No one could of guessed that this position by the White House:
I’m told there won’t be any daylight between the US and Israel in the aftermath of the incident on the flotilla yesterday, which resulted in the deaths of 10 activists.
Regardless of the details of the flotilla incident, sources say President Obama is focused on what he sees as the longer term issue here: a successful Mideast peace process.
“The president has always said that it will be much easier for Israel to make peace if it feels secure,” a senior administration official tells ABC News.
Would change so quickly……right?
The Obama administration considers Israel’s blockade of Gaza to be untenable and plans to press for another approach to ensure Israel’s security while allowing more supplies into the impoverished Palestinian area, senior American officials said Wednesday.
The officials say that Israel’s deadly attack on a flotilla trying to break the siege and the resulting international condemnation create a new opportunity to push for increased engagement with the Palestinian Authority and a less harsh policy toward Gaza.
“There is no question that we need a new approach to Gaza,” said one official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the policy shift is still in the early stages. He was reflecting a broadly held view in the upper reaches of the administration.
~~~If there were no blockade in place, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Israeli television on Wednesday evening, it would mean “an Iranian port in Gaza.” He added, “Israel will continue to maintain its right to defend itself.”
~~~But the world powers have grown increasingly disillusioned with the blockade, saying that it has created far too much suffering in Gaza and serves as a symbol not only of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians but of how the West is seen in relation to the Palestinians.
“Gaza has become the symbol in the Arab world of the Israeli treatment of Palestinians, and we have to change that,” the senior American official said. “We need to remove the impulse for the flotillas. The Israelis also realize this is not sustainable.”
I have a feeling that there is definite “daylight” in between this policy and Israel.
All this does is allow the thugs and terrorists to get what they wanted when they set this incident up. In effect, ensuring that whenever Hamas feels like it they can get pressure placed on Israel by setting up one more violent encounter, blaming the Israeli’s and then waiting for Obama to come to their rescue.
See author page
Have a look at the Drudge headline.
A while back I predicted war this year involving Israel and Iran. Now that Israel is alone, and Turkey (a NATO member!?) has aligned with Iran/Syria, my feelings are even stronger.
Israel is not US ally. Turkey is and is fellow member of NATO. We are obligated to defend Turkey. Further, we need justice for American murdered by Israilis on the ship. Four bullets to head and one to chest is not right and cannot go unpunished.
Mathee, either you’ve got an agenda or you need to put your bong away, LOL
Five of six ships were boarded and inspected peacefully… it was only jihadists hiding weapons in the 6th boat that employed a cowardly sneak attack on Israeli commandos… to their complete shock.
The “American” got what he asked for by hanging with the wrong crowd… let that be an example to any others
My wife cuts through all the confusion and explains everything: “Obama is a Muslim”. See how simple that was?
Now do you believe he is the MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (or Trojan Horse) set to destroy the U.S.A. and Israel?
2 Thessalonians 2 (read it, he is what they say he is).
@mathee
Dude apparently you haven’t seen videos or the reports. As the IDF did not fire their side arms until the mob on the ship took one of the IDF soldiers side arm (the one thrown over the side of the upper deck to the lower deck 30′ below) and started firing at them. That my friend is called rules of engagement. They boarded the ship with paint guns being the primary weapon.
Mathee I agree. All 5 bullets should have been to the head.
Screw Turkey. We should have kicked them out of NATO years ago.
Conditions for the million-and-a-half human beings trapped in the Gaza Strip are appalling. The world’s awareness of that situation isn’t working to Israel’s advantage. It’s a situation that can easily be exploited by anti-Israel militants and Islamic extremists.
A war materials blockade is entirely justified, but someone other than the Israeli military should be doing it. International forces should be searching ships and certifying their cargos. Aid ships should be required to follow tightly monitored routes and follow required protocol. Israel should then be free to deal militarily with any vessels that don’t play by the rules.
The confiscated “Jihadist weapons” we’ve seen displayed, btw, seem to consist of slingshots and a collection of kitchen cutlery. While such things can undeniably become deadly weapons, I don’t tend to think of slingshots and a bag of marbles as a match for Tavor assault rifles, or my local Bed Bath and Beyond as an armaments dealer. The whole sad incident looks bad–very likely as Israel’s enemies intended. I doubt it’s the sort of thing Israel would want to see repeated.
Wrong yet again Greg. Amazing how you manage to be wrong so often.
I have seen video of the weapons. SOME of it was kitchen cutlery, which is plenty deadly. Others were lock blade knives and fixed blade knives the passengers were carrying. There were metal pipes cut from the ship itself and other sharpened stabbing instruments in addition to clubs. For an alleged combat veteran you sure are ignorant of what the previously mentioned weapons can do. Again you seem to think the Israelis used too much force. I think you are a know nothing fool, but that’s me.
So tell us Greg, what should they have done diferently? I hear you whining about their “mistake”, but offering no suggestions as to what they could have done differently. Put your money where you mouth is.
As for the blockade being handled by international forces, they have shown themselves to be almost useless in Afghanistan and elsewhere. I suspect you know that though.
Lastly, no one is starving in Gaza because of Isarel and the plight of the palestinians is 100% their fault. If not for the U.N. and other anti-semites and leftists enabling them to produce nothing but violence, we would have peace by now.
MATTHEE:ISRAEL always have been US ally but right now they must be reviewing that in their strategy, and they should too, would you like to learn of thousands of HAMAS followers coming to USA?. well it will take a lot of diplomatie to reconvince ISRAEL that AMERICA is on their side in the future.
For Greg. Kitchen cutlery? Wrong yet again.
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/202718.php
Love Hate Boat Humanitarian Aid Refused By Hamas
So tell me Greg, what should the Israelis have done? How about puting up or shutting up? Tell us what a tactical genius like yourself would have done.
I would also like to ask you Greg, have you watched any of the videos yet, or are you just commenting stupidly?
Or is it an attempt on your part to bash Israel by saying they over reacted to “mere cutlery and slingshots”? Considering that was hardly all of the arsenal used against the Israelis, the answer either way shows you to be dishonest at best.
Word is coming out that some of the humanitarian aid was cement, rebar, and hardened plate.
All are materials for the poor and maligned Hamas backed Palestinians. Great reads from the Jerusalem Post.
Oil Guy, it also included gas masks and body armor.
Click on the link I posted above and you see what was found.
It’s more a matter of not taking a simplistic view of things. There are two versions of the incident. I don’t automatically believe either one of them.
Ohhhh, we aren’t capable of understanding the nuances involved. I see.
Again, have you seen ANY of the videos? If so then why did you try to minimize the weapons used by the wannabe jihadis as cutlery and slingshots knowing full well it was much more than that, all of which is quite deadly?
If not, then where do you get off criticizing them?
Answer the question-what would you have done?
You like to say you support Israel, but always follow up such statements with, “but”.
Simple solution. Israel needs to wipe out Hamas. Then send the rest of the Palastinians back to Jordan where they belong.
Greg.
You’re an idiot.
Gaza and the so-called “Palestinians” have been kept in a cage by Arabs, and the fellow-travelers (like you). They are tools. Just like you.
Have you ever wondered why there are STILL refugee camps in Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon holding ARAB’s? They are the descendants of the ARABS who were TOLD to leave Israel back in 48, even though Israel never told them to leave. EVERY Arab country either kicked out their Jews or killed them way back then, and every Arab and leftist entity in the world uses them as a club against Israel and America.
When Israel handed Gaza back, they were given the freedom to select which way they wanted to go.
They went with Hamas. Now they demand we treat them as statesmen. Have you ever read the Hamas charter, twit?
GAWD people like you piss me off. “I’m not taking sides.” “I’m waiting for facts”. I’m looking for a half-way solution because both sides are wrong.” How about take the side of those who don’t want to kill or convert you.
Look, moron. If you say 3+3 equals 6, and someone else says it’s 7, the “correct” answer is NOT 6.5.
No. Your stupid answer to all this is have world government usurp the sovereignty of a country on the behalf of a terrorist organization who used the ships of a NATO country. Ships that had Obama’s friends Ayers and Dorn on it, by-the-way.
Tell me twit, just how is the UN doing keeping Syrian and Iranian missiles out of South Lebanon and in the hands of HezbAllah, as they were chartered to do in 2006?
NOBODY is starving in Gaza, and they even the Egyptians help in the blockaid. (They even have a wall, just like the Israelis do.)
Read a freakin book, and not anything by Chomski..
Oh wait, you’re too freakin lazy and full of your self-proscribed angst to have looked into it.
Hint. The UN has allowed over 20,000 in.
Here Greg. Find me the desperation, and bloated stomachs.
http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2010/06/photos-horrifying-toll-of-humanitarian.html
Gee, maybe we should have TSA, Napolitano and our CIA/FBI do it since they are so sucessful at making sure terrorists don’t get aboard planes and our no fly list is up to the minute current.
………. er…… wait. 🙄
Greg, the reason the Israelis don’t let anyone else do it because everyone else is either too PC to “offend”, or they are easily bribed.
IMHO, with this POTUS and Congress, the US would do a boatload better if we outsourced our own national security to the Israelis.
@Patvann…. priceless. 😆
Patvann, thank you for expressing what I was feeling about Greg and his gutless comments.
I was ready to start cursing, but held back.
I bet he hasn’t watched a single video of what happened and what was found. He ran away when I asked if he had or what he would have done differently. Big surprise, eh?
Lefties like him REFUSE to see any facts that might alter their worldview/opinion of themselves. That is why he gave that BS answer about not believing either side. By doing that it allows him to feel superior to us partisans who have decided on Israel’s innocence.
Greg supports Israel like Ike supported Tina.
I so wish self-imposed ignorance had pain associated with it. 👿
It did in the last presidential election. 😡
“I so wish self-imposed ignorance had pain associated with it.”
It generally does, but it’s human nature to blame it on somebody else.
I don’t see the Palestinian diaspora as being all that different from that of the Jewish people prior to the founding of modern-day Israel. Much of my thinking about the situation probably comes from that.
THIS JUST IN!
Greg said the IDF “acted stupidly.” – or was that the Cambridge police?
*shrug*
Greg
*sigh*
There was NEVER a “Palestinian” until an Egyptian named Yasar Arafat (founder of the terror-group PLO) called himself and the ARABS in the area that in the late 60’s.
For a while, (late 19th C) the Jews in the area that is now modern Israel called themselves that, and Yasar knew it.
After the Ottoman Empire disintegrated, many countries were created out of the region called Transjordan… Syria, Jordan, Iraq, etc. The Kurds are a distinctly different group from the Arabs, but I don’t see you screaming to give them a homeland. (actually they’ve been around about as long as the Jews.)
Arabs in the now-disputed territories have a home. It’s called Jordan. The other one is Israel. If the neo-Palestinians want their own dirt, then they should get it from Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria…But they’re trapped in refugee camps in those countries, and treated worse than any Jew has ever treated an Arab….BY THEIR FELLOW ARABS.
Now until you can give me the history of Arafat’s uncle and some of the reasons for the specific layout of those post WW1 countries, stop posting and go read something. Until then, you have NOTHING to add to further this discussion, and only make yourself look dumber when you do.
I suppose denying the legitimacy of a Palestinian identity is one way of approaching the problem. I’ve got doubts about how that will work out as a solution, however. Not to worry. It’s only the observation of a dummy.
I’ll refrain from further comment on the topic. Perhaps the MV Rachel Corrie won’t result in a similar incident. There are unconfirmed reports tonight that it’s being escorted by Turkish warships. Total lunacy, in the opinion of this particular dummy…
‘I suppose denying the legitimacy of a Palestinian identity is one way of approaching the problem.’
You can’t deny what never existed to begin with. Read a HISTORY book, you frgging idiot. The word ‘palestinian’ doesn’t even show up before WW II. And the original name ‘Palestine’ came from the Roman naming of the territory when they conquered it.
New viral video…”We Con the World” 😀
@Greg
Of course it wouldn’t solve any problems. That train left the station the second the western-culture-hating-leftists of the world let them get away with it.
But it does add to the perspective, and forces one to approach the problem without being distracted by the red-herring they constantly put forth. IE: That this is somehow a “race” issue.
They had the PERFECT chance to have their own country back in the late 1990’s. Arafat turned it down…it would have made HIM responsible for his people, and would have removed the self-imposed “victim-status” he so needs (needed) to continue blackmailing the world.
Obama could stop this right now…Move a carrier group in offshore of Israel NOW, and publicly give Turkey 24 hrs to back off, or he’s moving to kick them out of NATO…
DONE. Islamist’s will ONLY back off when confronted, and Turkey has gone head-first into the maw. The Ataturk era is over. (Please go read about Ataturk, even if it’s just Wiki.)
I pray you’re right about the MV Rachel Corrie…AKA: “MV Saint Pancake”.
‘We had no choice’
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=177445
The Jerusalem Post ran an interview today with one of the Israeli soldiers that attempted to search the blockade runner Mavi Marmara as it attempted to breach the join Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the Gaza strip.
The soldier in question was the senior-most noncom on the mission, and the last soldier to fast-rope down to the ship from the helicopter hovering overhead. By the time he hit the deck, two more senior officers had already been shot by Turkish “peace activists” wearing heavy ceramic body armor, and a third officer was severely injured after having his skull crushed with the heavy rods some of the terrorists were using as weapons.
The soldier has the other commandos form a defensive perimeter around their wounded comrades, and when the terrorists pressed their attack, they opened fire to keep from being overrun. The soldier in question killed six of the nine Turkish terrorists killed in the attempted blockade running with his handgun at point-blank range.
When the ship was finally captured and brought into port, the attackers were found to have large sums of money upon them; apparent payment for the pre-planned assault. According to the captain of the Mavi Marmara, the Turks were armed as well, and fired shots at the Israelis. He apparently watched the terrorists throw their weapons over the side of the ship, and forensic teams located shell casings that did not match Israeli weapons.
Turkish terrorists/mercenaries (chose the terminology you like best, as both would seem to apply) were paid substantial amounts of money by someone to stage an international incident, attacking soldiers simply attempting to enforce a blockade of an enemy port where ships loaded with hundreds of tons Iranian weapons had previously attempted to dock.
The question I have is whether or not Turkey’s increasingly Islamic government had a hand in staging this incident, and if they did, whether they are the kind of “ally” the United States or NATO really needs.
http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/
******************************************************
Obviously there is more to this but the ‘Humanitarian Aid’ crew were trained, had ill intent and were fully prepared to offer mayhem and murder. The next confrontation should hold the promise of more of the same or worse. Expect more of this. Deporting these thugs should never have happened either. The UN’s response was predictable and worthless.
The Obama Regimes response was unconscionable and an indication of failed Foreign Policy conducted by amateurs. That is to be expected from the Affirmative Action Hire Administration.
My approach would have been a different tactical series of events but boarding into a mob by ‘fast rope’ would not have been on the menu. Disabling their mobility would have been the first move. Boarding would have been the last.
*A lesson hard learned from Mogadishu…*
OLD TROOPER: HI, I think, it’s unfortunate that the AMERICAN was shot, but he was with the wrong crowd,he had no business to get invoved with terrorist unless he was on their sides, that most probably so. bye best to all the braves. 🙄
“Conditions for the million-and-a-half human beings trapped in the Gaza Strip are appalling. The world’s awareness of that situation isn’t working to Israel’s advantage. It’s a situation that can easily be exploited by anti-Israel militants and Islamic extremists”. Greg
Unfortunately the above reality exists only in the minds of the easily mentally manipulated. I call it Selective Logic Disease. The reality is I’m sure not something your mind wants to allow for however, the following link blows your Group Think Collective Mantra to hell.
http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2010/06/photos-horrifying-toll-of-humanitarian.html
Sincerely,
A. Smarter Greg
HAMAS,has problems, because they generated it, bye always showig their menacing hate to ISRAEL: they had many chances to change thoses core hatred and agressive behaviors that is pass unto their chidren as generations continue: IT would have been so much better for them, if they would have search to rectified their behavor, for the sake of their wifes and children; than they would have touch the hearths of the world.
Nice pictures. One could always do a Google image search using the single word, “Gaza”, and see what other photos randomly come up. I don’t recommend that anyone do so, however. The results can be an unsettling dose of an entirely different side of that same reality.
@ ilovebeeswarzone: Ms Bees, one is known by the company they keep. 😉
Yes Greg, you should stop commenting if as Patvann mentioned, you are deliberately ignorant of the events, which I suspect you are.
Twice I asked you if you’d seen any of the videos. No response. I’ll take that as a no.
Twice I asked you what you would have done in the soldiers situation. No answer. I’ll take that to mean you have no idea, but still want to say they should have done something else.
Yet you want to criticize the Israelis and play the holier than thou armchair quarterback by calling both sides wrong even tho only one side was.
YOU ARE NOT A SUPPORTER OF ISRAEL AND YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO DOESN’T SEE THAT.
OLD TROOPER: that’s why i look for your company, 🙄 😉
“Twice I asked you if you’d seen any of the videos.”
Sorry, I thought I had answered previously.
Yes, I’ve seen the videos, with the exception those confiscated immediately after the incident, and those on the three memory cards of Brazilian documentary film-maker Lara Lee, which were hidden on her person and escaped confiscation. They’ve not yet been released, so no one knows what’s on them. Apparently she was recording with a professional camera.
That’s Iara, btw, with an “i”. Not Lara. My error. It’s a capital letter confusion that can arise with Arial font.
@Greg
👿
You won’t even try, will you?
*sits on hands*
*smokebreak*
So Greg you watched the videos, but tried to claim their weapons were basically “cutlery and slingshots”. This is in spite of concrete video proof to the contrary.
You even tried to suggest that the lethality of said weapons didn’t require a lethal force response.
The above proves lethal force was needed.
Despite the obvious evidence it was an ambush by terrorist wannabes using lethal force, you want to say suggest they overreacted.
It is clear you will purposely ignore facts thats challenge your worldview and ego gratification. You are dishonest and despicable.
Tried to respond about 10 times, just not going thru.
So Greg you watched the videos, but tried to claim their weapons were basically “cutlery and slingshots”. This is in spite of concrete video proof to the contrary.
@Patvann…What you are asking is for Greg to confront evidence that would prove him wrong. See, he is taking the ostrich-bury-the-head-in-the-sand approach, by not viewing or even admitting they exist, he is free to believe as he wants.
@Greg…You seem literate and somewhat intelligent. So that begs the question as to why you constantly blame the Israelis? Please answer these questions:
* In this particular instance, what could they have done differently?
* Why is the Israel-Egyptian blockade of Gaza any less legitimate that our own blockade of Cuba by Kennedy? Or our blockades we employed in WWII?
* Why did the flotilla not simply pull into an Israeli port so that their humanitarian cargo could be trucked into Gaza by Israel? This is done each and every single day.
Source
So in closing Greg, I ask that you please answer my questions above.
Ok, I’m done. I’ve tried to post over a dozen times, eve tried breaking my post down into pieces.
Sorry bout that Hard Right….not sure why the filter caught ur comments like that, double checked the filter settings and nothing in there that should of keyed on ur comments.
Dear Greg…. can I assault you with the weapons they had?
Clubs (ie maces), and long knives (ie shortswords) killed a LOT of people throughout history.
I even doubt the words the leader of the convoy spoke in Gaza today would dissuade him:
http://www.gloria-center.org/gloria/2010/06/flotilla-was-a-jihadist-attack
Nor even a detailed examination of international laws of blockaid:
http://nicedoggie.net/index.php/archives/1189
I repeat: WILLFULL IGNORANCE SHOULD HURT.
Hell…I would be happy if he could show me a seaport on the coast of Gaza that could actually secure a vessel that size, and has the equipment to unload it.
-But he can’t because they don’t. They never intended to offload the expired and useless “medicine”, let alone the old bags of moisture-laden cement, as it was unusable, as well.
You’re right, H-R…I’m done with this one.
NEXT!!!
The flotila crews should be thankful they did not try this stunt with Chinese Naval forces, as they would have just shot them out of the water and spin the story as shooting pirates out of the water. And we should all know how the Chinese military deal with pirates (if you don’t, they kill them all on public television.)