Recently, the P5+1 world powers (permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - the P5 - namely China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States; plus Germany ) have agreed a deal with Iran that is supposed to limit Iran's access to nuclear weapons build up (but only for the next 10 years.) An interesting chronology of the negotiations of the last few yearshere.
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release No: NR-273-15
July 14, 2015
Statement by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on the Iran Deal
I'm pleased that Secretary of State Kerry and Secretary of Energy Moniz, along with our P5+1 partners, were able to reach a comprehensive, verifiable deal to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. As we implement this historic agreement, deterrence remains a major component of America's national security.
The Department of Defense is today, and will always be ready, to defend the United States and our interests. Our military -- including tens of thousands of U.S. forces in the Middle East -- are full speed ahead maintaining a strong presence in the Gulf. We remain prepared and postured to bolster the security of our friends and allies in the region, including Israel; to defense against aggression; ensure freedom of navigation in the Gulf; and check Iranian malign influence. We will utilize the military option if
necessary.
The men and women of the Defense Department comprise the finest fighting force the world has ever known and will continue to carry out these and all missions with excellence.
Iranian leaders claim a victory, while simultaneously maintaining their "Death to America. Death to Israel" rhetoric.
However, Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry continue to insist this 'deal' will be good for America, and Obama holds a news conference to proclaim the historic event.
‘That’s What Politicians Do’The president’s unsettling press conference
By James TarantoJuly 16, 2015
Perhaps the most telling moment in yesterday’s presidential press conference was this exchange with ABC’s Jonathan Karl:
Karl: Mr. President, does it give you any pause to see this deal praised by Syrian dictator Assad as a “great victory for Iran,” or praised by those in Tehran who still shout “death to America,” and yet our closest ally in the Middle East calls it “a mistake of historic proportions”? And here in Congress, it looks like a large majority will vote to reject this deal. I know you can veto that rejection, but do you have any concerns about seeing a majority of the people’s representatives in Congress saying that this is a bad deal? . . .
Obama: Let me answer the question that you asked. It does not give me pause that Mr. Assad or others in Tehran may be trying to spin the deal in a way that they think is favorable to what their constituencies want to hear. That’s what politicians do. [emphasis mine] I mean, you’ll recall that during the course of these negotiations over the last couple of months every time the Supreme Leader or somebody tweeted something out, for some reason we all bought into the notion, well, the Obama administration must be giving this or capitulating to that....
I admit I actually laughed at "that's what politicians do..." I know Obama is touted as the smartest man in the room, but he seems to have missed the irony in his declaration.
The WSJ weren't the only media to take Obama to task about that news conference. The Washington Post had this:
17 ridiculous things the president said at the Iran news conference
July 15 2015
Jennifer Rubin
The president, for proponents of the Iran deal, gave a deeply disturbing news conference that suggested he does not know what is in the deal, does not have a grasp of the factual record and/or thinks he can get away with huge misrepresentations. And, to boot, he confirmed many of the serious criticisms of the deal. I imagine opponents of the deal will have a field day with these and other statements:
1. “With this deal, we cut off every single one of Iran’s pathways to a nuclear program, a nuclear weapons program.” Not true. After eight years, the precise restrictions end. Oops, he says it himself: “And Iran’s nuclear program will be under severe limits for many years [emphasis mine].”..
Yes, there is the rest of the 17 - and a video of the full news conference - here.
During his entire presidency Obama has weaved, bobbed and spun on just about every issue. This latest would be funny if the consequences weren't so damn serious. But, I don't make the mistake of under-estimating Obama's determination that this deal will stand. He has said [he] 'will veto any Republican attempt to derail Iran nuclear deal'. We have seen his disregard for the Constitutional process more than a few times during his tenure, and this Iran deal promises to be no different; this despite the fact that even a top Democrat is now expressing concern about this proposed 'deal.' He is not alone.
Never mind that. the administration may want to appear to be respecting the process, Obama has declared - on the record - the threat of veto in his determination to make the deal with Iran a done deal. Indeed, he even sent the deal as written to the UN for their approval, BEFORE the US Congress had even been given the chance to debate the deal.
Many critics have pointed to some of the major flaws in this deal, and perhaps one of my favourite critiques comes from retired Lt. Col and former Congressman Allen West. West was at the protest against the Iran deal in New York Time Square last week. Take a look:
Israel's Prime Minister has been a loud and vociferous opponent of the Iran deal, and justifiably so. He knows what any thinking person can see - even those of us without access to the full details. (most of us!) He rightly calls this deal 'a historic mistake', Check out the more details in the Jerusalem Post report on Bibi's response.
As usual, Obama et al are playing their cards very close to their vests, as they spin, rinse, repeat, but again as usual, as time goes by more details are dribbling out, from this most transparent administration ever. What a surprise, apparently there are secret side deals that we - thus far - hadn't been told. Washington Post has this:
Obama’s secret Iran deals exposed
By Marc A. Thiessen
July 27, 2015
President Obama promised that his nuclear deal with Iran would not be “based on trust” but rather “unprecedented verification.” Now it turns out Obama’s verification regime is based on trust after all — trust in two secret side agreements negotiated exclusively between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that apparently no one (including the Obama administration) has seen.
Worse, Obama didn’t even reveal the existence of these secret side deals to Congress when he transmitted the nuclear accord to Capitol Hill. The agreements were uncovered, completely by chance, by two members of Congress — Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) — who were in Vienna meeting with the U.N.-releated agency....
[...]
Pompeo says they asked whether they could see those agreements. He says IAEA officials replied, “ ‘Oh no, of course not, no, you’re not going to get to see those.’ And so everybody on our side of the table asked, ‘Has Secretary Kerry seen these?’ ‘No, Secretary Kerry hasn’t seen them. No American is ever going to get to see them.’ ”
It turns out that only the two parties — the IAEA and Iran — get to see the actual agreements ...
The vast concessions to Iran made in the nuclear deal last Tuesday, which ultimately allow the leading state sponsor of terror to be able to obtain a nuclear arsenal in ten years, are apparently not enough for a top Iranian general.. Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, Commander of Iran's paramilitary Basij Force, said on Tuesday that the Iran deal will only make Iranians hate the US more, as quoted by the semi-official Fars News Agency.
"Any Iranian who reads the Vienna documents will hate the US 100 times more," Naqdi said. The opposition is surprising given that the deal ignores Iran's key nuclear installations where its nuclear weapons testing is said to be being held, and likewise stipulates that the West will train Iran to block sabotage on its nuclear program. The deal also lifts the UN arms embargo on Iran and lifts sanctions against its top terror commander. Iran has shown an increasingly open belligerent tone, with an aide to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei saying Tuesday that Iranwon't let international inspectors visit its covert military sites such as Parchin, where Iran's illicit nuclear weapons testing is thought to be occurring....
Amir Basiri seems to agree that despite Obama's rose coloured glasses - you know. the ones he would have us all wear - that this historic deal won't change much between Iran and the US. Writing in Forbes back in March, this Iranian human rights activist says (in part):
A Nuclear Deal Will Not End Iran's Hostility
U.S. President Barack Obama has long perceived a deal—perhaps any deal—with the Iranian regime over its illicit nuclear program as a “silver bullet” that, once inked, will magically solve the multitude of problems that the U.S. is dealing with in regards with the rulers of Tehran.
In this respect, the continuation of the nuclear talks has taken priority over all other matters in Obama’s Iran and Middle-East policy, to the extent that he is willingly ignoring the damage that Iran is dealing across the region and the host of threats that it is posing to U.S. interests and national security.
By all accounts, Tehran’s deadliest weapons are the ruling mullahs themselves (along with their outdated ideology of Islamic fundamentalism) and while they remain in power, the region—and by consequence the U.S.—will never be safe. Add to that the capability to produce nuclear bombs and a hegemonic role in the region (both of which Obama is willing to recognize), and the only outcome can be inevitable disaster, a time bomb that will go off sooner or later and plunge the region and the world into further chaos and turmoil.
Among Obama’s miscalculations is the misplaced belief that the Iranian regime has common interests with the U.S. and can eventually become an ally of the West in establishing peace and stability in the region....
He seems to be suggesting that Obama is delusional, but with nicer words. GO read and decide for yourself.
Quite apart from the billions of dollars Iran stands to gain from this deal, and the lifting of sanctions, and pretty much control over when and how the most flaunted 'inspections' will occur, there is a critical issue that negotiators seem to have overlooked.
Americans still being held in Iranian prisons are on my mind as Secretaries Kerry, Lew, and Moniz testify about the Iran nuclear deal in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Wanted to remind them of who they left behind.
Tom Cotton also was asked his response on the US hostages who were not even included as part of this Obama legacy-making deal. Go watch and listen to him here.
Be all that as it may, now, more than ever, we all need to educate ourselves and then make our voices heard..
FACT: No matter how much Obama - the great orator (???) - or something - spins, rinses repeats, this deal doesn't, and will not, wash. Not now, not ever.
PAY ATTENTION, folks.
Related:(Yes, we did read every one of these, and all very interesting - Honest!!! )
If Netanyahu’s speech is a success, Obama’s foreign policy will be indefensible
CAROLINE B. GLICK
02/19/2015
Officially, the election on March 17 is among Israelis. Depending on how we vote, either Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will remain in office and form the next government led by his Likud party, or Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni will form a government.
But unofficially, a far greater electoral drama is unfolding. The choice is not between Netanyahu and Herzog/Livni. It is between Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama.
As the White House sees it, if Herzog/Livni form the next government, then Jerusalem will dance to Obama’s tune. If Netanyahu is reelected, then the entire edifice of Obama’s Middle East policy may topple and fall.
Secretary of State John Kerry made clear the administration’s desire to topple Netanyahu last spring during his remarks before the Trilateral Commission. It was during that memorable speech that Kerry libeled Israel, claiming that we would automatically and naturally become an apartheid state if we didn’t give Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria to the PLO, Jew free, as quickly as possible. Despite Israel’s venality, Kerry held out hope. In his words, “if there is a change of government [in Israel], or a change of heart, something will happen.”...
If none of that is serious enough, watch Naftali Bennet, Israel Minister of Economy and a member of their Security Cabinet:
Elie Wiesel's plea to Congress
Despite all of Obama's flowery rhetoric in support of Israel, (and Bibi's statesmanship in acknowledging those words) anybody paying attention knows exactly what he thinks of Netanyahu, leader of America's strongest ally in the Middle East.
Three Senior Hamas Commanders Killed in Pre-Dawn Airstrike
In major blow to terror group's military wing, two most senior commanders in southern Gaza eliminated in IDF strike.
By Uzi Baruch
8/21/2014
The armed wing of Hamas announced Thursday that three of its senior
commanders were killed in a pre-dawn Israeli air strike in Rafah in the
southern Gaza Strip.
Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades in a statement identified the leaders as
Mohammed Abu Shamalah, Raed al-Attar and Mohammed Barhum. Emergency
services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said eight people were killed in the
strike.
Witnesses said a four-storey family home was completely destroyed in a series of air strikes. The airstrike was carried out based on intelligence provided by the
Shabak (Israel Security Agency), which led to the identification of two
central Hamas figures.
Most senior commanders in southern Gaza
Mohammed Abu Shamalah, 40, was the most senior Hamas commander in
southern Gaza, classified by security services as the head of the
"Southern Command" of Hamas. Abu Shamalah was responsible for the areas
of Rafiah and Khan Younis, and is a longtime friend and associate of
Ezzedine al-Qassam's elusive leader, Mohammed Deif, who was himself
targeted in an IDF strike yesterday - a strike he is believed to have
survived....
Israel kills Hamas top military leader, destroys Hamas Fajar missiles
14 November 2012
In a precise targeted attack early Wednesday, the Israel Defense Force (IDF)
killed Ahmad Jabari, the top military leader of Hamas; Jabari ran the
organization’s armed wing, called the Izz el-Deen Al-Qassam; in a
separate attack, Jabari’s deputy, Raed al-Atar, was also killed; the
Israeli early morning strikes also included attacks on about twenty or
so targets across the Gaza Strip. these attacks inflicted a heavy blow
on Hamas’s military capabilities by destroying most of Hamas’s most
threatening weapons – the mid-range Fajar missiles Hamas received from
Iran and with which the organization could attack Tel Aviv and other
cities in central Israel.
Half a dozen other top military leaders of Hamas were attacked, but there is no news about their fate. Jabari was considered the most important strategist of Hamas, and he
is credited with innovating the organization’s approach to its war
with Israel.
Among other things, Jabari was behind the kidnapping of Israeli
soldier Gilad Shalit, who was held prisoner for five years before being
exchanged earlier this year for a few hundreds Palestinian terrorists
in Israeli jails....
Statement by PM Netanyahu on Operation Pillar of Defense to Israeli Public 14 November 2012
Citizens of Israel,
I want to praise the IDF soldiers and commanders, led by Chief of
Staff, Lieutenant General Benny Gantz , who is commanding the operation
as we speak. I want to note the Israel Security Agency, headed by
Director Yoram Cohen, for their vital part in the operational
accomplishments that we have already achieved. I thank the citizens of
Israel for their unwavering support of this operation. I thank the
residents of southern Israel who are at the front, and exhibit strength
and restraint.
Hamas and
the terror organizations decided to escalate their attacks on the
citizens of Israel over the last few days. We will not accept a
situation in which Israeli citizens are threatened by the terror of
rockets. No country would accept this, Israel will not accept it.
Today, we
hit Hamas strategic targets precisely. We have significantly debilitated
their ability to launch rockets from Gaza to the center of Israel, and
we are now working to disable their ability to launch rockets towards
the south. The terrorist organizations - Hamas, Islamic Jihad and others
- are deliberately harming our citizens, while intentionally hiding
behind their citizens. On the other hand, we avoid harming civilians as
much as possible and that is one fundamental difference between us. It
also indicates the big difference between our objectives, and not only
in our methods. They want to obliterate us from the face of the earth
and they have no qualms about hurting civilians and innocents.
Today, we
sent an unequivocal message to Hamas and the other terror organizations,
and if need be the IDF is prepared to expand the operation. We will
continue to do everything necessary to defend our citizens."
Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be attending the UN next week, and although he will not be addressing the UN General Assembly, he has stated Palestine's attempt to gain statehood as "not helpful...":
“We view this unilateral action on behalf of the Palestinian Authority to be not helpful,” Harper said during a stop in Saskatoon.
“No unilateral actions like this are helpful in terms of establishing a long-run peace in the Middle East. Canada views the action as very regrettable and we will be opposing it at the United Nations.” (more here)
This in the days before the contentious vote, which is merely the latest attempt by the Palestinian Authority to gain legitimacy on the world stage, and avoid genuine negotiations for a lasting peace with Israel.
Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to meet next week with US President Obama, who also promises to veto any bid by PA within the UN:
Netanyahu to Meet with Obama
Prime Minister Netanyahu told the Cabinet Sunday he will meet with President Obama this week, and added that the PA will fail in the UN.
By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
9/18/2011
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the Cabinet Sunday he will meet with President Barack Obama this week and added that the Palestinian Authority will fail to win full recognition from the United Nations.
He said the meeting with the president will take place after he addresses the United Nations General Assembly.
Obama's promise to veto any United Nations Security Council motion to recommend full membership status of the Palestinian Authority has reearned him some lost Jewish support, according to recent polls.
A high-profile meeting with the Prime Minister, in an atmosphere different from previous tense meetings, might help President Obama bounce back a bit from record-breaking lows in popularity, although the economic situation in the United States is voters' main worry.
”The UN is not a place where Israel wins praise, but I think that it is important that I go there in order to represent both the State of Israel and the truth – and the truth is that Israel wants peace and the truth is that the Palestinians are doing everything to torpedo direct peace negotiations,” the Prime Minister said....
In 2009, Richard Goldstone led a fact-finding mission created by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate international human rights and humanitarian law violations related to the Gaza War. The mission's findings that Israel and Hamas had both committed serious violations of the laws of war led to a major controversy. You can find the whole report here on the UN site.
Today, it appears that Mr Goldstone is tempering that initial report. Last Friday, April 1, the Washington Post published an op/ed with Mr Goldstone's byline:
Reconsidering the Goldstone Report on Israel and war crimes
By Richard Goldstone, Friday, April 1,
We know a lot more today about what happened in the Gaza war of 2008-09 than we did when I chaired the fact-finding mission appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council that produced what has come to be known as the Goldstone Report. If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document.
The final report by the U.N. committee of independent experts — chaired by former New York judge Mary McGowan Davis — that followed up on the recommendations of the Goldstone Report has found that “Israel has dedicated significant resources to investigate over 400 allegations of operational misconduct in Gaza” while “the de facto authorities (i.e., Hamas) have not conducted any investigations into the launching of rocket and mortar attacks against Israel.”
Our report found evidence of potential war crimes and “possibly crimes against humanity” by both Israel and Hamas. That the crimes allegedly committed by Hamas were intentional goes without saying — its rockets were purposefully and indiscriminately aimed at civilian targets.
The allegations of intentionality by Israel were based on the deaths of and injuries to civilians in situations where our fact-finding mission had no evidence on which to draw any other reasonable conclusion. While the investigations published by the Israeli military and recognized in the U.N. committee’s report have established the validity of some incidents that we investigated in cases involving individual soldiers, they also indicate that civilians were not intentionally targeted as a matter of policy.
[...]
The purpose of the Goldstone Report was never to prove a foregone conclusion against Israel. I insisted on changing the original mandate adopted by the Human Rights Council, which was skewed against Israel. I have always been clear that Israel, like any other sovereign nation, has the right and obligation to defend itself and its citizens against attacks from abroad and within. Something that has not been recognized often enough is the fact that our report marked the first time illegal acts of terrorism from Hamas were being investigated and condemned by the United Nations. I had hoped that our inquiry into all aspects of the Gaza conflict would begin a new era of evenhandedness at the U.N. Human Rights Council, whose history of bias against Israel cannot be doubted....
There is much more, and it IS worth the read here.
I have written many times about Israel. For some of those columns go here, here, or here.
I found a YouTube video put out by the IDF on the historical background of what brought Israel to Operation Cast Lead. Go here to watch that and many other videos documenting the terrorist acts that Israel contends with every.single.day.
Goldstone Recants: No Deliberate Targeting of Civillians by IDF
by Chana Ya'ar and Gavriel Queenann
"If I had known then what I know now," Judge Richard Goldstone wrote on Friday in The Washington Post. "The Goldstone Report would have been a different document."
"While the investigations published by the Israeli military and recognized in the U.N. committee’s report have established the validity of some incidents that we investigated in cases involving individual soldiers, they also indicate that civilians were not intentionally targeted as a matter of policy," Goldstone wrote.
The comment marks the recanting by Goldstone, who chaired the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, of charges that Israel deliberately targeted civilians during Operation Cast Lead. The operation, which commenced on 27 December 2008 and concluded on 18 January 2009, was aimed at stopping terrorist rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli civilians in southern Israel. Most military observers regard the operation as having had only limited, short-term success.
[...]
...our main recommendation was for each party to investigate, transparently and in good faith, the incidents referred to in our report. McGowan Davis has found that Israel has done this to a significant degree; Hamas has done nothing."...
[...]
Netanyahu Responds
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has called on the United Nations to cancel the Goldstone Report on Operation Cast Lead following an op-ed piece written by the author of the report, retired South African Judge Richard Goldstone.
“Everything we said was proven to be true,” said Netanyahu. “Israel did not willfully harm civilians. Israel's investigating institutions are trustworthy, while Hamas investigated nothing.
“The fact that Goldstone withdrew his conclusions must lead to the cancellation of the report once and for all. We expect this farce to be rectified immediately."
Defense Minister Ehud Barak added that in order to repair the damage done by the report, the judge should present his current conclusions to all the international bodies to whom he presented the original report – and not merely give his opinion in an op-ed piece.
The IDF is “a moral army that operated according to international law,” Barak said.
“The fact that Goldstone withdrew his conclusions must lead to the cancellation of the report once and for all. We expect this farce to be rectified immediately."
As noted above by Barak, enormous damage was inflicted on Israel because of this report, and it is NOW (long overdue) for the UN to reverse their rubber stamping of the ongoing antisemitism that is rampant - on a daily basis - not only in Gaza, but around the world. Of course, would be only fitting for the msm to also admit what lemmings they were, and ARE, in their rush to condemn Israel at every turn. Front page story, anyone?
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the murder of five Israelis in a terrorist attack in the northern West Bank, and we offer our condolences to their loved ones and to the Israeli people," the White House said in a statement.
I have seen minimal reporting in the msm, who mostly neglected to give the ages of these latest victims of terrorism within Israel's borders. Sadly, we have all come to expect this selective 'reporting' from the msm, especially in all matters relating to Israel.
During his time at 1600, BHO has proved to have very little grip on the reality of leadership that should come with the title "President." The people of Iran held up placards pleading to the western world to "Help us," and the Libyans fight their own homegrown tyrant and plead for at the least a 'no fly zone' so Ghaddafi cannot rain bombs down on the innocents.
Terrorism is running amok across the world, and often it is hard to find BHO even 'present.' Apparently in the aftermath of these horrific murders, Obama does 'condemn...this terrorist attack.' He actually used the word 'terrorism,' it is being reported, and this is a good first step.
Talk is cheap.
Am I suggesting that BHO offer the US military might to intervene in countries where despots are killing their own innocent victims? No, of course not, but at the very least I would like to see some concrete action, from the supposed leader of the free world. Instead, he appears to be very busy doing....what?
Since he took power, BHO and his Secretary of State have continued to utter stern words towards Israel, to the point that Israel surely knows they needn't look to a historical ally for support. But this latest from the BHO administration as terrorists murder more Israelis, should leave no doubt about the US 'commitment' to Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Haim Fogel on the phone Saturday evening to offer condolences and support.
"It's a cold-blooded massacre of innocent children and parents," the prime minister said. "I, and the entire nation of Israel, embrace you and the three grandchildren who survived the horror. I promise to do everything we can in order to assist you at these terrible times."
Do I expect BHO to call the surviving members of the Fogel family directly? No, but I would expect that the President of the USA would - at the very least - go on the public record not only denouncing the massacre of Hadas, Elad, Yoav, Ruth and Udi, but also publicly committing to re-examine the gazillion dollars a year the US pours into Gaza, the breeding ground of terrorists who murder Israelis.
Nothing. And the silence is deafening, from where I sit.
I have a suggestion for a presidential gesture that BHO could make: immediately stop sending any US foreign "aid" into Gaza, and any other place that supports terrorists. No more money funneled into regimes that not only harbour and support those who commit such atrocities, but also celebrate the murders of innocents. That includes governments who kill their own citizens who dare to aspire to live in a free democracy.
As the Fogel children and their parents were being butchered, the cash registers to terrorist regimes which harbour the murderers were still ringing with the intake of millions of dollars from the US. I know that the US ignored the calls for aid money to stop as long as Gilad Shalit is still held prisoner; those calls fell on deaf ears in the BHO administration.
Every.single.day Israelis are barraged with rockets fired on them by terrorists. Every day, the children and families of Israel have to live in constant vigilance against terrorist attacks. The Fogel family have paid a terrible price at the hands of murdering criminals, who any decent person would denounce. And that is ALL I, as a private citizen, can do: denounce this evil, LOUDLY.
Barack Obama is not a private citizen. He is the President of the US. He does have it within his powers to make a very effective statement against this latest terrorism by stopping all aid money into Israel's enemies, immediately.
Will he take this very public stand? To date, the answer is obvious.
I have no doubt that Israel will take care of business in response to this latest outrage. BHO? I expect him to just shrug, along with the rest of the world. And my heart hurts and I stand and mourn - with Israel.
How MANY children will have to be murdered, Mr Obama?
[Update: In related news
Dutch MPs want to stop subsidising Palestinian Authority
The Dutch parliament want the Netherlands to stop subsidising the Palestinian Authority if it fails to take measures to end the glorification of terrorism. A motion put forward by two Christian parties the Christian Union and the orthodox SGP in the Dutch parliament today was supported by a majority of MPs.
MPs have also urged the cabinet to lobby for European Union subsidies to be stopped if no action is taken. The CU/SGP motion was supported by coalition parties, the conservative VVD and Christian Democrats, and by the Freedom Party...
As usual, Israel is presented as the villain. Damned if they do, and most assuredly, damned if they don't.
idfnadesk—May 31, 2010 — Video taken by IDF naval boat shows the passengers of the Mavi Marmara, one of the ships in the 'Free Gaza' Flotilla, violently attacking IDF soldiers who were trying to board the ship after having sent repeated requests for the boat to change course.
Large groups of passengers surrounded soldiers and beat them with metal poles and chairs, and threw one soldier over the side of the ship. Some passengers grabbed pistols from the IDF soldiers and opened fire. As a result of the attacks, seven IDF soldiers were injured, and nine of the passengers were killed.
The 'Free Gaza' Flotilla had publicly insisted on their non-violent intentions, however their violent attack on the IDF soldiers was clearly premeditated. They had knives, metal rods, firebombs and other items ready to use. (here)
As protesters in the Arab world take to the streets screaming- again, still - for the annihilation of Israel, the UN ignores it's own charter which says:
The UN Charter on the Law of the Sea says only if a vessel is suspected to be transporting weapons, or weapons of mass destruction, can it be boarded in international waters. Otherwise the permission of the ship's flag carrying nation must be sought. (here)
As is proved by pictures readily available all over the internet, the 'peace activists' were indeed armed, and were, indeed, intent to seriously harm IDF soldiers. They are NOT peace activists by any stretch of the imagination.
On the 29th May, there was this:
Photo by: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Haniyeh: Gaza flotilla a triumph
By ASSOCIATED PRESS AND JPOST.COM STAFF 05/29/2010 17:06
"If ships reach Gaza - victory, if terrorized by Zionists - victory."
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said Saturday the flotilla carrying aid and activists to Gaza is a victory for his government and signals the end of the Israeli naval blockade, whether it reaches its destination or is intercepted by the Israeli navy.
"If the ships reach Gaza, it's a victory for Gaza," Haniyeh told some 400 supporters after touring Gaza City's small fishing harbor, where several smaller vessels breaking the blockade have docked in the past. "If they are intercepted and terrorized by the Zionists, it will be a victory for Gaza, too, and they will move again in new ships to break the siege of Gaza." (More here)
As world leaders line up to condemn the Israeli actions, the media follows right along, and the terrorists claim a propaganda victory.
Claudia Rosett writes:
May 31st, 2010 12:50 pm
Gaza Terror Flotilla
Gaza’s Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has got the bloody propaganda triumph he was preparing for when he told followers last week that whatever came of the Gaza “aid” flotilla, it would be a win for Hamas – whether the ships reached Gaza, or ended up in a showdown with the Israelis at sea.
At least 10 people, possibly more, are reported dead, after Israeli forces boarded one of the ships, the Mavi Marmara, to stop it running the Israeli blockade on the terrorist enclave of Gaza. The “peace activists” had advertised themselves (scroll down to point 8 in their “mission” statement) as adhering to “nonviolence and nonviolent resistance in word and deed at all times.” This turned out to be a brazen lie. Whatever the “aid” aboard the ship, the “peace activists” were waiting with knives and metal clubs, with which they attacked the Israelis. Though some of the details are still unclear, there are also reports that they made a grab for Israeli guns, and Real Clear Politics — which has posted IDF video footage – says they had firebombs ready as well. (Update: more details in IDF footage here).
Out of this came the headlines the organizers of this terror tour had been looking for. All the usual folks are shocked! shocked! that a deliberate provocation, staged with all sorts of planning by the faux-peace-pals of Hamas, turned into a violent showdown. Reuters reports that France is “profoundly shocked,” Europe “calls for inquiry,” and Turkey’s Iran-lovin’ Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is denouncing the Israelis for “state terrorism.” Washington “regrets loss of life” and is “examining circumstances” — though the basic circumstances here are no mystery whatsoever. They boil down to Israel being left by its craven Western allies to deal solo with the terrorism that boils out of Gaza, the support for that terrorism that flows from Syria and Iran, and the cheerleading — and apparently the helping hand — for this arrangement that emanates from the current Islamic leadership of Turkey. (More here)
And yes, the propaganda line IS being pushed. Sarah Palin had this caution on her FaceBook page today:
Israeli Flotilla: Don’t Take Mainstream Media Coverage at Face Value
Today at 11:49am
The media, as usual, seems to be reporting only one side of the Israeli Flotilla incident. Don’t trust the mainstream media to give you both sides of a story fairly… you must seek out fair reporting to ensure you have all the information.
As far too many in the media, and in various governments, rush to condemn Israel, we must put the recent events off Israel’s coast into the right perspective. This “relief” convoy was not about humanitarian aid, as the liberal mainstream media keeps reporting. The whole operation was designed to provoke Israel, not to provide supplies to Palestinians held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Anyone who sees the video of Israeli commandos being attacked as they land on that ship knows the people aboard were vicious thugs, not “peace activists.” The media insults our intelligence with their outright mischaracterization of who these enemies are.
Israel delivers thousands of tons of humanitarian supplies every week to Gaza. These ships could have offloaded their cargoes at a nearby Israeli port if they really wanted to help the people of Gaza. Instead, they chose to incite confrontation and violence. Israel has a right to prevent arms shipments to Gaza that will be used to target innocent Israelis, so they were legitimately checking the cargo on the flotilla. Turkey has chosen to condemn Israel but we should be asking some serious questions about Turkey’s role in this whole affair. Why is a fellow member of NATO sponsoring such a dangerous publicity stunt? As one expert points out: “Three ships of that six-ship pro-terror convoy flew Turkish flags and were crowded with Turkish citizens. The Ankara government – led by Islamists these days – sponsored the ‘aid’ operation in a move to position itself as the new champion of the Palestinians. And Turkish decision-makers knew Israel would have to react – and were waiting to exploit the inevitable clash. The provocation was as cynical as it was carefully orchestrated.”
We can only hope the Obama Administration does not join the anti-Israel chorus in the aftermath of this staged confrontation. Please, Mr. President, we need to let Israelis know we stand with them in their fight against terrorists and those who arm and support them. America and her ally, Israel, stand by waiting for your response.
- Sarah Palin
Yes, I am also waiting for BHO to call a spade a spade. We all know he doesn't like the word 'terrorist', but that IS what these people on the Mavi Marmara are. Of course, BHO may find himself in a bit of a corner here, since it is documented that people he 'met once or twice' are part of the backing for this group.
Klein: Ayers, Dohrn top activists in Gaza flotilla group
Aaron Klein, Jerusalem bureau chief for World Net Daily, reports from New York:
The group behind the Gaza flotilla that engaged in deadly clashes with Israeli commandoes today counts among its top activists Weather Underground terrorist founders William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn as well as Jodie Evans, the leader of the radical activist organization Code Pink.
Ayers and Dohrn were close associates for years with President Obama, while Evans was a fundraiser and financial bundler for Obama’s presidential campaign. ..
[...]
The flotilla was organized by the Free Gaza Movement, a coalition of leftist human rights activists and pro-Palestinian groups engaged in attempts to break a blockade imposed by Israel on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Ayers, Dohrn and Evans’ Code Pink have led several recent Free Gaza Movement initiatives, including attempted marches into the Gaza Strip. Dorhn was in the Middle East just last month on behalf of the movement.
In January, WND reported Ayers, Dohrn and Evans were involved in provoking chaos on the streets of Egypt in an attempt to enter Gaza with the Free Gaza Movement to join in solidarity with the territory’s population and leadership.
The three helped to stir riots after the Egyptian government refused to allow a large number of protesters to enter neighboring Gaza. Eventually, the protesters accepted an Egyptian offer of allowing about 100 marchers into Gaza. Once in the territory, those marchers were reportedly met on the Gaza side by Hamas’ former Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. (more here)
And others are taking notice, too:
FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
All aboard! Obama pals back violent Gaza flotilla
Activists from president's circle of friends top supporters of anti-Israel protest ships
Jerusalem ---- May 29, 2010 …. The "Gaza Freedom Flotilla", a group of ships carrying up to 800 people and 10,000 tons of supplies destined for the Gaza Strip has the alledged aim of stirring international debate regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza. However, questions have been raised as to their motives especially given evidence of the organizer's direct ties to international terrorist organizations including al Qaida and Hamas.
Israel security sources have told the Israel News Agency that the main organization behind the "freedom" flotilla that is now sailing towards the Gaza Strip is called The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), a so-called "relief" organization from Turkey.
This is an organization unabashedly proud of its close ties to Hamas, a terror organization as recognized by the United States, Israel and the European Union (EU).
The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation is openly supportive of Hamas, an organization that is widely seen as the one of the largest perpetrators of human rights violations, having violently seized control of the Gaza Strip, and committed immeasurable human rights violations against its own people, not to mention hundreds of terror attacks initiated targeting the citizens of Israel.
These aren't the only roles the IHH has played to support Islamic terror, as if this wasn't enough. In fact, not only is IHH linked to global Islamic terror organizations, but it is the direct supporter of not only terrorism against Israel, but a primary backer of world-wide terrorism against nations which practice democracy.
At the heart of many terrorist networks are so-called Islamic "relief" organizations have proven invaluable as sources of cash, weapons, and recruitment of terror operatives. So effective is their role in covering up terrorist activity from the international intelligence community under the guise of promoting humanitarian aid, that Osama bin Laden has admitted that these NGO "charities" have been al-Qaida primary source of funding and have enabled the build-up of his organization to fly under the radar.
Examples of Islamic organizations funneling funds to terror organizations masked as NGOs include: the Benevolence International Foundation, Global Relief Foundation, Taibah International Aid Association, all of whom and countless other have been shut down, banned and its leaders arrested by the US government.
The IHH is one of such organizations, a primary example of an NGO that functions as a "charitable" organization in order to divert resources to terror activity.
In a working paper for The Danish Institute for International Studies, an independent international affairs research institution of Denmark, terrorism analyst and expert witness for the prosecution in U.S. terrorism trials, Evan Kohlmann details IHH's extensive affiliation with the Islamic terror network, including: explicit ties to Hamas, al-Qaida, as well other militant Islamic organizations based in Algeria, Libya, Turkey.
[...]
It is odd that today Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan supports the IHH in their attempt to break the maritime closure of the Gaza Strip, and ranks the IHH's efforts as his "top priority" for the country.(More here)
'Questions have been raised'? IF the UN and all the other world leaders would actually pay attention, before condemning Israel out of hand, there would be NO question as to the real motives of these terrorists. Take a look at this video:
Much is being made in the msm of the Israelis attempting to board the Mavi Marmara in the middle of night, BUT not one peep from any that I have found about this 'humanitarian aid' vessel trying to creep into port under cover of dark. Double standard? Never mind, that was a rhetorical question.
As we all know, I am not a military strategist, but seems to me that with hundreds (700+?) of passengers on board, and what surely looks to me via the video, of not very many Israeli troops, it is apparent that the Israelis were not intent on starting a war in the thick of night. The video above clearly shows that the Israelis were offering to escort the Mavi Marmara into Ashdod. According to all I have read, they were offering to assess the contents of the cargo, and then offering to transport, at Israeli expense, any humanitarian aid to its destination.
I heard an interview with a friend of one of the Canadians on board one of the flotilla ships(not the Mavi Marmara as it turned out) who clearly stated that prior to leaving, it had been decided that any requests from the Israeli military to stop, so they could check the actual business and cargo, would be refused. On national radio, this woman said that they had no intention of co-operating with the Israeli military. 'Peace activists' indeed!
And then there is this:
Talking of the Canadians, Netanyahu happened to be in Canada when this all happened, and this is what the CBC is reporting:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defending Israeli commandos who launched a deadly raid on a flotilla of humanitarian ships destined for Gaza, saying they acted in self-defence.
Nine people were killed and dozens were wounded in Monday's pre-dawn raid, which happened in international waters more than 60 kilometres from shore.
Netanyahu said the Israeli soldiers had boarded one of six ships in the flotilla at about 4 a.m. local time to check it for weapons when they were attacked by activists with knives and clubs.
Night-vision footage released by the military showed soldiers dropping from a helicopter one by one and being grabbed by a mob of men wielding sticks on the lead boat, the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara.
The soldiers succumbed to the assailants and fell to the deck, where the men continued to beat them and dump one of them from the top deck.
"They literally attacked the first soldiers on the ship, they were mobbed," Netanyahu said in Ottawa, where he was meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "They were clubbed, they were beaten, stabbed, there was even a report of gunfire.
"And our soldiers had to defend themselves, defend their lives or they would have been killed," he said.
Israeli officials say at least five Israeli soldiers were wounded in the confrontation.
[...]
Netanyahu, who began a two-day official visit to Canada on Sunday, cut short his visit and was expected to leave Ottawa for Israel Monday afternoon.
He also rescheduled a Tuesday meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington, officials said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes brief comments following his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper following their meeting on Parliament Hill on Monday.(Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
[...]
Israeli Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Danny Ayalon said Israel regrets the loss of life but called the moves from the flotilla "premeditated" and an "outrageous provocation."
"The organizers are well known for their ties to global jihad, al-Qaeda and Hamas," he said. "On board the ship, we found weapons prepared in advance and used against our forces."
[...]
Helicopters evacuated the wounded to Israeli hospitals, officials said. Five ships had reached port by early evening, and some 136 activists had been removed without serious incident, the military said.
Sixteen were jailed for refusing to identify themselves, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Israel had said activists would be given the choice to be deported or imprisoned.
[...]
Ayalon said Israel offered to deliver the aid supplies through the "appropriate" channels, and did "everything" it could to avoid a violent outcome.
Israeli naval ships escorted the flotilla to the port of Ashdod, where officials were trying to identify the ships' passengers.
International reaction
"Canada deeply regrets this action, the loss of life and the injuries that have occurred and obviously we'll be looking in the days that follow to get all the information we can get to find out exactly what has transpired," Harper said following a meeting with Netanyahu.
Protesters in Lahore, Pakistan, rally to condemn Israel's assault on a flotilla of ships carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists to the Gaza Strip on Monday. (K.M. Chaudary/Associated Press)
Read more here. CBC is running a poll asking Canadians if they approve of Harper's measured response. Predictably, a huge majority do not agree with what he said. Here (and yes, as always, the comments are interesting.) Oh, and there was an anti-Israel 'demonstration' downtown yesterday, where I live. About 100 people showed up, according to the msm.
Not everybody is swallowing the typical, anti-Israel propaganda. From Right Truth:
May 31, 2010
Arabs Try to Lynch Israeli Paint-Gun Commandos – Myths and Facts about the Israeli Naval Operation
Arabs Try to Lynch Israeli Paint-Gun Commandos – Myths and Facts about the Israeli Naval Operation
BY: YEKUTIEL GUZOFSKY
If it wasn't so sad it would make great material for a comedy. The Israeli government sends its most elite military unit - its navy seals - to overtake the Turkish terrorist supply ships as they penetrated into Israeli territorial waters with the stated intent of breaking the Israeli naval blockade around the terrorist Hamas entity that controls Gaza. That Israel sees it as a priority to continue blocking the free flow of weapons into Gaza is not the problem. However, the feeble tactics used by the Israeli government to enforce the blockade needs to be studied and never again duplicated. Did Israel use disproportionate and excessive force? The absolute opposite is true – Israel armed its fighters with toy paint-guns, and gave specific orders to all troops not to open fire with their pistols unless their lives were in danger. In fact, the poor soldiers refrained from shooting back until some of their comrades were already being lynched, shot at, firebombed and stabbed.[emphasis mine]
The Israelis had spent tens of millions of shekels to set up hotel-suite jail cells, cake and coffee, and promised that they would not use unnecessary force to reroute the ships to the Ashdod port, where they would run a security check of all of the items and then transport the cargo, free of charge into Gaza. Israel also announced in advance that they would send all of the Turks and Europeans back to their countries of origin at Israel's expense. The European and Turkish Hamas sympathizers had two goals - to break through the blockade thereby easing present and future restrictions to transport and smuggle weapons freely into Gaza, and to embarrass Israel - knowing just how sensitive and obsessive Israel is about international public opinion. (Much more here)
Were just some of the weapons used upon The Leaky Bucket The Free Gaza Flotilla.
Demonstrators Use Violence Against Israeli Navy Soldiers Attempting to Board Ship
[video follows]
Thus proving that this was NOT a peaceful protest but well-planned attack sponsored by the Turkish government who is now planning to escort all ships to Gaza.
Yet there is a truth that the members of the MSM will not tell you...
There follows more on the terrorist background of this 'peace activist' flotilla, here. Check out the official site of Free Gaza here. You may see a few names your recognise. Interesting to me, this group is now registered in Cyprus. But, while there, check out their live updates. They do have video with screaming headlines (of course) . From what I can make out, CNN and BBC were on board. Never let a good PR opportunity go to waste.
Ron Ben Yishai recounts bloody clash aboard Gaza-bound vessel: The lacking crowd-dispersal means, the brutal violence of ‘peace activists,’ and the attempt to bring down an IDF helicopter
Bloody Sea
Troops beaten up after getting off helicopters Photo: AFP
Our Navy commandoes fell right into the hands of the Gaza mission members. A few minutes before the takeover attempt aboard the Marmara got underway, the operation commander was told that 20 people were waiting on the deck where a helicopter was to deploy the first team of the elite Flotilla 13 unit. The original plan was to disembark on the top deck, and from there rush to the vessel’s bridge and order the Marmara’s captain to stop.
Officials estimated that passengers will show slight resistance, and possibly minor violence; for that reason, the operation’s commander decided to bring the helicopter directly above the top deck. The first rope that soldiers used in order to descend down to the ship was wrested away by activists, most of them Turks, and tied to an antenna with the hopes of bringing the chopper down. However, Flotilla 13 fighters decided to carry on.
Navy commandoes slid down to the vessel one by one, yet then the unexpected occurred: The passengers that awaited them on the deck pulled out bats, clubs, and slingshots with glass marbles, assaulting each soldier as he disembarked. The fighters were nabbed one by one and were beaten up badly, yet they attempted to fight back.
However, to their misfortune, they were only equipped with paintball rifles used to disperse minor protests, such as the ones held in Bilin. The paintballs obviously made no impression on the activists, who kept on beating the troops up and even attempted to wrest away their weapons. (Much more here)
Be sure to click on the sidebar over there.
Not everybody is feeling sorry for the terrorists on board the Mavi Marmara. Over at Double Tapper, where I found the original weaponry (aka 'humanitarian aid'), a couple of comments are interesting:
Ya'll should have sunk all those asshole ships with the pro-Palestin crew chained to the railings.
The events off the coast of Gaza in the early hours of Monday morning were a significant moment in the history of the State of Israel. More than that, they were a dual tragedy.
Before we go any further, it must be made abundantly clear that neither I nor anyone I know rejoices in the deaths of these activists. It is not in our nature to celebrate the deaths of anyone, not even those who were part of a group that had earlier chanted “Khaybar Khaybar ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad saya’ud,” meaning “Jews remember Khaybar, the army of Mohammed is returning,” a reference to a seventh-century Muslim massacre and expulsion of Jews from Khaybar, which is in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Despite this despicable loathsomeness, with the benefit of hindsight, I’d much rather that the ships had safely docked in Gaza than lives being needlessly wasted.
At the time of going to press, 15 people have died as a result of the IDF’s boarding the flotilla as it approached Gaza, but this does not mean that I criticize the actions of the IDF. Neither do I reserve criticism of the actions of these “human rights” activists.
[...]
But a serious question lies at the heart of the affair. How and why did a supposedly passive peace demonstration turn rowdy to the degree for the military forces who had boarded the boat to feel threatened enough to open fire? The answer has been stated repeatedly of the last few days and stares us in the face: these were no peace activists. These were no human rights activists, these people had a very clear agenda in mind: the delegitimization of Israel.
Much has been said of this delegitimization of Israel, but what is it? What is being delegitimized, exactly? Well, Israel’s right to defense, for one. When every single defense operation is questioned, criticized and consequently condemned, we would do well to realize that we are witnessing the systematic denial of Israel’s right to defend herself.
[...]
There’s one question I’ve asked myself repeatedly over the last few years: “And how would you handle it?” I’ve imagined this question being asked of Kofi Annan, Barack Obama, Gordon Brown and now I ask it of these activists and their supporters. Maybe Israel’s actions aren’t always correct, but Israel has the sovereign right to act in the way it deems fit. If you don’t like the way we deal with terrorists, how about proposing an alternative solution to prevent Hamas proliferating its stockpile of military grade weaponry? If you don’t like human shields, and you shouldn’t if you care about human rights, how do you propose that the IDF tackles Hamas, an extremist group bent on Israel’s destruction that also happens to make extensive use of this tactic?
[...]
While Marom correctly identified these “peace activists” as paradoxically unpleasant to deal with, even he could not have predicted that there would be those amongst their number who would attempt to steal the soldiers’ guns, let alone stab them. But that is precisely what occurred. For us to regard these people as genuine peace activists would be a real tragedy.
Gen. Maj. Marom explained that “we have no intention of harming any of these people”, but that was sadly not the case with the activists. Beyond physically hurting the soldiers, their intention to give Israel’s image a good hiding could not be clearer. We may call them pro-Palestinian activists, but that would be a fib, for they had plenty of other options available to them, but instead went for the cheap PR stunt. And yet the PR stunt is the one way that wins. Israel yet again emerges as the loser, it’s entitlement to protect its population damaged. [...]
But if Israel’s right to defend itself continues to be eroded, and if a precedent has been set here, more people will die. And that would be an even greater tragedy. (This is a must read here)
Within this column quoted, and within all I have read about the Israeli people, a glaring difference is always obvious between the Israeli people (and the rest of us), and the terrorists' regimes. The Israelis and non-terrorists always revere life more than death. The terrorists (under any of their myriad banners) always espouse ideologies that venerate death.
It may well be that some of the passengers in that flotillia (and there were other ships that peaceably acquiesced to the Israeli requests, and were safely led to harbour, by the way) who naively thought they were on a 'peace mission.' It is my opinion that they also need to educate themselves as to who their sponsors really are. Aligning oneself with terrorists whose only agenda is to wipe whole nations off the face of the earth, is absolutely no guarantee of peace - for any of us. These people would do well to remember the old cliche: You are known by the company you keep.
