Flotillas and the Wars of Public Opinion

Startfor ^ | May 31, 2010 | By George Friedman

[Salem]

On Sunday, Israeli naval forces intercepted the ships of a Turkish nongovernmental organization (NGO) delivering humanitarian supplies to Gaza. Israel had demanded that the vessels not go directly to Gaza but instead dock in Israeli ports, where the supplies would be offloaded and delivered to Gaza. The Turkish NGO refused, insisting on going directly to Gaza. Gunfire ensued when Israeli naval personnel boarded one of the vessels, and a significant number of the passengers and crew on the ship were killed or wounded.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon charged that the mission was simply an attempt to provoke the Israelis. That was certainly the case. The mission was designed to demonstrate that the Israelis were unreasonable and brutal. The hope was that Israel would be provoked to extreme action, further alienating Israel from the global community and possibly driving a wedge between Israel and the United States. The operation’s planners also hoped this would trigger a political crisis in Israel.

A logical Israeli response would have been avoiding falling into the provocation trap and suffering the political repercussions the Turkish NGO was trying to trigger. Instead, the Israelis decided to make a show of force. The Israelis appear to have reasoned that backing down would demonstrate weakness and encourage further flotillas to Gaza, unraveling the Israeli position vis-à-vis Hamas. In this thinking, a violent interception was a superior strategy to accommodation regardless of political consequences. Thus, the Israelis accepted the bait and were provoked.

[TigersEye]

My opinion is that ‘flotilla’ is a euphemism for ‘pirate ships running aid to terrorists.’

[Salem]

For more on this incident, staged by the sworn enemies of Israel, click on keyword Flotilla.

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[Salem]

"My opinion is that ‘flotilla’ is a euphemism for ‘pirate ships running aid to terrorists.’"

Yes. Or the definition.

[magslinger]

My opinion is that ‘flotilla’ is a euphemism for ‘pirate ships running aid to terrorists.’

Possibly not. If Israel started making a habit of letting them through, your statement would certainly become true.

[TigersEye]

Seems to me that a pirate is a pirate whether they accomplish their crime or not. Is an armed robber not an armed robber if the cops stop him before he finishes robbing the liquor store?

[atomic conspiracy]

“The Israelis appear to have reasoned that backing down would demonstrate weakness and encourage further flotillas to Gaza, unraveling the Israeli position vis-à-vis Hamas. In this thinking, a violent interception was a superior strategy to accommodation regardless of political consequences.”

Allowing the propaganda convoy to continue would have been the end of Israel’s declared blockade of Gaza. That, not just giving Israel a black eye in the “global media” that already hate them, was the real objective.

Hamas lobs home-made rockets into Israel almost everyday. They would undoubtedly like to have some of the professional grade product from Iran or North Korea. Even a small Mediterranean coastal freighter (~ 5000 tons) can carry tens of thousands of these rockets. Only the blockade keeps them out of Hamas hands.

[Ukiapah Heep]

Send those swabbies a pizza.

[Salem]

Allowing the propaganda convoy to continue would have been the end of Israel’s declared blockade of Gaza. That, not just giving Israel a black eye in the “global media” that already hate them, was the real objective.

Hamas lobs home-made rockets into Israel almost everyday. They would undoubtedly like to have some of the professional grade product from Iran or North Korea. Even a small Mediterranean coastal freighter (~ 5000 tons) can carry tens of thousands of these rockets. Only the blockade keeps them out of Hamas hands.

A good encapsulation of the reality on the ground. This is what needs to be submitted in Letters to the Editor by supporters of Israel nationwide in the next 48 hours to every local paper and news agency to counter the propaganda wave about to come.

[Tolsti2]

hmm, the media’s got a new buzzword. Never heard ‘flotilla’ used so much in my life. Kinda like when they talked about ‘vetting’ Palin.

[TigersEye]

Amen! and a prayer too. Israel is holding the line against terrorists as the rest of the world tries to back out of the fight.

[TigersEye]

The proper way to deal with a flotilla is to make it a sunkilla. Turn it into a reefilla.

[Americanexpat]

Unlike the US, Israel believes in protecting its borders.

[dr_who]

I guess next time Israel’s going to have to sink the damn ship.

[narses]

ANALYSIS / Israel has forgotten the lessons of the Exodus
Israel played into Hamas’ hands by storming the boats of the ‘Freedom Flotilla.’

By Yossi Melman
Tags: Israel news Gaza flotilla
Despite having its eyes wide open, Israel fell into a trap. Israel knew that the organizers of the flotilla wanted to present the Israel Defense Forces to the world as an army that does not hesitate to use force. The flotilla organizers wanted deaths, casualties, blood and billows of smoke. And this is exactly what Israel gave them.

Israeli Navy personnel board one of the ships of the Gaza aid flotilla on Monday May 31, 2010.

Photo by: Getty Images
Every child knows that the conflict here is one of consciousness,images, emotion and gut-feelings; not one of justice or logic. Therefore, Israel should have acted differently.

Israel’s decision-makers should have revived memories of Israel’s own history. It shows just how short a historical memory the prime minister, defense minister, chief of staff, and Navy commander all have. They don’t remember the story of the Exodus ship in 1947.

The British Mandate authorities imposed a blockade on the shores ofthe land of Israel and Jewish leaders believed it was their right and their duty to break it. The Jewish immigrants on the Exodus decided to forcefully oppose every attempt to stop them. The Jewish leadership wanted to arouse the world’s conscience and gain a victory in the
battle for international sympathy.

In our day, Hamas leaders believe and act similarly. Without getting into the question of the justification or logic of the blockade imposed by Gaza and its residents, it was indeed clear that it was only natural that Hamas would try to break the blockade by force. They have been doing this by means of the smuggling tunnels and via the sea. It was clear that they saw it as their natural right to oppose attempts to stop the ships.

In 1988, when the PLO organized a ship named “The Return” to be sent to Israel with Palestinian refugees, Israel chose a different method to stop it. It sent Mossad agents and Naval commandos to Cyprus to sabotage the ship before the passengers had embarked. The ship was damaged but no one was hurt.

Israel should have considered a similar approach with the Gaza flotilla. But apparently the days in which Israeli agents could operate freely in friendly countries are gone.

There was another possibility. During Ehud Olmert’s term as prime minister, Israel permitted a lone aid ship, filled with supplies and activists, to enter Gaza. The skies did not fall on Israel in the wake of this.

The Israeli government could have acted similarly this time. No disaster would have occurred. The boats would have landed, the supplies would have been unloaded and the activists would have disembarked.

So what? You may argue that this would have set a precedent. But I argue that if Hamas had tried to do the same thing again in the future, Israel would still have had the ability to
operate differently and outsmart Hamas.

As a last resort, it would also have been possible to simply sabotage the motors of the boats, halting their voyage without having to seize control of the ships. Instead of this, the Israeli government preferred to take control of the ships by force.

Apparently Israel, which prides itself as having the best intelligence in the world, should have known better that there were violent elements aboard one of the boats, equipped iron bars, knifes and slingshots. Had Israel known this, it would have probably used more appropriate ways to storm boat, to avoid death and injuries. And that did not happen.

Israel has played into Hamas’ hands. It’s not the fault of the young soldiers who obeyed the orders of their commanders. The responsibility lies with the cabinet and the military planners.

No matter how one looks at the conduct of the Israeli government and the IDF, it is hard to understand how stupid and tragic it was. Time and again, Israel tries to prove that what can’t be solved by force can be solved by more force. Over and over, the policies of force fail. The problem is that with each failure, the part of the world in which we would like to belong is losing patience with us.

[Salem]

Hmmm. I've read Yossi Meiman's work before, but I think he is jumping to conclusions on this one. There is much more to this incident than meets the eye, and when it comes out in the days ahead, he will look like he was armchair quarterbacking.

*shrug*

But it's not like I've done that before myself.  

[magslinger]

I didn’t mean that Israel was in the wrong to stop the ships. I just said there was a chance that the Islamofascists’ enablers might not be running guns. This time...

[TigersEye]

I suppose. I guess the guy waiting outside in the getaway car isn’t technically an armed robber either. Just a ‘transportation assistant.’

[blueyon]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2524848/posts
Close-Up Footage of Mavi Marmara Passengers Attacking IDF Soldiers (VIDEO)

[magslinger]

What part of I didn’t mean that Israel was in the wrong to stop the ships. are you not getting?