Condemnation of Israel -

Sometimes, it seems like no matter what Israel does, it is condemned for attempting to protect itself and its people.  The boarding of the ships attempting to enter the Gaza ports is the most recent example.

First let’s examine the historical facts.  Naval blockades have been used since ships sailed the seas.  No one cried foul when the US blockaded Cuba trying to keep Soviet Union missiles off Cuban soil back in 1962.  Nor when the US mined and blockaded Vietnamese ports during the Vietnam war to keep the Vietnamese from being resupplied by ship.   But somehow, Israel attempting to keep weapons out of Gaza is unacceptable to the US and other nations. 

Now let’s look at the recent facts.  Israel has been blockading Gaza ports for years.    Why?  Because Hamas fires rockets and missiles at Israeli civilians from Gaza, and Israel wants to cut the supply lines of such weaponry.   So Israel is condemned when its troops enter Gaza in retaliation, and Israel is condemned when it tries to keep the arms out of Gaza so that it will not have to retaliate.  Furthermore the blockade is not an Israeli blockade of Gaza it is a joint Israel-Egypt effort to keep Hamas a recognized terrorist organization supported by Iran limited in their offensive weaponry.  

Add to this that the flotilla a) was aware of the blockade and b) was offered the opportunity to go to either an Egyptian or an Israeli port for inspection for weapons and then they would be allowed to deliver their cargo - and they refused both choices.  

You have only to watch the videos that are available of this incident to get the picture.  The Israelis didn’t attack without warning.  They contacted the ship to go to port.   They came armed with paint ball guns, (not even the rubber bullets that Israel often uses) .  You just have to watch the videos available on YouTube and elsewhere of the incident.  The videos show that it was flotilla members who were prepared  with metal rods, sling shots, knives, stun grenades and even with gas masks.  The videos show it was the flotilla members that used physical force.   Why have grenades and gas masks on deck unless you are expecting a confrontation?  A confrontation that could have been avoided but that the flotilla members did not want to avoid.  And yes, although they were armed with paint guns, the soldiers did have side-arms that were eventually used to shoot members of the flotilla who were allegedly attacking the soldiers. 

This Flotilla was organized with the IHH a group being portrayed as a Turkish relief organization.  But in the past ,  the Turkish government has stated that IHH had clear links with Al-Qaeda and global jihad networks. Several years ago, the Turkish government raided the IHH offices in Istanbul and found weapons, explosives, and instructions for manufacturing IEDs.
So here is an organization with a history of supplying weapons to jihadists, now leading ships into Gaza.  Why would anyone want to blame Israel and Egypt from wanting to inspect their cargo? 

But, of course, they do.  Because this is Israel we’re talking about, and condemning Israel’s right to exist and defend itself is a global pastime. 

It is about time that the West realized that abandoning your friends, is only a temporary measure in appeasing your enemies.  And have no doubt the enemy is jihadist Islamic Fundamentalism that is spreading around the world lead by Iran and Al-Qaeda.   Islamic Fundamentalism that has now spread to Turkey.