Boats to Gaza

Suzanna, I hate to disappoint you, but the flotilla organizers are in for a little surprise:

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0611/tobin.php3

Well first of all the flotilla are not supporters of Hamas and secondly all these attempts to stop the aid either through violence, threat or coercion only proves my point: Israel’s utter lack of respect for the human rights of non-Jews. And that’s the discussion the Israeli government doesn’t want any of us to have.

You stand in admiration of these hypocrites?

Any dispassionate observer can see what an utter waste of money this is; money that could have been put to better use to help the people of Gaza. All these so-called activists are doing is deflecting attention away from the very people they are trying to help.

True seekers of peace and justice look to help both sides out of self-perpetuating quagmires such as this one. The blockade isn’t the issue in this conflict and focusing on it will only further entrench Israeli positions.

The siege may not be the issue you are able to face up to, Marian, but it is very much the issue for the people of Gaza and their billions of sympathisers all over the world.

And Steven, do you not think these attempts to stop ships sailing makes Israel look ridiculous ? It becomes increasingly clear what the man meant when he said, " The occupation long ago entered the absurd stage. "

I'll paraphrase Kinky Friedman.

"They don't make Jews like Jesus anymore".

http://www.metrolyrics.com/they-aint-makin-jews-like-jesus-anymore-lyric...

I don't understand why they are hypocrites.

Their position is clear. They want to end the siege on Gaza and the collective punishment of over a million people. They want the people in Gaza to have the right to free movement and self governance. Which is what the flotilla members enjoy. So no hypocrisy there.

And far from deflecting attention away from Gaza they are focusing the world's attention onto Gaza and the deplorable situation under which all the Gazans live.
(A situation attested to by - amongst others - Amnesty International, War on Want, B'tslem, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Save the Children, Gisha)

Even ten years ago no one would have expected the likes of Coldplay, Massive Attack, Roger Waters to be endorsing a song 'Freedom for Palestine' or for there to be an international BDS against the Israeli occupation. But because of the efforts of brave people like the flotilla organisers - it is now becoming the mainstream.
.

Suzanna and Jon, first, there ain't no siege on Gaza. If there is, it's one of the worst sieges in history. Otherwise, how would you explain the building boom, full shops and people driving very nice cars thankyouverymuch?
Second, the flotilla is a very silly act of knee-jerk self-indulgence. All it does is strengthen both the Israelis' and the Palestinians' sense of victimhood.

And if Israel is such a 'beacon of democracy' then it should be able to tolerate and respect peaceful protest.

The boats are not carrying weapons and neither are they loaded with terrorists. Mostly middle aged Europeans and North Americans actually.

But Israel wants to silence the debate, to cover up the brutality of the occupation. To stop us seeing the demolitions, the land grabs and expropriation, the administrative detentions and hundreds of dead Palestinians.

Israel silences debate with threats of violence or actual violence and the tiresome anti Semitic tactic.

Sorry Joe, I was just about to leave but I have to take exception to your otherwise usually sane comments.
There is a siege. Otherwise people would be able to enter and leave at their own will.
To claim that there is '. . . the building boom, full shops and people driving very nice cars thankyouverymuch'?
is exactly the language the Nazis used to describe their horrible little project at Thierenstadt. 'Ah but look at how happy they all are, dancing with plenty of food. But they can't leave and you can't come in'.

As long as people are surrounded and unable to leave they are under siege.

Suzanna, take a look at the map. They aren't surrounded. There's the border with Egypt which appears to be open.
As for coming and going, free will and all that, all countries, even this one, and latterly even those part of the Schengen accord, have border controls. You can't have it both ways - either Israel and the Gaza Strip are two separate political entities with all that that entails or they are not. I hope that in the near future Israel will separate from the occupied West Bank too.
As for your Nazi analogy, leave it for real Nazis.

"The Nazis horrible little project at Thierenstadt (sic)". Oh dear, once Nazi terminology enters the discussion I'm off.

The Egyptian crossing isn't open to commercial traffic Joe. No territory can exist without commerce. Maybe you could be the person that could answer the question that has been puzzling me for years. Why did Israel ban the entry of lentils into Gaza ? Was this part of the putting them on a diet strategy ?

Jon, I respect Israel for stopping the ships. After all, if Gazans can fire missles into Israel, it should take precautions and inspect all cargo entering the Gaza.

This may constitute some type of collective punishment, but that has always come with the territory of war and terrorism. If Gaza had any type of legitimate government, it would extradite terrorists to Israel to stand trial. The world is diminished when no justice is taken against criminal action.

Since when are rock musicians experts in war and justice? Let them to stick to their expertise, writing and playing music.

The popular culture accepts Jews who dance to its tune. Witness its silence to the rape by director Roman Polanski of a 13 year old girl. In fact, there was those in the Hollywood comunity who defended him. That also applies to Dominique Strauss-Kahn. After all, he was a socialist, so that made it all okay.

According to the left, Jews can commit high crimes as far as they're concerned as long as they're silent on Israel. That's the Faustian bargain.

Hi suzanna
Care to join me in a rendition of
10 small boats floating in a port
Then if one small boat should accidentally sink
There will be 9 small boats floating in a port
( 8 now as the Irish boat seems to have a few problems )

Apologies for that . It just proved too irrasistable .
Your thousands of global supporters turns out to be around 300 diehards with a hate filled agenda . From personal experience I doubt whether there is one who recognizes and supports a two state solution . All are delegitimizes who demand a single Islamic state as per the Hamas charter . Many of the miscreants that make up this ship of fools are members of the ISM which is effectively a non military assist to the terrorists that rule gaza
The " peace Niks " sailing to gaza bring nothing to the Palestinians that could not be sent through normal channels . How much has been spent on chartering boats ? For what ? Letters of support for Hamas and some more out of date medicines .
These reprobates are not humanitarians as they profess , for if they were they would have been sailing to israel at the height of the intifada demanding that Hamas ceased their diabolical mission to kill as many Jews as possible .
Even now they would be bringing letters from israel demanding shalits release .
They do not . They are zealots with an agenda . Soulless attention seekers , they deny the human rights of Israelis as tenaciously as they demand the rights of Palestinians .