Kiwis for Balanced Reporting on the Middle East

Why a blockade? In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza , hoping for peace. In 2007, Hamas, which by its very charter is sworn to destroying Israel, took over Gaza . Over 6,000 rockets were launched at civilian targets in Israel, causing 28 deaths and injuring hundreds (BBC). In Siderot, Israel, 90% of the residents have had a missile explode directly on their street or the next. Israel did what the UN says should be done to stop aggression — it imposed a partial blockade on Gaza, just as Britain did to Germany in WWII and to Argentina in the Falklands war.

Is Israel acting alone? No. The Gaza blockade is run jointly by both Egypt and Israel. Egypt, a Muslim country, feels the same need to keep arms away from this terrorist government on its border. Even the Palestinian Authority, fearful of Hamas, pleaded with President Obama to allow the blockade to continue.

Is it a full blockade? No. Medicine, food, and other consumer needs are allowed through. Ambulances are given swift passage through checkpoints into Israeli hospitals. )What other nation tends to the sick from its sworn enemies?) What are disallowed are items that have real or potential military use (guns, gunpowder-making chemicals, timers, fuses, some fertilisers, steel pipes, etc.).

Is there a humanitarian crisis? No. Each week Israel sends Gaza over 13,000 tons of food and medical supplies, one million litres of diesel fuel, and 900 tons of cooking gas. Any poverty in Gaza results from the totalitarian Hamas government, not from a shortage of basic necessities. In fact a luxury shopping mall was opened last month. “There is no starvation in Gaza. No one has died of hunger,” says a senior Hamas official (Daily Telegraph). “The only place where refugees drive Mercedes”, says reporter Tom Gross. Ironically, in Gaza the life expectancy is longer and the infant mortality rate lower than they are in Turkey , where the flotilla originated.

Did Israel "raid" the flotilla? No. The Israeli military asked the six flotilla ships bound for Gaza to dock so their cargos could be inspected for weapons. Only one ship ignored this simple process — the one whose crew was armed with weapons and instructed to resist with force any attempt to divert the vessel. As part of its blockade, Israel could have fired on the vessel, but instead chose to attempt a peaceful boarding, despite the risk to its men. That risk turned out to be very real.

Photo taken from IDF video of the attempted boarding. To see the full video, Google “passengers attacking IDF”.

Did Israel initiate the violence? No. When soldiers rappelled onto the sixth ship from a helicopter, they were met with axes, knives, metal pipes and guns*. Ten Israeli soldiers were wounded. It was only then that Israel responded with armed force, resulting in nine deaths. (The video is a must-see; Google “passengers attacking idf”.) Protecting its troops is what any military would do.

What have other nations done? Other nations, especially Arab ones, have done far, far worse. In 1982 Syria , vexed by terrorism from the Muslim Brotherhood in Hama shelled the insurgents, killing up to 35,000 residents. In 1988, Saddam Hussein gassed Kurds in Halabja, killing 5,000 residents. In both cases the Arab world remained silent. Israel's tolerance and restraint toward enemies that have vowed “to turn the sea red with Jewish blood” stands in marked contrast to these and other actions. Yet the world chooses to condemn Israel , a small country with rocket-firing zealots on its borders who, when given the chance, board city buses and detonate bombs specifically designed to kill civilians.

What should Israel have done? It seems that the world expected Israel to ignore the flotilla and allow any munitions to be safely delivered. However Israel refuses to commit suicide and insists on protecting its people. According to the International Court of Justice, this is not only its right, but its duty.

Although no guns were recovered, a bullet in one of the wounded soldiers was not of the calibre used in Israeli weapons.