New Gaza flotilla on the way

[Watser?]

Actually I'm not sure if two ships can be called a flotilla. Anyway, two ships sailed from Turkey with international and Palestinian activists on board:

The event, called ‘Freedom Waves for Gaza’, unites 27 activists from 9 countries, including America, Canada, Denmark, Belgium, Germany and Australia, alongside Palestinians from Bethlehem and Haifa, in a broad-based international movement to break Israel’s illegal and immoral suffocation of the 1.6 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. The Irish yacht Saoirse (Freedom), which carries 15 activists, and the Canadian boat Tahrir (Liberation), which holds 12, will attempt to carry $30,000 in medical supplies beyond the Israeli blockade later this week. ‘Freedom Waves for Gaza’ is the 11th attempt by international activists to deliver humanitarian aid through the Israeli blockade of Gaza since 2008.

Freedom Waves to Gaza

Sucks for the Israelis who were just planning a frischer, fröhlicher Krieg on Iran to banish the topic of Palestine from the front pages: Netanyahu trying to persuade cabinet to support attack on Iran, Lieberman: Iran poses most dangerous threat to world order, Are Israel's military drills preparation for an Iran strike

[Watser?]

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Voices from the Secret International Flotilla Now Sailing to Gaza

[SR71]

Ooofta. Man, the entire situation, I just never know what to think, it just causes such a maelstrom of conflicting and contradictory emotions and thoughts. Simultaneously angry and sympathetic with all of the parties involved, never really sure where to stand on the issues. It's as if the world's greatest strategists had a meeting to concoct the most intractable Gordian knot of a nightmare impasse achievable by mankind. I'm reduced to saying things like, yeah, I sure wish they could work things out. It is just awful.

"frischer, frohlicher Krieg"! LOLS!! Let's hope not.

[Watser?]

You may benefit from the Netanyahu Guide to Middle East peace:

[SR71]

Yes, this is and has been one of the main, but not only, sources of my consternation with Israel. They just will not get off of it. Even many Israelis want it to end, I think I heard somewhere.

[Dingfod]

Will the Turkish Navy protect the flotilla as promised?

[Watser?]

As far as I can tell they won't.

[Watser?]

Originally Posted by SR71

Yes, this is and has been one of the main, but not only, sources of my consternation with Israel. They just will not get off of it. Even many Israelis want it to end, I think I heard somewhere.

They'd better hurry and do something then, it is almost too late for a two-state solution as Israel keeps eating the pie while claiming they want to negotiate about dividing the pie. Palestinians will soon start demanding citizenship in a post-Apartheid state for both Jews and Arabs.

[Watser?]

Well, at least on the Iran war Israelis have been waking up. Israeli media have been vehemently denouncing the war plans (of course the US media are useless as usual):

A storm of protest has arisen against a plan by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. This has been the Israeli media’s finest hour, and it started with a great journalist’s column.

In all the rising volume over Netanyahu and Barak’s plot to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilties, by far the most important sound in the air is silence – the silence of the heads of the IDF, IDF Intelligence, Mossad and Shin Bet. In his Friday column that broke it all open, Nahum Barnea wrote in Yediot Aharonot that the four security/intelligence chiefs – Benny Gantz (IDF), Aviv Cochavi (IDF Intelligence), Tamir Pardo (Mossad) and Yoram Cohen (Shin Bet) were all opposed to an attack. Since then, none of them have denied it, none of them or “sources close to” them have said a word. Which means it’s confirmed – all four leaders of Israel’s professional military-intelligence establishment are against bombing Iran.

Which means it ain’t gonna happen, at least not until further notice. The prime minister and defense minister can’t overrule the unanimous opinion of Israel’s war council – especially when all four of their immediate predecessors, led by ex-Mossad chief Meir Dagan, are also against it.

Finally, Iran plan wakes Israel up to “the Israeli threat”

[Watser?]

Ok, so the flotilla was stopped by the Israelis (of course) in international waters (of course) and the Israelis claimed the takeover was peaceful. Not so much:

“The whole takeover [of the Saoirse by Israeli naval authorities] took about three hours”, claims Lane. “It began with Israeli forces hosing down the boats with high pressure hoses and pointing guns at the passengers through the windows. I was hosed down the stairs of the boat. Windows were smashed and the bridge of the boat nearly caught fire. The boats were corralled to such an extent that the two boats, the Saoirse and the Tahrir, collided with each other and were damaged, with most of the damage happening to the MV Saoirse. The boats nearly sank. The method used in the takeover was dangerous to human life.”

And then:

As reports of Israeli military violence leaked throughout the weekend, an international group of hackers named Anonymous released a video threatening retaliation against “a clear sign of piracy on the high seas.” The ‘Open Letter from Anonymous to the Government of Israel’ was pointed in its critique- “your actions”, it claimed, “are illegal, against democracy, human rights, international and maritime laws”, and an example of “justifying war, murder, illegal interception and pirate-like activities under an illegal cover of defense” which “will not go unnoticed by us or the people of the world”. Anonymous, which has temporarily disabled many web sites in past publicized acts of moral retribution, further threatened that “if you continue blocking humanitarian vessels to Gaza or repeat the dreadful actions of May 31st 2010 against any Gaza Freedom Flotillas, you will leave us no choice but to strike back, again and again, until you stop….we do not forget, we do not forgive. Expect us.”

A day later, Haaretz reported that “the websites of the IDF, Mossad and the Shin Bet security services were down”, likely due to an Anonymous cyber-attack. Hours later, however, the Israeli government released a statement on Facebook claiming that the websites were down "due to a systematic malfunction of the servers”, denying that Anonymous was behind the crash1. It is highly unlikely, however, for this shutdown to follow so soon after Anonymous’s threat as a matter of pure coincidence.

Freedom Waves prisoners abused and imprisoned; ‘Anonymous’ hackers strike back

[Watser?]

Senior brass have told Ynet they were “deeply satisfied” with the results of the operation, though they admit that the success was also derived from “the passivity of the 27 activists.” Which is to say, the IDF is satisfied that when its armed forces met unarmed activists, it managed to carry out a routine mission, as they did not bother to resist. The IDF also notes that the reason there were no casualties is because the lessons of the earlier flotillas were implemented, and the troops were strictly ordered not to use violence against the (again, passive) activists. One assumes that without those orders, and the presence of no less than an admiral on the scene, the passive activists would have suffered some violence. This, to say it mildly, is not very encouraging.

With latest flotilla, IDF celebrates overcoming passive activists

[SR71]

[quote=Watser?;1001541]Well, at least on the Iran war Israelis have been waking up. Israeli media have been vehemently denouncing the war plans (of course the US media are useless as usual):

A storm of protest has arisen against a plan by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. This has been the Israeli media’s finest hour, and it started with a great journalist’s column.

The thanks button just won't do it. I don't have anything to add except thanks for putting this out here. It was so satisfying to read. Let's all opt for peace.