On Sunday, Israeli naval forces intercepted the ships of a Turkish nongovernmental organization (NGO) delivering humanitarian supplies to Gaza. Israel had demanded that the vessels not go directly to Gaza but instead dock in Israeli ports, where the supplies would be offloaded and delivered to Gaza. The Turkish NGO refused, insisting on going directly to Gaza. Gunfire ensued when Israeli naval personnel boarded one of the vessels, and a significant number of the passengers and crew on the ship were killed or wounded.
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon charged that the mission was simply an attempt to provoke the Israelis. That was certainly the case. The mission was designed to demonstrate that the Israelis were unreasonable and brutal. The hope was that Israel would be provoked to extreme action, further alienating Israel from the global community and possibly driving a wedge between Israel and the United States. The operation’s planners also hoped this would trigger a political crisis in Israel.
A logical Israeli response would have been avoiding falling into the provocation trap and suffering the political repercussions the Turkish NGO was trying to trigger. Instead, the Israelis decided to make a show of force. The Israelis appear to have reasoned that backing down would demonstrate weakness and encourage further flotillas to Gaza, unraveling the Israeli position vis-à-vis Hamas. In this thinking, a violent interception was a superior strategy to accommodation regardless of political consequences. Thus, the Israelis accepted the bait and were provoked.
The ‘Exodus’ Scenario
In the 1950s, an author named Leon Uris published a book called “Exodus.” Later made into a major motion picture, Exodus told the story of a Zionist provocation against the British. In the wake of World War II, the British — who controlled Palestine, as it was then known — maintained limits on Jewish immigration there. Would-be immigrants captured trying to run the blockade were detained in camps in Cyprus. In the book and movie, Zionists planned a propaganda exercise involving a breakout of Jews — mostly children — from the camp, who would then board a ship renamed the Exodus. When the Royal Navy intercepted the ship, the passengers would mount a hunger strike. The goal was to portray the British as brutes finishing the work of the Nazis. The image of children potentially dying of hunger would force the British to permit the ship to go to Palestine, to reconsider British policy on immigration, and ultimately to decide to abandon Palestine and turn the matter over to the United Nations.
There was in fact a ship called Exodus, but the affair did not play out precisely as portrayed by Uris, who used an amalgam of incidents to display the propaganda war waged by the Jews. Those carrying out this war had two goals. The first was to create sympathy in Britain and throughout the world for Jews who, just a couple of years after German concentration camps, were now being held in British camps. Second, they sought to portray their struggle as being against the British. The British were portrayed as continuing Nazi policies toward the Jews in order to maintain their empire. The Jews were portrayed as anti-imperialists, fighting the British much as the Americans had.
It was a brilliant strategy. By focusing on Jewish victimhood and on the British, the Zionists defined the battle as being against the British, with the Arabs playing the role of people trying to create the second phase of the Holocaust. The British were portrayed as pro-Arab for economic and imperial reasons, indifferent at best to the survivors of the Holocaust. Rather than restraining the Arabs, the British were arming them. The goal was not to vilify the Arabs but to villify the British, and to position the Jews with other nationalist groups whether in India or Egypt rising against the British.
The precise truth or falsehood of this portrayal didn’t particularly matter. For most of the world, the Palestine issue was poorly understood and not a matter of immediate concern. The Zionists intended to shape the perceptions of a global public with limited interest in or understanding of the issues, filling in the blanks with their own narrative. And they succeeded.
The success was rooted in a political reality. Where knowledge is limited, and the desire to learn the complex reality doesn’t exist, public opinion can be shaped by whoever generates the most powerful symbols. And on a matter of only tangential interest, governments tend to follow their publics’ wishes, however they originate. There is little to be gained for governments in resisting public opinion and much to be gained by giving in. By shaping the battlefield of public perception, it is thus possible to get governments to change positions.
In this way, the Zionists’ ability to shape global public perceptions of what was happening in Palestine — to demonize the British and turn the question of Palestine into a Jewish-British issue — shaped the political decisions of a range of governments. It was not the truth or falsehood of the narrative that mattered. What mattered was the ability to identify the victim and victimizer such that global opinion caused both London and governments not directly involved in the issue to adopt political stances advantageous to the Zionists. It is in this context that we need to view the Turkish flotilla.
The Turkish Flotilla to Gaza
The Palestinians have long argued that they are the victims of Israel, an invention of British and American imperialism. Since 1967, they have focused not so much on the existence of the state of Israel (at least in messages geared toward the West) as on the oppression of Palestinians in the occupied territories. Since the split between Hamas and Fatah and the Gaza War, the focus has been on the plight of the citizens of Gaza, who have been portrayed as the dispossessed victims of Israeli violence.
The bid to shape global perceptions by portraying the Palestinians as victims of Israel was the first prong of a longtime two-part campaign. The second part of this campaign involved armed resistance against the Israelis. The way this resistance was carried out, from airplane hijackings to stone-throwing children to suicide bombers, interfered with the first part of the campaign, however. The Israelis could point to suicide bombings or the use of children against soldiers as symbols of Palestinian inhumanity. This in turn was used to justify conditions in Gaza. While the Palestinians had made significant inroads in placing Israel on the defensive in global public opinion, they thus consistently gave the Israelis the opportunity to turn the tables. And this is where the flotilla comes in.
The Turkish flotilla aimed to replicate the Exodus story or, more precisely, to define the global image of Israel in the same way the Zionists defined the image that they wanted to project. As with the Zionist portrayal of the situation in 1947, the Gaza situation is far more complicated than as portrayed by the Palestinians. The moral question is also far more ambiguous. But as in 1947, when the Zionist portrayal was not intended to be a scholarly analysis of the situation but a political weapon designed to define perceptions, the Turkish flotilla was not designed to carry out a moral inquest.
Instead, the flotilla was designed to achieve two ends. The first is to divide Israel and Western governments by shifting public opinion against Israel. The second is to create a political crisis inside Israel between those who feel that Israel’s increasing isolation over the Gaza issue is dangerous versus those who think any weakening of resolve is dangerous.
The Geopolitical Fallout for Israel
It is vital that the Israelis succeed in portraying the flotilla as an extremist plot. Whether extremist or not, the plot has generated an image of Israel quite damaging to Israeli political interests. Israel is increasingly isolated internationally, with heavy pressure on its relationship with Europe and the United States.
In all of these countries, politicians are extremely sensitive to public opinion. It is difficult to imagine circumstances under which public opinion will see Israel as the victim. The general response in the Western public is likely to be that the Israelis probably should have allowed the ships to go to Gaza and offload rather than to precipitate bloodshed. Israel’s enemies will fan these flames by arguing that the Israelis prefer bloodshed to reasonable accommodation. And as Western public opinion shifts against Israel, Western political leaders will track with this shift.
The incident also wrecks Israeli relations with Turkey, historically an Israeli ally in the Muslim world with longstanding military cooperation with Israel. The Turkish government undoubtedly has wanted to move away from this relationship, but it faced resistance within the Turkish military and among secularists. The new Israeli action makes a break with Israel easy, and indeed almost necessary for Ankara.
With roughly the population of Houston, Texas, Israel is just not large enough to withstand extended isolation, meaning this event has profound geopolitical implications.
Public opinion matters where issues are not of fundamental interest to a nation. Israel is not a fundamental interest to other nations. The ability to generate public antipathy to Israel can therefore reshape Israeli relations with countries critical to Israel. For example, a redefinition of U.S.-Israeli relations will have much less effect on the United States than on Israel. The Obama administration, already irritated by the Israelis, might now see a shift in U.S. public opinion that will open the way to a new U.S.-Israeli relationship disadvantageous to Israel.
The Israelis will argue that this is all unfair, as they were provoked. Like the British, they seem to think that the issue is whose logic is correct. But the issue actually is, whose logic will be heard? As with a tank battle or an airstrike, this sort of warfare has nothing to do with fairness. It has to do with controlling public perception and using that public perception to shape foreign policy around the world. In this case, the issue will be whether the deaths were necessary. The Israeli argument of provocation will have limited traction.
Internationally, there is little doubt that the incident will generate a firestorm. Certainly, Turkey will break cooperation with Israel. Opinion in Europe will likely harden. And public opinion in the United States — by far the most important in the equation — might shift to a “plague-on-both-your-houses” position.
While the international reaction is predictable, the interesting question is whether this evolution will cause a political crisis in Israel. Those in Israel who feel that international isolation is preferable to accommodation with the Palestinians are in control now. Many in the opposition see Israel’s isolation as a strategic threat. Economically and militarily, they argue, Israel cannot survive in isolation. The current regime will respond that there will be no isolation. The flotilla aimed to generate what the government has said would not happen.
The tougher Israel is, the more the flotilla’s narrative takes hold. As the Zionists knew in 1947 and the Palestinians are learning, controlling public opinion requires subtlety, a selective narrative and cynicism. As they also knew, losing the battle can be catastrophic. It cost Britain the Mandate and allowed Israel to survive. Israel’s enemies are now turning the tables. This maneuver was far more effective than suicide bombings or the Intifada in challenging Israel’s public perception and therefore its geopolitical position (though if the Palestinians return to some of their more distasteful tactics like suicide bombing, the Turkish strategy of portraying Israel as the instigator of violence will be undermined).
Israel is now in uncharted waters. It does not know how to respond. It is not clear that the Palestinians know how to take full advantage of the situation, either. But even so, this places the battle on a new field, far more fluid and uncontrollable than what went before. The next steps will involve calls for sanctions against Israel. The Israeli threats against Iran will be seen in a different context, and Israeli portrayal of Iran will hold less sway over the world.
And this will cause a political crisis in Israel. If this government survives, then Israel is locked into a course that gives it freedom of action but international isolation. If the government falls, then Israel enters a period of domestic uncertainty. In either case, the flotilla achieved its strategic mission. It got Israel to take violent action against it. In doing so, Israel ran into its own fist.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Mossad chief: Obama's perceived military "softness" weakens Israel
In a rare public expression of concern, Meir Dagan, head of Israel's Mossad external security service, warned Tuesday, June 1, that the progressive decline of American strength over the past decade and the perception of the Obama administration as "soft on military options for solving disputes" have cut deep into Israel's military and diplomatic maneuverability and made it fair game for its enemies. This is reported by debkafile's intelligence and political sources.
Dagan presented the Knesset foreign affairs and security committee with this evaluation 24 hours after Israeli Navy boarding parties prevented vessels sailing the Mediterranean from achieving their object of breaking the Gaza blockade. As the UN Security Council's condemned the loss of life in that raid, the Mossad chief said Barack Obama's first year as president was a period of "devaluation" for "Israeli and American strategic assets."
Dagan's uncharacteristic bluntness was a measure of the anxiety gripping Israel's security leaders over the slump in US-Israel relations.
He timed his cutting observations for the day Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was to have held talks in White House with President Obama. Although that meeting was cancelled and Netanyahu cut short his trip to return home and deal with the crisis over the flotilla incident, the Mossad Director decided that what he had to say was important enough to be said and aired without delay.
The Obama-Netanyahu meeting had been scheduled as a high point in President Obama's charm offensive for mending his ties with Israel and American Jewish leaders, Dagan noted. By speaking out now, he hoped they would be warned not to be taken in by Obama's smiles and understand that his attitude toward the Israeli government had not changed in any fundamental way.
America's ability to generate situation-changing measures in any part of the world was in decline and this weakness reflects directly and negatively on Israel's strategic situation. debkafile notes that by this remark, Dagan indirectly disputed the administration's National Security Strategy report published in Washington five days ago.
This comment also placed him in the middle of the internal political debate in Israel. Whereas opposition factions maintain the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians and other neighbours is stalled by Netanyahu's allegedly hard-line positions, the Mossad chief puts it in a different perspective: Whatever the prime minister may do and whichever policy he may pursue, in Dagan's view he is stuck with the endemic weakness stemming from American weakness and the Obama administration's waning support for Israel.
He warned the lawmakers that the current US administration is in the process of making of Israel "a liability instead of an asset." The US president, said the Mossad chief, seriously considered forcing Israel to accept a dictated peace formula. He only backed off when he saw that this tactic would not produce a peace accord. But that was "only a tactical retreat, said Dagan.
"Let's see what steps the Americans take in the future, especially after the midterm congressional elections in November," he said, because, while an imposed peace is only a last resort and not (the Obama administration's) preferred option, it is still on the table and a whip he is holding over the heads of both parties.
The Mossad chief concluded by saying: "Such events (a decision to resort to an imposed peace) could career out of control and lead (US-Israel relations) into extreme situations."
Dagan presented the Knesset foreign affairs and security committee with this evaluation 24 hours after Israeli Navy boarding parties prevented vessels sailing the Mediterranean from achieving their object of breaking the Gaza blockade. As the UN Security Council's condemned the loss of life in that raid, the Mossad chief said Barack Obama's first year as president was a period of "devaluation" for "Israeli and American strategic assets."
Dagan's uncharacteristic bluntness was a measure of the anxiety gripping Israel's security leaders over the slump in US-Israel relations.
He timed his cutting observations for the day Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was to have held talks in White House with President Obama. Although that meeting was cancelled and Netanyahu cut short his trip to return home and deal with the crisis over the flotilla incident, the Mossad Director decided that what he had to say was important enough to be said and aired without delay.
The Obama-Netanyahu meeting had been scheduled as a high point in President Obama's charm offensive for mending his ties with Israel and American Jewish leaders, Dagan noted. By speaking out now, he hoped they would be warned not to be taken in by Obama's smiles and understand that his attitude toward the Israeli government had not changed in any fundamental way.
America's ability to generate situation-changing measures in any part of the world was in decline and this weakness reflects directly and negatively on Israel's strategic situation. debkafile notes that by this remark, Dagan indirectly disputed the administration's National Security Strategy report published in Washington five days ago.
This comment also placed him in the middle of the internal political debate in Israel. Whereas opposition factions maintain the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians and other neighbours is stalled by Netanyahu's allegedly hard-line positions, the Mossad chief puts it in a different perspective: Whatever the prime minister may do and whichever policy he may pursue, in Dagan's view he is stuck with the endemic weakness stemming from American weakness and the Obama administration's waning support for Israel.
He warned the lawmakers that the current US administration is in the process of making of Israel "a liability instead of an asset." The US president, said the Mossad chief, seriously considered forcing Israel to accept a dictated peace formula. He only backed off when he saw that this tactic would not produce a peace accord. But that was "only a tactical retreat, said Dagan.
"Let's see what steps the Americans take in the future, especially after the midterm congressional elections in November," he said, because, while an imposed peace is only a last resort and not (the Obama administration's) preferred option, it is still on the table and a whip he is holding over the heads of both parties.
The Mossad chief concluded by saying: "Such events (a decision to resort to an imposed peace) could career out of control and lead (US-Israel relations) into extreme situations."
Two more boats head for Gaza as Israel vows to stop them
With two more vessels due to set sail in the next 48 hours to continue the challenge to Israel's Gaza blockade, Deputy Defence Minister Mattan Vilnai admitted Tuesday, June 1 that the Israeli commando seizure of the six-boat Gaza-bound flotilla Monday, May 31 had its faults. But he stressed the mission was nonetheless bravely accomplished. None of the six vessels reached Gaza port - albeit with regrettable loss of life. While the IDF would learn from its mistakes and do things differently, access to Gaza would continue to be blocked for as long as the Hamas-ruled territory was at war with Israel.
The deputy minister contemptuously dismissed furious demands at home for defence minister Ehud Barak to resign, saying the critics had "never go their feet wet." Images of Israeli elite commandos beaten with iron bars - one was thrown off the top deck - have infuriated Israelis.
Vilnai admitted: We underestimated the murderous intentions of the activists aboard the Turkish Marmora vessel and the force of international reaction to televised shots of a brutal situation - real battles never look good on television, he said. In that sense, the organizers of the Turkish-led international expedition achieved their aim. And indeed the UN Security Council early Tuesday capped the chorus of international disapproval by calling for Israel to conduct a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation of the flotilla incident, condemning acts causing loss of civilian lives and requesting the immediate release of ships and civilians held by Israel.
Vilnai dismissed the avowed humanitarian aims of the convoy, reiterating that the people of Gaza are not hungry; neither is there any humanitarian crisis. Israel supplies its basic needs. Life there is certainly hard, he said, but "It can't be easy to live under a Hamas regime, which throws political opponents off the roofs to their death."
But like most Israeli spokesmen, the deputy minister neglected to drive home the blockade's main purpose: Without it, Iranian ships loaded with ballistic missiles would be free to unload their cargoes at Gaza Port - with the same ease as their heavy weapons consignments reach Lebanon. Hamas would quickly grow into a second Hizballah. For Israel, lifting the blockade would be an act of suicide.
Vilnai also missed his aim when he addressed the growing criticism at home of the way the raid was conducted. Much of it comes from veteran naval officers, who were deeply distressed on three counts:
1. They want the defense minister, who was deeply involved in every detail of the operation, to be accountable for its shortcomings.
2. They accuse the minister of sending the naval commandos of the elite Shayetet 6 unit into a clearly violent confrontation without adequate means of defense or options in case of violent resistance because he was afraid of international disapproval.
debkafile's military sources quote those officers as maintaining that when the activists on the Turkish Marmara saw that the commandos were virtually tied hand and foot, they were encouraged to extremes of violence. Had they been appropriately equipped, the troops could have quietly taken the helm and diverted the ship to Ashdod and the incident would have ended without loss of life.
3. Hundreds of people milling about on the deck ready to waylay the commandos as they landed were visible from the helicopters before the drops began. A small amount of tear gas would have cleared the decks and enabled the troops to perform their mission cleanly.
4. This was clearly no job for inadequately armed commandos highly trained for different sorts of combat. When Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu returns home Tuesday afternoon, he would do well to back away from mealy-mouthed rhetoric and state clearly in advance that any vessels, civilian or naval, venturing into the 20-nautical mile blockade zone would encounter warning fire first and if it was not heeded, direct fire. Semi-armed soldiers must not be asked to cover for timid politicians.
As for an inquiry into the episode, the IDF regularly holds probes into all operations leading to loss of life as a matter of routine. The Israeli public is just as insistent on a credible investigation as any outsiders.
The condition of all six hospitalized soldiers improved overnight by Tuesday morning.
Altogether 679 activists from 40 countries - most of them Turks and Greeks - travelled on the six flotilla vessels, most of them on the biggest ship, the Marmora. They were all taken ashore at Ashdod port Monday night, after 45 of the injured were earlier flown in to Israeli hospitals.
After agreeing to be processed and interrogated by Israeli police and security officers, 48 were deported Tuesday morning. Dozens more preferred jail. The cargoes are being examined for illegal materials, after which Israel will send the legitimate aid supplies to the Gaza Strip overland.
The deputy minister contemptuously dismissed furious demands at home for defence minister Ehud Barak to resign, saying the critics had "never go their feet wet." Images of Israeli elite commandos beaten with iron bars - one was thrown off the top deck - have infuriated Israelis.
Vilnai admitted: We underestimated the murderous intentions of the activists aboard the Turkish Marmora vessel and the force of international reaction to televised shots of a brutal situation - real battles never look good on television, he said. In that sense, the organizers of the Turkish-led international expedition achieved their aim. And indeed the UN Security Council early Tuesday capped the chorus of international disapproval by calling for Israel to conduct a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation of the flotilla incident, condemning acts causing loss of civilian lives and requesting the immediate release of ships and civilians held by Israel.
Vilnai dismissed the avowed humanitarian aims of the convoy, reiterating that the people of Gaza are not hungry; neither is there any humanitarian crisis. Israel supplies its basic needs. Life there is certainly hard, he said, but "It can't be easy to live under a Hamas regime, which throws political opponents off the roofs to their death."
But like most Israeli spokesmen, the deputy minister neglected to drive home the blockade's main purpose: Without it, Iranian ships loaded with ballistic missiles would be free to unload their cargoes at Gaza Port - with the same ease as their heavy weapons consignments reach Lebanon. Hamas would quickly grow into a second Hizballah. For Israel, lifting the blockade would be an act of suicide.
Vilnai also missed his aim when he addressed the growing criticism at home of the way the raid was conducted. Much of it comes from veteran naval officers, who were deeply distressed on three counts:
1. They want the defense minister, who was deeply involved in every detail of the operation, to be accountable for its shortcomings.
2. They accuse the minister of sending the naval commandos of the elite Shayetet 6 unit into a clearly violent confrontation without adequate means of defense or options in case of violent resistance because he was afraid of international disapproval.
debkafile's military sources quote those officers as maintaining that when the activists on the Turkish Marmara saw that the commandos were virtually tied hand and foot, they were encouraged to extremes of violence. Had they been appropriately equipped, the troops could have quietly taken the helm and diverted the ship to Ashdod and the incident would have ended without loss of life.
3. Hundreds of people milling about on the deck ready to waylay the commandos as they landed were visible from the helicopters before the drops began. A small amount of tear gas would have cleared the decks and enabled the troops to perform their mission cleanly.
4. This was clearly no job for inadequately armed commandos highly trained for different sorts of combat. When Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu returns home Tuesday afternoon, he would do well to back away from mealy-mouthed rhetoric and state clearly in advance that any vessels, civilian or naval, venturing into the 20-nautical mile blockade zone would encounter warning fire first and if it was not heeded, direct fire. Semi-armed soldiers must not be asked to cover for timid politicians.
As for an inquiry into the episode, the IDF regularly holds probes into all operations leading to loss of life as a matter of routine. The Israeli public is just as insistent on a credible investigation as any outsiders.
The condition of all six hospitalized soldiers improved overnight by Tuesday morning.
Altogether 679 activists from 40 countries - most of them Turks and Greeks - travelled on the six flotilla vessels, most of them on the biggest ship, the Marmora. They were all taken ashore at Ashdod port Monday night, after 45 of the injured were earlier flown in to Israeli hospitals.
After agreeing to be processed and interrogated by Israeli police and security officers, 48 were deported Tuesday morning. Dozens more preferred jail. The cargoes are being examined for illegal materials, after which Israel will send the legitimate aid supplies to the Gaza Strip overland.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Why was Israeli raider force unprepared for violent resistance?
More questions than answers came from the IDF video shots of the violent reception for Israeli naval commandos when they raided the Turkish ship early Monday, May 31 to prevent the pro-Palestinian flotilla from reaching Gaza Port and breaking the Israeli blockade on the Hamas-ruled territory.
Prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, who cancelled his trip to the United States and is flying straight home from Canada, will have to fill in the gaps left by his official spokesmen.
Released finally 12 hours after the event, the IDF shots failed to explain the big mystery of how soldiers armed with paint balls and pistols managed to kill more than 10 pro-Palestinian activists (The final figure is still not clear. Ankara reports 15 Turkish dead) and injure at least 34 aboard the Turkish Marmora.
Together with six injured soldiers - two in critical condition - the wounded activists are being treated in Israeli hospitals.
Israel's chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi, and Navy commander, Maj. Gen. Eliezer Marom, reported that a fierce clash developed aboard the ship as the soldiers dropped on deck from helicopters and were mobbed by passengers. The activists fired pistols, but it is not clear if the guns were in the peace activists' luggage or snatched from the soldiers.
Neither is it clear how civilian protesters were able to disarm elite fighters of the Navy's Shayetet 6 unit.
The soldiers performed their mission of preventing the flotilla from docking in Gaza Port and opening the door to large-scale weapons deliveries - but at what cost?
Surely the operation's planners must have taken into account that the 600 mixed nationals aboard the Turkish vessel, the hard core of international Palestinian agitprop against Israel, would not receive the soldiers with flowers and white flags, any more than the demonstrators at Iblin and Naalin hand out to the Israeli Border Police breaking up their riots week after week.
The Border Police was bettered qualified to handle themselves against the arsenal the activists aboard the Turkish vessel used against the navy men, of firebombs, stun grenades, broken glass, slingshot, iron bars, axes and knives - and with far less risk of loss of life.
Also underestimated was the number of troops needed to commandeer the Turkish ship, control the wheelhouse and turn it round to Ashdod port. Each commando who shinnied down the ladder from a helicopter was besieged and separated from the unit, then beaten, stabbed and assaulted with flying objects. Some were pushed down into the hold and stripped of their anti-flak vests first. The soldiers reported they barely escaped lynching or possibly being taken hostage.
Any Israeli police officer dealing with Palestinian rioters knows that the first rule is never to get separated from the main force. The Shayatet 6 elite troops lacked this experience.
This error was compounded by the planners seriously underestimating expected resistance and sending the men in armed only with paintballs and pistols with orders to shoot only if their lives were at risk. They did open fire, but only after half a dozen of their number were badly hurt.
The entire episode bespeaks faulty intelligence on what was going on aboard the six vessels bound for Gaza, although the information was available from daily live broadcasts and easy access to visitors.
And another question: The IDF is famous for its innovative electronic warfare capabilities. So why were the signals and images coming from the convoy not jammed as promised and allowed to reach world TV screens hours before the authorities responsible for Israeli information woke up?
And finally, why did the interception take place 80 miles out to sea in international waters, thereby fueling the complaint that Israel broke international law? The blockade zone is 20 nautical miles deep from Gaza. An Israeli raid at that limit would have been easier to justify.
Prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, who cancelled his trip to the United States and is flying straight home from Canada, will have to fill in the gaps left by his official spokesmen.
Released finally 12 hours after the event, the IDF shots failed to explain the big mystery of how soldiers armed with paint balls and pistols managed to kill more than 10 pro-Palestinian activists (The final figure is still not clear. Ankara reports 15 Turkish dead) and injure at least 34 aboard the Turkish Marmora.
Together with six injured soldiers - two in critical condition - the wounded activists are being treated in Israeli hospitals.
Israel's chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi, and Navy commander, Maj. Gen. Eliezer Marom, reported that a fierce clash developed aboard the ship as the soldiers dropped on deck from helicopters and were mobbed by passengers. The activists fired pistols, but it is not clear if the guns were in the peace activists' luggage or snatched from the soldiers.
Neither is it clear how civilian protesters were able to disarm elite fighters of the Navy's Shayetet 6 unit.
The soldiers performed their mission of preventing the flotilla from docking in Gaza Port and opening the door to large-scale weapons deliveries - but at what cost?
Surely the operation's planners must have taken into account that the 600 mixed nationals aboard the Turkish vessel, the hard core of international Palestinian agitprop against Israel, would not receive the soldiers with flowers and white flags, any more than the demonstrators at Iblin and Naalin hand out to the Israeli Border Police breaking up their riots week after week.
The Border Police was bettered qualified to handle themselves against the arsenal the activists aboard the Turkish vessel used against the navy men, of firebombs, stun grenades, broken glass, slingshot, iron bars, axes and knives - and with far less risk of loss of life.
Also underestimated was the number of troops needed to commandeer the Turkish ship, control the wheelhouse and turn it round to Ashdod port. Each commando who shinnied down the ladder from a helicopter was besieged and separated from the unit, then beaten, stabbed and assaulted with flying objects. Some were pushed down into the hold and stripped of their anti-flak vests first. The soldiers reported they barely escaped lynching or possibly being taken hostage.
Any Israeli police officer dealing with Palestinian rioters knows that the first rule is never to get separated from the main force. The Shayatet 6 elite troops lacked this experience.
This error was compounded by the planners seriously underestimating expected resistance and sending the men in armed only with paintballs and pistols with orders to shoot only if their lives were at risk. They did open fire, but only after half a dozen of their number were badly hurt.
The entire episode bespeaks faulty intelligence on what was going on aboard the six vessels bound for Gaza, although the information was available from daily live broadcasts and easy access to visitors.
And another question: The IDF is famous for its innovative electronic warfare capabilities. So why were the signals and images coming from the convoy not jammed as promised and allowed to reach world TV screens hours before the authorities responsible for Israeli information woke up?
And finally, why did the interception take place 80 miles out to sea in international waters, thereby fueling the complaint that Israel broke international law? The blockade zone is 20 nautical miles deep from Gaza. An Israeli raid at that limit would have been easier to justify.
Ginni Thomas: Democrats Imposing Tyranny
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/virgina-thomas-democrats-tyranny/2010/05/29/id/360531
The Democrats’ control of the White House and Capitol Hill has resulted in tyranny, says Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, founder of LibertyCentral.org.
Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has harsh words for President Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress.
“I’ve never seen in my 30 years in Washington an agenda that’s so far left,” Thomas tells Newsmax.TV. “It grabs a lot of power so that Washington elites can pick winners and losers.”
Washington has turned away from our Founding Fathers, says Thomas, a former consultant to The Heritage Foundation.
Ginni Thomas: Democrats Imposing Tyranny
Saturday, 29 May 2010 10:05 PM Article Font Size
By: Dan Weil
The Democrats’ control of the White House and Capitol Hill has resulted in tyranny, says Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, founder of LibertyCentral.org.
Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has harsh words for President Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress.
“I’ve never seen in my 30 years in Washington an agenda that’s so far left,” Thomas tells Newsmax.TV. “It grabs a lot of power so that Washington elites can pick winners and losers.”
Washington has turned away from our Founding Fathers, says Thomas, a former consultant to The Heritage Foundation.
Story continues below video.
They gave us a government that’s supposed to make us “citizens, not subjects; to be self-governed, not to be ruled by a tyranny in Washington,” Thomas says.
“Whether it’s a soft tyranny or a hard tyranny, it’s time to put our foot down. If we don’t stop this train that’s headed for a cliff right now, we won’t have the country we grew up in.”
With Democrats in control, there are no checks and balances in Washington now, says Thomas a native Nebraskan who founded her website in November to promote grass-roots political activism.
The Democrats aren’t listening to the people, she says, adding, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The Bush administration did a much better job of listening, Thomas believes. When it proposed immigration and Social Security reform that the public resisted, the White House backed off.
That’s not the case now, “even though the citizenry is rebelling and trying to speak,” she says. “I’ve never seen Washington not listening like what we’re seeing now. We’re either going to be self-governed or ruled.”
Hopefully citizens will take out their frustrations in November “and make sure people who aren’t listening will have a new job,” Thomas says.
As for Liberty Central, it inspires citizens to action on behalf of five major principles.
Limited constitutional government
Individual liberty
Personal responsibility
Free enterprise
National security
Washington is deficient in all these areas, so people need to start participating in government more, Thomas says.
Tea partyers represent the first political responders to Washington’s follies, Thomas says.
“That’s because they’re the people figuring this power grab out quicker than most,” she says.
“This is truly a grass-roots movement. I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this in our lives. It’s very inspirational. I appreciate all they’ve done.”
The left’s ridicule of the tea partyers just shows their merit, Thomas says.
“The left goes after the people they’re most afraid of. It’s important in this political environment to have the right friends and enemies. If the left is calling you names, you’re someone we want to pay attention to.”
Thomas voices high praise for Sarah Palin. The former Alaska governor appeals to people because of her authenticity, Thomas says.
“She’s a breath of fresh air. People want to hear real people talking about what’s really happening. That’s why she’s so effective.”
© Newsmax. All rights reserved.
The Democrats’ control of the White House and Capitol Hill has resulted in tyranny, says Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, founder of LibertyCentral.org.
Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has harsh words for President Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress.
“I’ve never seen in my 30 years in Washington an agenda that’s so far left,” Thomas tells Newsmax.TV. “It grabs a lot of power so that Washington elites can pick winners and losers.”
Washington has turned away from our Founding Fathers, says Thomas, a former consultant to The Heritage Foundation.
Ginni Thomas: Democrats Imposing Tyranny
Saturday, 29 May 2010 10:05 PM Article Font Size
By: Dan Weil
The Democrats’ control of the White House and Capitol Hill has resulted in tyranny, says Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, founder of LibertyCentral.org.
Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has harsh words for President Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress.
“I’ve never seen in my 30 years in Washington an agenda that’s so far left,” Thomas tells Newsmax.TV. “It grabs a lot of power so that Washington elites can pick winners and losers.”
Washington has turned away from our Founding Fathers, says Thomas, a former consultant to The Heritage Foundation.
Story continues below video.
They gave us a government that’s supposed to make us “citizens, not subjects; to be self-governed, not to be ruled by a tyranny in Washington,” Thomas says.
“Whether it’s a soft tyranny or a hard tyranny, it’s time to put our foot down. If we don’t stop this train that’s headed for a cliff right now, we won’t have the country we grew up in.”
With Democrats in control, there are no checks and balances in Washington now, says Thomas a native Nebraskan who founded her website in November to promote grass-roots political activism.
The Democrats aren’t listening to the people, she says, adding, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The Bush administration did a much better job of listening, Thomas believes. When it proposed immigration and Social Security reform that the public resisted, the White House backed off.
That’s not the case now, “even though the citizenry is rebelling and trying to speak,” she says. “I’ve never seen Washington not listening like what we’re seeing now. We’re either going to be self-governed or ruled.”
Hopefully citizens will take out their frustrations in November “and make sure people who aren’t listening will have a new job,” Thomas says.
As for Liberty Central, it inspires citizens to action on behalf of five major principles.
Limited constitutional government
Individual liberty
Personal responsibility
Free enterprise
National security
Washington is deficient in all these areas, so people need to start participating in government more, Thomas says.
Tea partyers represent the first political responders to Washington’s follies, Thomas says.
“That’s because they’re the people figuring this power grab out quicker than most,” she says.
“This is truly a grass-roots movement. I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this in our lives. It’s very inspirational. I appreciate all they’ve done.”
The left’s ridicule of the tea partyers just shows their merit, Thomas says.
“The left goes after the people they’re most afraid of. It’s important in this political environment to have the right friends and enemies. If the left is calling you names, you’re someone we want to pay attention to.”
Thomas voices high praise for Sarah Palin. The former Alaska governor appeals to people because of her authenticity, Thomas says.
“She’s a breath of fresh air. People want to hear real people talking about what’s really happening. That’s why she’s so effective.”
© Newsmax. All rights reserved.
Israel braces for Turkish, Hizballah, Hamas reprisals. Greece halts joint drill
debkafile's military sources report Israeli concerns that Turkey may not confine itself to strong diplomatic retaliation for the Israel Navy's seizure Monday, May 31, of the Marmora, the Turkish vessel leading the flotilla for breaking the Gaza blockade and resort to military action along with the Iranian-backed Hizballah and Hamas. A statement from Ankara threatened "unprecedented and incalculable" reprisals, following which the Turkish chief of staff Gen. Ilker Basbug was recalled urgently to Ankara from a visit to Egypt. Greece has since halted its joint exercise with Israel in protest against the naval action.
debkafile reports from Ankara that the Turkish government is planning to continue pounding the Israeli blockade with more flotillas and have them escorted by Turkish warships and fighter jets. Israel merchant vessels moored outside Ashdod port have been instructed to sail into port and take shelter in case of missile attacks from the Gaza Strip against Ashdod and Ashkelon.
Monday morning, Israeli warplanes headed west over the Mediterranean in support of the still ongoing Israeli commando operation aboard the Turkish Marmora, the scene of violent clashes between Israeli troops and the 600 "peace activists," some of them armed. Ankara later reported 15 dead aboard the vessel.
Israeli army spokesman, Col. Avi Beneyahu, called the incident "an act of terror on the high seas." Far from being a humanitarian mission, the flotilla was sponsored personally by Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza and permit arms supplies and terrorist to reach the Strip unrestricted. It aimed at provoking a widely publicized international incident with fatalities and showing Israel using strong-arm tactics against unarmed peace-lovers.
Its leaders and the nations involved therefore refused to heed warnings that the vessels would be prevented from entering Gaza Port and rejected Israeli offers to ferry their aid cargo overland to the Gaza Strip. Population within missile range of Gaza advised to take shelter in secured areas.
An estimated 19 activists were killed battling with Israeli troops, and dozens injured. Ten Israeli soldiers were wounded, two critically. They were all ferried to Israeli hospitals by helicopter.
The pro-Hamas passengers were described as mobbing the Israeli commandos as they were dropped onto the Marmara's deck, using knives and iron bars to beat them and shooting with a sidearm snatched from a soldier and at least two other pistols recovered empty from two of the bodies.
Israeli security forces are preparing for the Lebanese Hizballah and Palestinian Hamas to go back to shooting missiles and rockets against Israeli towns, in support of the seaborne attack on Israeli commandos. The police are also on special alert in and around Israeli Arab communities, after Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyah called them out on a general strike, and the Holy Places, especially in Jerusalem.
Egypt will face pressure to end its joint embargo on Gaza with Israel at the Arab League Council meeting urgently Tuesday, June 1. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas demanded the session.
Demonstrations against Israel were staged in Syrian and Lebanese towns. Jordan hands stiff complaint to head of Israeli diplomatic mission in Amman.
debkafile reports from Ankara that the Turkish government is planning to continue pounding the Israeli blockade with more flotillas and have them escorted by Turkish warships and fighter jets. Israel merchant vessels moored outside Ashdod port have been instructed to sail into port and take shelter in case of missile attacks from the Gaza Strip against Ashdod and Ashkelon.
Monday morning, Israeli warplanes headed west over the Mediterranean in support of the still ongoing Israeli commando operation aboard the Turkish Marmora, the scene of violent clashes between Israeli troops and the 600 "peace activists," some of them armed. Ankara later reported 15 dead aboard the vessel.
Israeli army spokesman, Col. Avi Beneyahu, called the incident "an act of terror on the high seas." Far from being a humanitarian mission, the flotilla was sponsored personally by Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza and permit arms supplies and terrorist to reach the Strip unrestricted. It aimed at provoking a widely publicized international incident with fatalities and showing Israel using strong-arm tactics against unarmed peace-lovers.
Its leaders and the nations involved therefore refused to heed warnings that the vessels would be prevented from entering Gaza Port and rejected Israeli offers to ferry their aid cargo overland to the Gaza Strip. Population within missile range of Gaza advised to take shelter in secured areas.
An estimated 19 activists were killed battling with Israeli troops, and dozens injured. Ten Israeli soldiers were wounded, two critically. They were all ferried to Israeli hospitals by helicopter.
The pro-Hamas passengers were described as mobbing the Israeli commandos as they were dropped onto the Marmara's deck, using knives and iron bars to beat them and shooting with a sidearm snatched from a soldier and at least two other pistols recovered empty from two of the bodies.
Israeli security forces are preparing for the Lebanese Hizballah and Palestinian Hamas to go back to shooting missiles and rockets against Israeli towns, in support of the seaborne attack on Israeli commandos. The police are also on special alert in and around Israeli Arab communities, after Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyah called them out on a general strike, and the Holy Places, especially in Jerusalem.
Egypt will face pressure to end its joint embargo on Gaza with Israel at the Arab League Council meeting urgently Tuesday, June 1. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas demanded the session.
Demonstrations against Israel were staged in Syrian and Lebanese towns. Jordan hands stiff complaint to head of Israeli diplomatic mission in Amman.
Netanyahu in Canada, 'Thank You for Standing Up for Truth'
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed a pro-Israel crowd Sunday at the United Jewish Appeal's annual Walk for Israel in Toronto. “Thank you for standing up for truth... Thank you for standing up for Israel,” he told his audience.
Netanyahu noted that 32 years had passed since an Israeli prime minister visited Toronto. “Now everyone knows what they've been missing,” he joked.
"The ties between Israel and Canada have never been stronger,” he continued. “I want to take this opportunity to thank Prime Minister Harper. Prime Minister Harper has been an unwavering friend of Israel.” Harper has stood up to efforts to delegitimize the Jewish state, he added.
Netanyahu then praised the crowd of several thousand. “Year after year, you show us that we are not alone. Even though we are thousands of miles away, we know that you stand by our side” he said.
The prime minister mentioned Israel's negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. “Israel must ensure that peace is anchored in security. We must not repeat the mistakes of the past,” he said.
"When Israel left Lebanon, Iran moved in. When Israel left Gaza, Iran moved in again... We cannot afford a third Iranian presence in the hills overlooking Tel Aviv,” he explained. A PA state would need to be demilitarized, and to recognize Israel as the Jewish state, he added.
He also spoke of the importance of maintaining Israel's right to self-defense, and of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Following the speech Netanyahu and his family proceeded to Ottawa, where he will meet Monday with Harper.
(IsraelNationalNews.com)
Netanyahu noted that 32 years had passed since an Israeli prime minister visited Toronto. “Now everyone knows what they've been missing,” he joked.
"The ties between Israel and Canada have never been stronger,” he continued. “I want to take this opportunity to thank Prime Minister Harper. Prime Minister Harper has been an unwavering friend of Israel.” Harper has stood up to efforts to delegitimize the Jewish state, he added.
Netanyahu then praised the crowd of several thousand. “Year after year, you show us that we are not alone. Even though we are thousands of miles away, we know that you stand by our side” he said.
The prime minister mentioned Israel's negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. “Israel must ensure that peace is anchored in security. We must not repeat the mistakes of the past,” he said.
"When Israel left Lebanon, Iran moved in. When Israel left Gaza, Iran moved in again... We cannot afford a third Iranian presence in the hills overlooking Tel Aviv,” he explained. A PA state would need to be demilitarized, and to recognize Israel as the Jewish state, he added.
He also spoke of the importance of maintaining Israel's right to self-defense, and of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Following the speech Netanyahu and his family proceeded to Ottawa, where he will meet Monday with Harper.
(IsraelNationalNews.com)
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