Israel attacks boat full of supplies for Gaza? YOU DON'T SAY.

STANDARD "I DON'T HATE JEWS" DISCLAIMER: because I've seen both myself and others get called antisemitic in a knee-jerk manner for criticizing Israel in anyway in the past, I'm saying this UP FRONT: I DO NOT HATE ANYONE PRACTICING THE JEWISH RELIGION.  While I'm an atheist and think all religions are bunk, I respect everyone's right to believe what they want.  When I speak out against Israel, I speak out against it's oppressive, illegal behavior.  That said, on with the criticism!

When I heard about this flotilla of boats heading to Gaza to deliver humanitarian relief to the Palestinians I just assumed Israel would act like bullies on a playground when their turf is challenged.  This is because they always act this way--any time the Palestinians do anything to challenge their occupation.  This time 'round we've got a bunch of boats bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza.  Israel's intel told them it was going to be a peaceful flotilla but opened fire to defend themselves when Israeli soldiers, who had dropped onto the deck of one of the ships at 4am, "were attacked with clubs, metal rods and knives."

Ah yes, there's that tempered, well-reasoned, Israeli military reaction.  Using automatic weapons against relief volunteers with clubs and knives is no surprise coming from a government that, in reacting to a pizza parlor being bombed, razes an entire Palestinian neighborhood.  I think at one point they also used a missile to kill a guy in a wheel chair.  Too bad the Israeli military doesn't follow the laws of physics--you know that whole "equal and opposite reaction" thing?

Then there's the fact that they knew this flotilla wasn't supplying Hamas, the terrorist group in charge of what is Palestine right now:

Einat Wilf, a Labor Party member of Parliament who sits on the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said that she had warned Mr. Barak and others well in advance that the flotilla was a public relations issue and should not be dealt with by military means.

“This had nothing to do with security,” she said in an interview. “The armaments for Hamas were not coming from this flotilla.”

Like the "clubs, metal rods and knives" quote, that's from today's NYTimes.  But hey, wait a minute--wasn't Hamas elected by the people of Palestine??  Why don't they have a right to raise a military to defend themselves against foreign occupiers? I think that is something the US Constitution says is cool--why can't Hamas do it? 

The NYT article goes on:

The Israeli soldiers dropped onto the deck and “opened fire on sleeping civilians at four in the morning,” said Greta Berlin, a leader of the pro-Palestinian Free Gaza Movement, speaking by phone from Cyprus on Monday.

Israeli officials said that international law allowed for the capture of naval vessels in international waters if they were about to violate a blockade. The blockade was imposed by Israel and Egypt after the Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007. Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, said Monday that the blockade was “aimed at preventing the infiltration of terror and terrorists into Gaza.”

AH YES--it always brings a smile to my face when the Israeli government cites international law.  It's even more amusing than when the USG does it.

Guys, according to the United Nations Charter, it's illegal to use military force against a country unless it strikes first.  Iraq and Afghanistan didn't strike first and while a case could be made for Palestine striking first at Israel, THAT HAPPENED FORTY YEARS AGO.

The UN has since passed a number of resolutions making it clear that the occupation of Palestinian land is a violation of international law. (That link is from the Jews Against the Occupation website, btw.)

What makes this even more a "Slim Pickens at the end of 'Dr. Strangelove'" moment is that US taxpayer money goes to support Israel!  That's right, pay your taxes in the US (even sales tax) and you help support Israel's oppression of Palestinians.

I have stayed away from writing about the Israelistine/Palestisrael issue for a long time because there really is no end or hope in sight for a resolution.  But I'm just sure that loads of people will jump up in defense of the relief workers and a bunch more people will jump up in support of the Israeli government and both sides will forget the obvious, blatant truth:

Israel is occupying another country in violation of international law.  That's all there is to it.  End of story.

Any violence used on either side is morally wrong, but how can you blame the Palestinians?  They've been forsaken by their people (other Arab countries) with no hope or real representation on the world stage--they have virtually no hope of ever being free and no other choice but to turn to violence.  But Israel has American backing.  You'd think they'd be a little less reactionary.  Hell, they make George W. Bush's foreign policy seem even-handed and well thought out.

ONCE AGAIN: I DO NOT HATE JEWS. So, RELAX. I just hate what Israel is doing.  I hate what America is doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, too.  Does that make me hate all Americans?  Or all Christians?  Does it mean I don't think there should be a Jewish state?  Well, I'm not sure why they need one, but dude--it's not my country--you want to have every citizen believing the same thing? Seems like a recipe for disaster, but whatever, man.  Just stop oppressing people already.

Posted via email from thepete's posterous