ISRAEL: Officials brace for the Gaza flotilla, with the navy — and PR

Nine ships sailing from various destinations, including Ireland, Turkey and Greece, are headed toward a Mediterranean meeting point from which they will set sail for the Gaza Strip. Carrying 700-800 passengers, including members of parliament from Europe, the so-called Freedom Flotilla intends to break through the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza and deliver 10,000 tons of aid.

Huwaida Arraf of Free Gaza says the campaign will challenge Israel's blockade, which she called illegal. Israel's policies vis-a-vis Gaza are criminal and immoral, she said at a port in Crete on Wednesday, "and it's about time the international community broke its silence."  

Israeli Foreign Ministry officials had met with the relevant European ambassadors to ask them to stop the ships. They said they'd do their best. The ships sailed anyway.

A PR battle on the high seas was born.

Israel denies accusations from humanitarian groups about conditions in Gaza. The army has compiled a summary of the blockade measures, detailing the routine transfer of goods and emphasizing that its operations, including the maritime closure, are designed to thwart terrorism and prevent weapons smuggling.

The Foreign Ministry issued a similar report. "The Israeli humanitarian lifeline to Gaza" describes the transfer of more than a million tons of humanitarian supplies to Gaza in the last year and a half. The ministry website also posted an interview with one of its legal experts on the subjects of the naval blockade and aid.

Israel calls the campaign a provocation, designed only to embarrass the country.

"Israel has invited the flotilla organizers to use the land crossings ... however, they're less interested in bringing in aid than promoting their radical agenda and playing into the hands of Hamas provocations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said in a video on YouTube and the ministry's website. The organizers have "wrapped themselves in a humanitarian cloak but engage in political propaganda," he said.

Ships are on the move, and so is Israel's approach, which took a sarcastic tone Wednesday when the government media office said it was "pleased" to bring to the attention of the journalists "covering alleged humanitarian difficulties in the Hamas run territory" the menu of the Roots Club and Restaurant in Gaza. "We have been told that the beef stroganoff and cream of spinach soup are highly recommended," read the e-mail to journalists.

The Israeli navy has been instructed to block the ships, taking them over if necessary. A drill on intercepting vessels and detaining passengers was carried out, and soldiers have been instructed to "act sensibly and avoid provocations," it was reported Wednesday. The army says it intends to transfer the aid aboard the ships to Gaza, after security inspections of the cargo.

Haneen Zoaby, an Arab member of the Israeli parliament who is aboard one of the ships, told reporters that she hopes the navy "doesn't do something foolish like fire at us." But she said that even if it does, they are "determined to break the siege."  

And there's an Israeli among the organizers too -- Dror Feiler. 

In an interview with Israel Radio, he said he's considered the various scenarios: "Either they take over our ships and force us to come to Ashdod, or intercept and sink us — or we'll make it to Gaza. If we make it, we will have broken the siege. If they sink us, they will be showing the true face of a country gone insane. And if they force us into Ashdod, then they will be exactly like pirates in the Gulf of Aden . . . they'll be the new pirates of the Mediterranean."

Guy Bechor, a Middle East expert, didn't wait to see how things turn out. All scenarios would be a win for the organizers and for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who gave his blessing to the sailing, he wrote on his Hebrew-language website a few weeks ago. Bechor suggested Israelis set out with a counter-flotilla and a few accusations of their own. The army denied Israeli protesters permission to approach the international flotilla so the campaign held a one-day protest sail on Saturday, with 30 boats and yachts.

Turkey, whose relations with Israel have soured since the Gaza invasion in 2008-2009, has played a key role in the flotilla campaign, organized by IHH, a Turkish humanitarian organization, among others.  Before the sail, Bechor had a message for Erdogan: "If you want to turn Turkey into an Islamic caliphate, that's your business. Don't use Israel for it."

-- Batsheva Sobelman in Jerusalem

Comments

[kassandra]

The comparison to the Somali pirates does an injustice to the Somalis. The Somali pirates are not state-sponsored. The Israeli pirates are sponsored by the State of Israel. The Somali pirates do not murder unarmed civilians. The Israelis have made a habit of murdering unarmed civilians, nothing new about that

[Ryan R.]

LA times: How dare you post that youtube link of that clearly one sided man? It's hilarious how he bring up IRAN in a situation and controversy between an INTERNATIONAL convoy and the Israeli Navy. It has nothing to do with Iran. So leave them out of it. Your double standards are so blatant. How dare you claim Israel is a scapegoat, when in fact your scapegoating the Turkish PM at the same time.

What we have here is truth. The flotilla that was raided should not have been raided. It was international waters. Israel has ONCE AGAIN, went beyond their bounds. Shame. Shame. EFFING Shame.

[sistematix]

hey doesnt IDF always has the right to kill everyone...remember tom hurndall, rachel corrie.., and dont you even protest on this, or they will call you an anti semit, a holocaust denier watsoever..they own the media..and pay some ignorance dick head to fill any blank comments on the web, giving you a ridiculous reason to justify this inhuman action

[ABG]

Funny how you're not complaining about Egypt maintaining a blockade of goods, Allan. About twice as funny as you buying the line that the Israeli land crossing into Gaza lets in thousands of tons of humanitarian supplies a week is simply PR.

Meanwhile, organizers of the flotilla could have garnered some positive Israeli press if they made an effort to talk to Hamas about letting the Red Cross visit Gilad Shalit, held captive in a Gaza basement with no outside visitors for over 4 years, which is, by the way, completely illegal. Instead, they (publicly) shot that down. As was shooting missiles into sovereign Israel. (Did you know that Sderot was part of the original 1947 U.N. mandated split?) Naturally, it's those missiles and Shalit's kidnapping that led to the blockade, but you don't care about the facts. You only care about Israel perceived by the public as a monster. The size of Rhode Island and the victim of thousands of terror attacks and routine politcal and religious castigation, nothing they say or do will ever be good enough for you.

In other words, Allan, your concern means so little since you obviously don't care about the entire situation. Your misapplied frustration is no one's fault but your own. May you never see peace in the Middle East. Amen.

[Joe]

Judas Ben Israel you ignorant fool!!!

Why don't you look at the video again of the supposed sumptuous feast in the restaurant!! It shows ABBAS!!! eating at one of the tables.

Tell me you ignorant Zionist cretin when was ABBAS last in Gaza!

Zionists the world's best liars, thieves and killers.

[allan]

Arguments that flotilla organizers are only out to confront Israel are beside the point and ignore the longer story here.

That is the illegal blockade of Palestine by sea, which the flotilla plans to challenge. Those folks have every right to do as they do and Israel will be engaging in criminal actions once again if it in any way stops or harms any of them.

As sad as it is I have to laugh at the suggestion of one Israeli poster, who had to nerve to argue protesters should
go "through the proper channels."

Please, when is the last time Israel went through the proper channals and actually abided by rulings set by the proper channels (the UN)"?

[michal]

The flotilla is missing the entire point!

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

[Maui Pete]

Its quite simple. Sail to Egypt and run the goods over to Gaza from Egypt. What's that? Unlike Israel, Egypt won't allow anything across their border with Gaza? Funny the media forgot about that.

[Arnold Handelman]

It is established in international law that a blockade of an enemy is not illegal. As recently as a few days ago Gaza fired rockets at Israel. Therefore there is a de facto state of war between Gaza and Israel. The blockade is legal, and is being carried out in a humane way.

[Larry B]

Why doesn't the Turkish Prime Minister try to break the thick steel wall that Egypt is building to block smugling into Gaza? Why doesn't the international left protest against Egypt? They are hypocites. England goes to war half way around the world killing untold number of civilians, and yet Afghanastan has never fired one rocket onto English soil. Israel withdrew from Gaza and got rockets as a thank you - all that BEFORE the blockade was initiated.

[Oh Mind]

We as a nation would not put up being in a huge open air prison like those in Gaza, we would not allow a foreign nation to control most of our water and we would not accept the theft of natural gas in our nation's waters. We would not accept our farmers' lands being taken or our farmers being beaten. We would not accept the destruction of and theft of fishing boats or the hosing down of fisherman with high-powered fire hoses. We would not accept our most sacred trees being uprooted and taken for a bank or govt building of another occupying force. We would not accept curfews where we could be shot, thousands imprisoned and nearly 20,000 homes destroyed. These, most countries consider are indeed acts of war. The fact is none of us Americans would put up with the way Israelis treat Palestinians at checkpoints for hours. This is Apartheid worse than South Africa.

My Jewish friends and I worked together to learn what is really going on there. We were surprise as the press made us think the Israelis were in the position of the Palestinians. We thought the conflict would be equal. It is not the case. We are talking about the second or third strongest army in the world against a non-army.

This is an Israeli Captain Shapira telling it as it is. He is a hero for the world:
http://www.justpeacemideast.org/#IDFCaptShapira

Oh, as a country, we need to wake up. People, please wake up.

[Oh Mind]

We as a nation and world need to know what the truth of where are tax dollars go in Israel. The only way to do this is to get news from outside of most media outlets.

Please watch the film the Untold Story below. You will know more than 95% of American Citizens about what is going on in Israel/Palestine. We are Jewish Americans and others who made this film. Also look at the map on the same site. When you see that Israel has now nearly 95% or 97% of the land you see the truth of what this is about.

This video with a Holocaust survivor’s grandson gives a 14 minute summary entirely based on facts and not rhetoric.

http://www.justpeacemideast.org/#UntoldStory

May you grow in your wish to liberate both sides in this conflict over land and resources as both sides are suffering.

[Greta Berlin]

If you want to watch the real story, go to www.witnessgaza.com

[Jehudah Ben-Israel]

GPO advises foreign journalists on luxurious Gaza restaurant: Move part of bid to stir awareness of anti-Israeli slant.

In a bid to stir awareness of anti-Israeli slants in foreign media coverage of Gaza, the Government Press Office sent an e-mail on Wednesday to members of the Foreign Press Association in Israel containing a guide to a luxurious restaurant in the Strip and a recently opened Olympic-sized pool.

The e-mail was based on a recent dispatch by journalist and commentator Tom Gross, in which he highlighted what he described as “the manipulative agenda of the BBC and other foreign media agencies.”

In the dispatch, sent on Tuesday, Gross added that much of the foreign media coverage was “deliberately misleading global audiences and systematically creating the false impression that people are somehow starving in Gaza, and that it is all Israel’s fault.”

Gross sent the dispatch ahead of the imminent arrival of a flotilla of boats carrying pro-Palestinian activists attempting to reach Gaza to deliver what they say is humanitarian aid to the Gazan people.

“In anticipation of foreign correspondents traveling to Gaza to cover reports of alleged humanitarian difficulties in the Hamas-run territory, and as part of efforts to facilitate the work of journalists in the region, the Government Press Office is pleased to bring to your attention the attached menu and information for the Roots Club and Restaurant in Gaza,” the GPO missive read.

“We have been told the beef stroganoff and cream of spinach soup are highly recommended. You may wish to enquire of a possible discount upon presentation of a valid press card. There is also the possibility of an enjoyable evening on the Greens Terrace Garden Cafe, which serves ‘eclectic food and fresh cocktails,’” it continued.

“Correspondents may also wish to enjoy a swim at the new Olympic size swimming pool as reported in the Palestinian media to have been opened last week,” the e-mail said.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, Seaman said he not surprised to receive several outraged responses from foreign journalists.

“Those who act as spokespeople for Palestinian propaganda were furious with self-righteous indignation and were angry,” Seaman said. “This was to be expected.”

“There is much hypocrisy in the coverage by international media of Gaza, and unfortunately, to some extent, the Israeli media plays a part in it. We are receiving political, slanted coverage. This message could help them wake up and do a better job,” he added.

“The same journalists who constantly point a finger at Israel were outraged by this. One journalist asked me in response, ‘don’t you have rich and poor areas [in Gaza] like everywhere else?’ I responded by asking her, ‘Why don’t you write about the affluent parts of Gaza?”

Seaman stressed that his aim was to “make it possible to bring a few facts about other realities in Gaza to come to light, beyond the agenda that some members of the foreign press keep pumping out.”

Seaman added that over the past week, Israel has released a number of press statements from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories highlighting humanitarian aid which had been delivered by Israel to Gaza.

“These get very little exposure in the foreign media,” he said. “I assume this [e-mail] will get more mention.”

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=176595

[Jehudah Ben-Israel]

The intent of the "activists" - supporters of the Islamist Hamas international terror organization of course - is not to deliver goods to Gaza but rather to generate a confrontation with Israel.

If they really cared about the people of Gaza, they could have delivered the very same goods through the existing channels, either through Israel or through Egypt, both of which countries border with Gaza and through both goods, e.g. food, clothing, hardware, electricity, water, petrol, are passed regularly.

But going through the proper channels would not generate the TV pictures these "activists" seek, thus the "flotilla" that would connect with those whose goal has been the annihilation of the nation-state of the Jewish people and with it all traces of Jewish life in it.