Yet another state piracy by Israel
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Maswood Alam Khan
IS there anyone who should not be shocked by Israel's latest piracy in the sea? Is there a national military force in the world which, like Israeli troops, could kill innocent civilians who were travelling in a flotilla of ships carrying aid? Is there anyone who will still say Israel is a law-abiding nation? Is there any doubt that if there is one single country in the world it is Israel, not even North Korea, which has always been flouting and will continue flouting international laws? Will it be unjust if one observes that the root of all evils in the world is Israel?
People living in Gaza have been passing horrible days with the blockade enforced by Israel. Poor Palestinians don't have even minimum drinking water as Israel allows not more than a quarter of minimum requirements of basic needs to reach the blockaded area in Gaza. Israel thinks Palestinians should not get all the basic materials. In Israel's view, many things that people in Gaza demand, are not essential. Cement, for example, meant for reconstructing the dwelling houses Israelis had demolished is not essential for the Palestinians, according to Israeli judgment.
A six-ship flotilla, carrying about 10,000 tonnes of aid, mostly basic materials like cement and house-building bits and pieces, left the coast of Cyprus in Turkey on Sunday and had been due to arrive in Gaza on Monday. On Sunday before midnight Israeli armed forces were dropped by helicopters on the deck of the largest vessel in the flotilla. Immediately after boarding the ship the Israeli commandos started clashing with some of the 600 people on board when the ship was about 64 km out to sea, very much in international waters. More than 10 people, mostly Turks and not a single Israeli raider, were killed as a result of indiscriminate shooting by Israeli forces.
The Israelis cried self-defence, complaining that the activists on the boat were intent on violence while unarmed Israeli troops intercepted the ship with no intention to hurt the passengers. But, it was clearly visible in the TV footages that Israeli commandos dropped from a helicopter onto the ship were in full combat gear, fully armed. The aggression in the international waters came unequivocally from the Israelis. Their defence of their actions is simply laughable.
Israel has also released a movie where some dark figures were seen on the deck of the ship clashing with clubs and sticks in their hands though one cannot be sure whether the movie was a doctored one with an intention for Israel to convince the world community that they had to act in self-defence. After all, Israel has a reputation for doctoring and embezzling passports and documents of citizens of its friendly countries in their recent overseas missions of killing.
Resistance against the attackers was not unlikely. Perhaps some of the passengers were engaged in wrestling with the invading troops. But, was it a crime for passengers and crews of the aid vessel to perceive that their lives were at risk when they found commandos dropping on the deck of their ship? Shouldn't the civilian passengers confront that risk as best as they could?
As routine reactions there was widespread condemnation of the Israeli act and some countries even summoned the Israeli ambassadors serving there to explain their country's actions. Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan cut short a visit to Latin America to return home. UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he was "shocked by reports of killings and injuries" and called for a "full investigation" into what happened.
But, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his "full backing" for the military involved in the raid. Israeli authorities, who are notoriously accustomed to telling lies, said its soldiers were attacked with axes, knives, bars and guns.
America or any other country should not condemn North Korean acts of aggression and appeal for sanctions against the country unless they view Israeli aggression from a similar point of view. Neither would it be just to condemn Iranian president for his belligerent attitude towards the western powers. It would rather be just if the sanctions being proposed against Iran are now put into place against Israel, the only aggressor in the Middle East.
It is incomprehensible to many why Israel with its history of flouting the rules in favour of its thuggish demands is always allowed to get away with all its foul plays and yet the United States and its allies are trigger-happy to invade the likes of Iraq or Afghanistan on far less evidence of wrongdoing and impose sanctions and punishments against countries who are less provocative.
There seems to be no power in the world that can rein in Israel and call the country to account for their military actions in Gaza, their continuing illegal programmes of expansion, their human rights abuses of the Palestinians and their stockpiling of nuclear weapons. The United Nations is also too weak even to take a strong verbal stance on Israel's abuses.
It is high time the international community rose to the occasion and suspended all diplomatic and trade relations with Israel, as it is obviously a rogue regime that does what it will to those unfortunate enough to be under its power. Israel's present aggression against the Palestinians can only be compared with Hitler's aggression against the Jews during the Second World War.
Palestinians have no food to eat, no house to live, no water to drink. Thousands of people are dying in Palestine! Yet there are people who just watch news and say that the Palestinians are terrorists and they deserve death because they are Muslim. People in the West should imagine how their life would be like if a country like Israel had settled in their borders and blockaded every access to their cities.
The violent way the Israelis took the unarmed aid convoy is disgusting. More disgusting is the apparent double standard of some of the superpowers who keep mum when Israel transgresses the bounds of international laws and regulations.
But, how long can the world afford to keep mum? How long should the international community wait to boycott Israeli goods and services? How long the Palestinians should suffer Israeli oppression and aggression?
Shouldn't America condemn the acts of Israel and treat the country as a pariah state? Has the USA the guts to withdraw all their financial and military aid to Israel? But like many this writer is pretty sure, America can neither condemn Israel nor has the guts to annoy Israel. After all, we should know by this time that the USA in effect is the second state of Israel.
(The writer can be reached at e-mail : maswood@hotmail.com)
IS there anyone who should not be shocked by Israel's latest piracy in the sea? Is there a national military force in the world which, like Israeli troops, could kill innocent civilians who were travelling in a flotilla of ships carrying aid? Is there anyone who will still say Israel is a law-abiding nation? Is there any doubt that if there is one single country in the world it is Israel, not even North Korea, which has always been flouting and will continue flouting international laws? Will it be unjust if one observes that the root of all evils in the world is Israel?
People living in Gaza have been passing horrible days with the blockade enforced by Israel. Poor Palestinians don't have even minimum drinking water as Israel allows not more than a quarter of minimum requirements of basic needs to reach the blockaded area in Gaza. Israel thinks Palestinians should not get all the basic materials. In Israel's view, many things that people in Gaza demand, are not essential. Cement, for example, meant for reconstructing the dwelling houses Israelis had demolished is not essential for the Palestinians, according to Israeli judgment.
A six-ship flotilla, carrying about 10,000 tonnes of aid, mostly basic materials like cement and house-building bits and pieces, left the coast of Cyprus in Turkey on Sunday and had been due to arrive in Gaza on Monday. On Sunday before midnight Israeli armed forces were dropped by helicopters on the deck of the largest vessel in the flotilla. Immediately after boarding the ship the Israeli commandos started clashing with some of the 600 people on board when the ship was about 64 km out to sea, very much in international waters. More than 10 people, mostly Turks and not a single Israeli raider, were killed as a result of indiscriminate shooting by Israeli forces.
The Israelis cried self-defence, complaining that the activists on the boat were intent on violence while unarmed Israeli troops intercepted the ship with no intention to hurt the passengers. But, it was clearly visible in the TV footages that Israeli commandos dropped from a helicopter onto the ship were in full combat gear, fully armed. The aggression in the international waters came unequivocally from the Israelis. Their defence of their actions is simply laughable.
Israel has also released a movie where some dark figures were seen on the deck of the ship clashing with clubs and sticks in their hands though one cannot be sure whether the movie was a doctored one with an intention for Israel to convince the world community that they had to act in self-defence. After all, Israel has a reputation for doctoring and embezzling passports and documents of citizens of its friendly countries in their recent overseas missions of killing.
Resistance against the attackers was not unlikely. Perhaps some of the passengers were engaged in wrestling with the invading troops. But, was it a crime for passengers and crews of the aid vessel to perceive that their lives were at risk when they found commandos dropping on the deck of their ship? Shouldn't the civilian passengers confront that risk as best as they could?
As routine reactions there was widespread condemnation of the Israeli act and some countries even summoned the Israeli ambassadors serving there to explain their country's actions. Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan cut short a visit to Latin America to return home. UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he was "shocked by reports of killings and injuries" and called for a "full investigation" into what happened.
But, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his "full backing" for the military involved in the raid. Israeli authorities, who are notoriously accustomed to telling lies, said its soldiers were attacked with axes, knives, bars and guns.
America or any other country should not condemn North Korean acts of aggression and appeal for sanctions against the country unless they view Israeli aggression from a similar point of view. Neither would it be just to condemn Iranian president for his belligerent attitude towards the western powers. It would rather be just if the sanctions being proposed against Iran are now put into place against Israel, the only aggressor in the Middle East.
It is incomprehensible to many why Israel with its history of flouting the rules in favour of its thuggish demands is always allowed to get away with all its foul plays and yet the United States and its allies are trigger-happy to invade the likes of Iraq or Afghanistan on far less evidence of wrongdoing and impose sanctions and punishments against countries who are less provocative.
There seems to be no power in the world that can rein in Israel and call the country to account for their military actions in Gaza, their continuing illegal programmes of expansion, their human rights abuses of the Palestinians and their stockpiling of nuclear weapons. The United Nations is also too weak even to take a strong verbal stance on Israel's abuses.
It is high time the international community rose to the occasion and suspended all diplomatic and trade relations with Israel, as it is obviously a rogue regime that does what it will to those unfortunate enough to be under its power. Israel's present aggression against the Palestinians can only be compared with Hitler's aggression against the Jews during the Second World War.
Palestinians have no food to eat, no house to live, no water to drink. Thousands of people are dying in Palestine! Yet there are people who just watch news and say that the Palestinians are terrorists and they deserve death because they are Muslim. People in the West should imagine how their life would be like if a country like Israel had settled in their borders and blockaded every access to their cities.
The violent way the Israelis took the unarmed aid convoy is disgusting. More disgusting is the apparent double standard of some of the superpowers who keep mum when Israel transgresses the bounds of international laws and regulations.
But, how long can the world afford to keep mum? How long should the international community wait to boycott Israeli goods and services? How long the Palestinians should suffer Israeli oppression and aggression?
Shouldn't America condemn the acts of Israel and treat the country as a pariah state? Has the USA the guts to withdraw all their financial and military aid to Israel? But like many this writer is pretty sure, America can neither condemn Israel nor has the guts to annoy Israel. After all, we should know by this time that the USA in effect is the second state of Israel.
(The writer can be reached at e-mail : maswood@hotmail.com)