Hamas understood in advance that attacking Israeli civilians would provoke Israeli response and no condemnation of the Arab league would defend the Strip. Realizing political winds around the world, though – UN in particular – Ismayil Haniyeh, Hamas’ leader in Gaza believed he could terrorize Israelis, scoring points with his superiors and some neighbors, while suffering relatively little to no damage.

Haniyeh understands that leveraging international press – as well as bodies such as the United Nations and the Arab League – is a cinch; on all previous occasions, the international community was quick to call upon Israel to halt counter-operations in Gaza. The talk of a cease-fire is no more than a ruse to leave the scene unscathed, after achieving Hamas’ goals.

When Hamas declares another lull – which never is what Hamas claims it to be – Israel will have two options. Either abide by the newly set game rules, hence suffering political defeat vis-à-vis Gaza, or continue the armed campaign. The latter option is also split into two: either Israel keeps destroying Gazan targets from the air (mostly an ineffective tactic) or it moves into Gaza with armed forces, an operation similar to 2008-09 operation Cast Lead.

Haniyeh calculated that whatever path Israel chooses, Hamas wins. If Israel halts its attacks, Hamas claims it won the battle. If Israel keeps bombarding the area, each civilian casualty (real or invented by Palestinian press handlers) plays against the Jewish state. And, finally, if Israel moves into Gaza with ground forces, Gaza’s ruler is confident the Israelis will not cause significant damage to Hamas’ infrastructure, learning his lessons from past experiences.

Iranians with their pets. This photo has been published by the free Iranian press in exile.

The decision was made by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

The fatwa was issued as a Press release on Tuesday by Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, from the the ministry’s Advertisement and Information Dissemination Office (AIDO).

- Based on his response, publishing any advertisement about keeping, buying, and selling pets is forbidden, AIDO Director Alireza Karimi said.

In addition, ads promoting pet foods and shops selling pet accessories, especially for cats and dogs, have been banned by the fatwa, he added.

Karimi demanded that all the various media outlets decline to publish the above-mentioned ads. Based on shariah, a dog is essentially unclean.

Keeping pets, especially dogs and cats, has become remarkably common among Iranians, particularly those living in metropolitan areas. Police have been assigned the task of stopping people from walking in public or driving with their pets.

Months ago, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi was asked a question about the cleanliness of dogs in shariah. Such a question, called an istifta, is a request by someone for a fatwa, a ruling based on shariah.

The istifta inquired why is a dog considered unclean under shariah despite a lack of any references to dogs in the Holy Quran.

In his response to the istifta, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi emphasized that under shariah, dogs are indeed considered unclean. He said the uncleanliness of dogs is based upon riwayahs, reliable narrations handed down from the Prophet Muhammad (S) and his household (AS).

He described the current Iranian inclination toward dogs as “blindly imitating the West”; something that he believes will result in “evil outcomes.”

“Many people in the West love their dogs more than their wives and children,” he stated.

Source: Iranian News agencies.

My comment:

The Bibles says the deceivers will go from bad to worse, deceiving them selves and their listeners.

What good can the Islamic culture bring to the free and democratic nations in the West?

If the Iranian people do not get rid of this totalitarian corrupt, and evil Islamic regime, their leaders will not only rob them for their pets. The Iranian people will be robed for their peace of mind, and eventually the salvation that is available for for all who obey Jesus of Nazareth.

Each and every day, Israel’s very existence is at stake – John Boehner.

The Free Gaza organization is providing military assistance to Hamas by attempting to break the Israeli blockade while Hamas continues its attacks on Israeli civilians, Darshan-Leitner said. In doing so, it is taking part in attacking a state friendly to America – a violation of the U.S. Neutrality Act (18 U.S.C. 960).

The Neutrality Act states, “Whoever, within the United States, knowingly begins or sets on foot or provides or prepares a means for or furnishes the money for, or takes part in, any military or naval expedition or enterprise to be carried on from thence against the territory or dominion of any foreign prince or state, or of any colony, district, or people with whom the United States is at peace, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both." ( Channel 7 News )

FREE GAZA IS known for its anti-Israel stand. As the group set sail for Gaza, it was asked to transfer a package to Israeli POW Gilad Shalit, in exchange for Shalit family’s official support for the sail. The group refused. Later, the group posted a set of testimonies of their website, calling them ‘Survivor testimonies’. According to the radical group, IDF soldiers used violence on all ships, although no evidence of such on vessels other than Mavi Marmara was produces. Moreover, all testimonies discard IDF-posted videos and pictures, illustrating heavily skewed picture. Among other things, the activists claimed the soldiers used live fire prior to landing on the ship and at the moment of touchdown itself. However, Free Gaza failed to explain why its activists are seen strolling on all decks of Mavi Marmara, if the ship was indeed under live fire.

On its Flickr photo stream, the group published most flattering images of themselves, picturing the activists caring for the injured soldiers. Missing from the stream are other pictures – where troops are seen injured, on the floor, with persons holding them at knifepoint. It is propaganda at its best.

Best testimony to Free Gaza’s fervent anti-Israel stance is the GPS map posted on its co-website, WitnessGaza:

The map fully ignores Israel (as well as the West Bank and Gaza, for that matter), but details borders and cities in Jordan and Lebanon. The logo promoting the website is a blunt propaganda, showing IDF troops assaulting the ships (from Mi-26, surprisingly), with activists pulling the injured. Unsurprisingly, there’s no evidence of relentless beating the soldiers endured onboard.

In the meanwhile, Israel seems to enjoy support in the United States, an additional incentive for Eric Holder, who constantly takes flak over various issues and enjoys relatively little popularity among the American people.

In a most recent expression of such support, Democrat John Kerry countered critics’ accusations of Israel being a ‘liability’ for the US. Democrat Chuck Schumer sent a letter to US Secretary of State Clinton, asking the State Department to investigate linkage between organizations backing the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ and various terror groups:

Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a key player in US President Barack Obama’s foreign policy, said that "there are obviously tensions with respect to certain policies" but that Israel "has every right in the world to make certain that weapons are not being smuggled in after the thousands of rockets that have been fired on it from Gaza."

…

Schumer demanded that the adminisration examine whether IHH provided financial, logistic and material support to any organization included the State Department’s list of terror groups.
According to the senator, IHH funded terror organizations and send rebels to fight in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Chechnya. He also called for a probe into a French judge’s claim that IHH was involved in an attempt to bomb the Los Angeles Airport in late 1999. ( Ynet )

Fueling further backing of Israeli by Obama administration, recent Rasmussen poll shows only 19% of Americans believing Israel should bear blame for grave outcome of IDF’s Marmara boarding. 32% were not sure, while staggering 49% defended Israel’s actions.

MK Chanin Zouabi from Israeli Palestinian BALAD faction should lose her diplomatic passport, special travel rights abroad and free legal council, recommends parliamentary commission investigating Zouabi’s participation in a violent attack against IDF troops on board a ship heading to Gaza:

The vote was 7-1, with only MK Ilan Gil’on of Meretz voting against. The full Knesset must now vote on the committee’s recommendation. "We are pushing for it to take place quickly," Ben-Ari’s parliamentary aide Baruch Marzel told Israel National News. "It’s a good atmosphere." MKs Ben-Ari, Moses (United Torah Judaism) and others drank a L’Chaim after the vote. (Channel 7 News)

Extremist elements in Israeli society upped the stakes, sending threatening letters and death threats against Israeli Palestinian MKs:

Knesset Member Talab El-Sana (United Arab List-Ta’al) says he was verbally attacked by a guest in the Knesset building on Monday. Earlier, El-Sana received threatening messages on his phone and a fax reading, "You are dead." (Ynet)

"Because of your poisonous positions against Israel and Zionism,” the letter said, “the organization’s management has issued a Pulsa Dinura against you.”

"You have 180 days left to live. Your death will be sudden and cruel, accompanied by much pain… It is time that you prepare your will.”

Tibi said that “the incitement by right wing Knesset members is the reason for the threats, and right wing Knesset members will bear responsibility for any harm inflicted upon me or or any of my Arab colleagues in the Knesset.” He filed a complaint with the Knesset Officer. (Channel 7 News)

DURING PAST WEEK, many Israelis expressed their outrage over Israeli Palestinian MKs’ support of violent rioters on board Mavi Marmara, as well as support for Palestinian ‘resistance movement’. Recently, MK Ahmad Tibi threatened Israelis, saying Gilad Shalit’s kidnapping conditions to suffer if Jewish government would decide to worsen Hamas prisoners’ conditions in Israeli jails:

His denial notwithstanding, video shows that in an interview Sunday with Channel 1 Television’s Uri Levy, MK Tibi said: “Just as you are putting pressure on the prisoners in the jails we will put pressure on Gilad Shalit.” Tibi did not say whom he was referring to by “we” but the only possible explanation seems to be that he was speaking for Hamas, the terror organization holding captured Israeli soldier First Sergeant Gilad Shalit for close to four years.

The fact that his utterance was broadcast on television and is freely available for viewing and listening did not prevent Tibi from denying he ever said it, in a speech Wednesday from the Knesset podium. (Channel 7 News)

Israeli Jews feel threatened by the Palestinian minority, which assisted Palestinian terror during the past decade. On more than one occasions, Palestinians carrying Israeli IDs helped suicide bombers arrive at their destinations inside the ‘Green Line’, prompting IDF and the government to make extraordinary steps such as constructing the separation barrier.

Israeli Palestinian MKs’ fiery ‘fascist’ rhetoric never did them any good among Jewish population. However, radical speeches certainly keep their popularity high among Palestinians – target audience of the speakers.

Turkish ‘peace activists’ attempted to further humiliate Israeli ‘Flotilla 13’ soldiers, by underscoring that the soldiers felt threatened and feared for their lives:

One of the activists, who identified himself as Mahir Tan, said, "The three Israeli commandoes were helpless in our hands, the lives of these children were at our discretion."

…

"As a former commando I could have used the weapon in a skilled manner, but because we were the defenders of the ship, we didn’t do it. I took the gun, unloaded it and kept it as proof to Israel’s villainy – and that they intended to kill me," he added.

…

"They looked at us, and thought we were about to kill them, but then we let them go," he said.

(Ynet)

KENNETH O’KEEFE, AN activist on board the ship – identified by the IDF as having terror ties – then went on to make a statement worth mentioning:

"I took one of their guns, and another activist grabbed him. He had a 9mm gun. We didn’t use the weapons against the Israeli soldiers. I unloaded the magazine and took out the bullets – we didn’t come here to fight," he said.

It is interesting to note that O’Keefe is a former marine and has experience with firearms. It is interesting that he mentioned the caliber of the firearm, as IDF claimed the troops used ammunition different from the standard 9mm bullets. With this particular statement, O’Keefe attempts to promote his own version of events, by claiming the Israelis lied about the arms used on the ship.

Turksih Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan criticized release of the images released by the IHH, showing injured IDF soldiers, claiming the photographs harm Turkey’s image, while Israeli authorities released a statement saying the images proved that some soldiers were kidnapped by the rioters on board Mavi Marmara. However, he went on and continued verbal attack on Israel, stating today that the Jewish state should ‘put an end to the occupation of Arab lands’. Now that we know Erdogan aligns himself tightly with terror groups such as Hamas, we can only imagine that by ‘Arab lands’ he means same as they do – a ‘Palestine’ from Jordan river to the Mediterranean. Erdogan made the statements during joint press conference with Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, further pitching himself against the Western world. Assad himself made steps to kiss Erdogan’s rear end, saying Syria is ‘about actions’. Hopefully for himself, Erdogan remembers that in past conflicts with Israel, Syria promised much but did little, costing Egypt the Sinai Peninsula and effectively helping Jordan lose control of the West Bank.

“Hamas, the opponents of Arafat, the opponents of peace, urged a boycott of the election, and yet there was an 85 percent turnout where Hamas is supposed to be strong. Isn’t that really quite incredible?” — Warren Christopher.

They stepped out onto the deck and sat in a neat line. The captain escorted several men and told them to join the group. The boats were very close now. People on the deck felt calm, however, despite their adversaries’ olive-green uniforms and military gear. They knew that as long as they kept their hands to themselves, they will be spared any abuse.

Thus, passengers of infamous vessel Rachel Corrie offered no violent resistance to the IDF soldiers and – according to military sources – cooperated with the boarding troops. Soon enough, the soldiers – now in control of the boat – brought Corrie to the Ashdod port, where passengers, as well as the cargo, were offloaded. Israeli officials even praised the activists, hailing their non-violent protest. Sadly, the cargo will have to wait, as Hamas government bars entry of ‘Freedom Flotilla’s goods into the Gaza Strip – a curious occurrence in itself, as Hamas claims people literally die on Gaza streets. Where is the empathy?

The empathy is left down in the sea, with the propaganda. Hamas isn’t the only movement which denies Gazans’ access to aid – so is Free Gaza, the movement that allegedly champions Palestinian cause and risks own lives (or, should I say, lives of others) to promote radical agenda, as illustrated by IDF’s most recent audio clip. In it, Israeli Navy officers attempt to resolve Rachel Corrie standoff peacefully, without the need to border the ship. Moreover, the Israeli Defense Force offers transfer of the goods into Gaza by an independent NGOs – not the army – yet, Free Gaza activists decline the offer. I guess it’s better for the aid to rot at the border.

Expectedly, Free Gaza crowd receives support from some of the most radical elements around the world – from Hamas to Turkey to Iran. Some reports went as far as claim Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan might himself visit Gaza to personally break the blockade – a circus we’d all love to see (the report was later dismissed by Turkish officials). Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offered (no political play here, of course) the Revolutionary Guards to escort future ‘Freedom Flotilla’ convoys – a spectacular view no doubt. Iran’s tactic at sea, you might remember from its recent exercises, is use of multiple very small rocket boats to swarm and attack its target. It is likely those could be easily destroyed by the Israeli Air Force.

Israeli authorities say they’ve uncovered terrorist support for the flotilla, as some ‘peace activists’ arrested on board Mavi Marmara were directly involved with terror activities, such as funding or training terror groups. And last – but not least – German Jewish group just announced they would support Free Gaza by organizing a ‘blockade-busting’ flotilla of their own. Well, ‘flotilla’ is too tough a word – scheduled for July, activists have a single boat, filled with 12 to 16 persons.

Far from politics, various sources released more information about the mess on board Mavi Marmara. First reports by Israeli sites claimed several IDF soldiers were kidnapped by Marmara crew after being beaten by ‘peace activists’. While at first critics doubted such allegations, later in the day Turkish newspaper released pictures of injured IDF soldiers, held at knifepoint by the ‘Freedom Flotilla’. The pictures further enraged Israelis and shifted somewhat opinion in the international press towards Israel’s point of view. The intent of Turkish Hurriyet was to humiliate the injured soldiers, headlining the article “Tears of a Commando”.

On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to diminish the conflict between Israel and Turkey, by diverting attention from sail’s organizers to the extremists themselves. In a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu claimed the few dozen activists who attacked the IDF soldiers on board Mavi Marmara organized and boarded the ship separately from the IHH and Free Gaza activists, thus exploiting the sail for own purposes. Turkish behavior, however, seems to counter those claims.

Despite fiery speeches and unequivocal support of local media, Turkey faced harsh criticism from some famed quarters around the world. The New York Times’ editorial, for example, snubbed Thanksgiving country’s government for going radical, saying that while extremist rhetoric might score few points for Erdogan among his people, he will find it much harder to convert his coarse language into reality:

Mr. Erdogan may find it hard to walk things back when he needs to — and he will.

(Ynet)

Erdogan, however, might already be in trouble, according to some experts, who say Erdogan’s passionate rhetoric is the result of predictions his party will lose upcoming elections next year. The analysts say Erdogan sees support for his Islamic Movement diminish, thus he attempts to restore some faith in his policies and influence the vox populi.

Erdogan and Free Gaza movement find themselves in deeper trouble, as their claims of ‘illegal blockade’ and ‘illegal raid in international waters’ is being crushed to pieces by legal experts around the world. In an interview to BBC, Douglas Guilfoyle, a maritime lawyer and a lecturer at University College London, claimed that while the issue is complex and requires thorough investigation, Israel’s actions might be within parameters set by the international law. In a Reuters Q&A, several experts claim that Israel is allowed to board vessels declaring they are about to breach an imposed blockade – even if it means boarding the ships in international waters. Moreover, Reuters says Israel’s interception of Gaza-bound ships could be applied globally, as long as ship’s declared goal is to breach Israeli-imposed blockade. The only areas where Israel cannot uphold its blockade is waters of a neutral, third-party state.

Most importantly, Turkish violence, vile allegations and demands enraged the Israelis – from IDF supporters to satirists. Several demonstrations in support of the IDF were held in Israel throughout past few days. While handful radical Left-wing activists – supported by Israeli Palestinians – marched through Tel Aviv, calling upon the government to lift blockade on Gaza, most Israelis offered explicit support for the troops and the government. With feelings of persecution rising among Israeli Jewish population, Benjamin Netanyahu managed to keep nation’s spirit strong.

Some pro-Israel NGOs and blogs take on the job to counter anti-Israel claims and press. In one post, Little Green Footballs – a blog that revealed a ‘doctored’ photo in Reuters’ report during Second Lebanon War, again encountered dubious practice by the wire service, where picture released to subscribers excluded a knife held by an ‘activist’. A slew of others stood up for Israel, such as Elder of Ziyon, CAMERA, News That Matters, Augean Stables, and many others. These blogs identified and collected much information on legal issues, as well as inaccuracies reported by Free Gaza and the likes.

To contribute to national pride, a satirical group Latmah released a video clip, based on famous song ‘We are the World’. The Israeli version – named ‘We Con the World’, has already seen over 1,100,000 views – and still rising. The video – posted four days after first report on the incident by Al Jazeera English – still surpassed the latter by 400,000 views. Turkish expressions of outrage over the clip produced no damage to its popularity.

On the other side of the activist aisle, some Israeli students set off to organize own flotilla into Turkish territory, with supplies to nations oppressed by Erdogan’s radical regime – the Armenians and the Kurds. The organizers are yet to set a date for the humanitarian mission, but claim their goal is to set sail by the end of the week.

"We thank Israel for its raid," said Omar Faruk, a member of the organization’s directorate. "We’ve become famous."

(Ynet)

I believe this quote precisely point to the insanity of the ‘activists’, who hail a victory in propaganda battle, over mourning their loss.

On the flip side, however, Israel has much to thank IHH for. As few times before, IHH’s attempt to murder IDF troops on board Mavi Marmara brought all Israelis together in their vehement support for the IDF and their country, save for Israeli Palestinians and most radical Left wingers.

I spoke to a woman today, who in the past shared with me she voted for the extremist MERETZ party. This faction is advocating conceding as much as possible to the Palestinians. Her stance, however, surprised me:

“I am Left wing and everything, but I understand we have to defend our country.”

Hers is an expression of feeling familiar to many Israelis today. With the international community viciously attacking the Jewish state and relentlessly denying it any opportunity to effectively defend itself, the Israelis feel at the brink. Many – amongst themselves – restore memories of the World War II, where peoples of Europe were slaughtered, and powerful nations stood on the sidelines.

But with fear comes strength. As during the 2008-9 operation Cast Lead, the 1982 Peace of Galilee and 1967 Six Days War, Israelis feel protective of their country and of their nation. Unlike any other people, for thousands of years Jews were the homeless person, deprived of own home. Today, more Israelis than ever stand on guard to defend homeland. And that is the greatest gift no one but the IHH – and the likes – could give the Jewish nation.

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs announced Friday that it had reached an agreement with the Israeli government on the ‘Rachel Corrie’, by which it would dock at Ashdod and submit the aid it was carrying to inspection, but that the ship’s crew had refused.

…

According to the agreement reached between the two states, the Rachel Corrie would dock at Ashdod port, where its cargo would be inspected under the supervision of UN officials.

Then the supplies, which reportedly include 550 tons of cement, would be transported to Gaza through the Erez crossing. Two crew members would accompany the transport until that point.

(Ynet)

THE ACTIVISTS ON board ‘Rachel Corrie’ said their intentions were ‘peaceful’ and said they would not resist IDF troops boarding their vessel. Hm, that reminds me of those Free Gaza activists on the six boats ‘Flotilla 13’ boarded recently – didn’t they say they were peaceful as well? And then proceeded to do this:

That looks like some real peaceful activism to me, up close and personal…

Anyway, the Israeli authorities warned the ‘Corrie’ – again – saying they were not interested in confrontation. While one could understand the move – Israel does not want to look harsh – it is likely to spark even more resentment among the ‘peaceful activists’, whose objective – among others – is to murder or injure Israelis. Seeing signs of weakness, Free Gaza crew would continue to push forward, with estimated arrival time being Saturday.

From previous statements by Free Gaza organizers, it is clear the objective is to break the blockade, not necessarily deliver the aid. And hey – Hamas are in no hurry to receive the aid themselves, as recently it was reported they declared Gaza would not permit entry of Free Gaza aid as long as group’s activists are held in Israel. If everything Free Gaza says is indeed true and people are starving on Gazan streets, what is Hamas doing, allowing its people to simply die out? I mean – what about the lack of food, lack of medicine? How cruel is that?

Well, not everything’s as simple as it looks. Danish reporter Steffen Jensen visited Gaza on Tuesday (June 1st, 2010) and discovered that while Gaza has some problems – grave problems indeed – there are no dying people on the streets, no Africa-like, hungered children. What a surprise that is…

Update 05062010 0727GMT: You can follow live updates on the ‘Rachel Corrie’ from IDF’s Twitter reporting. Most recently, the vessel ignored IDF’s second request to dock at Ashdod port.

In the past decade, the Thanksgiving country made an effort to join the European Union. For Turkey, such accession would mean additional boost for the economy, better relations with mostly prosperous Europe and an opportunity to further its influence into Europe. The European Union, in its turn, would acquire further influence in the Middle East and the Mediterranean, as well as opening own markets to 71 million consumers. The EU required Turkey to comply with quite a few conditions to join, such as enacting liberal market policies and improving Turkey’s competition policies.

Well, today it all went down the drain, when Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan aligned his country with Hamas, stating that the latter was not a terror group, but in fact a democratically-elected movement:

Speaking at a ceremony in Konya, the prime minister announced that Hamas was not a terror organization. "They won an election. You always speak of democracy, but you will not let Hamas rule. What kind of democracy is that?" he asked.

"Hamas’s resistance fighters were meant to defend their land. They won an election. I’ve told American officials before that I do not consider Hamas a terror organization, and I still don’t. They are defending their land," he was quoted by Turkish media as saying.

(Ynet)

UNSURPRISINGLY, ERDOGAN FAILED to tell his people that after Hamas indeed won elections (garnering about 40% of the vote), it proceeded to round up its opposition – Mahmoud Abbas-led Fatah faction – execute and expel them from Gaza. At the time evil Israelis opened the checkpoints to allow thousands of Fatah members and their families to run to the West Bank. After forcibly exterminating its opposition – which led to an immense rift between the two groups – Hamas progressed to imposing a strict Islamist regime in the Gaza Strip, under which music, alcohol and public express of affection is barred and punishable by jail.

Moreover, ‘democratic’ friends of Erdogan still execute people on the streets for ‘collaboration’ with Israel – a sentence where the accused has no lawyer or a right to defend self – closes NGOs and steals large sums of money from Gaza’s banks, using unpublished ‘court orders’ as pretense.

So well done, Mr. President. You have officially aligned yourself with murderers and genocidal maniacs. What does that say about your ‘Freedom Flotilla’?

• Despite claims by the radicals inhabiting the boat that IDF troops fired shots before touching down on the boat, none of them could produce evidence of such, despite Al-Jazeera’s journalists’ presence on board, recording throughout the night.
• It is clear soldiers could not have shot their weapons as soon as they touched the top decks, as they were immediately grabbed, beaten, had their weapons stolen and some thrown overboard – despite claims to contrary by the radical Left-wing activists on board.
• ‘Peace activists’ were armed by pipes, rods, chains, knives, ready to attack the incoming troops. Injuries sustained by the ‘Flotilla 13’ troops – and by some of the attackers – point to extensive use of sharp attack objects.

As the international community attacks Israel over the nine fatalities on board the Mavi Marmara, no one seems to ask if any of the deaths occurred due to Turks’ use of IDF’s firearms. Two ‘F13’ soldiers were wounded by gunshots from handguns taken off the soldiers by the rioters, yet each firearms contains at the very least six bullets. It is possible some of the shots taken at the servicemen hit the rioters.

ISRAEL COULD NOT have won the ordeal. Consider the situation: militarily-speaking, there are few ways to stop six ships at sea, besides using infantry in a takeover. You can ram them, you can shoot them, you can block their way and let them ram you. In any of those cases, the protesters and the press would accuse Israel of interfering with a humanitarian mission.

The IDF could attempt a takeover in Gaza’s blockaded territorial waters. The move would be unnecessary, as Israel did have the right to act in international waters in this instance, but would silence a few critics. The option, however, would put the IDF in further danger, within reach of Hamas’ anti-ship and anti-aircraft weapons, as well as small boats with armed Hamas fighters onboard. Such a blockade-imposing mission could turn into an armed confrontation with many more casualties to both sides. This would turn out to be much worse a nightmare than what Israel already has on its hands.

Then Israel could allow the ships into Gaza. The move – while sparing immediate negative press – would be hailed as a victory for the radical flotilla organizers, as well as their Hamas patrons. Feeling their victory, notorious Free Gaza movement would organize additional blockade-busting flotillas – many more, with many more ships and activists on board. This would allow Hamas and its supporters to smuggle dozens of tons of weaponry, such as rockets, mortars and other ammunition. For Israel, blocking such stream of weapons among dozens of ships would be all but impossible. Future raids could include armed firefights with Hamas men on such vessels, resulting in severe losses.

So Israel couldn’t win. Whatever path the Jewish state would take, critics would find a way to severely criticize it. Taking above scenarios into consideration, IDF’s command decided to go for a proven tactic, used last year – board the ships with ‘Flotilla 13’ fighters, equipped with pacifying, non-lethal arms.

The decision was made to lower the soldiers off helicopters onto the ships as an intimidation technique – soldiers rappelling off helicopters would keep potential rioters away, went the logic.

The plan was presented to the political echelon, which approved it. And this is where it went wrong.

The commanders on the ground had nowhere to hurry – with 70 more miles to go to reach Gaza, the officers had hours to gather intelligence and reconsider the situation. Helicopters approaching Mavi Marmara noticed dozens of civilians on the top deck and had the opportunity to bug out and return later – or stay and gather intelligence. Snipers could be located on the helicopters and the rubber boats, to observe the ships using night vision and thermal equipment. Those would notice the ‘peace activists’ preparing gas masks, vests, metal rods, chains, knives and other assault equipment.

On one hand, the IDF commanders on the ground – or water – desired to keep the element of surprise. The helicopters delivering troops were not turned back when it was revealed top deck is not free, as to not give up the element of surprise and aggressiveness. The soldiers did not deploy tear gas and stun grenades prior to landing, as to not anger the protesters. However, the IDF forgot the main feature of such a tactic – surprise itself. Hostile elements cannot be taken by surprise if they see IDF boats cruising alongside for long minutes – if not hours. If the IDF command wanted to make the assault a surprise – the helicopters should have appeared out of the black, with no prior notice. Only then would the soldiers stand a chance, have the opportunity to regroup, work methodically and clear the boat of hostiles. Yet, the high-ranking officers were too cocky to imagine soldiers’ lives could be in jeopardy. Whoever sat at that planning table, and on the other side of the screens forgot the army spirit and brought disgrace upon his uniform.

After the fact, it is easy to point out the mistakes. At the time, the command did what it thought was right, and it seems soldiers did no wrong while defending their lives. Yet, as grave mistakes were made, here are some future tips for the ‘cocky officers’ planning further takeovers of such vessels:

• Do not assume. Assumptions is what will cost you a battle and a war.
• If you want to surprise – do so. If you want a surprise attack – come out of the blue, fast, and finish the mission in record time. Speed is essential.
• Every person could carry a knife on his belt and a metal rod in his hand. In order to ensure safe deployment of soldiers in highly-populated areas, it is essential to deploy smoke or CS gas in order to prevent direct attack on the soldiers.
• Sending soldiers poor-equipped would bring disaster. Each soldiers must have stun grenades, CS grenades or Stinger grenades on his body to deploy those in case of danger.
• Armed units should be on stand-by within three minutes of arrival to the scene. It is enough time to get quick, yet far enough to keep the soldiers from using lethal force unnecessary.
• Snipers are essential during intelligence-gathering phase and operational phase. Two snipers in a small rubber boat located at a distance of under a mile could provide necessary observation and should intervene in extreme cases of use of lethal force against the troops.
• It is about time soldiers deployed would carry an on-helmet or an on-weapon cameras. Feeds from those could be received directly by the command, giving it a full picture. Those could also be used to fight off media-lynching of the troops.
• Having IDF cameramen is crucial: each helicopter delivering troops should have an IDF cameraman joining in. Another option: mount cameras on the bottom of the deploying aircraft, allowing recording of the deployment process.

There is little left to say about the failed operation. The soldiers fought brave, facing mob doing their best to murder them. Yet, they were the casualty of poor planning, poor intelligence and poor execution. While the decision to block the flotilla was a correct one, the approval process lacked on every step of the way – military and political. One thing is clear: with another ship – Rachel Corrie – soon to arrive in the region, the IDF would have to rethink its tactics. Let’s hope they will make the correct decisions this time.

Another player is the IHH – İnsani Yardım Vakfı or The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedom and Humanitarian Relief – was the main Turkish organizer of the operation. While Free Gaza people are mostly radical Left-wing activists, IHH is a different deal. According to reports by both Israeli intelligence and the CIA, the group has close ties to terror groups, including Hamas and the global jihad in general and Al-Qaeda in particular.

First reports about the takeover came from Qatar’s Al-Jazeera, notorious anti-Israeli network, who had reporters on the Turkish ship. The images shown by the network show Israeli rubber boats sailing side-by-side with the flotilla, soldiers on the ready.

In the meanwhile, reports of casualties mounted. First reports reported two fatalities and nearly 30 injuries. Throughout the day, numbers climbed, currently reaching between 12 and 19 fatalities and over 50 injuries – all of those from Mavi Marmara. Other ships showed passive resistance and were safely escorted into Israeli waters. Some reports said IDF was taking the boats into Haifa’s harbor – reports that subsequently were proven to be false.

At clip’s end, the Operations Officer is heard giving the order to use live fire.

Another clip released by the IDF shows what exactly happened to descending troops, them being assaulted and beaten in an attempt to murder the troops. One soldier is seen thrown to one of the lower decks, between 20 and 30 feet (6 to 10 meters) below. The protesters then go on to grab more soldiers and hit them with metal rods.

The final result, as of 20:00GMT, is 9 rioters dead and 7 IDF soldiers suffering injuries, ranging from light to moderate wounds. Close to 600 activists were taken off the boats, some of them already sent to their countries of origin. In total, Israeli hospitals treated 42 injured, 11 in serious condition, including two soldiers.

Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose regime murdered dozens of people after recent elections, called Israel ‘inhumane’.

The tribesmen have developed a lucrative trade as Al Qaeda’s main clandestine pipeline for moving weapons and fighters out of the Red Sea countries of Somalia, Yemen and Saudi Arabia and over to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. The Bedouin also run a regular supply line of arms and goods to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip through the Sinai tunnels.

…

Saturday, May 29, the Egyptians were forced to retire to El Arish in northern Sinai to recuperate, replenish depleted ammo stocks and collect reinforcements for the next round.
Most of the combat is raging around Wadi Omar, a dry valley in central Sinai bounded by 4,800-ft peaks.

…

The Egyptian units battering his mountain strongholds were thrown back by massive heavy machine fire on the few narrow paths climbing up the steep slopes and anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade fire on their APCs. The Bedouin fighters are also using their heavy machine guns to hit Egyptian helicopters.

(DebkaFile)

THE ASSAULT – IN part – explains Egypt’s sudden willingness to confront the smuggling business, after ignoring the deeds for years. If the tribesmen indeed managed to amass arms capable of defending against Egyptian army – not the strongest, by any means – Egyptian Armed Forces indeed have a problem on their hands.

Hosni Mubarak likely understands the urgent need to engage and destroy the terror infrastructure in his backyard. Not only does it support Hamas and local terror groups, but could enhance ability of other movements, such as the radical Muslim Brotherhood, to occupy parts of the country or overthrow Mubarak’s regime. Obviously, Egypt’s job would be far easier if it would not allow the establishment of such infrastructure in the first place. Mubarak believed supplying Hamas with arms and cash could pressure Israel into concessions and eventually bring on the resolution of Israeli-Palestinian conflict within years. He was wrong, however. Israel did not give up and indeed maintained its blockade on Gaza. Frustrated, Hamas – and Gazans – turned to Egypt, at one point confronting Egyptian border guards and destroying parts of the security fence in Rafah.

Now Mubarak would have to turn back the clock. He is about to see it is not easy at all.

"Israel is the obstacle in the face of peace in the region and the United States of America, morally and politically, has to deal with this reality and not put pressure on the Palestinian or the Arab side," Meshal argued.

Meshal also criticized the U.S. for not holding direct talks with the Hamas and questioned whether U.S. special Mideast envoy George Mitchell could succeed in his mission to bring peace to the region without the Hamas.

(Haaretz)

AS WITH HIS previous New York Times interview, Mashaal puts on a pragmatic mask, telling the West his movement accepts the 1967 borders and is willing to compromise if the international community pressures Israel into concessions. His minions, however, tell a different story:

While interviewed by Times’ Paul McGeough, Mashaal outright states Hamas will not alter its charter, which calls for destruction of Israel:

On the crucial question of rewriting the Hamas charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel, he was unbending: “Not a chance.” Khalid Mishal is not Yasir Arafat — he is not looking for a Nobel Peace Prize. Among the Hamas articles of faith is a belief that in renouncing violence and in recognizing Israel’s right to exist in 1993, Mr. Arafat sinned against his people.

(New York Times)

However, it gets much worse for Israelis: while Western reporters prance around Mashaal’s ‘good-boy-mask’ he himself tells a different story. As international press reports Hamas’ willingness to accept Israel in 1967 borders, nothing could be farther from the truth, as evident from this report:

The leader of Hamas said Monday that his Palestinian militant group would offer Israel a 10-year "hudna," or truce, as implicit proof of recognition of Israel if it withdrew from all lands it seized in the 1967 Middle East War.

Khaled Mashaal told The Associated Press that he made the offer to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in talks on Saturday. "We have offered a truce if Israel withdraws to the 1967 borders, a truce of 10 years as a proof of recognition," Mashaal said.

…

Mashaal said Hamas would accept a Palestinian state limited to the lands Israel seized in 1967 — that is, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. But he said the group would never outright formally recognize Israel.

(MSNBC)

So while US and European diplomats push their respective governments to talk to Hamas, the group actually says it will neither recognize Israel as a Jewish state, nor will it stop fighting it, instead proposing a ‘truce’, allowing radical Palestinian militants to rearm and redeploy around smaller Jewish state.

There is a distinct reason for Mashaal making a happy face for Western cameras. Mashaal received distress signals from his brothers in Gaza, with his local terrorist Ismail Haniyeh feeling endangered by lack of funds and arms. With Egypt clamping down on smuggling and Israel allowing through only the necessities, Mashaal feels he might lose control of Gaza – Hamas’ last stronghold. If Haniyeh loses Gaza, Hamas would have no home, scattered about Palestinian population. Mashaal couldn’t care less about Haniyeh’s comfort from his Damascus luxury, but he knows result of Gazan turning on Hamas would be disastrous.

As he cannot talk directly to Israel – thus betraying his followers – Mashaal’s only option is to pressure international community, while saving his face by ‘threatening’ the powers. One would think that by now, the international community couldn’t care less about his people losing control. Hamas’ only chance of reaching the world is to start another confrontation with Israel – and Mashaal knows this time they will lose all.

Well, similar trend is ferociously spreading throughout Israeli high education institutions, and we are here to present single example out of many others.

On May 26th, some Hebrew University students took to the streets, under the slogan ‘Occupation Is Here’, walking from HU campus to Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Besides the students, several lecturers were planned to participate in the protest.

The neighborhood is a constant source of news in recent months, after several Jewish families moved into a building in this Arab-populated area. Left-wing and international Palestinian Rights activists expressed fury over the expulsion of the Palestinian families – allegedly for failing to pay rent – as well as for Jews moving in. Radical Left-wing activists claim the move is part of Israel’s strategy to ‘Judaize’ East Jerusalem, some going as far as claiming Jerusalem’s mayor Barkat implements ethnic cleansing.

College or university students protesting against the government is nothing new. All around the world – from the Los Angeles to Tehran to Tiananmen, students cause uprising, urging their governments to change policy. The disturbing trend, however, is lecturers and deans demonstrating beside the students. On their Hebrew website, organizers of the protests claim that many of lecturers students knew nothing of – politics-wise – joined the protest. The organizers also ‘swear’ they counted at least 600 participants.

Academic staff should have all the rights of expression every citizen of Israel enjoys. The staff protesting together with the students, though, casts grave doubt over the objectivity of said lecturers, as well as their ability to keep politics away from class. Just as the organizers claim, some lecturers express their political views while educating their students, thus it is likely their worldview is slanted towards the Left-wing, liberal side. Such bias is unacceptable in an academic institution, whose goal it is to educate students to keep an open mind and think for themselves.

Israelis can learn this lesson from the Americans: radicalism, anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism is now deeply rooted in some liberal colleges and universities in the Land of the Free. It now seems that Israeli students will not be taught to think for themselves, but would be fed views by activist professors.

“And if we are honest we have to make a distinction between a democratic Israel that wants to live in peace and the terrorists who want Israel wiped out. The Israelis were told to give up land for peace; they gave up the land, but got no peace.” — J. D. Hayworth

“And if we are honest we have to make a distinction between a democratic Israel that wants to live in peace and the terrorists who want Israel wiped out. The Israelis were told to give up land for peace; they gave up the land, but got no peace.” — J. D. Hayworth

In an unsurprising piece of news today, Amnesty International – a group notorious for its pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance – blamed the Americans and the Europeans for ‘shielding’ Israel over its ‘war crimes’ during operation Cast Lead. Probably feeling it failed to pressure Israel into anything substantive with its one-sided views and reports bordering on propaganda, Amnesty shifts its view towards the ‘sponsors’:

In its report, Amnesty lauded a United Nations commissioned report released last year by South African justice Richard Goldstone for highlighting Israeli violations during the war in Gaza. Goldstone’s findings found both Israel and Hamas guilty of war crimes during the conflict.

"Israeli forces committed war crimes and other serious breaches of international law in the Gaza Strip during a 22-day military offensive codenamed Operation ‘Cast Lead’ that ended on 18 January (2009)," the rights group said.

(Haaretz)

AMNESTY ATTEMPTS TO portray its side of the battle as pragmatic, by pointing out Richard Goldstone’s ‘insistence’ on investigating both Israel and Hamas during his UN-approved visit to the area:

"In a display of counter political bias, the UN Human Rights Council, initially resolved to investigate only alleged Israeli violations," said the report. "To his credit, Judge Richard Goldstone, subsequently appointed to lead that investigation, insisted that the UN Fact-Finding Mission should examine alleged violations by both Israel and Hamas."

Amnesty, of course, fails to mention that Richard Goldstone investigated 38 specific IDF operations during Cast Lead and exactly 0 Hamas operations during same period.

However, Amnesty’s report goes much farther into speculation and defamation, by attacking Israel for – among others – assaulting Gazan medical personnel, specifically pointing out none of the medics were part of military units. However, as Elder of Ziyon blog points out, this is far from being true:

What I do know is that at least two thirds of the medical staff killed in Gaza were members of terrorist groups:

Azmi Abu Dallal. medic, was a member of the Nuseirat Battalion of the Al Qassam Brigades.

Ahmed Al-Khatib, nurse, was a field commander of the Popular Resistance Committees.

Mohammed Abu Hassir, medic, was a fighter for the Al Qassam Brigades.

…

PCHR lists a total of 15 medics, nurses and physicians killed in Cast Lead.  14 out of the 15 were members of Hamas’ military medical services. Ten of them were members of terrorist groups that NGOs pretend had nothing to do with Hamas.

(Elder of Ziyon)

Amnesty International goes further, claiming 4 out of 5 Gazan civilians depend on foreign humanitarian aid to survive:

"Mass unemployment, extreme poverty, food insecurity and food price rises caused by shortages left four in five Gazans dependent on humanitarian aid. The scope of the blockade and statements made by Israeli officials about its purpose showed that it was being imposed as a form of collective punishment of Gazans, a flagrant violation of international law," according to the human rights group.

(Ynet)

Before we go any further, I believe we should illustrate the horrible concentration camp that is Gaza – particularly the poverty and lack of food:

 

In addition, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, did a good job of rounding up some facts for the reader, underscoring the starvation in Gaza:

Well over a million tons of humanitarian supplies entered Gaza from Israel over the last 18 months equaling nearly a ton of aid for every man, woman and child in Gaza. Millions of dollars worth of international food aid continually flows through the Israeli humanitarian apparatus, ensuring that there is no food shortage in Gaza.

…

In the first quarter of 2010 (January-March), 94,500 tons of supplies were transferred in 3,676 trucks to the Strip: 48,000 tons of food products; 40,000 tons of wheat; 2,760 tons of rice; 1,987 tons of clothes and footwear; 553 tons of milk powder and baby food.

…

In 2009 alone, 10,544 patients and their companions left the Gaza Strip for medical treatment in Israel. Moreover, there were 382 emergency evacuations from Gaza for medical purposes.

The Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem donates $3 million in aid annually to treat Palestinians in Israel. Following fears of a swine flu outbreak, three Israeli hospitals were assigned to treat cases in the Gaza Strip and 44,500 immunizations were transferred to the Strip.

…

According to the UN report of May 2010, 120 megawatts (over 70%) of the Strip’s electricity supply comes from the Israeli electric grid, while 17 MWs come from Egypt and 30 MWs are produced by the Gaza city power station. Since January 2010, there has been deterioration in the supply of electricity to the Gaza Strip since the Hamas regime is unwilling to purchase the fuel to run the Gaza City power station.

(MFA)

While it is certain life in Gaza is not an apple pie, it certainly is far from what Palestinian Rights Groups claim it to be. Moreover, Amnesty International and the likes, fail to criticize Hamas government, which used its military power to seize control of Gaza and impose a religious Muslim regime on Gazans, including attacks on Gaza’s Christians. While Israel allows passage of goods into Gaza – albeit, in a somewhat limited fashion – PRGs never voice criticism over Ismail Haniyeh’s violent rule, him doing his part to silence vox populi.

“And if we are honest we have to make a distinction between a democratic Israel that wants to live in peace and the terrorists who want Israel wiped out. The Israelis were told to give up land for peace; they gave up the land, but got no peace.” — J. D. Hayworth

“And if we are honest we have to make a distinction between a democratic Israel that wants to live in peace and the terrorists who want Israel wiped out. The Israelis were told to give up land for peace; they gave up the land, but got no peace.” — J. D. Hayworth

“And if we are honest we have to make a distinction between a democratic Israel that wants to live in peace and the terrorists who want Israel wiped out. The Israelis were told to give up land for peace; they gave up the land, but got no peace.” — J. D. Hayworth

“And if we are honest we have to make a distinction between a democratic Israel that wants to live in peace and the terrorists who want Israel wiped out. The Israelis were told to give up land for peace; they gave up the land, but got no peace.” — J. D. Hayworth