The U.S. State Department response, "Free Gaza Flotilla," to Israel's unwarranted attack is tepid and one-sided, reminiscent of statements issued by the George W. Bush administration with the quiet approval of the Israeli government. It undermines the credibility of the Obama administration globally and especially in the Muslim world. To often Israel has been given a free pass by the U.S. and other members of the international community. Israel has become accustomed to operating above or outside the law: to exercis an unchallenged freedom to threaten and engage in military action in the Middle East, to ignore U.N. resolutions with regard to its occupation of Palestine and building of illegal settlements, to refuse to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and to be subject to the same kind of inspection that are demanded of other nations.
While one cannot underestimate the many crises on the president's plate and the political pressures the administration faces on Israel-Arab relations, the White House statement implicitly endorses a total distortion of the facts on the ground and practically parrots the Israeli Government's narrative. The administration's message will be read as communicating that the US does not want the embargo lifted since it is part of their West Bank first policy. Indeed, that may be part of the purpose of the message, but if so, it fails to deal with the realities on the ground and places the US dangerously outside both the parameters that an honest broker would respect and the position of many long-time allies and friends of the US from Turkey to the EU and across the Muslim world.
This raises the broader issue of the Administration's policy vis-à-vis Gaza - like it or not, that issue is now front and center as a result of this event. Hamas is the democratically elected government and as such a necessary and major player in any negotiations that would stand a chance to yield a sustainable settlement of this conflict. The blockade against Gaza has devastated its infrastructure and people, created a humanitarian and human health disaster that contributed to the emergence of radical Salafi groups that are both anti-Israel and anti-Hamas and Fatah. The head of United Nation's Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) mission in Gaza, John Ging, specifically expressed the need for the Flotilla to enter Gaza due to the "medieval siege", mass unemployment, extreme poverty, food insecurity and food price rises caused by shortages left four out of five Gazans dependent on humanitarian aid. In response to the attempted undermining of Hamas' credibility by alleging that they might misuse aid is undercut by Ging's who has pointedly argued that Hamas simply does not steal and that thus any aid delivered to the UN will be respected.
The simple fact is that Israeli commandos violated international law. They entered international, not Israeli, waters, swept down in a raid at 4 am and encountered according to PM Netanyahu outrageous description "unexpected resistance." What did the Israelis expect? And even if some resisted an illegal raid with knives and iron bars did that justify the response of trained and heavily armed professionals firing at point blank range?
As for what the statement calls for - Israel has kept a virtual blockade on information and media access and yet "We expect the Israeli government will conduct a full and credible investigation". This comes across as either dangerously naïve or willfully cynical.
In sum, our government's lack-luster response to something that has elicited universal condemnation is as close to what the Israeli Government would want us to say as possible. It assures that in the eyes of the rest of the world, especially the Middle East and broader Muslim world, the US (Obama administration) is unilaterally and entirely one-with-Israel.
While I fully appreciate the realities of American domestic politics and the pressures the administration may feel re: upcoming elections, Barack Obama, whom my wife and I supported strongly, chose to distance himself from the Bush administration's policies in his inaugural and most recently in his West Point speech . Since his inaugural, and especially in Ankara and Cairo whose anniversary is upon us, the President set out a different vision and reached out to the Muslim world as no president before him. As the recent Gallup poll indicates and my own experiences confirm, his window of opportunity in the Muslim world is closing.
The Israeli wall built across much Palestinian land bears graffiti with "Made in the USA" for a reason. This perception has been compounded by US silence, and worse US complicity, in Israel's raids and siege in Gaza and in the month long bombardment that destroyed Lebanese infrastructure (like Gaza's), and left 1300 dead, scores wounded and a minefield of unexploded cluster bomblets to maim many after the war. The US has looked the other way re the Goldstone Report.
The US is the only country that can take the lead decisively and broker the breaking of the deadlock and the siege of Gaza. The U.S. has been a staunch and often uncritical supporter of Israel. The current tragedy and the widespread condemnation of Israel globally and within Israel itself can be seized as an opportunity by the administration to end the siege of Gaza, an action that is ultimately in Israel's long term interest as well as that of the Palestinians. But perhaps most importantly decisive action is in the interest of the United States, which would truly benefit from not being - or seeming to be - in lock-step stride with the most right-wing Government that Israel has had in years.
Robert Scheer: Treat Palestinians Like Jews
It was an act of international terrorism, pure and simple. There can be no valid claims of self-defense on the part of Israeli commandos who attacked a ship of protesters in international waters. Trust me, I don't come to this viewpoint lightly.
Ahmed Rehab: Israel Gaza Attack: Do Actions of the 'Jewish State' Represent Jewish Values?
Israel's failure is not a failure of Jewish values. If anything, it's a failure to apply Jewish values.
What negotiations? They refuse to negotiate face to face.
The Irish have warned Israel not to touch the Rachel Corrie.
The Turks have warned Israel about some other ships now sailing.
THESE countries and others that still have some principles will take the lead.
As Ray McGovern stated yesterday, Israel is NOT an ally because the defenition of an ally is a country bound to another country through treaties. Israel doesn't want any treaty because a treaty requires defined state boundaries. Israel wants to keep the "boundaries" as fluid as possible.
Turkey is an official US ally.
Remember the Liberty!
Don't count on Obama to do anything to help.
This act of murder is on the Israelis to come to terms with. Other acts of terror / murder that happen daily in places like Iraq and Afghanistan need to be dealt with by the Muslim world. Its the only way it'll work.
Please forgive me, but I feel its necessary to add a negative sentence about Muslims each time I say something "controversial" about Israel, lest I be derided and scorned. Sometimes, its as if I'm talking about gun control at an NRA meeting. . .
Where is Noam Chomski when you need him? His is the voice of Jewish reason.
And I would think a professor of IR at Georgetown would at least do a bit of basic research on international law in regards to international waters and blockades during times of armed conflict. For instance, San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, 12 June 1994:
"67. Merchant vessels flying the flag of neutral States may not be attacked unless they:
(a) are believed on reasonable grounds to be carrying contraband or breaching a blockade, and after prior warning they intentionally and clearly refuse to stop, or intentionally and clearly resist visit, search or capture; "
How's the used car business?
But hey, why bother keeping this conversation rational when you can just be ridiculous instead?
The Republicans will run somebody as nutty as McCain or Palin.
As Rahm Emanuel says:
“Where are they going to go?”
Hamas won an election, and then proceeded to impose their own dictatorship on Gaza, and repudiated the agreements reached between their national government and Israel. In effect, they seceded from the PA. They also took over all the Federal functions of the PA. It is like the GOP winning an election in Texas, and then taking over the Federal courthouse and the Mexican border from the government.
They also declared war on Israel and launched attacks on it. Israel had every right to take military actions against Hamas. They also have every right to institute a blockade to shut off weapons. The supporters of Hamas think that they can kill people in Israel with no consequences. They also think that the rest of us are so stupid that we cannot see the facts.
It is perfectly legal under international law to stop and board and inspect all ships on the high seas to promote the blockade. By resisting a lawful stop and trying to break a military blockade they have made themselves legitimate targets and have ceased being civilians.
Can you be arested for wearing a shirt in the u.s. that says?
I LOVE HAMAS
Well, Captain, you and Bligh would have gotten along just fine. It's too bad for you that airliners don't have planks you can make people walk. Maybe El Al can arrange for a modification.
Any questions?
For example: what other country in the world would pick a clown like Lieberman as foreign minister (a post normally held by someone who is urbane and well-mannered and knows how to use a knife and fork, not a former night-club bouncer, who looks it) or persistently shoots itself in the foot by refusing to talk to anyone ("we have no partner for peace") about peace. Or who persistently elect former terrorists as PM (Begin, Shamir, Sharon).
And the optics of this little affair - I mean, Israel's enemies couldn't have picked a better ending for the flotilla. If Israel had simply allowed it to go to Gaza it might have been in the news for a couple of hours, not for several weeks (while we go through the agony of Israel's whitewash and the subsequent UN investigation that will have to take place.).
WHERE ARE THE WEAPONS THAT SPARKED THIS ATTACK...???
israel claims that it attacked the flotilla to prevent smuggling of arms in violation of their illegal blockade. ok fine, SO WHERE ARE THE WEAPONS...???
on CNN; MSNBC; FOX i have seen time after time all these pro israel politicians and talking heads spouting the same rubbish about israel's right to protect itself and a load of bollocks. but til now NONE OF THEM CAN SHOW ME THE WEAPONS...!!!
after all this is your justification for attacking a FOREIGN VESSEL IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS. the best way to stop all the criticism is if you could shoe unequivocally that there were in fact weapons on board the ships and i'm not talking about kitchen knives and pieces of wood etc, im talking about the rockets and mortars and guns. why haven't we seen any evidence yet...?
SHOW ME THE WEAPONS, ISRAEL...LET THE WROLD SEE THE EVIDENCE TO JUSTIFY WHY YOU KILLED THESE PEOPLE...!!!
"NEUTRAL MERCHANT VESSELS AND CIVIL AIRCRAFT
Neutral merchant vessels
67. Merchant vessels flying the flag of neutral States may not be attacked unless they:
(a) are believed on reasonable grounds to be carrying contraband or breaching a blockade, and after prior warning they intentionally and clearly refuse to stop, or intentionally and clearly resist visit, search or capture;"