9 Killed/Hundreds Kidnapped by Israeli commandos who stormed Gaza Flotilla

[Dig]

Kucinich calls for independent probe of Israeli raid
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0604/kucinich-calls-independent-probe-israeli-raid/
By Agence France-Presse
Friday, June 4th, 2010 -- 7:06 pm


The full text of the letter from Rep. Dennis Kucinich to President Obama follows the AFP story below

A US lawmaker called Friday for an independent probe into Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship and called for Washington to impose diplomatic and financial "consequences" on its ally.

"The US can begin by calling for an independent international inquiry of the Mavi Marmara incident. The integrity of such inquiry necessitates that it not be led by the nation whose conduct is under scrutiny," Representative Dennis Kucinich said in a draft letter to President Barack Obama.

The message, which Kucinich was circulating to colleagues for their signature before sending it to the White House, urges Obama to "call Israel to an accounting for its conduct in planning and executing" the raid.

"The attack on the Mavi Marmara requires consequences" for Israel's government, the Democrat said. "Those consequences must be dealt by the United States. They must be diplomatic and they must be financial."

Israel has defended both its right to carry out the Monday raid and its punishing blockade of Gaza, which is ruled by the Islamist movement Hamas. The group is blacklisted in Washington as a terrorist group.

Kucinich, who earlier this year introduced legislation calling for a full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, also called for Washington to "begin to redefining its relationship" with Israel.

"No one questions the right of Israel to defend its border, but that defense does not extend to shooting innocent civilians anywhere in the world, anytime it pleases," said the lawmaker.

Kucinich called the raid "an act of belligerence against Turkey" and warned it "undermines" US efforts in Iraq, which rely on Turkey granting access to key air bases on its soil.

The Ohio lawmaker noted that said Washington views Israel as "our most important ally in the region, whose survival is a primary concern" but that the Jewish state had failed to uphold its end of the bargain.

"Israel owes the United States more than reckless, pre-meditated violence waged against innocent people," he charged.

A spokesman for Kucinich said that, with the US Congress in recess this week, he would not be releasing how many lawmakers had signed on to the tough message, an unusually sharp criticism of Israel at a time when other lawmakers have pledged to stand by the US ally.

Turkey's ambassador to Washington, Namik Tan, expressed disappointment Friday that the United States had thus far failed to condemn Israel outright over the raid, which left nine pro-Palestinian activists dead.

"There is no word of condemnation at any level," he said, insisting "the US should have been the first party to condemn."

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Israeli commandos, acting at the direction of the State of Israel, attacked and seized a Turkish ship in international waters, in the Mediterranean Sea.

At least nine were killed in the incident aboard the Mavi Marmara. Hundreds of civilians were taken into custody and goods were confiscated. Since the United States considers Israel our most important ally in the region, whose survival is a of primary concern, it is incumbent upon the Commander in Chief to call Israel to an accounting for its conduct in planning and executing the deadly military attack in international waters upon a peaceful flotilla carrying citizens from over 50 countries.

The State of Israel's conduct, attacking a Turkish ship in international waters, constitutes an act of belligerence against Turkey, which at one time Israel considered an important ally. It also undermines United States’ troops efforts in Iraq, since your administration's efforts to achieve stability in the region and to withdraw troops from Iraq has depended upon Turkey's cooperation through use of its air bases.
In its violent commando raid on the Mavi Marmara, the government of Israel showed no concern as to how its conduct may affect the lives of defenseless, innocent people, its friends and allies, and in particular the United States. The United States must remind Israel as well as all of our other friends and allies:

It is not acceptable to repeatedly violate international law.

It is not acceptable to shoot and kill innocent civilians.

It is not acceptable to commit an act of aggression against another U.S. ally.

It is not acceptable to continue a blockade which denies humanitarian relief.

It is not acceptable to heighten tensions in a region while the United States continues to put so much blood and treasure on the line.

The State of Israel's action necessitates that the United States, which is Israel's partner in the region, begin to redefine its relationship and to establish such boundaries and conditions which are sufficient for mutual respect and cooperation.

It is incumbent upon Israeli officials to bring forth the truth about the planning for and the attack upon the Mavi Marmara.

No one questions the right of Israel to defend its border, but that defense does not extend to shooting innocent civilians anywhere in the world, anytime it pleases.

Israel must account for our support, for the lives of our soldiers, for the investment of billions from our taxpayers. Israel owes the United States more than reckless, pre-meditated violence waged against innocent people.

The attack on the Mavi Marmara requires consequences for the Netanyahu Administration and for the State of Israel. Those consequences must be dealt by the United States. They must be diplomatic and they must be financial. The U.S. can begin by calling for an independent international inquiry of the Mavi Marmara incident. The integrity of such inquiry necessitates that it not be led by the nation whose conduct is under scrutiny. If our nation fails to act in any substantive way, the United States licenses the violence and we are complicit in it and our own citizens will be forced to pay the consequences.

We the undersigned deeply regret the loss of life. We are also fully aware of the dangers to world security which exist in the region, which is why the United States has been unstinting it its defense of Israel. We have a right to expect that Israel not add to those dangers with military conduct which all people of good will know is neither defensible nor moral. There must be consequences for such conduct. We await your response.

[Dig]

Nobel laureate: ‘We will sit down,’ if Israeli forces board aid ship
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0604/nobel-laureate-we-sit-down-israeli-forces-board-aid-ship/
By Agence France-Presse
Friday, June 4th, 2010 -- 12:10 pm


An Irish aid boat steaming towards Gaza still plans to break the Israeli blockade, a Nobel Peace Prize winners who is on board vowed today, saying its passengers and crew "are not afraid".

However, "Irish Nobel Peace Prize laureate Máiread Corrigan-Maguire, who was on the ship with other activists, said they were determined to press on but would offer no resistance if Israeli forces came aboard," the Associated Press reports.

"We will sit down," she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from the ship. "They will probably arrest us ... But there will be no resistance."

The MV Rachel Corrie should be within 40 kilometres of the coast of the Palestinian territory by early tomorrow,Máiread Corrigan-Maguire told Ireland's RTE state radio.

"We don't have contact with the Israelis and the Israelis haven't contacted anyone on board this boat, but we are all fully committed to sailing the boat to Gaza," she said by satellite phone.

"We do know that one of the suggestions that seems to be coming is Israel thinks that we would take this boat and its cargo to Ashdod. But we have no intention of going to Ashdod which is in Israel.

"We started out to deliver this cargo to the people of Gaza and to break the siege of Gaza, that is what we want to do."

Maguire said they would regard as "satisfactory" suggestions that the vessel is checked by the UN or an independent investigator to verify there is no dangerous cargo abroad.

"But we are not prepared to allow Israel to do this. Our cargo was inspected by officials from the Irish government, by trade union officials in Dundalk (a port in NE Ireland) and officials of the Green Party.

"Then the cargo was sealed, totally sealed. We don't have anything but humanitarian aid," she added, saying the 11 activists on board were "totally committed" to going to Gaza.

"We are not afraid," she said.

Maguire, 66, believes the 1.5 million people of Gaza, with 30% under the age of 18, have been living under a "cruel siege".

"It is collective punishment by the Israelis government. It is breaking international laws and human rights. Our concern is to try to open up the people of Gaza to the world," she said.

Maguire, who won the 1976 Nobel prize as co-founder of a peace movement in long-troubled Northern Ireland, has travelled many times to the Palestinian territories, said the Irish group.

[grapecrusher1]

Nobel laureate: ‘We will sit down,’ if Israeli forces board aid ship

There is definite regret about retaliating with sticks and chairs from the initial killing assault that provoked the aggressive response.

Which was engineered brilliantly although some "experts" tout it as being a "botched job."

Out of the dozens of articles Chossudovsky nails it best. 

[Dig]

There is definite regret about retaliating with sticks and chairs from the initial killing assault that provoked the aggressive response.

Which was engineered brilliantly although some "experts" tout it as being a "botched job."

Out of the dozens of articles Chossudovsky nails it best. 

can you link the article? Chossudovsky always goes miles beneath the surface.

[grapecrusher1]

A portion of the article was linked pages back but considering what has happened since and other topics it hits upon here it is in its entirety.  The whole thing should be in bold.  Chossudovsky is remarkably prescient.

"Operation Justified Vengeance": Israeli Strike on Freedom Flotilla to Gaza is Part of a Broader Military Agenda

by Michel Chossudovsky

War Criminal Prime Minister Netanyahu, who directly ordered the strike on the international flotilla to Gaza, was on an official visit to Canada at the time of the Israeli attack.

The strike constitutes an act of piracy in violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Netanyahu's actions, which have resulted in 19 deaths and up to 60 injured, constitute a criminal act committed in international waters. (BBC News - Deaths as Israeli forces storm Gaza aid ship).

In a cruel irony, Netanyahu, in a recent statement, committed himself to peace with Palestine: "We want to move as speedily as possible to direct talks because the kind of problem that we have with the Palestinians can be resolved in peace and can be arranged only if we sit down together".

Several prominent personalities as well as several Global Research authors and partners were on board the ships.


The May 31st strike is a follow-up on "Operation Cast" initiated in late December 2008. It is meant to enforce the status of Gaza as a de facto urban prison.

Operation "Cast Lead" was part of a broader military-intelligence operation initiated at the outset of the Ariel Sharon government in 2001. It was under Sharon's "Operation Justified Vengeance" that F-16 fighter planes were initially used to bomb Palestinian cities. The strike on the Freedom Flotilla is part of the logic of transforming Gaza into an urban concentration camp. 

"Operation Justified Vengeance" was presented in July 2001 to the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon by IDF chief of staff Shaul Mofaz, under the title "The Destruction of the Palestinian Authority and Disarmament of All Armed Forces". "Operation Justified Vengeance" was also referred to as the "Dagan Plan", named after General (ret.) Meir Dagan, who currently heads Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency. (See Ellis Shulman, Operation Justified Vengeance, A Secret to Destroy the Palestinian Authority, Global Research, 2002) 

Meir Dagan, in coordination with his US counterparts, had been put in charge of various military-intelligence operations. It is worth noting that Meir Dagan as a young Colonel had worked closely with then defense minister Ariel Sharon in the raids on Palestinian settlements in Beirut in 1982.

The 2009 ground invasion of Gaza, in many regards, bear a canny resemblance to the 1982 military operation led by Sharon and Dagan.

Dagan as head of Israeli intelligence, no doubt also took part in the decision to launch the strike on the Freedom Flotilla.

Was the Decision Taken in Consultation with Washington?

On May 26, the Israeli military (IDF) confirmed that it would confront the Freedom Flotilla in international waters, while intimating that there may be terrorist elements on board the ships:

    "As part of the military preparation, the navy carried out an exercise intercepting ships and arresting passengers.

    Navy Commander Major-General Eliezer Marom said the navy forces will use measures to protect the soldiers' lives and ensure that there are no terrorist elements or explosives on the ships.

    Marom said he instructed the forces to act sensibly and avoid provocations, adding that the IDF had no intention of harming the hundreds of passengers on board these ships." (Israel's Military Command Says Will Stop Flotilla, but Transfer Supplies to Gaza)

It is worth noting that prior to this announcement, the IDF launched a public relations campaign, describing the Flotilla as a "provocative act":

    "Head of Gaza 's Coordination and Liaison Authority, Colonel Moshe Levi convened a press conference and said that there was no shortage in food and supplies in the Strip.

    "The planned flotilla to Gaza is a provocative act that is unnecessary under the existing conditions in the Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian situation is good and stable," he said, adding that Israel allows many products into the Strip, and only limits those that might serve Hamas in advancing terror activities." (Ibid)

Washington was fully aware as to the nature as well as the likely consequences of the IDF naval operation in international waters, including the killings of civilians. There are indications that the decision was taken in consultation with Washington.

The Role of Rahm Emmanuel

Obama's White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was in Israel in the week prior to the launching of the raid on the Freedom Flotilla.

Although on a private visit, Rahm Emanuel met Prime Minister Netanyahu in high level discussions on May 26. Rahm Emanuel also met president Shimon Peres on May 27.  The White House described the May 26 meeting with Netanyahu as "an informal discussion of a range of issues in the U.S.-Israel bilateral relationship."

And on that same day (May 26), the IDF confirmed the launching of a military operation directed against the Freedom Flotilla. On May 26, Rahm Emanuel also extended an invitation to Netanyahu to meet president Obama in early June following his scheduled official visit to Canada. In recent developments, Netanyahu has cancelled his US trip and is returning to Tel Aviv. 

The Broader Military Agenda

It should be understood that the raid on the Flotilla also coincided with NATO-Israel war games directed against Iran. According to the Sunday Times "three German-built Israeli submarines equipped with nuclear cruise missiles are to be deployed in the Gulf near the Iranian coastline." (Israel Deploys Three Nuclear Cruise Missile-Armed Subs Along Iranian Coastline). The report tacitly presents Israel as the victim rather than the perpetrator of military threat:

    "Israel’s business and defence centre, remains the most threatened city in the world, said one expert. “There are more missiles per square foot targeting Tel Aviv than any other city,” he said.


    ... The first [submarine] has been sent in response to Israeli fears that ballistic missiles developed by Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, a political and military organisation in Lebanon, could hit sites in Israel, including air bases and missile launchers.

    The submarines of Flotilla 7 — Dolphin, Tekuma and Leviathan — have visited the Gulf before. But the decision has now been taken to ensure a permanent presence of at least one of the vessels.

     

    The flotilla’s commander, identified only as “Colonel O”, told an Israeli newspaper: “We are an underwater assault force. We’re operating deep and far, very far, from our borders.”

     

    ... The deployment is designed to act as a deterrent, gather intelligence and potentially to land Mossad agents. “We’re a solid base for collecting sensitive information, as we can stay for a long time in one place,” said a flotilla officer.

     

    The submarines could be used if Iran continues its programme to produce a nuclear bomb. “The 1,500km range of the submarines’ cruise missiles can reach any target in Iran,” said a navy officer.

     

    Apparently responding to the Israeli activity, an Iranian admiral said: “Anyone who wishes to do an evil act in the Persian Gulf will receive a forceful response from us.”
     

    Israel’s urgent need to deter the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah alliance was demonstrated last month. Ehud Barak, the defence minister, was said to have shown President Barack Obama classified satellite images of a convoy of ballistic missiles leaving Syria on the way to Hezbollah in Lebanon. (emphasis added)

     

While these naval deployments were underway in the Persian Gulf, Israel was also involved in war games in the Mediterraean. The war game codenamed "MINOAS 2010" was carried out at a Greek air base in Souda Bay, on the island of Crete.

Also, in the wake of the decision directed against Israel's nuclear weapons under the auspices of the NPT, the White House reaffirmed not only its support to Israel, but also to Israel's nuclear weapons capabilities. The statement issued one day before the raid on the flotilla points to US support of "Israel's strategic and deterrence capabilities, which also include the launching of a pre-emptive nuclear attack on Iran:

    "a senior political source in Jerusalem said Sunday that Israel received guarantees from U.S. President Barack Obama that the U.S. would maintain and improve Israel's strategic and deterrence capabilities.

    According to the source, "Obama gave [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu unequivocal guarantees that include a substantial upgrade in Israel-U.S. relations."

    Obama promised that no decision taken during the recent 189-nation conference to review and strengthen the 40-year-old Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty "would be allowed to harm Israel's vital interests," the sources said.  Obama promised to bolster Israel's strategic capabilities, Jerusalem officials say - Haaretz Daily Newspaper)

The presence of Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in Tel Aviv undoubtedly played a role in the timing of this Sunday May 30th statement as well as the concurrent strike on the Freedom Flotilla. The Obama administration had given the green light to the deadly raids in international waters. 

The killing of unarmed civilians was part of the mandate of the Israeli naval commando. It was an integral part of the logic of Dagan's "Operation Justified Vengeance", which presents Israel as the victim rather than the perpetrator and uses civilian deaths "on both sides" to justify a process of military escalation. 

The action by the IDF has triggered a wave of indignation throughout the Middle East. It will no doubt also trigger a response by Palestinian resistance forces, including possible suicide bomb attacks inside Israel, which could then be used by Israel as a pretext and justification for the launching a broader military operation.

Iran is being portrayed in Western media reports as supportive of Hamas and the Freedom Flotilla is said to be backed by a tacit Hamas-Iran alliance. Realities are turned upside down. Israel is the victim. In the words of Benjamin Netanyahu: "Our soldiers had to defend themselves to defend their lives." In the words of Netanyahu at a press briefing in Ottawa:

    “"Soldiers had boarded the vessel to check for any rockets, missiles or explosives headed for Gaza to be used for attacks on Israel, he said. They were mobbed, they were clubbed, they were beaten, stabbed, there was even a report of gunfire, and our soldiers had to defend themselves, defend their lives or else they would have been killed,” he said Monday during a visit with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

    Netanyahu added: “Regrettably in the exchange at least 10 people died. We regret this loss of life. We regret any of the violence that was there. I would like to wish speedy recovery to the wounded, including four of our own soldiers.” (Quoted in the Toronto Star, May 31, 2010) (emphasis added)

Meanwhile, a White House spokesman has confirmed that the United States "deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained". But the action by Israel has not been condemned by the Obama administration: The administration is "currently working to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy." (See The Associated Press: Obama administration concerned about Gaza incident)

For further details on Operation Cast Lead and Operation Justified Vengeance, see

Michel Chossudovsky, The Invasion of Gaza: "Operation Cast Lead", Part of a Broader Israeli Military-Intelligence Agenda, Global Research, January 2009.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19447

[larsonstdoc]

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=162377

   

 

TROUBLE IN THE HOLY LAND
White House linked to flotilla organizers
Israel official ties president's adviser to controversial 'Free Gaza Movement'
Posted: June 05, 2010
12:00 am Eastern

By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2010 WorldNetDaily


John Brennan
A top adviser to President Obama is the contact person within the White House for communications with the Free Gaza Movement over plans to challenge Israel's blockade of the terrorist Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, according to a reputable source close to the Netanyahu government.

The source, a career official whose reliability was established through his tips for the book, "Why Israel Can't Wait," identified John O. Brennan, deputy national security adviser for homeland security and counterterrorism, as the contact.

The allegation raises the bizarre possibility that the Free Gaza Movement's flotilla action in the Mediterranean was being coordinated with the White House, something that would align with a shift in U.S. policy toward Israel being debated within the Obama administration.

Mike Hammer, a National Security Council spokesman, told WND flatly the report "is not true."

Read all about the people who surround President Obama. Get Aaron Klein's new best-seller, "The Manchurian President," at WND's Superstore!

His response was followed quickly by another denial, when WND asked if Hammer also rejected the claim Brenner was a key force within the White House pushing for a change in U.S. policy toward Israel in demanding an end to the blockade, as the WND source reported.



 
    

 
 

"John Brennan is quite busy in his job as the president's counterterrorism and homeland security adviser, relentlessly working to keep the country safe," Hammer said in a e-mail to WND. "The administration has others who are responsible for our Middle East policy. So, again, not true."

However, Brennan's activities in his "counterterrorism" work have involved him in situations with domestic groups known to have ties to Middle East terrorism.

WND previously has reported that Brennan participated in a meeting with Muslim law students, facilitated by the Islamic Society of North America, a group that was named an unindicted co-conspirator in a case where the founders of the Holy Land Foundation of Texas were given life sentences "for funneling $12 million" to Hamas, the group currently in political control of Gaza.

WND further reported that at a meeting with Muslim law students at New York University, Brennan declared himself a "citizen of the world" who believed the United States government should never engage in "profiling" in pursuit of national security.

The New York Times reported this week that the Obama administration's policy toward Israel was changing in a re-evaluation that now considers Israel's blockade of Gaza to be untenable. But Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu insisted in a special press conference in his office Thursday that "Israel will not apologize for defending itself," which strongly suggested Israel fully intends to continue its blockade.

Brennan tilts toward Islam

In a speech delivered Aug. 9, 2009, to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and archived on the White House website, Brennan commented that using "a legitimate term, 'jihad,' meaning to purify oneself or to wage a holy struggle for a moral goal" to describe terrorists "risks reinforcing the idea that the United States is somehow at war with Islam itself."

In reporting on Brennan’s speech to the CSIS, WND noted his specific advice regarding the Middle East, namely, that U.S. foreign policy should encourage greater assimilation of the Hezbollah terrorist organization into the Lebanese government.

WND noted that in a July 2008 article in The Annals, a publication of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, Brennan argued it "would not be foolhardy, however, for the United States to tolerate, and even to encourage, greater assimilation of Hezbollah into Lebanon's political system, a process that is subject to Iranian influence."

Continued Brennan: "Hezbollah is already represented in the Lebanese parliament and its members have previously served in the Lebanese cabinet, reflections of Hezbollah's interest in shaping Lebanon's political future from within government institutions. This involvement is a far cry from Hezbollah's genesis as solely a terrorist organization dedicated to murder, kidnapping and violence."

At the August 2009 press conference for the CSIS, Brennan declared, "Hezbollah started out as purely a terrorist organization back in the early '80s and has evolved significantly over time. And now it has members of parliament, in the cabinet; there are lawyers, doctors, others who are part of the Hezbollah organization."

Middle Eastern terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah frequently maintain civilian units of doctors and lawyers so as to emphasize their outreach with local politicians and increase their political acceptance in the international arena.

Conceivably, the Istanbul-based Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, better known by the Turkish acronym IHH, would fit Brennan's definition of the charitable side of organizations such as Hezbollah, despite IHH's ties to al-Qaida that have been documented by experts such as former investigating judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere, who led the French judiciary's counter-terrorism unit for nearly two decades before retiring in 2007.

The IHH, in fact, is not included on the U.S. State Department's current list of 45 groups designated as foreign terrorist organizations. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are listed.

In his speech to the New York University law school students posted on YouTube by the White House, Brennan included a lengthy statement in Arabic that he did not translate for his English-speaking audience.

Noting that he spent time spent as an undergraduate with the American University in Cairo during the 1970s, Brennan proceeded to use only the Arabic name "Al Quds" when referring to Jerusalem, commenting that during his 25 years in government he spent considerable time in the Middle East, as a political officer with the State Department and as a CIA station chief in Saudi Arabia.

"In Saudi Arabia, I saw how our Saudi partners fulfilled their duty as custodians of the two holy mosques in Mecca and Medina," he said. "I marveled at the majesty of the hajj and the devotion of those who fulfilled their duty as Muslims of making that pilgrimage."

Obama's Chicago radical pals at center of Free Gaza Movement

WND previously reported that Weather Underground terrorists William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, as well as Jodie Evans, the leader of the radical activist organization Code Pink, were top supporters of the Free Gaza Movement, a coalition of leftist U.S. activists and pro-Palestinian groups that organized the six-ship flotilla that attempted to run the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

Obama began his political career in Chicago at a 1995 fundraiser held in the Chicago apartment of Ayers and Dohrn, held to introduce Obama as the candidate hand-picked to run for the Illinois Senate seat held by admitted communist Alice Palmer when she decided to step aside to run that year for the U.S. House of Representatives.

In January, WND reported that Ayers, Dohrn and Evans were involved in provoking chaos on the streets of Egypt in an attempt to enter Hamas-controlled Gaza with the Free Gaza Movement to join in solidarity with Gaza's population and leadership.

[Viper]

[citizenx]

But the people on board the "Rachel Corrie" are just more agents provocateurs, right?

[Viper]

Erdogan may try to break blockade himself
By JPOST.COM STAFF
06/05/2010 10:30

 
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considering arriving in Gaza himself to break the blockade of the Strip, Lebanese newspaper Al-Mustaqbal reported Saturday.

The paper said it was basing its report on Turkish sources “in the know.”

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=177537

[Dig]

Erdogan may try to break blockade himself
By JPOST.COM STAFF
06/05/2010 10:30

 
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considering arriving in Gaza himself to break the blockade of the Strip, Lebanese newspaper Al-Mustaqbal reported Saturday.

The paper said it was basing its report on Turkish sources “in the know.”

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=177537

Now that would be nearly identical to the set up of WWI.

BTW - the Jerusalem Post cannot wait to sink their teeth into the blood of Turkish and Israeli fresh meat grinded bodies by the Masters of War.

Do they also have a contract with the Military Industrial Complex?

Did General Electric's Nuke Division buy $10 million in advertising?

I mean WTF? Their headlines are straight out of Starship Troopers!

[Eckhart Tolle]

Victims shot 30 times, five in head at close range

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/0605/1224271913186.html?via=mr

ROBERT BOOTH in London MICHAEL JANSEN in Jerusalem and LORNA SIGGINS in Galway

ISRAEL WAS last night under pressure to allow an independent inquiry into its assault on the Gaza aid flotilla after post mortem results on the bodies of those killed, obtained by the Guardian newspaper, revealed they were peppered with 9mm bullets, many fired at close range.

Nine Turkish men on board the Mavi Marmara were shot a total of 30 times and five were killed by gunshot wounds to the head, according to the vice-chairman of the Turkish council of forensic medicine, which carried out the post mortems for the Turkish ministry of justice yesterday.

The results revealed that Ibrahim Bilgen (60) was shot four times in the temple, chest, hip and back. Fulkan Dogan (19), who also had US citizenship, was shot five times from less that 45cm, in the face, in the back of the head, twice in the leg and once in the back. Two other men were shot four times, and five of the victims were shot either in the back of the head or in the back, said Yalcin Buyuk, vice-chairman of the council of forensic medicine.

Meanwhile, the Irish-owned aid ship MV Rachel Corrie was 80 miles off the Gaza coast last night and was expecting to reach the 20-mile exclusion zone by 10am Irish time if it was not halted and hauled to the port of Ashdod by the Israeli navy.

Former UN assistant secretary general Denis Halliday said yesterday the 1,200-tonne ship would refuse to dock voluntarily at any port other than Gaza’s small harbour.

In response to an Israeli offer to allow international inspectors to search the ship in Ashdod or at an Egyptian port, Mr Halliday said: “We welcome a UN inspection to examine our cargo, which is solely construction and educational materials and medical supplies, but we believe this can be done at sea or in Gaza.” The cargo holds were inspected and sealed before the ship left Dundalk.

Mr Halliday continued: “If the Israeli authorities wish to negotiate, they will have to contact the ship directly. We are very much in command on this. We feel we have the authority to continue, and we are more determined than ever to deliver this cargo.”

Also on board are Nobel peace laureate Mairéad Maguire, Derek and Jenny Graham from Ballina, Co Mayo, and Dundalk film-maker, Fiona Thompson. Because the Malaysian Perdana Leadership Foundation – headed by former premier Mahathir Mohamed – purchased the vessel, Malaysian MP Muhammad Nizar bin Zakaria and barrister and author Matthias Chang Wen Chieh are also taking part in the voyage. On Thursday, the Free Gaza Movement, which launched the ill-fated flotilla, asked the Rachel Corrie to head for Cyprus or Crete to pick up other activists and journalists. They also requested that fresh insurance coverage be arranged to replace a €25,000 policy, which was withdrawn, reportedly due to Israeli pressure on the issuing firm.

As it is illegal to ply in international waters without insurance, Greta Berlin, co-founder of the FGM, dubbed this move “another kind of sabotage”.

It is believed the hydraulic steering equipment of two Irish-owned yachts was tampered with before they were due to set off with the flotilla for Gaza.

But the activists have refused to disrupt the journey, already dogged by false starts and delays. Mr Halliday said: “If we berth in any other port, or turn back for Cyprus or Crete, we know we won’t be able to leave. And we will have no way of ensuring that our cargo reaches the people of Gaza.”

[Viper]

Now that would be nearly identical to the set up of WWI..

I agree but right now it ain't about ww3, it's about demolition of the blockade.
I'm all for this aid flotilla, where do i sign up?

[grapecrusher1]

I agree but right now it ain't about ww3, it's about demolition of the blockade.
I'm all for this aid flotilla, where do i sign up?

http://www.freegaza.org/en/join-in/passenger-notice

or you could donate to the cause

[Viper]

Palestine will be free

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foSbqLi6U10

End the blockade now or else half of europe is gonna get sailing.

[grapecrusher1]

Slick Bibi's take on reality and Free Gaza's response.

We Will Be Back

(Cyprus, June 5, 2010) Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the peaceful outcome to the operation when they seized our ship in international waters in direct violation of maritime law. Through his speech writer, he said:

"We saw today the difference between a ship of peace activists, with whom we don't agree but respect their right to a different opinion from ours, and between a ship of hate organised by violent Turkish terror extremists,"

So we’d like to remind Mr. Netanyahu that the only hate evidenced on board all six boats on Monday morning came from the Israeli attackers. Israeli soldiers violently boarded the entire flotilla, beating, shooting and hooding passengers as though they were in Abu Ghraib

"People had been shot in the arms, legs, in the head - everywhere. We had so many injured. It was a bloodbath," said Laura Stuart on board the Marmara, a British housewife and resue worker.

She described frantic attempts to treat the injured in a makeshift sick room on the ship, and failed attempts to resuscitate some of the dead. http://www.stuff.co.nz/s/L1BG

Therefore, we are putting Mr. Netanyahu on notice that we are returning in the next couple of months with another flotilla, that his actions and the actions of his soldiers have energized thousands of people who have stepped forward with offers to help and participate on the next voyage (including Viper). We’d also like to remind Mr. Netanyahu that siezing our ship, the Rachel Corrie, is yet another violent act from a long series of violent acts against civilians that Israel has committed this week.

Contact: Greta Berlin 00 357 99 18 72 75

http://www.freegaza.org/

[Viper]

@grapecrusher1

Isn't what it boils down to is that some folks are willing to sacrifice the Palestinians to avoid "WW3"?

[lovkarpin]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3899354,00.html

Smoke grenade at leftist rally
Thousands of leftist activists marched in Tel Aviv Saturday evening to mark "43 years of occupation,"
while taking the opportunity to slam recent IDF raids on Gaza-bound ships.

A smoke grenade was hurled at the protestors outside the Tel Aviv Museum. No injuries were reported in the incident.

The protestors, who were walking from Rabin Square to the Tel Aviv Museum, were holding up signs reading "The government is sinking all of us – we must aspire for peace." Other marchers held up signs reading "Israel, Palestine, two states for two people" and "We love the country but are ashamed of the government." \

Organizers estimated that 15,000 people took part in the march.

The marchers were surrounded by hundreds of police officers, who were securing the event with the assistance of a police chopper.
The forces are preventing anyone who was not part of the protest from approaching the marchers.

The Israeli government is causing a disaster for the country, MK Oron (Meretz) said while speaking at the event.

"The flotilla crisis reflects lack of judgment, idiocy, and stupidity – it cannot be detached from the overall conduct of the government," he said.

[grapecrusher1]

@grapecrusher1

Isn't what it boils down to is that some folks are willing to sacrifice the Palestinians to avoid "WW3"?

I'm unsure how the grand chess game is supposed to unfold.  But reports that another flotilla is being prepared to break the illegal blockade that will be much larger, have more people (and notables), and thus media attention is a strong indication that there are people who arent willing to sacrifice the Palestinians.  Having the Turkish navy escort the flotilla would be a clear step to escalation which makes it unlikely to happen and having the flotilla unescorted is difficult to predict the outcome -- regardless the chances of things getting ugly are high.

[grapecrusher1]

Good old Dennis Kuccinich has written a letter to Barry.  Here is an exerpt.

"It is not acceptable to repeatedly violate international law.

It is not acceptable to shoot and kill innocent civilians.   

It is not acceptable to commit an act of aggression against another U.S. ally. 

It is not acceptable to continue a blockade which denies humanitarian relief. 

It is not acceptable to heighten tensions in a region while the United States continues to put so much blood and treasure on the line. 

The State of Israel's action necessitates that the United States, which is Israel's partner in the region, begin to redefine its relationship and to establish such boundaries and conditions which are sufficient for mutual respect and cooperation.

It is incumbent upon Israeli officials to bring forth the truth about the planning for and the attack upon the Mavi Marmara. 

No one questions the right of Israel to defend its border, but that defense does not extend to shooting innocent civilians anywhere in the world, anytime it pleases."


http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=188757

[grapecrusher1]

Rivero is saying that 17 people are still unaccounted for.  This would put the death toll at 26 and would make sense as the witnesses are saying it was a bloodbath and people were being tossed in the sea.

[Viper]

Mike Rivero Show Sat Jun 5th
http://www.justin.tv/michaelrivero/b/264788597

[grapecrusher1]

Mike Rivero Show Sat Jun 5th
http://www.justin.tv/michaelrivero/b/264788597

Mike pulls no punches and criticizes AJ for pulling some with ameliorating explanation.

[Viper]

Mike pulls no punches and criticizes AJ for pulling some with ameliorating explanation.

Yes it looks classic, i love the Rivero.

[grapecrusher1]

This article, entitle "We had no choice", is practically satirical and is a quintessential example of "We, the fully armed and trained Israeli commandos descending upon the unarmed civilian  were VICTIMS."

When St.-Sgt. S. fast-roped down from an air force Black Hawk helicopter onto the Mavi Marmara Turkish passenger ship on Monday morning, he did not expect to be landing in what he called “a battlefield” and facing off against a group of “murderous mercenaries.”

The 15th and last naval commando from Flotilla 13 (the Shayetet) to rappel down onto the ship from the helicopter, S. said on Thursday that he was immediately attacked by what the IDF has called “the mob of mercenaries” aboard the vessel, just like the soldiers who had boarded just before him.

Looking to his side, he saw three of his commanders lying wounded – one with a gunshot wound to the stomach and another with a gunshot wound to the knee. A third was lying unconscious; his skull was fractured by a devastating blow with a metal bar.

Of course courtesy of the Jerusalem Post.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=177445

[Viper]

Mike going over the 1948 blockade of west berlin now, fascinating stuff what?

[grapecrusher1]

Sensible Israelis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57vvS3HKbLI&feature=player_embedded

[Suriel]

Flotilla Raid Fires Up Israel Lobby
http://original.antiwar.com/david-cronin/2010/06/04/flotilla-raid-fires-up-israel-lobby/
by David Cronin, June 05, 2010

BRUSSELS — Within three days of Israel’s attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Monday, the pro-Israel lobby in Brussels was already seeking to deflect attention from the killing of nine peace activists in international waters.

The European Friends of Israel, a grouping of parliamentarians, issued a statement Jun 3, which made no reference to the assault earlier in the week. Instead it highlighted the findings of a survey published by the Institute for Management Development in Switzerland, which named Israel as the economy most resilient to variations in the global economy and as a top spender on scientific research and innovation.

These findings might help explain why the collective response of the European Union’s 27 member states to the attacks has been weak. For despite growing revulsion at Israel’s occupation of Palestine among ordinary people throughout the world, the EU has been so impressed with the robust performance of the Israeli economy that it has integrated it into many of its activities in recent years.

While some individual EU governments made plain their displeasure with the attacks by summoning Israeli ambassadors to an urgent meeting, the Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton merely described the attacks as a "tragedy," a term usually reserved for accidents. Initially Ashton called on Israel to conduct its own investigations. When she released a subsequent statement – during a visit to Russia – urging a "full and impartial enquiry of the events and circumstances," she did not specify if this should be undertaken by Israel or by a United Nations-appointed team.

Over the past decade Israel has been integrated into several EU programs, ranging from satellite navigation to business promotion. The European Commission, the EU’s executive, administers many of these programs Yet José Manuel Barroso, the Commission’s president, would not comment when asked if he would be seeking a review of Israeli participation in the EU’s activities. "I fully agree with the position taken by the EU High Representative Cathy Ashton," he told IPS, declining to elaborate.

Barroso is one of several top-level politicians in Brussels to have cultivated strong links with the pro-Israel lobby. Last year, he was guest of honor at the opening of a new EU affairs office for the European Jewish Congress (EJC), where he praised the organization for "being fully committed to the resumption of the peace process" in the Middle East.

The EJC has subsequently mounted an intense campaign designed to convince the European Parliament not to approve motions critical of Israel’s conduct in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The EJC responded to Monday’s massacre perpetrated by Israeli troops on board the Turkish-owned vessel the Mavi Marmara by calling on the EU to officially declare one of the key groups in the Free Gaza campaign as a terrorist organization Moshe Kantor, the EJC’s president, accused the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (known by the acronym IHH) as having links to al-Qaeda. The Israeli government has made similar claims recently, but these have been fiercely contested by international peace activists and supporters of the Palestinian solidarity movement, who insist the allegations are baseless.

Scientific research has been among the largest areas of cooperation between the EU and Israel. The EU has become a major provider of research grants to Israeli firms and research institutes over the past decade, thanks to Israel’s status as the main foreign partner for the EU’s multi-annual research program, which has been allocated 53 billion euros (64 billion dollars) for the 2007-13 period. Companies such as Motorola Israel, Elbit and Israel Aerospace Industries are taking part in the program’s activities.

Although these companies have manufactured weapons and components used in attacks on Palestinian civilians, Israel’s war against Lebanon in 2006 and by the US-led alliance in Afghanistan, Janez Potocnik, the EU’s research commissioner between 2004 and 2009, expressed no regrets about the firms’ involvement in a program financed by the European taxpayer. "What we have tried to provide is something that is of benefit of European partners," he told IPS. "We are talking about research itself and nothing more than research."

The EU, meanwhile, would not support a motion brought before the United Nations Human Rights Council Jun 3 condemning Israel’s attacks. Most European states on the council abstained from the vote, with Italy and the Netherlands siding with the US in voting against the resolution, which was carried by 32 votes to 3. The resolution demanded that Israel lift the blockade of Gaza and that it immediately allow food, medicine and other essential supplies to be delivered there.

Maysa Zorob, Brussels representative with the Palestinian human rights group Al Haq, said she was a "bit sick" of how the EU has been willing to call for Israel to conduct its own investigations into human rights abuses by its armed forces. "This whole ‘let’s ask for investigations’ approach is getting us nowhere," she added. "Nothing concrete is being done by the EU or anyone else."

(Inter Press Service)

[Suriel]

The Israeli flotilla attack: victimhood, aggression and tribalism
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/06/03/israel/index.html
By Glenn Greenwald
Thursday, Jun 3, 2010 11:04 ET

One of the primary reasons the Turkish Government has been so angry in its denunciations of the Israeli attack on the flotilla is because many of the dead were Turkish citizens.  That's what governments typically do:  object vociferously when their citizens are killed by foreign nations under extremely questionable circumstances.  Needless to say, that principle -- as all principles are -- will be completely discarded when it comes to the U.S. protection of Israel:

A U.S. citizen of Turkish origin was among the nine people killed when Israeli commandos attacked a Gaza-bound aid flotilla . . . An official from the Turkish Islamic charity that spearheaded the campaign to bust the blockade on Gaza identified the U.S. citizen as 19-year-old Furkan Dogan . . . . Dogan, who held a U.S. passport, had four bullet wounds to the head and one to the chest . . . .

Will the fact that one of the dead at Israel's hands was an American teenager with four bullet wounds to his head alter the Obama administration's full-scale defense of Israel?  Does that question even need to be asked?  Not even American interests can undermine reflexive U.S. support for anything Israel does; even the Chief of the Mossad acknowledged this week that "Israel is progressively becoming a burden on the United States." One dead 19-year-old American with 4 bullet holes in his head (especially one of Turkish origin with a Turkish-sounding name) surely won't have any impact.

Yesterday, newly elected British Prime Minister David Cameron became the latest world leader to unequivocally condemn Israel, saying the attack was "completely unacceptable" and demanding an end to the blockade.  But last night on Charlie Rose's show, Joe Biden defended Israel with as much vigor as any Netanyahu aide or Weekly Standard polemicist.  Biden told what can only be described as a lie when, in order to justify his rhetorical question "what's the big deal here?," he claimed that the ships could have simply delivered their aid to Israel and Israel would then have generously sent it to Gaza ("They've said, 'Here you go. You're in the Mediterranean. This ship -- if you divert slightly north you can unload it and we'll get the stuff into Gaza'.").  In fact, contrary to the Central Lie being told about the blockade, Israel prevents all sorts of humanitarian items having nothing whatsoever to do with weapons from entering Gaza, including many of the supplies carried by the flotilla.

One can express all sorts of outrage over the Obama administration's depressingly predictable defense of the Israelis, even at the cost of isolating ourselves from the rest of the world, but ultimately, on some level, wouldn't it have been even more indefensible -- or at least oozingly hypocritical -- if the U.S. had condemned Israel?  After all, what did Israel do in this case that the U.S. hasn't routinely done and continues to do?  As even our own military officials acknowledge, we're slaughtering an "amazing number" of innocent people at checkpoints in Afghanistan.  We're routinely killing civilians in all sorts of imaginative ways in countless countries, including with drone strikes which a U.N. official just concluded are illegal.  We're even targeting our own citizens for due-process-free assassination.  We've been arming Israel and feeding them billions of dollars in aid and protecting them diplomatically as they (and we) have been doing things like this for decades.  What's the Obama administration supposed to say about what Israel did:  we condemn the killing of unarmed civilians?  We decry these violations of international law?  Even by typical standards of government hypocrisy, who in the U.S. Government could possibly say any of that with a straight face?

* * * * *

What this really underscores is that the mentality driving both Israel and the U.S. is quite similar, which is why those two countries find such common cause, even when the rest of the world recoils in revulsion.  One of the more amazing developments in the flotilla aftermath is how a claim that initially appeared too self-evidently ludicrous to be invoked by anyone -- Israel was the victim here and was acting against the ship in self-defense --has actually become the central premise in Israeli and (especially) American discourse about the attack (and as always, there is far more criticism of Israeli actions in Israel than in the U.S.).

How could anyone with the slightest intellectual honesty claim that Israel and its Navy were the victims of a boat which Jon Stewart said last night looked like "P Diddy's St. Bart's vacation yacht"; or that armed Israeli commandos were the victims of unarmed civilian passengers; or, more generally, that a nuclear-armed Israel with the most powerful military by far in the Middle East and the world's greatest superpower acting as Protector is the persecuted victim of a wretched, deprived, imprisoned, stateless population devastated by 40 years of brutal Israeli occupation and, just a year ago, an unbelievably destructive invasion and bombing campaign?  The casting of "victim" and "aggressor" is blatantly reversed with such claims -- which is exactly the central premise that has been driving, and continues to drive, U.S. foreign policy as well.  In Imperial Ambitions, Noam Chomsky -- talking about America's post-9/11 policies -- described the central mental deception that is at the heart of all nations which dominate others with force (and if you're one of those people who hear "Noam Chomsky" and shut your mind, pretend that this comes from "John Smith"):

In one of his many speeches, to U.S. troops in Vietnam, [Lyndon] Johnson said plaintively, "There are three billion people in the world and we have only two hundred million of them.  We are outnumbered fifteen to one.  If might did make right they would sweep over the United States and take what we have.  We have what they want."  That is a constant refrain of imperialism.  You have your jackboot on someone's neck and they're about to destroy you.

    The same is true with any form of oppression.  And it's psychologically understandable.  If you're crushing and destroying someone, you have to have a reason for it, and it can't be, "I'm a murderous monster."  It has to be self-defense.  "I'm protecting myself against them.  Look what they're doing to me."  Oppression gets psychologically inverted; the oppressor is the victim who is defending himself.

Thus, nuclear-armed Israel is bullied and victimized by starving Gazans with stones.   The Israel Navy is threatened by a flotilla filled with wheelchairs and medicine.  And the greatest superpower the Earth has ever known faces a grave and existential threat from a handful of religious fanatics hiding in caves.  An American condemnation of Israel, as welcomed as it would have been, would be an act of senseless insincerity, because the two countries (along with many others) operate with this same "we-are-the-victim" mindset.

* * * * *

A prime cause of this inversion is the distortion in perception brought about by rank tribalism.  Those whose worldview is shaped by their identification as members of a particular religious, nationalistic, or ethnic group invariably over-value the wrongs done to them and greatly under-value the wrongs their group perpetrates.  Those whose world view is shaped by tribalism are typically plagued by an extreme persecution complex (the whole world is against us!!!; everyone who criticizes us is hateful and biased!!!).  Haaretz today reports that "Jewish Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. gave a rare demonstration of unity on Wednesday when they backed Israel's raid of a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla."  Gee, whatever could account for that "rare demonstration of unity" between these left-wing Jewish progressives and hard-core, Jewish right-wing war cheerleaders who agree on virtually nothing else?  My, it's such a mystery.

I can't express how many emails I've received over the last week, from self-identified Jewish readers (almost exclusively), along the lines of:  I'm a true progressive, agree with you on virtually every issue, but hate your views on Israel.  When it comes to Israel, we see the same mindset from otherwise admirable Jewish progressives such as Anthony Weiner, Jerry Nadler, Eliot Spitzer, Alan Grayson, and (after a brief stint of deviation) Barney Frank.  On this one issue, they magically abandon their opposition to military attacks on civilians, their defense of weaker groups being bullied and occupied by far stronger factions, their belief that unilateral military attacks are unjustified, and suddenly find common cause with Charles Krauthammer, The Weekly Standard, and the Bush administration in justifying even the most heinous Israeli crimes of aggression.

It will never cease to be mystifying (at least to me) that they never question why they suddenly view the world so differently when it comes to Israel.  They never wonder to themselves:

I had it continuously drummed into my head from the time I was a small child, from every direction, that Israel was special and was to be cherished, that it's fundamentally good but persecuted and victimized by Evil Arab forces surrounding it, that I am a part of that group and should see the world accordingly.  Is this tribal identity which was pummeled into me from childhood -- rather than some independent, dispassionate analysis -- the reason I find myself perpetually sympathizing with and defending Israel?

Doesn't the most minimal level of intellectual awareness -- indeed, the concept of adulthood itself -- require that re-analysis?  And, of course, the "self-hating" epithet -- with which I've naturally been bombarded relentlessly over the last week -- is explicitly grounded in the premise that one should automatically defend one's "own group" rather than endeaveor to objectively assess facts and determine what is right and true.

This tribalism is hardly unique to Israel and Jews; it's instead universal.  As the Bush years illustrated, there is no shortage of Americans who "reason" the same way:

I was taught from childhood that America is right and thus, even in adulthood, defend America no matter what it does; my duty as an American is to defend and justify what America does and any American who criticizes the U.S. is "self-hating" and anti-American; the wrongs perpetrated by Us to Them pale in comparison to the wrongs perpetrated by Them on Us.

Or listen to Fox News fear-mongers declare how Christians in the U.S. and/or white males -- comprising the vast majority of the population and every power structure in the country -- are the Real Persecuted Victims, from the War on Christmas to affirmative action evils.  Ronald Reagan even managed to convince much of the country that the true economic injustices in America were caused by rich black women driving their Cadillacs to collect their welfare checks.  This kind of blinding, all-consuming tribalism leads members of even the most powerful group to convince themselves that they are deeply victimized by those who are far weaker, whose necks have been under the boots of the stronger group for decades, if not longer.

That's just the standard symptom of the disease of tribalism and it finds expression everywhere, in every group.  It's just far more significant -- and far more destructive -- when the groups convincing themselves that they are the Weak and Bullied Victims are actually the strongest forces by far on the planet, with the greatest amount of weaponry and aggression, who have been finding justifications for so long for their slaughtering of civilians that, as Israeli Amos Oz suggested this week about his country, there are virtually no limits left on the naked aggression that will be justified.  Thus, even when Israel attacks a ship full of civilians and wheelchairs in international waters and kills at least 9 human beings, this is depicted by its tribal loyalists as an act of justified self-defense against the Real Aggressors.

 

UPDATE:  A few related items worth noting: 

(1) Max Blumenthal catches the IDF trying to quietly withdraw its absurd claim that the flotilla was linked to Al Qaeda;

(2) Reporters Without Borders notes that, as of yesterday, Israel continued to detain most journalists on the ships, including their film and cameras, thus preventing any of them from disputing Israeli propaganda; as the NYT reported, Israel was also "refusing to permit journalists access to witnesses who might contradict Israel's version of events."  Manifestly, all that was done to ensure that the highly selective and edited video released by the IDF would shape the narrative of what happened and could not be challenged in the first few days of reporting.

(3) The truth, however, always emerges.  See this interview with just-released Al Jazeera reporter Jamal Elshayyal, who was aboard the ship that was attacked, about what really happened and who began the shooting.

(4) Jeremy Scahill was on MSNBC today debating the flotilla attack with Israel-centric Ed Koch, and did a superb job debunking several of Koch's lies.  There is no excuse for any television network to host discussions of this incident without including critics of the attack and the blockade, including that rarest of all American TV events:  hearing from Palestinian or other Muslim critics of Israeli policy.

(5) Sadly No's HTML Mencken examines the extreme and twisted demands for Israel-loyalty being issued by Commentary Magazine, among other sectors in the U.S.

(6) One of the tired, clichéd epithets being spat by right-wing war cheerleaders at critics of the Israeli attack (such as myself) is "Useful Idiots."  Yet just as nothing helped Al Qaeda (and Iran) more than the invasion of Iraq, the U.S. torture regime, Guantanamo and the like, nothing helps Hamas more than these types of naked acts of Israeli aggression which repulse the world.  As Gazan-born journalist Taghreed El-Khodary explained yesterday in Salon: 

Israel has given Hamas a present. Hamas' morale is high; it's a boost for them. They feel stronger and that's what they needed at this time when they had been weakened somewhat.

UPDATE II:  This morning, John Cole predicted that because of Turkey's opposition to Israel in this case, "the new mission du jour for the wingnut Wurlitzer is to begin a full-fledged demonization of Turkey."  Leading the way, however, is Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, who, speaking today to National Review -- that's National Review -- denounced Turkey as "our former ally."  By "our," he presumably means "the United States."  So apparently, even if a stalwart American ally like fellow NATO member Turkey evinces insufficient devotion to Israel, then they must be declared a non-ally of the United States (h/t Steve Hynd).  It doesn't matter if Turkey is actually important to American interests; the fact that they are odds with Israel means they must be jettisoned by the U.S.   See above for how and why that works.

 

UPDATE III:  I was on Al Jazeera English on Wednesday night talking about the Obama administration and Israel policy.  The 4-minute segment can be viewed here.  I was able to get the new camera working (the one I wanted to use for the Spitzer interview), and though it needed to be positioned somewhat higher, it illustrates the high video quality possible with Skype TV interviews.  The new lapel microphone is also working now (though not for this interview), but the face mic I used for this interview also reflects the high audio quality that's possible.

Relatedly:  here is another first-hand account from a flotilla passenger about what happened which you will barely, if at all, hear on American television.  As Anonymous Liberal put it -- in response to my request to all television journalists that they interview journalist Jamal Elshayyal about what he witnessed on the ship -- "why do that when you can interview some U.S. politician who wasn't on the ship but knows what Israel said happened?"  And I would add:  "or watch highly edited videos from the IDF, which spent days blocking access to witnesses and journalists and continues to conceal the full, unedited videos"?   But that's American "journalism" for you in a nutshell.

[Suriel]

Report: Turkish PM May Sail to Gaza Himself
http://news.antiwar.com/2010/06/05/report-turkish-pm-may-go-to-gaza-himself/
by Jason Ditz, June 05, 2010

Turkish officials have been suggesting that they would dispatch a military escort with future aid flotillas to the Gaza Strip in response to the massacre of aid workers on board one of their ships by Israeli commandos earlier this week. The scope of the operation was never disclosed.
Turkish PM Erdogan

But now it looks like this may come to fruition in the near term and in very high profile fashion, as security sources within Turkey are reporting that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not only planning to dispatch the Navy on the next flotilla, but that he is considering accompanying them personally.

Israeli officials dismissed the possibility of Erdogan visiting the Gaza Strip with the flotilla, describing it as unrealistic. The United States has reportedly asked Erdogan to delay the aid operation in light of rising tensions with Israel.

As Turkey’s population has expressed outrage over the massacre of Turkish citizens and the government has expressed its displeasure at Israel’s attack, Israel has done a comparatively successful job in spinning Turkey as the real villain domestically, and Israeli protesters have been out in force condemning Erdogan and Turkey in general as terrorists for both dispatching aid to the besieged strip and for complaining when the aid workers were killed.

Israel’s formidable military has roughly the same budget as Turkey’s, but as a member in good standing of NATO Turkey could also call upon much of the international community if its Navy is attacked on such a mission, making it unlikely Israel will choose to solve an accompanied aid delivery militarily.

[citizenx]

But the "good" activists on board the "Rachel Corrie"  comply with the Israelis and their ship is docked at Ashdod and maybe the Israelis will even let the Gazans have a few of the things they brought once they are checked agains their crazy list of verboten materials.

They showed the world how "good activists" would do this.  Bibi practically praises them.

So, now the only bad guys were the patsies/MK Ultra mind-control victims on the "Mavi Marmara" and they were shot in the head, and everyone lives happily ever after right?

And everybody lived happily ever after as long as they did what the Israeli gangsters wanted, and all the good little boys and girls know what happens if they don't...

(if it hadn't been for the "Mavi Marmara", I think the Israelis would have executed/assassinated the crew of the "Rachel Corrie" now instead to make their point to the UN/Turkey.)

[Suriel]

Analysis: Israel's deadly sea raid a boon to Hamas
http://wire.antiwar.com/2010/06/04/analysis-israels-deadly-sea-raid-a-boon-to-hamas/
KARIN LAUB and IBRAHIM BARZAK
AP News
Jun 04, 2010 06:52 EDT

Israel's interception of a flotilla trying to break the blockade of Gaza has been a boon to Hamas and vastly improved prospects of at least easing the 3-year-old closure of the territory.

Before Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish vessel this week, the Islamic militant rulers of the impoverished Palestinian territory had reached a dead end in their desperate attempts to pry open the borders.

But that was before Israel sent commandos to try to stop the six-ship flotilla carrying tons of aid on Monday, prompting a violent confrontation that led to the deaths of nine pro-Palestinian activists.

The widespread outcry over the showdown at sea has forged a growing international consensus that the blockade cannot be sustained.

Hamas, once internationally isolated, can now count on the backing of Turkey, a powerful NATO ally with strong ties to the West.

A growing number of world leaders also have demanded a complete lifting of the embargo, imposed by Israel and Egypt after Hamas wrested Gaza from Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007. The policy, which initially enjoyed the tacit backing of many in the international community, was meant to squeeze and eventually drive out Hamas.

Israel has remained defiant against the pressure, saying it is necessary to keep out weapons and goods such as cement and steel that could be diverted by Hamas for military use.

For now, the Obama administration is signaling it will stick to its gradual approach of persuading Israel to ease restrictions.

"We have to put as much pressure and as much cajoling on Israel as we can to allow them to get building materials in," U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said in a TV interview this week.

But grassroots pressure to lift the blockade keeps mounting, with more aid ships en route, including an Irish-flagged cargo ship heading toward Gaza on Friday.

For Hamas, the aid flotillas are a risk-free way of keeping the world's attention focused on the blockade. In the past, the militants often resorted to firing rockets at Israel to push back against the border closure, provoking harsh Israeli retaliation and international condemnation.

Some in Hamas portrayed this week's events as a watershed and a major boost to morale.

"There is no way this blockade will continue as it did before," predicted Omar Abdel Razek, a Hamas lawmaker in the West Bank. "Everyone in the region, in the international community, wants to put an end to it."

In what appeared to be a first sign of change, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered Egypt's passenger terminal with Gaza to open daily, instead of sporadically. Although the stringent rules of who can leave remain in place, the move is helping reduce the backlog of thousands of Gazans with permits trying to get out.

International Mideast envoy Tony Blair said the recent bloodshed made it clear that Gaza cannot be left unattended, even if the world disagrees with Hamas' often violent tactics. While the international community continues to support the Abbas government in the West Bank, the fiasco at sea has affirmed Hamas as a key Mideast player.

"The mistake is always to think that if you get things going well in the West Bank, Gaza can somehow be left to the side," Blair told The Associated Press. "It will never be left to the side. It has 1.5 million people, and Hamas is also an actor in this thing."

Israel and other Hamas' critics argue that the Islamic militants could have ended the blockade long ago by releasing a captured Israeli soldier and accepting international demands to renounce violence and recognize Israel.

Hamas refused, in part because it feared diluting its militant ideology would lead to the eventual demise of the movement. Instead, it chose to ride out the blockade by smuggling commercial goods, cash and Iranian-funded weapons through tunnels along the border with Egypt.

After this 3-year standoff, Turkey's unexpected high-profile support for Hamas demands to open Gaza's borders signaled a turning point. Turkey was the unofficial sponsor of the flotilla and berated Israel, an erstwhile regional ally, over the clash at sea left eight Turks and an American of Turkish origin dead.

Hamas has proudly displayed its new friendship with Turkey, which has been trying to assert itself as a Mideast player and appears to have shifted closer to Syria and Iran, at the expense of its traditional alliance with Israel.

In sharp contrast, the Hamas government has often played down its ties to its main foreign supporter, Iran.

The crisis has boosted the standing of the cash-strapped Hamas government, which had been fending off an angry backlash against an aggressive taxation campaign.

"Of course, Hamas is more popular after the ship issue," said Mohammed Shamali, 45, who owns an electronics shop in Gaza City, citing the opening of the Egyptian border crossing and the outpouring of international support for Gaza.

Under the blockade, Israel has allowed only basic humanitarian goods into Gaza but barred virtually all exports and the import of raw materials, including construction supplies. The ban has wiped out most private industry and hampered U.N.-led efforts to rebuild what was destroyed during Israel's military offensive against Gaza 16 months ago.

Israel has said it would allow more goods in, and in recent weeks permitted the first small shipments of wood and aluminum. However, Western diplomats and aid agencies have complained that Israeli foot-dragging has delayed vital projects in Gaza.

___

Laub, who reported from the West Bank, has covered Israel and the Palestinian territories since 1987. Barzak has covered Gaza since 1992. Additional reporting by Associated Press writer Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah.

Source: AP News

[Suriel]

Paul Blasts U.S. Support of Gaza Blockade
http://washingtonindependent.com/86354/paul-blasts-u-s-support-of-gaza-blockade
By Mike Lillis 6/4/10 10:42 AM

The congressional reaction this week to Israel’s recent and deadly raid on an aid flotilla headed to Gaza has, for the most part, fit neatly into three camps: Most lawmakers have either (1) said nothing, (2) called cautiously for an investigation, or (3) staunchly defended Israel’s attack, despite the killing of a U.S. citizen.

Increasingly, though, a fourth camp is emerging — one that’s criticizing Israel for attacking a Turkish-flagged vessel in international waters (and also questioning America’s support for the Israeli blockade of Gaza). Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) was the first to step into this thorny territory, circulating a letter to President Obama Wednesday arguing that Israel’s right to self defense “does not extend to shooting innocent civilians anywhere in the world, anytime it pleases.”

And yesterday, GOP Rep. Ron Paul (Texas), a libertarian who thinks the U.S. has no business in most international affairs, also blasted Israel’s actions, telling radio host Don Imus that the blockade of Gaza is “atrocious” and America’s support of it makes us “morally responsible.”

“Preventing goods from going in, it’s actually an act of war,” Paul said. “It’s absolutely wrong to prevent people that are starving and having problems — that are almost like in concentration camps — [from receiving aid], and saying, ‘Yes, we endorse this whole concept.’

“I think it’s just terrible, and I don’t think we should be a part of it.”

There are signs that the White House is starting to feel the same way. In an interview with Larry King yesterday, President Obama spoke gingerly of the need to investigate the incident before drawing sweeping conclusions. “But,” he added, “it’s not premature to say to the Israelis and to say to the Palestinians, and to say to all the parties in the region that the status quo is unsustainable.

“We have been trying to do this piecemeal for decades now. It just doesn’t work.”

[Suriel]

Thousands shout anger at Israel as Turks bury dead
http://wire.antiwar.com/2010/06/04/thousands-shout-anger-at-israel-as-turks-bury-dead-2/
AFP
AFP Global Edition
Jun 04, 2010 13:24 EDT

Thousands of people shouting anti-Israeli slogans and waving Palestinian flags rallied across the world Friday as Turkey laid to rest victims of a bloody raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship.

A crowd of some 10,000 people brandishing Turkish and Palestinian flags gathered at the historic Beyazit Mosque in Istanbul, where prayers were held for a journalist who was killed in Monday's raid, along with eight other Turks.

"Murderer Israel, go away from Palestine!", "Long live the global intifada", the mourners chanted, shouting also "Long live Hamas" in reference to the Palestinian movement controlling Gaza.

"Close the Zionist embassy," read a giant banner displayed at the mosque courtyard.

The crowd held both Friday prayers and funeral prayers for Cevdet Kiliclar, the 38-year-old web editor of the Islamic charity which spearheaded the campaign to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver some 10,000 tonnes of supplies to its impoverished people.

"He was just taking pictures. He was shot at from no more than a metre and his brain exploded," Bulent Yildirim, the head of the Foundation of Humanitarian Relief (IHH), said Thursday after the bodies were flown home.

Other victims were also laid to rest in their hometowns, and prayers at each funeral were accompanied by angry protests against Israel.

Friday prayers across the country also become a venue to vent anger at the Jewish state, whose deadly operation on the Turkish ferry, the Mavi Marmara, plunged already strained ties with Turkey into deep crisis and sparked global outrage.

In the central town of Talas, an imam hailed 19-year-old Furkan Dogan as a "martyr" as he led the funeral prayer for the high-school student at his coffin wrapped in Turkish and Palestinian flags, Anatolia news agency reported.

"Down with Israel", "Israel will drown in the blood it sheds," shouted hundreds of mourners of the youngest victim of the raid, who held also US citizenship.

In the southeastern city of Adiyaman, a convoy of hundreds of vehicles travelled to the airport to pick up the body of Fahri Yildiz, 43, an employee of the local fire brigade, Anatolia said.

In Adana, the wife of 54-year-old Cetin Topcuoglu remained defiant as she buried her husband.

"God willing, I and my son will take part in the next flotilla to Gaza," Cigdem Topcuoglu said.

Ankara has identified the other dead as 41-year-old Cengiz Akyuz, 47-year-old Cengiz Songur, 32-year-old Necdet Yildirim, 61-year-old Ibrahim Bilgen and 39-year-old Ali Heyder Bengi, all men.

In Malaysia, some 5,000 people including opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim rallied outside the US embassy where the Israeli flag was burned in protest over the flotilla raid.

Protesters from both the ruling party and the opposition alliance yelled slogans and waved banners after marching from a Kuala Lumpur mosque, virtually closing down the main thoroughfare where the embassy is located.

Some demonstrators burned the Israeli flag while others brandished posters that said "Destroy America, Destroy Israel -- Long Live Islam" and "Allah will destroy you Israel".

Anwar entered the embassy to deliver a letter signed by leaders of his Pakatan Rakyat alliance -- which includes the conservative Islamic party PAS -- as well as 20 civil society groups.

The letter called on US President Barack Obama to condemn the violence and for Israel to end a blockade of Gaza.

It called for an independent inquiry into the incident, and urged the United States to suspend military and economic aid to Israel.

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters, 700 to 800 according to police, held a noisy rally in Brussels' EU quarter to decry the attack on the aid flotilla.

They brandished placards calling for an "international and independent" enquiry into the deadly attack as an imam recited verses from the Koran in memory of the victims.

Other posters called for the Gaza blockade to be lifted.

In Austria about 2,500 people protested against the Israeli attack in the capital Vienna, according to an AFP photographer.

Organisers were to hand over a petition to Chancellor Werner Faymann calling for an end to the cooperation between the Austrian and Israeli armies and the cancellation of a planned visit by Faymann to Israel.

About 100 counter-demonstrators close to Israel rallied near Vienna's cathedral where Israeli ambassador Aviv Shir-On briefly addressed the crowd.

Source: AFP Global Edition

[Suriel]

Turkish diplomat warns break with Israel possible
http://wire.antiwar.com/2010/06/04/turkish-diplomat-warns-break-with-israel-possible/
DESMOND BUTLER
AP News
Jun 04, 2010 13:34 EDT

Turkish ambassador to Washington warns of possible break with Israel unless demands are met

Turkey's ambassador to Washington is warning that his country could be forced to break off relations with Israel unless it apologizes for the deadly commando raid against an aid ship.

In a meeting with reporters Friday, Namik Tan outlined three Turkish demands on Israel including a public apology. He said that Israel must also accept a credible independent investigation of the raid and end its blockade against Gaza.

When asked if Turkey might break off relations, Tan cited the high emotions of the Turkish public about the raid.

He said: "We don't want this to go to that point." But he added: "The government might be forced to take such an action."

Tan said Turkey has been a friend to Israel, adding: "It is about to lose that friend."

Source: AP News

[Suriel]

Erdogan: Hamas not terror group
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3899117,00.html
Ynet and AP
Published:    06.04.10, 18:56 / Israel News

Turkish prime minister slams Israel for flotilla raid: 'If you don't understand in Turkish, I will say it in English: You shall not kill'. Meanwhile diplomat warns Turkey will sever ties with Israel unless it apologizes

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel Friday of murdering passengers on board the Turkish Marmara, which was sailing to Gaza as part of an aid flotilla.

"If you don't understand it in Turkish, I will say it in English: You shall not kill (sic)," he said, repeating the phrase in Hebrew.

Speaking at a ceremony in Konya, the prime minister announced that Hamas was not a terror organization. "They won an election. You always speak of democracy, but you will not let Hamas rule. What kind of democracy is that?" he asked.

"Hamas's resistance fighters were meant to defend their land. They won an election. I've told American officials before that I do not consider Hamas a terror organization, and I still don't. They are defending their land," he was quoted by Turkish media as saying.

Meanwhile Turkey's ambassador to Washington warned that his country could be forced to break relations with Israel unless it apologizes for its raid on the Marmara.

In a meeting with reporters, Namik Tan outlined three Turkish demands for Israel including a public apology. He said Israel also must accept a credible independent investigation of the raid and end its blockade against Gaza.

When asked if Turkey might break relations, Tan cited the high emotions of the Turkish public about the raid. He said: "We don't want this to go to that point."

But he added: "The government might be forced to take such an action." Tan said that Turkey has been a friend to Israel before adding: "It is about to lose that friend."

Earlier Friday Turkey announced it was considering scaling back its economic and military relations with Israel to a minimum. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said Turkey was assessing deals with Israel following Monday's raid on the Marmara.

[Suriel]

Protests flare across Egypt against Gaza blockade
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=115580#axzz0q1VV13z6
Saturday, June 05, 2010

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt: Tens of thousands of people across Egypt protested against Israel’s Gaza blockade on Friday, chanting pro-Hamas slogans in a sign of mounting rancor in the first Arab country to make peace with Israel.

About 20,000 protesters gathered in the port city of Alexandria, waving Egyptian, Turkish and Palestinian flags in response to Israel’s raid on an aid ship bound for Gaza.

The protest, organized by Egypt’s most powerful opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, was unusual in a country where public demonstrations are often swiftly suppressed.

“Hamas, Hamas, you are the artillery and we are the bullets,” the protestors chanted, urging the Islamist group which rules Gaza to confront Israel.

About 10,000 people took part in a separate demonstration organized by the Brotherhood in Fayoum, a city south of Cairo, one of the rally’s planners said. A protest in the northern Sinai peninsula city of El-Arish drew hundreds more.

Israel sparked global outrage when its military killed nine Turkish activists during the Monday raid. Relations with Turkey have plunged to their lowest ebb since the two countries forged a strategic relationship in the 1990s.

Turkey’s diplomatic confrontation with the Jewish state has since boosted its popularity among Arabs who long to see their own governments show similar resolve.

“Turkey, a thousand salutations. Long live Erdogan and … the Turkish people,” the protestors chanted in Alexandria, referring to the Turkish Premier Tayyip Erdogan.

This week Egypt, which made peace with Israel in 1979, opened its Rafah border to allow aid convoys into the coastal strip – a move widely seen as an attempt to deflect criticism of its role in the blockade. Cairo, coordinating with Israel, has allowed only limited crossing of the border since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007.

A permanent opening would be a boost for Islamist Hamas, which shares roots with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, and a blow to efforts by Israel and its Western allies to cripple them.

The Brotherhood is officially banned but tolerated by Cairo. Its members, running as independents, hold a fifth of seats in the lower house of Egypt’s Parliament. – Reuters

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=115580#ixzz0q1W2aONX
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

[Suriel]

Rep. Sherman: prosecute U.S. citizens involved with Gaza flotilla
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/rep-sherman-prosecute-u-s-citizens-involved-with-gaza-flotilla.html
by Ali Gharib on June 4, 2010

On a press call hosted by a pro-Israel organization, Rep. Brad Sherman, Democrat of California, told reporters that he intends seek the prosecution of any U.S. citizens who were aboard or involved with the Freedom Flotilla.

“The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 [PDF] makes it absolutely illegal for any American to give food, money, school supplies, paper clips, concrete or weapons to Hamas or any of its officials,” Sherman said on the Israel Project call, conflating Hamas and Gaza’s civilian population. “And so I will be asking the Attorney General to prosecute any American involved in what was clearly an effort to give items of value to a terrorist organization.”

Sherman also said that he plans on working with the Department of Homeland Security to make sure that any non-U.S. citizen involved with or aboard the Flotilla are excluded from entering the U.S.

Hamas, considered a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department, won Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006 and has held de facto rule over the Gaza Strip since it took the area by force in 2007 in anticipation of an impending U.S.-backed coup d’etat by the rival Fatah faction.

The Freedom Flotilla was organized by the Free Gaza Movement to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza — in place since Hamas’s takeover — and deliver tons of food aid, medical and school supplies and building materials to repair buildings damaged in the month-long Israeli assault of Gaza in Dec. 2008 and Jan. 2009. The Flotilla was raided by Israeli commandos in international waters during the early hours of Monday morning, leaving at least nine people, including one U.S. citizen, dead.

Though the nine were killed by the IDF, Sherman criticized the Obama administration for not directly blaming Hamas, using the logic that the militant movement brought the blockade on itself: “I think the U.S. could be better now about condemning Hamas as responsible for those nine deaths.”

The blockade and the land siege (by Israel and Egypt) have, by international consensus (leaving out Israel and its hard-line American allies) caused a humanitarian crisis among Gaza’s civilian population.

The Congressman, known as a pro-Israel stalwart who has, in the past, joined as the sole Democrat on Republican criticisms of Obama’s foreign policy toward Israel, denied that there was a “hunger crisis” or “humanitarian crisis” in the Gaza Strip. “The health circumstances in Gaza are better than they are in many American cities,” he added later.

Questions about the legality of the Israeli blockade and its enforcement in international waters were quickly dismissed by Sherman, who said that the U.S. had itself blockaded Germany in both World Wars, Japan in the Second, Cuba during the missile crisis, and, curiously, the Confederacy during the Civil War.

The irony of the last example was, I’m sure, lost on Sherman. It was in that war, of course, that another man named Sherman, a Union officer, led a scorched-Earth campaign against the blockaded Confederacy. There are similar examples from the recent Gaza War, which I’d bed Rep. Sherman also had no problem with. (And are we really reduced to using a conflict from 150 years ago to justify military actions of the IDF?)

While Israel alleges ties between IHH, a Turkish relief organization involved in the Flotilla, and terror groups, many credible doubts have been raised about that assertion (see LobeLog contributors Marsha Cohen and Max Blumenthal’s pieces on the subject). Nonetheless, Sherman insisted the group has “clear terrorist ties.”

The California Congressman also blamed the media for the harsh criticisms of Israel since the incident on the Med (even from tiny Central American countries). Sherman employed what he called the “Kent State Rorschach Test” — referring to a generation of journalists who grew up in the Vietnam War-era and viewed Western governments critically because of incidents like the 1970 Kent State massacre.

“The liberal media is misled by that Kent State Rorschach Test that is a belief that those who are poorer, less technological, and more scruffy looking are right,” he said, alluding to skepticism of “Westerners, Europeans, and the U.S.”

All of Israel’s problems, said Sherman, are a distraction from Iran’s nuclear program, which he alleged is aimed at nuclear weapons. If Iran acquires those weapons, he said, the U.S. itself will be in danger: “You could smuggle one into the States in a bale of marijuana.”

“What really matters is the Iran nuclear program and we have a short amount of time to stop that program,” Sherman went on. “And our failure to take all the action to stop that program could force Israel to take an action far more controversial than what they’ve done this week.”

This post originally appeared here on LobeLog, where Ali is a regular contributor.

[InfoArsenal]

Oh man, you can practically see the star of david burned into Sherman's forehead.

You know if the  goal is WW3 it looks like the goal is for the US to go down with Israel unless something dramatically changes.

[Suriel]

Mike Rivero Show Sat Jun 5th
http://www.justin.tv/michaelrivero/b/264788597

Thanks for posting I am almost through with the show and it is a great listen.

[Suriel]

Turkish survivors recount terror on Gaza aid ship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfIN0-ccM28

Nine Turkish activists killed in an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship were shot a total of 30 times and five died of gunshot wounds to the head, Britain's Guardian newspaper has reported.

Autopsy results showed the men were hit mostly with 9mm bullets, many fired at close range, the Guardian said, quoting Yalcin Buyuk, vice-chairman of the Turkish council of forensic medicine which carried out the autopsies on Friday.

Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught managed to speak to some of the injured activists, who are recovering in Ankara Hospital.