Do what needs to be done Israel. There is no need to explain why you acted in self defense to people that would love nothing more than to see you dead.
Posted on 06/04/2010 6:44:48 AM PDT by SonOfDarkSkies
The world is outraged at Israel's blockade of Gaza. Turkey denounces its illegality, inhumanity, barbarity, etc. The usual U.N. suspects, Third World and European, join in. The Obama administration dithers.
But as Leslie Gelb, former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, writes, the blockade is not just perfectly rational, it is perfectly legal. Gaza under Hamas is a self-declared enemy of Israel -- a declaration backed up by more than 4,000 rockets fired at Israeli civilian territory. Yet having pledged itself to unceasing belligerency, Hamas claims victimhood when Israel imposes a blockade to prevent Hamas from arming itself with still more rockets.
In World War II, with full international legality, the United States blockaded Germany and Japan. And during the October 1962 missile crisis, we blockaded ("quarantined") Cuba. Arms-bearing Russian ships headed to Cuba turned back because the Soviets knew that the U.S. Navy would either board them or sink them. Yet Israel is accused of international criminality for doing precisely what John Kennedy did: impose a naval blockade to prevent a hostile state from acquiring lethal weaponry.
Oh, but weren't the Gaza-bound ships on a mission of humanitarian relief? No. Otherwise they would have accepted Israel's offer to bring their supplies to an Israeli port, be inspected for military materiel and have the rest trucked by Israel into Gaza -- as every week 10,000 tons of food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies are sent by Israel to Gaza.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
We set up a naval blockade.... perfectly legal and justified.
Israel sets up a naval blockade.... humanitarian crisis of unimaginable proportions.
We take territory from our vanquished foes in war.... perfectly legal and justified.
Israel takes territory from vanquished foes in war..... occupied territory for eternity, illegal and unjustified.
We retaliate against foes attacking us..... perfectly reasonable, heck sometimes even pre-emptive!
Israel retaliates against foes attacking them.... disproportionate use of force, brutality, civilian casualties, a war crime.
The normal “rules” do not apply to Israel.
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A rare moment of clarity for Mr. Gelb, an otherwise raving liberal.
I think Turkey should have an open border with the Kurds in Iraq.
Then who will the Arabs blame for all their problems? Does anyone really think there would be peace in that region b/c the Jews left?
I would love to see it, though.
Krauthammer nailed it.
Turkey is the last country to preach to anyone.
They murdered nearly 2 million Armenians. It happened in the distant past but they never admitted doing it, apologized, and certainly not paid reparations.
They grabbed a part of Cyprus nearly touching off a war with Greece and the UN still needs to maintains a presence there.
They have persecuted without mercy the Kurdish people, suppressing their culture and language, and killing many in every decade.
This flotilla was a premeditated provocation. The Turkish government knew there were dozens of troublemakers on board with deadly weapons. That no Israeli marines were killed in the ambush was due to good fortune and a quick enough resort to their guns.
From our point of view, this fits nicely with our retreat in the face of North Korean bluster. The sun has set on America -- former superpower. Now it is America -- the irrelevant.
Great article. Pat Buchanan should read it.
It seems to me that the stage is being set for the battle of Gog and Magog spoken of by the prophet Ezekiel.
We’re next and if we don’t stand with Israel now and forever we’ll share her fate.
I hope that American Jews who voted for Obama are finally waking up to see his true nature.
Obama, for all intents and purposes, is a muslim through and through.
He may be unwilling to admit to islam as his religion, but his devotion to the muslim world (and his enmity toward Israel) has been fully demonstrated.
Gee whiz....I don’t get it.
Bambi’s first trip abroad was to Turkey, to build a closer, more understanding relationship. (Still hasn’t been to Israel but has been to see others of his Islamic bretheren). Yet here we are with Turkey overtly sponsoring this attempted terrorist naval invasion. How can that be? El Presidente is either wholly ineffective (alla the Chicago Olympics selection fiasco) or he’s gotten precisely what he wants (respect and adulation from the Muslim world). Either way freedom loses. Again.
NEVER AGAIN!
doesn't care about Jews." But in this case... 
it is the truth!
It wouldn't matter. Pat and others who share his sentiments made up their minds about Israel/Jews a long time ago. Facts mean nothing to them -- it's all emotional.
If you want to really ruin your Friday, read the comments following the article. The WaPo readership seems to be heavily skewed toward people who consider Palestinians totally innocent victims and Israel a terror-State. If I were, like so many liberals of my acquaintance, given to calling names, I might even suggest that they are anti-Semites.
Then, they'd clean it up, make it a great country right next to ours....and the world would be such a better place!
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