Tuesday 1 June 2010

Israel – pirate, pariah or both?



Any feelings of outrage at what happened yesterday should not just be directed at the Israeli government although it is deeply culpable. Look at the mealy-mouthed response from the US and UN; search in vain for leadership from our gutless bunch. So much hand-wringing. So little pressure applied to rein Israel in. So little action to end the shame that is Gaza.
Veteran middle-east correspondent Robert Fisk puts it admirably in today’s Independent.

‘It was people – ordinary people, Europeans, Americans, Holocaust survivors – yes, for heaven's sake, survivors of the Nazis – who took the decision to go to Gaza because their politicians and their statesmen had failed them.’
‘Where were our politicians yesterday? Well, we had the ridiculous Ban Ki-moon, the White House's pathetic statement, and dear Mr Blair's expression of "deep regret and shock at the tragic loss of life". Where was Mr Cameron? Where was Mr Clegg?’
‘It is a fact that it is ordinary people, activists, call them what you will, who now take decisions to change events. Our politicians are too spineless, too cowardly, to take decisions to save lives. Why is this? Why didn't we hear courageous words from Messrs Cameron and Clegg yesterday?’
‘For it is a fact, is it not, that had Europeans (and yes, the Turks are Europeans, are they not?) been gunned down by any other Middle Eastern army (which the Israeli army is, is it not?) there would have been waves of outrage.’
‘And what does this say about Israel? Isn't Turkey a close ally of Israel? Is this what the Turks can expect? Now Israel's only ally in the Muslim world is saying this is a massacre – and Israel doesn't seem to care.’

‘But then Israel didn't care when London and Canberra expelled Israeli diplomats after British and Australian passports were forged and then provided to the assassins of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. It didn't care when it announced new Jewish settlements on occupied land in East Jerusalem while Joe Biden, the Vice-President of its erstwhile ally, the United States, was in town. Why should Israel care now?’

‘How did we get to this point? Maybe because we all grew used to seeing the Israelis kill Arabs, maybe the Israelis grew used to killing Arabs. Now they kill Turks. Or Europeans. Something has changed in the Middle East these past 24 hours – and the Israelis (given their extraordinarily stupid political response to the slaughter) don't seem to have grasped what has happened. The world is tired of these outrages. Only the politicians are silent.’

We find out today that the news blackout imposed by Israel continues and about 40 (yes 40) UK citizens (along with their European colleagues) are either in jail or in hospital in Israel being ‘processed.’ Again, a deafening silence from our government. Perhaps Mr Hague is too busy attending to one or other of his outside interests.

2 comments:

  1. *sigh*

    If people hadn't seen this coming since DSII (maybe even before that, thinking of it...), then Idk wtf they are smoking.

    Thanks Stu.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Here's a little something for you, in case you haven't seen it already:

    http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/flotillattacks

    ReplyDelete