1 Comments

1. Tomas Rosa Bueno 31 May

   
   

   The worst-case scenario came to be, and the unthinkable happened: a six-ship flotilla carrying unarmed civilians and humanitarian supplies was attacked with deadly force in international waters by Israeli commandos, resulting in the death of at least ten people – tough there are reports of as many as twenty dead, and thrice as many wounded.

   The usual suspects are already all over the press saying that this was to be expected, blaming the deaths on the dead, and accusing the victims of attacking heavily-armed Israeli commandos with sticks and knives, forcing the poor boys to use their automatic weapons at close range to defend themselves. Israel, they say, could not allow those ships to reach Gaza in defiance of a legitimate blockade of a territory inhabited by 1.8 million thugs and terrorists.

   Leaving aside the issue of the legitimacy and legality of Israel’s blockade of Gaza and admitting for ease of argument that they had a right under international law to stop the flotilla by any means, why did they have to send commandos to storm the ships in the dead of night, in international waters, in a brazen defiance of that very same international law? There were many other means to stop the ships that did not involve the risk of killing civilians. They could, to give just one obvious example, wait until the flotilla reached their territorial waters, cripple their steering systems and tow them all to one of their ports, charging everyone on board with illegal entry and locking them up for a few weeks to teach them a lesson. Nobody could have faulted them, and they could even have a good laugh at the flotilla fiasco.

   Instead, they chose to shoot their way onto six ships carrying 700 civilians “armed” with sticks and kitchen knives. We all know, especially since they sent their troops to practice target-shooting against civilians in Gaza in 2008, that the Israeli brand of public relations is a little peculiar, but this seems a little too much even for them.

   What happened? Are they losing control? Is their ruling clique finally proving right those who say they are insane?

   No. There is method in their madness: they are sending us all a message. With the tide of world opinion turning firmly against their high-handed practices, facing certain defeat in their joint drive with the U.S. to slap yet another round of illegal sanctions against Iran, having their nuclear arsenal condemned by a unanimous declaration of 189 countries that even their closest allies had to sign, and risking to have their actions in Gaza judged by an international court, they are telling us that they will do whatever it takes to protect their interests – and that they couldn’t care less about what the rest of the world thinks of them.

   They will shoot anybody who crosses their way, they will invade their neighbors whenever it pleases them, they will send nuke-carrying subs to the coast of Iran and they will use them if need be. Nothing will stop them.

   It’s clear that at least the Israeli people, subject to a propaganda barrage that has them convinced that they are the victims and that the world is out to get them, will not to anything to stop them, but on the contrary will keep voting them into power. So it's time the international community takes a firm and united stand against their follies and against whoever supports them. If the U.S. won’t do its duty to rein in their frenzied ally, somebody else will have to do this for them.

   Urgently. Before they drag us all into the Armageddon they seem to wish so fervently.