natural gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean.
“Israel has pulled out the stops in trying to get the flotilla to stop before it begins by threatening the Greek economy,“ said Ann Wright, a retired State Department official and former Army colonel who is the main organizer of the US boat to Gaza. Sitting in the lobby of the noisy Athens hotel, she added, “Greece is caught in the middle. There is tremendous public support for the flotilla, but the government is getting pounded by the Israelis.” Not naming her sources, Wright, visibly exhausted from a year of organizing for the flotilla, contended that “Israel is going to try to sink the Greek economy if they allow the flotilla to sail from Greek ports.”
This general strategy has already worked successfully in persuading Ukraine to collaborate in the kidnapping of Dirar Abu Sissi on its soil, along with transferring him to Israel where he languishes in jail. As I noted, an Israeli source confirms that Israel offered trade bait to Ukraine to seal the deal for Abusisi’s extraordinary rendition. I’m wondering whether a similar sort of bargaining went into getting Turkey to renounce its support for the IHH participation in the flotilla.
Hillary Clinton’s State Department has issued a shameful warning for U.S. citizens not to participate in the Gaza flotilla. Here is what it announced:
U.S. citizens are advised against traveling to Gaza by any means, including via sea, noting that previous attempts to enter Gaza by sea “have been stopped by Israeli naval vessels and resulted in the injury, death, arrest, and deportation of U.S. citizens.”
There was only one death of a dual nationality Turkish-U.S. citizen aboard the Mavi Marmara. After his death, the U.S. embassy in Turkey did absolutely nothing on behalf of his family. So for the State Department to warn other Americans they might suffer the same fate is beyond chutzpah (to quote Alan Dershowitz). What did our government do to protect Furkan before he died or to console his family or seek compensation from Israel? Nothing.
What are they doing to protect the lives of those Americans planning to sail now? Are they warning the Israelis to behave themselves, not to harm U.S. citizens? Of course not. Can you imagine a situation anywhere else in the world in which an ally of a nation is preparing to arrest and possibly engage in violence against citizens of that nation, and the latter tells those individuals that if they are harmed it will be their own fault??
Israel reminds me of the monster from those science fiction B-flicks of the 1950s, about whom one characters says: “He’s killed once, he’ll kill again.” Which usually is about the time all the potential victims organize to root out the killer in their midst. Instead of doing the same and calling Israel to heel for its previous acts of murder and violence, the world tells the potential victims, “if he kills you it’ll be your own fault.” For shame.
I’m also disgusted with the implied position of the Obama administration that the Gaza siege is an acceptable or even legal enterprise. Under what rubric is our government making such an argument? Even the UN secretary general warned peace activists to stay off the flotilla because aid should only be delivered via Israeli authorized means. Since when? Since when is this siege worthy of respecting? Since when does the world’s leading institution representing human rights acceding to Israel’s punishing siege against 1.5 million civilians? Since when don’t citizens of the world have the right to challenge patently immoral acts like this one?
Perhaps we can suggest to Ban Ki Moon that he move his headquarters to a Gaza refugee camp for one month just to see what that would be like. I wonder then whether he’d be singing the same tune? Would he then say to anti-siege activists that they should be good little boys and girls and leave it all to those nice fellows in the IDF to take care of the situation?
I’m disgusted with the Obama administration and their international shills. They’re beneath contempt.
Just Foreign Policy, whose director, Robert Naiman will also be aboard the Hope, has secured the signatures of six (count ’em) Congressmembers to a letter asking the U.S. government to work with Israel to ensure the safety of its own citizens. Only six members of the U.S. Congress believe the safety of 50 Americans is worth making a public stink about.
Richard i agree, the US government should provide armed security, to any nut job out there.
The standings of both the US government and the UN is that this flotilla is not to provide help or support but to provoke the State of Israel and instigate trouble.
you want to be safe…..Stay home.
I wrote to you before you published this comment that you would be moderated if you again added a fake Mossad e mail address (which you just did). If you didn’t see this warning & respect what I’ve insisted on by eliminating the deliberately provocative fake address, then I will unmoderate you. If not, you will not only be moderated, but you will be warned that further comment rule violations may cause loss of yr privileges.
The only “nutjob” out there seems to be you. I never said the U.S. should provide armed security. Just that it should do its job and protect its citizens with at minimum a statement warning against harming them. So cut the snark & telling me you agree with a statement I never came close to making.
These people don’t want to “be safe.” They’re willing to risk their lives to stand against the evil of Israeli policy regarding Gaza. I respect them for that. As for you…not so much.
Obviously, that fake Mossad address is an intimidation tactic typical of zionist bullies.
Mr. Silverstein.
I didn’t see your previous post, and the mossad email was nothing but a joke.
” Just that it should do its job and protect its citizens with at minimum a statement warning against harming them”
The US government supports Israel’s right of self defense as stated during and after the previous flotilla incident, the Nakba Border clashes, the Naksa Border clashes and in preparation of the current flotilla.
The action of individuals in protest of the formal US policy is an act of lunacy, and shall be granted no support either by statements or armed escort. This specific action, as stated by the state department may be in violation of US law.
I don’t think you would like to be regarded as one who support the violation of US law, would you ? we live in a democracy and there are ways to influence the decisions and policies of the State Department, “Bring them on” as you said, is not one of them.
Either one respects the american democracy, and abides by it rules or he doesn’t. There is no conditional (based on the condition that the majority would rule the way i like) support for democracy.
Forgive me but only someone like you would have the balls to call such a provoctive, obnoxious act “a joke.” Someone at Magnes Zionist levelled a death threat against me & also claimed it was a joke & I had a poor sense of humor. I don’t joke about such things. And if that’s the level of yr sense of humor make yr jokes elsewhere. If you want to discuss issues you’re welcome to do so as long as you follow the rules. If you want to substitute snark & lame attempts at intimidation passing for humor, go elsewhere.
I will remove you fr. moderation w. that warning.
Since when does the world’s leading institution representing human rights acceding to Israel’s punishing siege against 1.5 million civilians?
Blockaded Gaza Strip nears ‘medical crisis’
http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2011/06/20116248514672596.html
Territory running out of medical supplies due to major delays in West Bank deliveries.
Last Modified: 24 Jun 2011 09:32
Health authorities in the Gaza Strip are warning that there is a medical crisis unfolding, following major delays in deliveries of medical supplies from the West Bank.
In the past week a humanitarian convoy arrived from Europe and next week the so-called Freedom Flotilla is expected to set sail for the region.
But as Al Jazeera’s Nadim Baba reports from Gaza, the medical shortages have increased calls for an end to Israel’s blockade and Palestinian disunity.
FYI, Chayma, I’m not sure if you know this, but placing “so-called” in front of a word is way of undermining it’s credibility as if to say that “freedom” is not their objective.
As I understand it, your goal is not to undermine the Freedom Flotilla, but to avoid misunderstanding just call it Freedom Flotilla.
FYI, the reference was a direct quote from the Al-Jazeera article that the commenter cited.
The Al-Jazeera article uses the phrase “so-called Freedom Flotilla” – the commenter just reprinted a selection from that article verbatim which including that phrasing.
“Israel is going to try to sink the Greek economy if they allow the flotilla to sail from Greek ports” (Ann Wright).
In fact, Israel’s behaviour is often the best argument to the conspirationists who still believe that ” The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” isn’t a fraud.
In 2003, the European Commission made a poll in all its member states, and one of the questions was: “Which country is in your opinion the biggest threat to world peace ?”
Israel was first with 59%. North Korea, Iran and the USA came joint second with 53%. And the Greeks were second, after the Dutch, in their viewing Israel as the greatest threat.
This poll was of course interpreted as ‘antisemitic’ by the official Hasbaristas, and various European politicians did apologize to Israel…..
I’m not sure such a poll would turn out better today: Lebanon 2006, Cast Lead, Mavi Marmara …
Greece was the last state in the EU to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel (1990) and has historically close links to the Arab world. There is – and particularly was – a huge Greek expatriated population in the Arab world, and the largest Christian group in Palestine, Syria and Jordan is Greek Orthodox, they are second in Lebanon.
Maybe the Israeli-Turkish up-and-down love affair has an influence on the warming Israeli-Greek relations.
Seems pretty straightforward to me. A blockade is *exactly* how we handled a missile threat to our nation, during the Cuban missile crisis. Why hold Israel to a double standard?
Gaza is currently being run by Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization that along with sponsoring direct attacks on civilians, also indiscriminately fires rockets into civilian territory. Hamas obtains those rockets, missiles, munitions and explosives via sea, from countries like Iran..an avowed enemy of Israel. Therefore, for purposes of national security, like any other nation, Israel has a right to impose a blockade, and inspect all cargo going through. Pretty simple!
And you’re comparing nuclear missiles on Cuba to the alleged danger posed by Hamas to Israel? Where are the ICBMs? Hidden in those tunnels leading fr. Egypt to Gaza?
As for Gaza being an internationally recognized terror organization, many nations of the world are changing their approach to Hamas including Egypt. More will change in future. As for sponsoring attacks on civilians, the IDF does this w. far more lethal effect than Hamas. Shall we lay siege to Israel too? And in case you hadn’t realized, Hamas has kept a ceasefire for 2 yrs.
Indeed yr reasoning IS.
There are many of us out there that see the IDF as a terrorist organization….dropping bombs and missiles on unarmed civilian populations like the obscene “operation cast lead” might be seen by the Palestinians as terrorism. Of course since those bombs and missiles are obtained from the morally corrupt US military industrial complex courtesy of the US taxpayer to the tune of 3 billion per year I guess that makes Israel morally superior???? Really??? Do the Palestinians have the right to national security and to defend themselves or do Christians and Muslims not have that right by virtue of their religious affiliation? For the last flotilla the IDF was invited on to inspect the cargo but chose not to, instead resorting to force as usual. When Israeli citizens elect leaders that are peacemakers instead of the recent crop with their testosterone impaired judgment and Americans elect leaders with the balls to challenge the status quo and demand that Israel give us a return for our investment like a halt to ALL settlement building peace might just stand a chance. God bless the courageous Israelis that write for Haaretz and those that stand with the Palestinians to demand justice and their American Jewish counterparts who recognize the hypocrisy of the US and Israeli governments.
Bravo, Richard.
I have never, ever seen any US administration threaten its own citizens on behalf of the interests of a foreign country. Until now. My head is spinning.
Why, in front of the whole world, is the US so blatantly pandering to the interests of Israel, publicly willing to murder its own people to support Israel’s illegal and inhumane policies towards Palestinians?
Anyone, I mean ANYONE, who is not questioning this and its ramifications needs to wake up and smell the coffee. On a political basis alone, it shows that Obama and his administration have been extremely compromised.
Americans on peaceful humanitarian missions should be under the full protection of the US government at all times, not threatened by incarceration or death by that same government.
Richard and Everyone Out There, Shalom v’Salaam,
In Judging Obama, please consider the possibility of a USA GrandScale StrategicDeception taking place: THAT Obama really wants to APPEAR to the World at large to have done everything possible to stop/postpone the coming UNGA Palestine vote and to prevent the GazaFlotilla from reaching its objective of docking in GazaPort, WHEN IN FACT Obama wants the UNGA vote to proceed and pass and the GazaFlotilla to continue it journey to GazaPort.
NOW JUST ASSUME (repeat ASSUME) that the above thesis/speculation is TRUE and tell me HOW then would Obama’s foreign policy (represented by HillaryClinton) differ from what we are witnessing now.
I contend that Obama would have no choice but let the US government machine work its course exactly as it is doing now, but WITH him always in the background exerting the necessary secret course corrections to keep the machine always on objective.
When Obama’s (here-axiomatically-assumed) secret objectives (PalestineRecognition and GazaFlotilla Docking at GazaPort) succeed and become fact, Obama will want to be able and will in fact be able to say to Israel and Israeli supporters in the US: “Look, I’ve done everything possible. What more do you want me to do?” Then and only the he will naturally proceed with implementing his new MiddleEast foreign policy GrandDesign.
On the one hand, if the Palestinians themselves retreat from the UNGA vote and/or if the GazaFlotilla were somehow convinced to stop its efforts to reach GazaPort, Obama will not be able to achieve his above-mentioned secret objectives.
On the other hand, Israel will not (because diplomatically it can’t) publicly accuse Obama of deception BUT wants Obama’s two secret objectives to fail.
To achieve this, (1) AbuMazen The MossadMole will do Netanyahu’s bidding to stop the UNGA vote (as he did before with the Goldstone Report), and (2) Israel’s supporters worldwide will pressure Greece and other nations for their GazaFlotilla involvement.
This is exactly what we observe happening now. In that respect our original assumption appears to be coherent and might possibly be correct.
The really TruePalestinians have to consider the possibility that such a StrategicGrandDeception US Foreign policy Design might be taking place. Therefore, they must NEVER relent in giving Obama the support he needs to achieve his two secret objectives, which are exactly their own.
If the Palestinians relent, retract, or otherwise dilute these two objectives, they will be finished and wiped out as a viable entity, and Obama’s secret hopes of achieving peace in Palestine-Israel and earning his Nobel Prize will have been forever dashed and rendered obsolete.
To save themselves and Palestine, the Palestinians must stand fast this time around and come what may, they must not move an inch from their two stated objectives.
It is still a long journey to September.
Now, back to you Richard, TikunOlam readers, and all other readers of this analysis: Just reflect on what I stated above and give it some serious thought.
All Great Theories begin in Speculative Thought.