Why Freedom Flotilla 2 Didn’t Float
Since its inception the organizers of the Freedom Flotilla 2 — a group of ship-borne activists seeking to break Israel’s partial sanctions on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip — have encountered a broad range of largely unrelated technical, legal, bureaucratic, and political difficulties.
While participants claim that they are undertaking a humanitarian mission, since the flotilla is largely organized by radical Islamists and anti-Israel activists at a time when sanctions have shrunk to the minimum designed to limit the weapons and military power of Gaza’s rulers — it seems more of a Hamas support group.
Initial announcements that a 15 to 20 vessel flotilla — including two large passenger ships — carrying 1,500 activists from 100 countries would set sail dwindled, as of the time this article is written, to 327 passengers (over 10% of whom were journalists) from 20 countries sailing on 9 small boats. Lack of funds and public interest may have played a role in the flotilla’s reduction in size as compared to that of its initial stated aims, but undoubtedly the major factor was the sudden and unexpected pull-out of the vessel the “Mavi Marmara” (which also took part in the 2010 flotilla) in mid-June.
The IHH is a radical Islamist group based in Turkey with ties to terrorist groups. In the first flotilla, IHH activists armed with iron bars attacked Israeli soldiers and kidnapped two of them. An Israeli rescue attempt resulted in nine of the Turks being killed.
While the IHH cited technical problems as the reason for the refitted ship’s withdrawal, there is reason to believe that diplomatic pressures and internal Turkish political factors as well as difficulties in obtaining insurance for the voyage may have played a part. Having just won the parliamentary elections, the Turkish government has no need to provoke a major new crisis with Israel and antagonize a U.S. government that seems content to tolerate its other policies.
The UN secretary general’s appeal to the governments of countries in the Mediterranean region to use their influence to discourage the flotilla and the announcement that the UN’s investigation into the previous flotilla has concluded that the naval blockade of Gaza is in keeping with international law no doubt encouraged the European Union and the many individual Western governments which issued subsequent statements dissuading their citizens from participating in the project. Such concerns were not raised prior to the previous flotilla.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went further and described the intended voyage as “not helpful” and provocative after the State Department had issued repeated official warnings to the 36 American participants that they should not attempt to make the journey to the “dangerous and volatile” region, together with reminders regarding penalties under U.S. law for providing support to foreign terrorist organizations.
When you sail against the will of God why would you not expect problems?
The Palestinian peace movement is not nearly as monolithic as they might first appear. All it takes is some movement like this to expose the divisions among those who joined.
I really do wish the Palestinian people peace. But first, they’re going to have to teach love and understanding to their own people.
I don’t wish good things to people who try to bomb maternities, who dance in te streets when a baby and two very young children have been murdered in cold blood and who tell they want the extermination of their opponents. Let’s keep our good wishes (and our money) to people who deserve it.
It is wrong to wish ill upon anyone. It is better to ask for understanding and forgiveness. It does not mean that one should forget the past.
It simply means that one should understand the past; negotiate an honest, enforceable agreement; and learn to live with respect for others.
Many will point out the moral failings of the Palestinians. It is an unfortunate fact that they are not teaching a theology or philosophy that aids the cause of peace. Perhaps some day they will learn the depths and depravity of what they espouse.
Until that day comes, their enemies have the right to defend against their attacks and no more. There should be no seeking retribution. This flotilla is a misguided effort akin to sheltering a thug without attempting to teach him respect for others.
“It is wrong to wish ill upon anyone.”
Really? On what do you base this assertion? The inability to make moral distinctions leads to exactly the sort of squishiness and impotence that allows evil to flourish in the world. It is an act of emotional masturbation that leaves you feeling superior, but completely ignores the reality of human nature as shown repeatedly throughout history. The only thing that keeps thugs, bullies, and tyrants at bay is to engage in retribution so devastating that they recognize the cost is always going to be significantly higher than any potential gain they had sought.
It is the creed I choose to believe. Would you rather have a world where hate can be legitimized? That hate is exactly what we legitimately excoriate Palestinian leadership for.
I am not fond of the tit-for-tat response to Palestinian aggression. I am in favor of using whatever means are necessary to remove the toxic leadership. However, there is no long term solution in such methods. The long term solution is cultural. They are not being dissuaded from their hatred by the lack of leaders. Unfortunately, this hate is embedded in their religion, in their schools, in the very fabric of their culture.
The only solution is laughter. Only through humor can we help them to gain a perspective from which they can see the hatred for themselves. We need propaganda. We need silliness. Eventually, it will soak in that this hate is getting them nowhere.
That’s what it will take. Your alternative is Genocide. I am unwilling to go there.
@Gork – I disagree that genocide is our only other choice besides laughter (which I believe is impotent in this case). Another option is isolation. Arabs/islamists are a filthy blight on the planet. They kill wherever they are. It’s just in their nature to do so. It’s got to be that old ishmael is a wild goat thing. It was foretold that these people would be a plague on the planet and so they are. Get them out of every civilized country and let them vent their spline on each other. We have to secure their oil fields first. That was our biggest mistake in the past – letting them take our technology from us. Like giving a monkey a bazooka!
Really? Does this apply to Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot? Does this apply to the sadists who tortured for the NKVD and the Gestapo? Well I wish ill on tehm and I wish will upon those who have chos”en t help thiose who have told they want to dinidh Hitler’s job. Whay the Palestians instead of the people in Darfur? You know, those people who don’t dance in teh streets when one of them has murdered a baby and who in addition atre starving.
Oh and you better start doing something better than laughing when the other guy comes for your children with knife: nazism wasn’t brought down with laughters.
“…nazism wasn’t brought down with laughters.”
No that’s true, and it is necessary and moral to confront grave evil. What I belive he is rightfully saying though, is that even nazism could have been prevented had those folks been confronted with the truth of their evil by a sufficient number of folks, it would have been contained in its embyonic stage. Too many Germans enjoyed the lies of being the master race, just as too many here belive in moral corruption, deviant sex, the culture of death , free lunch etc. There is, and their will be a grave consequence, but it will be from a failure to prevent -not from destruction of our neighbor as a knee-jerk moral code.
Your view of fallen man has been dealt with by the Christian God – you just are unwilling to hear Him, or follow Him -whatever the case may be.
Send them Jackie Mason. A visit to the Borsht Belt would do the good.
Here is a new one I read recently.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s President, called Barak Obama on the phone late one night.
“I’ve had a remarkable dream, Mr. Obama” he said, “and it’s something you should know about.”
“Well, Mr. Ahmadinejad what was your dream all about?”, queried the President.
“I dreamed that the USA had gone through an enlightening reformation”, he said, “and in front of every house was a huge banner.”
“That’s intriguing, Mr. Ahmadinejad Tell me, what did it say on these banners?”, asked Obama
“They all said the same thing: Allah is God, Allah is great”, stated Mahmoud, as if he could taste victory.
“It’s quite odd that you should call me about a dream, as I had one the other night as well”, said obama
“And what was your dream about, Mr Obama?
“I dreamed that Iran had gone through a reformation as well, and on every house was a flagpole.”
“So, what was on the flags?”, asked the Iranian.
“I have no idea”, said Obama, “I can’t read Hebrew.”
Laughter is a treasure to be shared with your friends because despair is your common enemy, and you can’t let a serious conversation sour into yet another prediction of doom. If you try to share laughter with your enemies, the joke will be on you, but it won’t be funny.
If mercy is what you what you aim to dispense, don’t start by letting your enemy kill you first, because your mercy will then be lost forever. Better to apply it to those closer to you, who may benefit from it as long as you are around, and perhaps will further spread it in your memory.
You might even say that they, like Saul Alinsky’s followers, believe in a philosophy of “ANY means to an end?”
Love the kumbaya comments. Even Jesus threw out the money changers and God led the Israelites to radical removal of pagan worshipers. A bullet in Hitler’s head in 1934 would have saved a LOT of evil.
There was also a time when man was so corrupt that God looked down and said, “Ew, GROSS!” and He could only find one family that was redeemable and told the dad to build a boat. Then He drowned the whole world.
He’s going to do it again and we’ll be losing (probably against islam) the fight when He does. Who doesn’t think it’s getting close to crunch time?
If the Palestinians want to have any kind of a decent life, that means abandoning Islam once and for all.
One torpedo would be the last of the flotilla activists.
Only if it is a loving torpedo.
Perhaps we could call it the “loving torpedo of G-d”?
Rich Vail,
Pikesville, Maryland, USA
jz… you made me laugh out loud on that one. Brilliant! Thank you!
Remember the image of the bespectacled Gazan Muslima whooping her joy following 9/11?
Three thousand dead made her happy. How does that make any rational person feel?
No doubt there are plenty of these flotistas who reacted in the same manner, America was asking for it.
How can anyone have sympathy with these sea born tricoteuses lead by the nose by their Hamas benefactees?
Here’s a link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrM0dAFsZ8k
I don’t trust them. They say they are giving up, and so they leave Greek waters and end up turning around and going to Gaza. Let them get off the ships if they want and then take all the food (cough) and weapons and sick the darn ships.
Gork
Your last post was truly priceless . ” only through laughter can we defeat etc”
Benny hill and basil fawlty to the rescue
I take it you are a love child of the 60s , age of Aquarius and all that
No, oddly enough, I acknowledge and support the need for a significant military force. However, I also have a conscience that is biased against wholesale slaughter. I realize that for defensive purposes, we may actually have to resort to such things. If the only weapon you have at hand is a sledgehammer, you’ll use it to destroy a hornet’s nest, regardless of what else you may damage.
However, I am also in favor of countering the heavy, hateful, and utterly evil propaganda that permeates the Muslim world. I know they wish ill upon us. And the way through all this disgusting behavior is, strangely, humor. There is little humor in the Muslim world. Ayatollah Khomeini even said so.
We need to show them how to laugh. And in so doing, we’ll show them how to laugh at themselves. That is how we break through the fundamentalist idiots and start teaching tolerance. I, for one, believe that people such as Bill Cosby had as much to do with breaking through the race barriers in the 1960s and 1970s as anyone else. His humor was lighthearted, funny, and it contained a lot of truth. It also portrayed a man who is funny, down to earth, and oh yeah, he happened to be black.
We don’t need to excoriate Islam. We only need to be funny. To laugh. And then to encourage these people to laugh with us. When they learn to laugh with us, they will see the humanity in us all, and the barriers will fall. If we can afford to wait long enough, (and that is an open question), we can defuse this situation using these methods, we will have accomplished the same thing at far less cost to the rest of the world.
Yes, by all means, keep the weapons ready. But don’t use them unless there is really no other choice. We should explore those other choices and pursue them with all due diligence. And finally, if they leave us no alternative, we should use these weapons with a clear conscience.
If that’s being a 1960′s flower child, then by all means call me one.
We “gave peace a chance” for 1500 years.
Lebenon – once Christian, now Moslem. Conquered by force of arms, people raped, murdered, enslaved, etc.
Syria – once Christian, now Moslem. Conquered by force of arms, people raped, murdered, enslaved, etc.
Egypt – once Christian, now Moslem. Conquered by force of arms, people raped, murdered, enslaved, etc.
Ethiopia – once Christian, now Moslem. Conquered by force of arms, people raped, murdered, enslaved, etc.
Jordan – once Christian, now Moslem. Conquered by force of arms, people raped, murdered, enslaved, etc.
Turkey – once Christian, now Moslem. Conquered by force of arms, people raped, murdered, enslaved, etc.
…and your solution to this is what?
Genocide or subjugation for the deeds of their ancestors?
I really do not want to go there. If we can not win them over, we can at least contain them. We can defend what is ours and we can defend each others territories. We do not have to let them spread further.
And I keep coming back to this: A single cartoon showing Mohammad with a bomb in his turban had these people rioting and killing each other in the streets for weeks. The Everybody Draw Mohammad Day infuriated them. We need to disrespect them with casual, non-violent, accurate, and free speech.
Anyone who says this is flower child stuff is missing the point. They expect us to respect them. I can not. I will firmly, but politely violate every tenet they insist that we should observe to “respect” them. They will learn to tolerate us, or they can riot and kill each other. I will not muzzle my free speech just to mollify these supremacist asshats. Furthermore, any attempt to fight us will be met with force. Anyone who advocates violence against us will find a drone with munitions with his name on it.
Drones are getting cheaper and more effective every day. They use people to bomb us. We use robots. Anyone care to guess who is likely to win that battle?
“Genocide or subjugation for the deeds of their ancestors? ”
No. Their own deeds are enough.
Gork,
Well reasoned…Laughter is ONE compomnent to disarming these animals…let them see nothing but open, overwhelming contempt everywhere for thier “prophet” and his contemptable legacy backwardness.
But I cannot resist the Snark:
“Genocide or subjugation for the deeds of their ancestors? ”
Ahh, so many choices, so little ammunition
@ 7 Gork
Are you disingenuous, uninformed, or a fool?
“A single cartoon showing Mohammad with a bomb in his turban
had these people rioting and killing each other in the streets for weeks.”
Haven’t you watched the BBC documentary (Danish producer) laying out the plot?
A Syrian imam in Denmark, added two cartoons, from a pig miming contest in France,
really revolting looking. He then took them to Syria, and other moslem countries,
shit-stirring for all he was worth; maybe he stirred 1000 his worth.
Only then, I think eight weeks after publishing, did the ‘spontaneous’ riots begin.
So, not only are mohammedans bogshit stupid – for rioting –
their leaders are venal and wicked. But readers here, know that already.
Phillep – I think Ethiopia is still a Christian country although there have been a lot of population movement in the past 10 years. I could be wrong, but it hasn’t turned yet to the best of my knowledge.
Or, I could be woefully ignorant and really embarrass myself! LOL!
“U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went further and described the intended voyage as “not helpful” and provocative after the State Department had issued repeated official warnings to the 36 American participants that they should not attempt to make the journey to the “dangerous and volatile” region, together with reminders regarding penalties under U.S. law for providing support to foreign terrorist organizations.”
Oh, so Hillary advised against making the voyage to the 36 Americans, yet she feels perfectly comfortable cozying up to the Muslim Brotherhood. I guess she just doesn’t see the connection. /sarc
Gork @ #2: Sorry, Pal, you’re living in a fantasy world. You have the right sentiments, I agree, and you stand on the right side of justice but “No”, I wouldn’t want you by my side when defending myself and my family and Israel, which is … my tribal family. You must tear the enemy to pieces like the allies did to the Third Reich (Dresden) and like America did to Japan (Nagasaki and Hiroshima) to bring about security and closure. And will an enemy, somewhere somehow, arise again? Of course. And will we have to defend ourselves again? Once again, of course. So will we have to devastate the enemy in order to survive? Again, I say, “Of course.” In other words, Gork, this is a socio-political dynamic which will always be present. Read Tolkien, read his “Lord of the Rings.” Tolkien understood this concept. You do not. As for laughter, yeah, I want humour to break the ice, to help me unwind, to assist me in stretching out and in order to keep a saner version of me intact but I do not wish to laugh with my enemy. I want to always be on alert in my enemy’s presence, for my own sake, for my children’s sake and for my grandchildren’s sake. In other words, for the sake of the survival of my own spirit.
Humor is good for the soul, which is exactly why those Muslim mobs riot and kill people whenever they suspect that somebody is making light of Islam.
Well, I’ve got news for them – that makes us want to make fun of Islam all the more. We love our freedom; that’s how we roll.
I’m the admin for a hard-news counterjihad blog, but every Caturday we try to put up a post about – you guessed it – felines. ♥ We need some humor and cuteness to lighten things up!
Silly me but I’m looking for a silver lining in praise of the Greek government?
Good point. The Greeks were awesome! This despite the world really doing them a dirty by not kicking the Turks /islamists out of Cypress!
Thank you to the Greeks!
For that matter, I think it’s high time the Greeks got back Constantinople!
Unless, of course, Turkey becomes Orthodox Christian once again.
It is amazing that a small bankrupt country like Ireland can contribute a ship to the Gaza flotilla but then a country that has a soft spot for terrorists and anti semitism will dig deep into its pockets to get the money for hate. Begorah, the Kennedys and the O’bamas must be proud.
— (the flotilla) seems more of a Hamas support group.
There’s an understatement.
The UN secretary general’s appeal to the governments of countries in the Mediterranean region to use their influence to discourage the flotilla and the announcement that the UN’s investigation into the previous flotilla has concluded that the naval blockade of Gaza is in keeping with international law…
Something positive & helpful came out of “the UN” ??!!
Amazing.
The journalists also complained of lack of transparency on the part of the flotilla organizers.
Flotilla promoters like Billy Ayers and the crazy wife Bernardine ?
Shocked I am. Shocked.
It is very comforting to note that there are still enough uncorrupted people in the world able to stop the shenanigans of those who side with terrorist organizations against Israel and cloak themselves in words like “with love to Gaza.”
Seems to me that these morons are finally “getting it.” Mess with Israel and you’ll pay a HUGE price. The Arabs especially should understand that simple premise. They’ve had their collective butts kicked every couple of decades, after all.
Ships of fools best describes these useless idiots. Even Alice Walker turned back–guess she turned the color purple when seeing all the problems this flotilla of farts encountered. I know that there are perhaps a small handful of these cretins who believe they are on high moral ground, but that’s because they are simply anti-Semitic or too stupid to know the truth. Israel is the beacon of light in the Middle East. They take in Arabs to their hospitals while Arabs would never reciprocate. They do their best to minimize civilian deaths when Hamas uses their civilians as shields–they do that because they know that Israel will not intentionally kill civilians. So who’s the real ‘bad guy’ here? Israel is the only truly civilized country in the Middle East–Sharia makes certain of that–and to put that country on a terrorist list is an insult to the civilized world. The UN is a joke just like this flotilla is a joke. It seems that it’s now chic to be anti-Semitic. How very sad that we have reverted back to this point in time–Hitler would be proud, along with the Caliphate.
It seems that it’s now chic to be anti-Semitic.
Anti-Semitic chic. It seems to be breaking out all over.
Which makes you wonder what in the hell exactly is wrong with all these stupid human brains.
“Which makes you wonder what in the hell exactly is wrong with all these stupid human brain”
The term, “the devil made me do it,” comes to mind. Apt saying. Doesn’t it seems odd (NOT!!!) that Jews are always the canary in the mine when the world is about to go insane. They are ALWAYS the first target.
In addition to the impressive diplomatic and legal efforts by Israel in preventing the flotillas from setting sail several other factors need to be considered.
The Arab spring has further exposed the “resistance block” for the sham it is. An Orwellian propaganda tool used to keep Arab populations in check by the fanatical corrupt despots who rule them. Hamas has only been further isolated as a result. Israel has increased it’s stature as a stable pro western democracy in a sea of instability.
The economic blockade, designed to bring about the collapse of hamas was a failure. Israel was able to recognize this and adjusted policy accordingly. Thus the flotilla supporters have been deprived of their greatest propaganda tool.
We,( most of us) the Dutch appoligize for to the israeli people. These activists from Holland are just out to cause chaos. We are PRO Israel and against the terrorist from Palestina. Just wanted to make this statement!
Do you suppose the Palestinians who danced in the streets and handed out candy after 9/11 are still alive? If so, I wish them nothing but badness and evil in keeping with their rotten souls. And little starvation, too, would be nice so that they’re forced to subsist on their stupid candy.
If those particular Palestinians have gone to meet their vengeful Allah, then, good. But it still seems like good tactics to hold off on reaching out to help their heirs until said heirs have demonstrated they are human and not inhuman nor inhumane.
Demography is destiny. Polygamy is systemically evil and encourages explosive population growth. Palestine is the biggest welfare state in the world and among the top ten in population growth. Wealthy Palestinian men need 50 children to establish bragging rights. That equals 3-4 useless men never getting a wife, and Islam is conveniently designed to dump those men with jihad and warfare. Education and food for children is free, courtesy of Euroweenies. So why not pump out babies? No contraceptives are officially allowed.
The majority of their sons will never have a father’s influence, a chance to work for the family or inherit anything. They watch their mothers connive and bitch, while accepting beatings and enslavement. The cycle of violence never ends.
Formerly, conquest was an outlet for this explosive Islamic formula, but they are hemmed in and the violence had to turn inward. They marry cousins to keep wealth in their families and many genetic problems result.
In his lust, Mohammed betrayed thousands of years of wise monogamy and sound breeding practices. Until these barbarians renounce polygamy and limit their family size they will always be seething with hatred, beating wives and buggering boys. Nothing but death can stomp out that mindset.
Realizing that this time the IDF won’t putz around, but will capture or destroy them, their ships, and cargoes, – LEGALLY – may have discouraged them.
Legally
San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea:
Section II, paragraph 98
Merchant vessels believed on reasonable grounds to be breaching a blockade may be captured. Merchant vessels which, after prior warning, clearly resist capture may be attacked.
Section IV, paragraph 60 (e) enemy merchant vessels become a legitimate military target after refusing an order to stop or actively resisting visit, search or capture;
The IDF has a job to do; and they are very good at it.