There is a large amount of hype in the Israeli Press concerning the flotilla scheduled to set sail for Gaza. Delays were caused by damage to the propellers of two ships. Israel denies responsibility for this.
The flotilla will eventually set sail for its destination. The aim and justification for the flotilla is questionable.
The idea of "freeing Gaza" from the Israeli blockade is only part of the story. The well meaning peace activists who believe in an end to the occupation, justice and equality for the Palestinians are misinformed and naïve.
I do not intend to attack the peace activists of the flotilla. I am sure that the majority of these peace activists are noble and believers in human rights. Their ideology is sound.
The framework under which they have been recruited is far from sound and just. The aim is partial and hypocritical. It is also a well orchestrated political provocation.
The Israeli occupation is unjust and colonialist. Israel's settlement policies in the occupied Palestinian Lands are proof of this. In Gaza, this is not the case. Gaza is ruled by Hamas that is oppressive, anti-democratic and inhuman, even towards the Palestinians of Gaza. Their human rights record is poor. The treatment meted out to opponents of Hamas rule is cruel, not to mention their treatment of women.
Gaza is not free nor will it be free even if the flotilla would succeed in pressuring Israel to remove the blockade. Will this make Hamas change its attitude towards Israel or become democratic in the spirit of the Arab uprisings in the Middle East? The answer is a definite "no!"
If the peace activists had decided that their "Free Gaza" slogan means an end to Hamas tyranny, the Israeli blockade and the establishment of a democratic Palestinian State including the West Bank living side by side with Israel and at peace then I would support the peace activists on the flotilla. This is not the case here. The aim of the peace activists is ending the blockade and no mention is made of ridding Gaza of Hamas tyranny.
This political provocation is working to Hamas's advantage. We are aware that Hamas is an ally of the cruel, tyrannical Ahmadinajad regime of Iran and its Hezbollah proxy - the allies of Bashar al Assad of Syria. These evil regimes are being strengthened and given legitimacy by the short sightedness of these naïve "peace activists". The idea of bringing essential goods into Gaza will achieve nothing. Hamas will ensure that these supplies will not arrive in the hands of those Gazans who are destitute and poverty stricken. Hamas at best will distribute these supplies to their own croneys. Hamas can only survive on Palestinian poverty and unrest. It has no programme for rehabilitating the Palestinians of Gaza.
Those who stand to gain from the peace activists are Hamas and their allies whose record on peace, democracy and human rights is more than appalling. The naïve "peace activists" are being used and supported by Hamas and their anti-democratic Palestinian extremists. If Hamas were to go - so would the blockade! Let us cease being hypocritical and see the wood for the trees. In any case, the border between Egypt and Gaza is now open. The blockade was a Mubarak-Israel affair. There was weapon smuggling from Iran that has been arriving into Gaza via the sea, hence the blockade.
Why are there no flotillas sailing to Syria to protest against the despotic Assad regime that has massacred close to 2000 demonstrators in Syria? Why are they not going to Ahmadinajad's Iran or off the coast of Libya against the evil Qaddafi regime? Their voices are silent!
It seems as if the peace activists of the flotillas are not concerned with human rights or the spirit of the Arab uprisings. They have a very narrow agenda supported by Hamas. What about Gilad Shalit the Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas for five years? He has been refused family visits during this period as well as Red Cross visits. The Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons have more rights including family visits than Gilad Shalit. The blockade, as bad and inhuman as it appears, is not the only issue. It is more than that.
Every person who is concerned with human rights should condemn the flotillas destined for Gaza as a hypocritic action by ill-informed, Hamas manipulated peace activists being used for strengthening support for the anti-democratic forces of evil as personified by Hamas, Hezbollah, Assad's Syria and Ahmadinajad's Iran.
1 comment:
We all just want peace its the politicians thats are messing everything up. Our people have lived together for centuries and now this. Its all just politics.
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