Behind the rush to send further flotillas to the Gaza Strip, a power game between Islamists of various stripes is emerging. While Turkish, Palestinian, Iranian and Hezbollah flags have all been spotted at rallies and port side gatherings in support of the flotillistas, these scenes of apparent unity belie a more conflicted reality beneath.
Turkey's government, having cast itself as a kind of neo-Ottoman guardian of the Palestinians, is the object of much goodwill among Gazans. That has irked the Iranians, the principal sponsor of the Hamas regime, into a display of one-upmanship: Last week, Tehran announced that it was sending its own flotilla under the protection of the Iranian Navy -- a pledge it subsequently backed away from.
Not to be outdone, the Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad, seized on the recent flotilla clash to start beating the drums of war. In an interview with the BBC, Assad said that the Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara had ruled out any prospects for peace in the near future. Such bellicosity suggests that Assad wants to claim the mantle of his late father, Hafez, as the "lion" of the region. As Syria both hosts the exiled Hamas leadership and has been the object of recent American overtures, Assad has at least two reasons to believe he can do so.
Amidst all this jockeying, there is another player, under-analyzed since the initial flotilla furor, but nonetheless critical to its outcome: the Lebanese terrorist movement, Hezbollah.
Like Hamas, Hezbollah is wedded to the idea of an unyielding war against the Jews ("if the Jews all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide," Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah famously declared.) And like Hamas, it is also locked in struggle with a rival Arab leadership. For Hamas, it's the Palestinian Authority; for Hezbollah, the Lebanese state.
In legal and political terms, Hezbollah is an outlaw. The group is shunned by western states as an interlocutor, is militarily stronger now than in 2006, when the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1701 demanding that it disarm, and remains the most immediate threat to Lebanon's integrity. Just this week, a top Hezbollah financier was arrested in a region of Paraguay well-known for smuggling and organized crime. Craving both its weapons and international legitimacy, Hezbollah recognizes that there are times when a slice of political respectability can come in very useful.
The flotilla campaign has provided Hezbollah with an opportunity to show its "humanitarian" side and to align itself with Turkey. The wily Nasrallah understands that, for all the current tensions between Turkey and the west, Ankara is in a much better position to strengthen his hand within Lebanon than are either of Hezbollah's traditional backers, Iran and Syria. Hence Nasrallah's fulsome praise of the Turkish leadership, which has apparently resulted in an invitation from Prime Minister Erdogan for him to visit Turkey.
Even with his supporters chanting "O Allah, O Merciful One, watch over Erdogan," Nasrallah shows no sign of moderating. Nor has he lost any of his customary hubris (the opposition website Syria Truth quoted Nasrallah saying -- translation here -- that Turkey's "red flag" was "making decisions" based on Hezbollah's "yellow flag.") Hence his decision to back the new flotilla which is reportedly heading to Gaza from Lebanon.
This flotilla is being organized by Yasser Kashlak, a Palestinian businessman based in Lebanon. Kashlak is known for his ties to terror groups, having shared the platform at a January "pro-resistance" conference in Beirut with representatives of Hezbollah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Syrian Ba'ath Party and the Iranian Vice-President, Reza Mir Tajeddini. Kashlak insists that his flotilla is an independent initiative, but Al Manar, Hezbollah's broadcasting arm, disagrees, noting that the voyage was announced less than a day after Nasrallah appealed for more flotillas to head for Gaza. The assertion of no connection with Hezbollah is further undermined by the presence of Samar Hajj, the wife of a former Lebanese General jailed for his part in the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
If the Mavi Marmara saga didn't prove it already, Hezbollah's planned foray into Mediterranean waters demonstrates that the flotilla movement is about many things, but humanitarian aid isn't one of them. Israel's decision to further ease the blockade of Gaza will therefore make little difference. The goal here is to assault Israel with more tenacity than one's rivals. Should that mean dispatching a few martyrs along the way, then so be it.
Follow Ben S. Cohen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ZWord
The point is that the situation in Gaza is deplorable and nothing else really matters.
Hezbollah may have begun, (like Netanyahu's Likud Party descended from the Irgun through the Herut party) as a terrorist organization, but Hezbollah really is Lebanon now. Israel isn't afraid of Hezbollah suicide bombers, Israel is afraid of Hezbollah ballistic missiles aimed at Tel Aviv. Like the US and Russia it may be a balance of terror, but it's not terrorism.
Same with Turkey. Israel isn't afraid of terrorists from Turkey, Israel is afraid that if she tries to take on Hezbollah with another invasion of Lebanon, her Air Force will get jumped by the very large NATO standards Turkish Air Force. Deterrence by its very nature can be terrifying, but it's not terrorism.
With Syria Israel isn't afraid of Syrian Terrorists, she's afraid that as Syrian upgraded her ballistic missiles to the new solid fuel variety she gave all her older liquid fueled ballistic missiles to Hezbollah. She's also afraid that as Syria keeps sending massive amounts of the newest anti tank and antiaircraft missiles into Lebanon that a Israeli invasion of Lebanon would be prohibitively costly in men and equipment. Israel is also afraid that with Syria's new Russian Air Defense Systems she won't be able to do anything about it. Once again that's deterrence not terrorism.
Right now Gaza and Hamas are just a distraction, for everyone a little geopolitical slight of hand. The real situation is up North.
You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion.
"The new world order" wants submission from everybody.
There is almost no resistance in the world and everybody in exchange for little bread has sold out their moral values.
The main problem of "The new world order" with Islam is that Islam does not allow submission for anybody but God!
For a peace to happens both parties should keep the peace.
For war to break out only one aggressor is enough.
Even you has fallen for the propaganda. Islam has not attacked western countries!
Western countries are attacking Muslim countries!
The next target is Iran!
Watch other alternative media until the propaganda wear off from your brain!
http://www.presstv.ir/llnw/
http://www.bdsmovement.net/
Yugoslavia (Federal Republic)
North Korea
Indonesia
Algeria
Libya
Colombia
Egypt
Israel
China
Iran
Congo (Democratic Republic)
Sudan
Iraq
Burma
Turkey
Mexico
Congo (Republic)
Venezuela
Syria
Saudi Arabia
Rwanda
Pakistan
Bahrain
Sri Lanka
Philippines
Peru
South Korea
India
Cambodia
Cameroon
Nepal
Yemen
Brazil
Burundi
Cuba
Morocco
United States Of America
Uganda
Angola
Uzbekistan
Russian Republic
Croatia
Togo
Tunisia
Chad
Lebanon
Lesotho
Senegal
Nicaragua
Jordan
Won't do it? They you are discriminating against Israel. Israel is the Jewish state and discrimination against Jews is called Anti Semitism.
Another Turkish crew member less senior speaking of bars that were intact initially but when he got to them they were cut in preparation for hostilities.
Look, Aparthid South Africa until her final days insisted that Nelson Mandela is a terrorist! How much that propaganda had helped Aparthid in South Africa?
The propaganda will not help apartheid in Israel either, and Israel know it in the heart the she does not have!
See, unlike you, I realize that violence doesn't work. I'm not a warmonger and support civilized behavior. When people act civilized, they show the world that they are serious, they are taken seriously. Thus my support for Sayyad and peaceful resistance.
Try it, you'll live a longer healthier calmer life. :)
The Captain of the Marmara speaking of the preparation for violence!
He was interviewed by a thinktank, but of course, you will always find an excuse.
"Hamas official: Palestinians should fire at Israel from West Bank
Asked whether rocket fire against Israel should be limited to launches originating in Gaza, Zahar told the East Jerusalem newspaper Al Quds that the fact that "such launches should happen in the West Bank as well [as Gaza] is inevitable."
Zahar criticized the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority for fighting the "resistance," saying that it was not Hamas that took over Gaza, but in fact President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement that had seized the power in the West Bank, aided by the Israeli "occupation."
Abbas, according to Zahar, got "one big zero" out of the international community, adding that Arab states had severed ties with Hamas in order to avoid conflict with the United States and to "save their heads."
The Hamas leader also stressed that Hamas would never change its policy, even if it won the next elections, saying that the solution lies in "resistance."
"If we had been interested in forfeiting our rights, I would have been in Washington by now," Zahar told Al Quds. "
Will keep that in mind for future reference.
Remember PLO was also a terrorist organization before it sold out some of Palestinian rights to Israel in Camp David and Oslo!
Despite that PLO had given away many of Palestinians' rights to Israel, she refused to accept a peace agreement!
Israel has never shown that she can make the right decision from a position of strength!
The violence in Israel and Palestine is the responsibility of West, specially US for not putting sanctions and pressure on Israel to follow international laws and treaties.
If west Isolate Israel and Hamaz sees a goodwill from the west in form of humanitarian help to Palestinian they will stop the violence and engage in political resistance. For the first step US can stop sending 3 billion a year military help to Israel and send a smal portion of it as humanitarian help to Gaza!
West has sold HAMAZ as an irrational terrorist organization to western people.
Sooner or later west has to accept HAMAZ as representative of Palestinians, since at least for now PLO has lost its legitimacy to represent Palestinians both in Gaza and West Bank!
Hamas's charter clearly states incroporates thsi Holy Quran quote:
"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, (evidently a certain kind of tree) would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews."
Why anyone would support such an organisation which states genocide against Jews as a prime objective is beyond me.
"Israeli occupation forces today in Beit Jala engaged in beatings, burning of
fields, and attacking peaceful demonstrators, bystanders, and reporters. Two
young Palestinians: Mohammed Masalma and Thaer Mahmoud were injured after
severe beatings with hands and clubs (they were both near their homes and
not participating in the demonstration). Several demonstrators were also
roughed-up. Occupation enforcers also attacked six reporters and prevented
them from doing their job of covering the event: Yousef Shahin (Palmedia),
AbdelHafith Hashlamon (European News Aghency), Nasser AlShayukhi (associated
Press), Mamon Wazwaz (APA), Musa AlShaer (France Press), and Najeh Hashlamon
(ABA). The Israeli occupation forces (thugs) also aimed their gas canisters
at dry fields managing to set a fire that engulfed an olive grove
(fortunately, the Palestinian fire department quick response saved most of
the field and the nearby homes). The apartheid forces also aimed tear gas
at far away homes in Beit Jala to senda message of fear to the local
population. And Israeli Occupation ‘intelligence’ Officer Fadi came and
then tagged us and as we were trying to leave in my car mocked us and call
out my name with his loud speaker. Video of much of the action at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktDUzjnxapY"
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
http://www.qumsiyeh.org
Professor, Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities
Chairman of the Board, Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People,
http://www.pcr.ps
If apologists can't be factual, at least be clever so that we can laugh at you even more!
German public television views Turkey's flotilla as violent radicals......shocker!
One of many reasons why staunch Israel supporter Merkel has no more public support.
Omission and simple lack of coverage are their primary tools, but disinformation is also used.
But this this will make things interesting in Germany:
"In a move so loaded with historical symbolism I fear their ship will capsize, an organisation of German Jews plan to send an aid ship to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The descendents of the first victims of Hitler’s genocide are going to the aid of Muslim Arabs - the sworn enemy of post-war Jewry - in defiance of Israel, the Jewish state, created phoenix-like from the fires of the Holocaust. Phew! – the mind boggles.
Indeed, German Jewish Voice claims it has been inundated with (40) requests to join its adventure and, though they may represent the more far-flung shores of Jewish criticism of Israel, they are part of a process now redefining the Jewish Diaspora’s relationship with the State of Israel."
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/juliankossoff/100043826/german-jews-to-join-new-gaza-aid-flotilla/
No wonder that Prime Minister Stephen Harper called on New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Libby Davies to resign as her party's deputy leader for saying Israel's occupation is the longest in the world, then adding: "People are suffering. I've been to the West Bank and Gaza twice so I've seen for myself what's going on."
In response, Harper said:
"Mr. Speaker, this is a fundamental denial of Israel's right to exist." That and more from others in parliament, the way US politicians defend the most outrageous Israeli crimes, denouncing their victims as terrorists.
It's why champions of human rights can't rest, nor should they ever compromise on right v. wrong issues, especially when it comes to Israel or its Washington paymaster/partner. The rest of this article follows
http://www.rense.com/general91/eas.htm
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/paul-larudee-account-of-my-capture-and-imprisonment-as-part.html
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/paul-larudee-account-of-my-capture-and-imprisonment-as-part.html
USS Liberty victims. But the Turks are another matter entirely.