Activist Ships Bound for Gaza

Written by Warren Mass

Thursday, 27 May 2010 13:57

Hamas terrorist organization took control of Gaza A flotilla of a four cargo and four passenger ships carrying 10,000 tons of supplies was bound for Gaza on May 27, determined to break an Israeli blockade of the breakaway Palestinian territory.

The Hamas terrorist organization took control of Gaza in the January 2006 parliamentary elections and subsequently triumphed over its less radical Palestinian opponent, Fatah, in the June 2007 Palestinian Civil War.

Since then, Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza. Following a series of rocket attacks launched against Israeli villages by Hamas from Gaza during the winter of 2008-2009, and a punishing Israeli counter-attack, the blockade was tightened. Israel has allowed humanitarian aid into Gaza, but has blocked virtually all building supplies from entering in order to prevent Hamas from rebuilding and fortifying the territory.

AP reported a statement from Israel that it will not let the eight ship’s reach Gaza's shores, and that it will deport or imprison the activists aboard.

The Israeli military said it would divert the boats to the Israeli port at Ashdod, where the activists will be taken into the tents for identification and medical attention, if necessary.

Israeli officials also said they will have 40 buses on hand to transport the activists to Israel's international airport for deportation or to a nearby prison if they refuse to be deported voluntarily.

"We want to do this as quick and efficiently as possible," AP quoted Maya Kadosh, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.

The flotilla organizer, an ex-Israeli citizen named Dror Feiler, told AP in a telephone interview from his ship, Free Mediterranean: "We are on a humanitarian and solidarity action, we intend to continue it until we reach our goal and will not be stopped.”

The report quoted Mark Regev, an Israeli government spokesman, who said "If they were really interested in the well-being of the people of Gaza, they would have accepted the offers of Egypt or Israel to transfer humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. Instead they have chosen a cheap political stunt."

As Hamas and Israel await a stand-off, Hamas is building a makeshift port to accommodate the vessels, using rubble collected by children as building material.

“The primary objective is to improve the port’s poor condition and make it ready to accommodate more and larger vessels because it is currently restricted to the smaller Palestinian fishing boats,” Yasser Shanti, the Ministry of Works undersecretary for Hamas, told The Media Line, a Mideast-based news service.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported a statement from a government official on May 27 that called the approaching aid flotilla an "outright provocation." But the offical extended an alternate Israeli offer to the organizers of the aid convoy, inviting them to unload their cargo at the Israeli port of Ashdod, from which it would be transferred to Gaza following an inspection of its contents.

Haaretz quoted Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who told the foreign ministers from several countries that "Hamas, which rules Gaza, is a terror organization supported by Iran. It smuggles weapons and rockets with the sole purpose of harming Israelis, as it has done many times in the past."

Barak explained that Hamas has been holding Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit captive for four years, in complete isolation and in prevention of Red Cross intervention. "For these reasons Israel must oversee the waters in the area.”

Barak was joined by the Director-General of the Foreign Ministry, Yossi Gal, and the two stated that there is no shortage in humanitarian aid being sent to Gaza, with food, fuel, and supplies regularly being transferred into Gaza by international organizations.

One of the organizations identified as organizing the flotilla is the Free Gaza Movement, whose spokeswoman, Greta Berlin, stated: "We are planning on going. This is not going to stop us. The boats are already on their way.”

On May 27, the Jerusalem Post quoted Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon’s statements to delegates from the European Parliament:

Many of the parliaments members pressed Ayalon on the issue of settlements and the situation in Gaza.

"Hamas, as an agent of Iran, works against the interests of the Palestinians. We always attempt to differentiate between Hamas and innocent civilians in Gaza."

Another report in the Post the same day noted:

High-ranking Islamic extremists were present at the Istanbul launch ceremony of a boat participating in the Gaza flotilla, according to a report by the Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center publicized by the IDF Spokespersons' Unit on Thursday.

Some of the ceremony participants included Mahmad Tzoalha and Sahar Albirawi, two top Hamas terrorists operating in the UK, and Hamam Said, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan.

Israel’s dilemma in trying to counter the activities of Hamas while, not harming innocent citizens of Gaza is not an enviable one. But the statement made by Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon indicates that Israel is making an honest attempt to differentiate between the two.

The major media generally portray Palestinian “liberation” organization such as Hamas (and the less radical Fatah) as being engaged in a religious war for control of Palestine. However, both of these groups trace their heritage to the radically militant Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), from which the Palestinian Authority that still governs the West Bank was spun off. It was PLO leader Yasser Arafat who appointed Mahmoud Abbas as prime minister of the PA on March 19, 2003. Abbas became the Chairman of the PLO on November 11, 2004 upon the death of Yasser Arafat and became president of the PA on January 15, 2005.

However, as with many other “liberation” organizations worldwide (including Nicaragua’s Sandinistas and the African National Congress) the PLO was created to advance the worldwide revolution that has brought us a range of communist and socialist governments around the world. A most revealing article explaining this movement, “The Grasp of Socialist International,” by William F. Jasper, was posted on The New American magazine’s website on February 16. In that article, Jasper notes: “During the Cold War, the SI aligned itself with communist terrorist Yasir Arafat and the PLO, the Soviet Union’s premier terror master.”

Israel’s problems in defending its border villages from attacks made by Hamas elements in Gaza have much in common with the rising crime rate in our borders states stemming from the presence of violent illegal immigrants. In both cases, the plight of disadvantaged individuals has been used as cover to threaten a right that every sovereign nation has — to secure its own borders.

Photo: AP Images

Warren Mass is editor of the Bulletin of The John Birch Society.

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DDW

May 27, 2010

173.57.11.190

Votes: -1

...

Go Israel!!! I wish you nothing but the very best.

Jason Prince

May 28, 2010

24.189.56.99

Votes: +2

...

It's a sad day when I see my father's own John Birch Society parroting the same talking points a foreign nation uses to endanger our troops and fleece our coffers. Shame on Warren Mass, and whichever other pseudo-patriots have decided to prioritize the well-being of the State of Israel over that of the United States of America.

michal

May 28, 2010

212.150.145.212

Votes: +0

...

If there are human rights violations in GAZA, and if there is a humanitarian crisis, HAMAS is to blame:
HAMAS has been declared by the UN and amnesty as a terrorist organization,
HAMAS constantly violates civilian and human rights of the palestiniam population.

TRUE FREEDOM FOR GAZA = FREE GAZA FROM HAMAS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSI3koQ1Oh4

WillB

May 29, 2010

150.203.168.51

Votes: +4

...

Warren,

What a ridiculous and morally bankrupt attempt to justify Israeli aggression.

What about Gaza's sovereignty? Why can't they allow the flotilla to visit their sovereign territory... no wait, despite the Israeli withdrawal of the settlements, the hapless Palestinians living in gaza still don't have any control of their airspace or the land or sea borders. They are still part of Israel when people try to visit and deliver dangerous goods like chocolate and pasta, they just don't have any rights, especially if they vote for the wrong type of "self-government"...

It was also a nice touch making a specious comparision between Israel's problems with Hamas and America's problem with "violent illegal immigrants". Gaza might be more properly compared to the Baltic states under Soviet rule, at least in terms of actual sovereignty.

Shame Warren. Shame.

Bill

Crandall

May 30, 2010

74.196.197.129

Votes: -1

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The Palestinians are being used by Israel's Islamo-Fascists enemies to attack Israel. Palestinian children are taught at a very young age to hate Jews. People who cannot see this, for their own good, should never be let out of the mental hospital.

Crandall

May 30, 2010

74.196.197.129

Votes: -2

...

Our coming war with Iran and beyond
Obama is a Sunny Muslim and Ahmadinejad of Iran is a Shiite Muslim. They are at war, Sunnys and Shiites, therefore Obama will order an attack on Iran. Once the Iranian war is over Obama will try to force Israel to sign a peace treaty with the Palestinians.
And, Obama is doing his very best to make the U.S. a Muslim nation

Crandall

May 30, 2010

74.196.197.129

Votes: -1

...

I think to defeat Muslim terrorism we must neutralize the leftist establishment. The leftists or Communists are using Muslim terrorists to advance the cause of Communism. They will use anything to fight God's established order.
P.S. Who are Obama's handlers? Are they not internationalists? Does he know he is being used?

Levonne Gryder

May 31, 2010

69.152.211.111

Votes: -3

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To Bill,
God gave Israil that land thousands of years ago to Abraham if you dont believe me look it up. Those people (yes I said those people) are not about peace they want all of Israil. They believe that Israil, America and anyone else should be put to death if they dont convert to being Muslim. This isnt just a war between Israil and the Palistains, the Palistains are just on of the Propaganda vehicles the Muslims use to stir up symphony from the world. This war involves everyone becasuse they wont stop there. You Go Warren keep sounding the alarm despite any apathetic voices out there.

Levonne Gryder

Lew Rockwell-ian

June 01, 2010

24.250.165.246

Votes: +0

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i'm pro-america, not pro-marxist apartheid state of israel

some of you have been brainwashed by the mainstream media to blindly accept everything israel does and call opponents "anti-semites".

face it, the zionists run everything.

and crandall, obama is a jew. his name is synonymous with baruch, a jewish name. his cabinet is full of jews, and obama is with aipac.
anyone remotely associated with aipac is dedicated to the destruction of america and world domination by communist israel.

peace & freedom. ron paul 2012.

Joe Hodges

June 01, 2010

75.183.112.152

Votes: -2

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lew rockwell-ian,what are you talking about first of all the left leaning media hates Israel and will make them look like the villian whenever they can. and it seems that you yourself is anti irael. you have been brainwashed by your hatred of israel.hamas is the reason that israel can't let these ships pass through. do you not know that israel supply the palistainians food and plenty of supplies already. look this is a ploy by hamas to get the gaza strip open again to fortify the area to shell more rockets down on israel. now you end your letter with peace and freedom;well that's what's israel trying to have without having to worry about being killed while they sleep. and the true destruction of american is the decay of this country's morals. israel need her true allies now,because the rest of the world will believe anything that will try and destroy her. peace and joy.

Stophel

June 02, 2010

98.93.82.109

Votes: +3

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I have no affinity for the "Palestinians", but neither do I have any affinity for the corrupt government of Israel. It should be none of our business what goes on in Israel (or anywhere else, for that matter). And the influence that AIPAC and the Israeli government has over the United States should disgust any American. It is just one more entangling alliance that has caused us nothing but grief, death, and destruction....and will continue to do so.

Kada1979

June 03, 2010

69.246.57.195

Votes: +0

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isreal IS a communist state. What makes hamas any different. O thats right, 1 communist gang has more rights.LOL Reading the crimes on real human lives, meaning those who had no gun in there hands DIE. They live not By the Gun but were murded by the gun. Stophel---- IT was always a Problem for America. For what I have read, America was ment to fall by its own government. Think about it, communist is the control of the people for the king or queen. DO U SEE ! They r trying to kill AMERICA from WITH IN!SUN tzu. What if America was a test to see if pople can realy takecare of them selves and of others. even truley giving CHRIST thinking a chance, or are people really just sheep, that is nat a good thing!

I will Pray and Learn . For I live in a world thought up by man, so for that, I must Use My Heart and My Brain to survive in the world . KADA

Lew Rockwell Fan

June 04, 2010

24.250.165.246

Votes: -3

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to those of you who thinks the media hates israel:

who owns the media? THE JEWS

who owns the banks that are ripping us off? THE JEWS

who's behind gun control? THE JEWS

what is our government full of? JEWS

when a genuine conservative like pat buchanan, ron paul, jim traficant or david duke are against sending tax payers money to israhell they get called an anti-semite. don't some of you know that aiding foreigners is unconstitutional?

i've been hearing of the john birch on and off for years as i've been reading ron paul's work for years and i've always figured it was another good ole pro-america (as in NOT pro-israel) organization, and when i finally take a good look into it i see this article.

i'm sticking with lewrockwell.com and antiwar.com, websites for real conservatives like ron paul, pat buchanan and paul craig roberts (all of whom are contributors).