In a television interview today, Sheikh Raed Salakh, the radical Islamic cleric, claimed that Israeli soldiers shot one of the people onboard the Marmara because they thought it was him. Interestingly, he called his doppleganger a soldier, a "jundi" in Arabic. Would he call a peace activist, or even an unarmed pro-Gaza activist, a "soldier"? A few of the other passengers on the ship talked about becoming Shaheeds, martyrs. One even expressed regret for surviving.
Foolishly, all the Turkish citizens arrested on the flotilla were sent back to Turkey. We should have deported only those not involved in violence. Those who attacked our soldiers will now be able to join the Irish ship named after Rachel Corrie, which is currently docked in Turkey, and unless some kind of agreement between Israel, Ireland, the Free Gaza Movement and the crew of the Rachel Corrie is reached, they'll be able to attempt a repeat of the events of the Marmara.
I have to say that this whole flotilla thing is one case where I'm mad as hell at almost everyone involved, from the Israeli government to the anti-Israel "provocation activists". Yesterday, a few of our Knesset Members joined the list of people who piss me off. Yossi Sarid's reaction to the near-brawl and all the cursing was just perfect (the English version, unfortunately, dropped Sarid's lament in the end against the nationalism taking over the Knesset, by both Jews and Arabs).
A Great Day for *The Atlantic*
2 weeks ago
I'm surprised you find the video funny: it's been viraled across the world but mainly by hardline Zios and these are essentially the ones responsible for much of the mess. If you're going to condemn the not-so-peaceful activists on the Marmara, you should also condemn those making the video who are IMHO arch-stupid people. I've not been able to watch it in full yet: at the highly offensive 'missiles for the kids' line I hit the pause button.
ReplyDeleteIt's a typically Conservative idea that if a crisis doesn't resemble the worst in the Sahel, it can't be all that bad. All of them would feel hapless, helpless and miserable without their mod cons and their comfort zone but mocking people who live increasingly in bad third world conditions is supposed to be funny? It starts with 'H'...
Those who talk of this in terms of 'it was provocation' should realise that Israel was all too keen to rise to the challenge. At best that makes both guilty, not just one side...
(a problem with the comment section may cause this to diplicate)
I don't agree with everything they say in the video (which is in a different post, if anybody is trying to figure out what we're talking about), but I do agree that the people aboard the flotilla, at least some of them, were no saints, but rather "provocation activists". Israel, too, is guilty of foolishness and falling into the provacateurs' trap and I've written it right here. This is one incident where it is hard to find anyone who has been alright.
ReplyDeleteHamas and the flotilla activists are the main targets in this video, not ordinary Gazans.