Within Israel, Finger-Pointing and Lessons Learned
With a barrage of unrelenting condemnation and hate cascading on Israel, the battle outside of the country is one of black and white, right and wrong. Israel’s diplomats and spokesmen were still busy on Tuesday defending the Jewish state’s actions in the international arena — pointing out that when confronted with bats, metal pipes, and violent mobs, the soldiers that landed on the roof of the Mavi Marmara intending to divert it from Gaza to Israel had no choice but to open fire to defend their lives.
Within Israel, however, the black and white has melted into gray, as the internal debate heats up as to whether this diplomatic and public relations black eye could have somehow been avoided while still protecting the country’s security. And the questions are not being asked only on the left. Even those who firmly believe that the blockade is justified, its enforcement necessary, and that the flotilla’s progress to Gaza needed to be impeded somehow are asking if there could have been a better way for the story of the “Freedom Flotilla” to end.
Some even believe that heads — particularly Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s — should roll over the numerous miscalculations.
Questions over the decision-making regarding the flotilla, both on the political level and the military level, flew thick and fast on Tuesday, in both the media and in the political arena. The lead story in the Hebrew daily Ma’ariv quoted senior ministers angrily calling for Barak’s resignation, charging that the final decision about the Gaza flotilla was made without proper discussion by the full cabinet or even the full “group of seven” ministers at the top. An unnamed minister “at the most senior level” charged that Barak made the decision to move ahead with the commando operation singlehandedly, asking only for Netanyahu’s approval. The official is “furious” at Barak’s “power-drunk,” “irresponsible” behavior at a time when the prime minister was out of the country. And he is not alone.
In Ha’aretz, Ari Shavit rounded up a few of the questions Israelis were asking one another over the radio airwaves and on the street:
What happened to Israel’s vaunted creativity? Why was the worst of all possible options chosen? Where was the army chief of staff? Where were the intelligence services? Why did we walk into this trap, which we managed to avoid in all the years of the second intifada, with our eyes open? Why didn’t we see that instead of tightening the siege on Gaza, we were about to tighten the siege on ourselves?
Shavit’s colleague Yossi Melman, author of a book on the history of Israel’s intelligence services, painted the operation first and foremost as an intelligence failure.
Apparently Israel, which prides itself as having the best intelligence in the world, should have known that there were violent elements aboard one of the boats equipped with iron bars, knives, and slingshots. Had Israel known this, it would have probably used more appropriate ways to storm the boat to avoid death and injuries.
Melman was not alone in his criticism. One need not have been an intelligence operative to understand the nature and intentions of those aboard the flotilla. Video of the chanting of inciting slogans was available on the internet, and messages coming from the flotilla on Facebook, Twitter, and other websites made it clear that there was more of a chance of violent confrontation than military decision-makers took into consideration. If Israel did know this was no humanitarian group, but a Hamas-affiliated terror organization, why didn’t its leadership expect this behavior and equip its soldiers properly? Instead of ridiculously believing that paintball guns would be sufficient?
Stop the Monday-Morning Quarterbacking and review the game films.
Take a page from the Mandate British rule and ram the ships. Announce this before hand and let the chips fall where they may.
O.K., genius, why don’t you name a few “more appropriate ways to storm the boat to avoid death and injuries.”
This ain’t Star Trek, we don’t have teleportation yet.
Lighty armed men rappelling down from a helicopter exposed these soldiers to a high degree of risk all to avoid more violent methods to enforce the arms enmbargo on Gaza. Personally, I wouldn’t have a problem if they saved a few soldiers from critical injuries and had just sank the damn thing. That is what the ‘peace activists’ they were asking for, and what they should have by all rights received.
Bigben, well said. However, that takes some marbles, and I’m afraid with this one the Israelis forgot theirs.
Anything short of sinking the next convey in bound would hurt Israel alot. Israel needs to man up and do the right thing instead of the politically correct thing or their just going to look weaker and thus have an even higher chance of war. The fact that N Korea committed an act of war against S Korea and the UN barely batted an eye at it and S Korea just rolled over and played dead… this is much the same. Turkey has all but committed an act of war against Israel and if Israel decides to puss out they will be in far worse shape then S Korea. They must step up and start killing ppl or they will be killed themselves. War will come when countries choose to bow before foreign masters… as the US, S Korea and soon Israel will likely do… All this bowing only encourages and makes these countries believe they can win a war… for the only reason to be submissive is if your weak. This weakness true or not will lead them to push and push until one side is in total control.
Anyone who knows anything about history knows this is how WW2 started… different names same goals…
I just wonder… while the eyes of the world are focused on mean, nasty ol’ Israel and poor, helpless Gaza, what else is going on that the Islamofascists don’t want anybody looking at?
Iran and its nuclear weapons, and its massive influence across the savage nations. Including Turkey which it just made arrangements with to turn into a nuclear weapon endowed state.
Why is Turkey a NATO member? Kick them out NOW.
How about fouling-up the propellers of the flotilla ships? Like dropping fishing nets buoyed with floats in front of them?
The first mistake, not necessarily with this article, is the term “peace activist” and its use to label live participants. The only peace activists have been the men and women of the IDF who have given, and continue to give, their lives to protect Israel from the demented followers of a murderous, thieving child molester and their lackeys.
Ha’aretz is a leftwing Peace Now rag and has been complicit in undermining Israel’s security for decades.
It should be treated with the same level of respect as any of these Left-wing Antisemites on those boats.
The Turkish “freedom flotilla” was a lie from the get-go. Here are some thoughts:
–The Islamist Turkish Government and its mutually-supporting “foundations” appear to have planned this thoroughly as an act of war, partly as a blockade run, and partly in the media battlespace. All protestation to the contrary by Turkish officials can be dismissed as just Taqqiyah, which is Islamic-style lying for military and religious gain.
–Stopping ships is a risky business. Nets aren’t reliable, and shooting into the engineroom can start a fire and cause casualties even if warned. Still, it makes you wonder if it would have been worse.
–Even the name of the ship is misleading. The name of the lead Turkish ship means “Blue Marmara,” as in the Marmara Sea. I guess it might be blue if you get away from the industrial areas and the sun is right. It’s interesting that Erdogan got his start in politics as the mayor of Istanbul, when he vowed to make the polluted Golden Horn waterway “as blue as my eyes.” I wonder if there is some connection here that the press is missing.
–Turkey protesting protection of an international border is as hypocritical as the President of Mexico criticizing the U.S. in how it handles illegal aliens. Only today has Turkey announced it will civilianize its border control and immigration agencies, which are currently under the military branches of the Gendarmes and the Coast Guard. The image of Turkey can only suffer when its handling of its own borders, especially in the Southeast, are examined.
Please spare me the fake outrage and clean up your own houses first.
Act like North Korea. Sink the ship, deny responsibility, no problems.
Better yet: sink the ship and then blame on North Korea.
How many other Muslims were killed that same day within the territories of the protesting countries?
How many other Muslims were killed that same day under the authority of those countries who are protesting?
Hopefully a whole bunch.
Big deal.
Live and learn – revise your tactics to suit the situation as you find it. Sorry for the soldiers though but it is a risky business.
What’s important is the Israel continue to enforce the blockade. Running that blockade just got 10X riskier.
Yesterday, I said that it was a mistake to send a helicopter to do a gunship’s job. I misunderstood the reality of things. Next time, use a torpedo.
The Israelis should have borrowed a few of those “torpedoes” the North Koreans recently used to sink a South Korean vessel. Then the Israelis could have disavowed all knowledge of the sinkings, just as the Norks have stonewalled. Who could say any different? Indeed, if the “United Nations” (a misnomer if there ever was one) won’t do anything about the Norks, they damned well better not do anything about Israel defending itself.
chicopanther
May God bless Israel and damn the Hitlerian trash that sent and rode those boats. Next time sink them all and don’t rescue any survivors. What’s more, it’s time to start shoving Gaza into Egypt. Run ‘em out and let their Muzzie “brothas” deal with them.
Could there have been a better way for the story of the “Freedom Flotilla” to end? Perhaps, and more certainly YES – if the Media’s wholly bogus story narrative of a “Freedom Flotilla” staffed by “peace Activists” were thoroughly dismantled and repudiated. But the Media continues its deliberate obfuscation and mis-characterization.
Clearly the operation chief understood that he had been suckered completely. His humane approach of not disabling the ship’s engines and towing the ship to port was rejected in favor of an approach that would not risk potential problems with food and water for those aboard. Big mistake.
However, next time expect infants and pregnant mothers accompanying the fighters as human shields. That way, there will some good deaths for the press when the ship is slowly towed ashore.
Congradulations to my Jewish brothers. You are the bravest of the brave. The best of the best. Thankyou for keeping Israel safe for me and family so that we may return – as we soon will be banished form every other place on this earth by the good and just humans that populate it. God help humanity. It’s about to happen again.
Not everyone is against Israel –
an old German -
Next time force the people into lifeboats and let the UN or Nato pick them up. Use the ships as target practice, or scuttle them in Gaza harbours.
Yes there is bad news and yes there is still surprising sympathy for Islamocists in a Post 911, Madrid bombing, attempted Times Square bombing, etc. etc. etc. world but there is also something else that is quite heartening is that there is a counter-reaction and not just a pro-Israel reaction. Too many people throughout the world are affected by actions such as the “peace flotilla” and wish to gain the ability to counter strike when they get into the Islamocist crosshairs. Its important for people who resist this terror to stand together in any way possible and make it clear that whenever these events happen anywhere in world the Islamicists will pay a price somewhere and somehow even if they get an immediate media victory.
As for Israel they should start paying extra attention to the European sympathizers who participate in things like the “peace flotilla”. They should look whether these people have a family history of active anti-semitism (it is Europe we are talking about here after all) and if so take that into account as intent and sentence accordingly. Life sentences in solitary confinement might just send a message.
Ms Sommer,
The ultimate objective of this exercise for the Leftie-Islamist “Red-Green Alliance” is to smuggle an Iranian nuclear weapon into Gaza to be fired at Ashkelon.
Iran and its lefty friends will try this over and over until Israel starts killing them all.
See:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cf645e98-6da9-11df-b5c9-00144feabdc0.html
“The Free Gaza Movement, one of the organisers of the flotilla, pledged a new attempt to run the embargo on Gaza. Audrey Bomse, a spokeswoman for the group, said the MV Rachel Corrie could reach Gaza “in the next four days”. The ship is owned by the Irish Free Gaza movement and carrying a number of Irish citizens, and Dublin called on Israel to allow it to deliver its cargo unimpeded.”
When the other side wants an incident, and is ready to die, just kill them all and ask for more.
They will run out of volunteers before you run out of bullets.
All Israel has to do is exercise its will to apply the firepower.
By now most Israelis realize that our Left wing media will always bitterly criticize any and everything the present government does and make up man in the street quotes to bolster their case.
Indeed about the only Israeli government policies the media in Israel support are those that endanger Israelis and empower our enemies, policies like the Oslo Accords, the Lebanon Withdrawal Debacle, or the Sharon Ethnic Cleansing of Jews from the Gaza Strip.
And in case anyone is curious, the Sharon Ethnic Cleansing of Jews from the Gaza Strip can be said to be what led directly to the Gaza Flotilla and it’s subsequent confrontation with Israeli forces.
Bad policy decisions always have bad consequences!
Check a column by Caroline Glick, editor of the Jerusalem Post on Jan l5, 2010. She records the activities of Code Pink headed by Jodie Evans who led 1,300 activists to Egypt to “support” the Palestinians. They tried to hold demonstrations in Egypt but were prevented by the Egyptian government. Of the 1,300 “activists” only 100 were permitted to go to Gaza. There the 100 were also detained. Their activities were restricted to the authority of Hamas. They were not at all allowed to consult with the Palestinian population, not even with Palestinian women. That’s strange since code pink (really red) is a feminist outfit. Jodie Evans has access to President Obama. Also included in the fiasco was Bill (gives himself) Ayres, and Bernadine Dohrn. It was a pure public relations operation and had nothing to do with the Palestinian population.
How about clearing upper deck with water cannon right before soldiers’ landing?
This “flotilla” is a weapon of war, both the physical and propaganda wars waged by Israel’s enemies, so it is about time to treat this action as an act of war, and respond swiftly and decisively.
Get rid of the coward Barak and put in someone who knows how to “kick ass and take names” and then jail or kill the perps. Hey, Rahm “The Ballerina from Chicago” Emanuel might make a good, strong leader. Oh,so sorry. I’m thinking of his father who fought Israel’s enemies, did not make nice with them and would not have kissed fearless leader Obie Wonton KnowNothing’s butt.
It is war, stupid!