Gaza activists were ‘useful idiots’ in a much bigger Turkish power game
IN my first year at Queen’s in Belfast, no subject exercised the monthly meetings of the students’ union more than the name of the hall where our meetings were held.
By and large, republican students supported retaining the name, Mandela Hall; unionist students resented what they saw as a political stunt, especially after it was revealed the Mandela in question was the discredited Winnie, not the saintly Nelson.
Needless to say, accusations of being in favour of necklace killings and of supporting white supremacy flew back and forth. At least, it was a diversion from what really divided the student body, the tit-for-tat violence on the streets outside, I guess.
Of course, for most right-minded people, support for the struggle to end apartheid was a no-brainer. To show your solidarity with the oppressed black majority who were denied the right to vote was important. The only question was how to go about it.
Beyond the ivory tower, that meant no South African wine would ever be served in respectable middle class homes. For others, it meant going on marches. But few went very much further. Life in a guerrilla camp in Mozambique didn’t appeal. Besides, the ANC had no time for such adventurers. There was no Irish Brigade camped across the Limpopo.
Beyond the wilder fringes, there used to be a consensus of aims about Israel/Palestine. Just as the desired goal in South Africa was a prosperous multiracial society, in the Holy Land it was of two secure states living side by side in harmony. But for those who have fallen into the trap of equating white South Africa with the state of Israel, the conflict in the Middle East offers many more – and more comfortable – opportunities to protest than years in the bush in the frontline states.
The struggle for Palestinian rights has long since moved beyond the university campuses where the keffiyah became the fashion statement of choice for bourgeois radicals. For a generation to whom Vietnam and South Africa are either faint memories or battles only read about in history books, Palestine is the most perfect cause. Unlike in the Spanish civil war, it’s not even as though Ireland, Catholic or Protestant, could be said to have a dog in the race. There are no mutilated nuns to confuse sentiment.
For rebels looking for a cause then, Israel makes a classic enemy. Being a Jewish state makes it racist, right? Aren’t its most vociferous supporters in the United States? Don’t its leaders often seem impervious to criticism? What more is there to know? Sure, they even have the bomb, for heaven’s sake. Only the Holocaust prevents even respectable opinion in Ireland from labelling Israel a fascist state. And as causes go, it helps that Gaza seems so much more immediate and urgent than the effects of global warming, so much more winnable than the Tibetan fight for autonomy.
Even politicians can join in the act – at almost no cost to themselves. They can visit a refugee camp and feel the Palestinians’ pain by day and still have time to retreat to a beach-side five-star hotel to sip cocktails before a slap-up dinner.
For the hardcore, that’s cheating. So some of these motivated individuals – a ragtag column of faded hippies, D-list celebrities, a long-forgotten Belfast peace campaigner and a few others whom Lenin would have dubbed ‘useful idiots’ – joined 400 Turkish Islamists on a voyage to break the Israeli blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza. They came, they said, bearing medicine and food and toys. What more harmless humanitarian mission could there be?
And, in fairness, for many of them, that’s probably what it was: a genuine, if misguided, attempt to relieve Gaza’s suffering, whoever is to blame for it. After all, no one would pretend the Strip is anything other than a fly-ridden pit of a place. Who could fail to be moved by the conditions there?
But for the Turkish activists who drove the mission, the flotilla was all part of a much bigger game. It was a subtle repudiation of Ankara’s secular Ataturkist inheritance, a premeditated provocation by a gang of wannabe martyrs bent on violent confrontation and on realigning Turkey away from the west. The pity is that they succeeded in their aims.
I ask you, do genuine peace activists chant ‘death to the Jews’? And why does the western media turn a blind eye to such scenes which are positively celebrated on Arab TV?
Those who went to fight for the Republic in Spain were driven by a thirst for freedom, by positive visions of the future, by a willingness to take serious personal risks. But not a single one of those admirable traits was present on the ship of fools sailing to Gaza.
Ah, but if only the Israelis and Palestinians could sort out their differences, all in the region would be well, we’re led to believe. It’s a tempting trap to fall into. "Both sides are as bad as each other" appeals to fair-minded people. It doesn’t involve taking sides and no one will accuse you of being anti-semitic – or a lackey of imperialism either. But the impression that Israel/Palestine is the root of all the Middle East’s problems is as misguided as it is pervasive. Imagine, for a second, a world without Israel. Would the problems of the Middle East be healed? Far from it. The conflict with Israel merely serves as an effective cover for the region’s collective failure to build stable, just and prosperous societies.
The Arab world would do well to rage a bit less against Israel and think a bit more about how to be better governed, better educated, more prosperous – and how to more effectively utilise the talents of the half of its population who happen to be female.
CLOSER to home, beyond trying to save its citizens, even the reckless ones, from harm it’s never quite clear where the Government thinks its own interests lie. I would suggest they lie not in pandering to sentiment – it’s not as though Palestinian suffering is unique in a region that’s going backwards according to most indices – but in preventing a nuclear arms race between Iran on the one hand and the Sunni states, led by Saudi Arabia, on the other. Then we would really be talking "serious consequences", for Ireland and the whole world.
The deaths aboard the Mavi Marmara were regrettable and most probably avoidable. They deserve full investigation. But to avoid the mistakes of the past, politicians need to go beyond kneejerk reactions to examine the effects of their statements on the Middle East peace process, the moderate Palestinian leadership in the West Bank and Iranian efforts to establish hegemony in the region.
As for the boats which have been sailing to Gaza, they are neither truly humanitarian missions nor simply vehicles for delivering weapons to Hamas. They are best understood as an armada of people with the kind of bad politics which have been rejected at the polls in Ireland time and again.
True, the fact that the flotilla to Gaza was powered by an underlying desire for punishment of the chattering classes’ new pariah does not justify Israel’s recklessness. But it does help to explain it.
Will the media report accurately and fairly as anti-Israel activists violently resist an IDF naval boarding with tragic results?
In the early hours of Monday 31 May, Israeli naval commandos boarded a flotilla of vessels heading for Gaza. What happened next has created a major media storm as, according to latest reports, nine anti-Israel activists died as a result of Israeli soldiers defending themselves.
Israel's critics have been quick to condemn the incident, using it to inflame anti-Israel sentiment. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has already termed what is undoubtedly a serious incident as a "massacre". Will this be the latest in a long list of incidents that have been distorted and misrepresented to cause Israel the maximum amount of damage to its image?
Connected to Terror: Who is Behind the Flotilla?
The organizations and passengers behind the Gaza flotilla have been variously described as "peace activists" and "humanitarian organizations". This could not be further from the truth. The primary objective of this flotilla was not to deliver aid packages to Gaza but to spread anti-Israel propaganda in cooperation with Gaza's Hamas rulers.
Playing a central role in the flotilla is the Turkish IHH organization, which besides its legitimate philanthropic activities is also, according to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, a supporter of radical Islamic networks, including Hamas, and at least in the past, even global jihad elements.
Amongst the other organizations involved in the flotilla is the International Solidarity Movement. The ISM has a shameful record of placing foreign nationals in danger through encouraging 'direct action', which resulted in the death of American citizen Rachel Corrie. In 2003, ISM's extreme ideology was underscored when terrorists, originating from the UK, used ISM as a cover to attack Mike's Place bar in Tel Aviv, murdering three people. More recently, ISM has been a leading force in the violent protests against the security barrier at Ni'lin, while an ISM activist has been jailed in the US, charged with "giving about $20,000 to a group he knew supported Hamas."
An Al-Jazeera report from May 28, translated below by PMW, shows activists on board before departing for Gaza, chanting Intifada songs aimed at Jews and praising martyrdom. Chants include "Intifada, intifada, intifada! Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews! The army of Mohammed will return!" relating to a seventh century massacre of Jews in Khaybar by early Muslims.
"Peace" Activists Used Deadly Violence
Despite claims that the activists on board were only prepared to resist the IDF peacefully, the reality was quite the opposite. Upon boarding the Marmara, owned and operated by the extremist IHH, Israeli naval personnel were attacked by activists who had prepared themselves with weapons including knives and clubs. This, despite the following statement from a Free Gaza spokesperson:
We were not going to pose any violent resistance. The only resistance that there might be would be passive resistance such as physically blocking the steering room, or blocking the engine room downstairs, so that they couldn't get taken over. But that was just symbolic resistance.
Is the clip below showing an IDF soldier being attacked with a crowbar "symbolic resistance"?
In addition, IDF forces apprehended two activists holding pistols. The activists took these pistols from IDF forces and apparently opened fire on the soldiers as evident by the empty pistol magazines. This goes some way to explaining the number of casualties as live fire was exchanged as IDF forces found themselves under severe threat as evidenced by the number of injured Israeli soldiers and the types of injuries.
One soldier suffered a serious head injury, two others were injured by gunshots and one more was stabbed. A total of seven soldiers were wounded – four soldiers were moderately wounded, of which two were initially in critical condition, as well as an additional three soldiers who were lightly wounded.
A First-Hand Account
Israeli journalist Ron Ben-Yishai gives a first-hand account of the incident:
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.
One soldier who came to the aid of a comrade was captured by the rioters and sustained severe blows. The commandoes were equipped with handguns but were told they should only use them in the face of life-threatening situations. When they came down from the chopper, they kept on shouting to each other “don’t shoot, don’t shoot,” even though they sustained numerous blows....
During the commotion, another commando was stabbed with a knife. In a later search aboard the Marmara, soldiers found caches of bats, clubs, knives, and slingshots used by the rioters ahead of the IDF takeover. It appeared the activists were well prepared for a fight.
Read the full account here.
See the IDF video footage taken from above the boarded vessel, showing Israeli soldiers under attack by clicking on the image below.
See more at the IDF's YouTube channel.
Propaganda Not Humanitarianism
If there was any doubt that these organizations were unconcerned with universal human rights, this was confirmed by the rejection of a request from the family of Gilad Shalit for activists to pressure Hamas to allow international organizations to bring letters and food packages to the kidnapped soldier in exchange for the family's support for the international expedition's attempt to dock in Gaza.
In fact, Israel offered to transfer the supplies on the flotilla to Gaza from Ashdod port through official channels, an offer that was rejected in favor of confrontation on the part of the anti-Israel activists. As flotilla organizer Greta Berlin stated: "this mission is not about delivering humanitarian supplies, it's about breaking Israel's siege."
The flotilla was clearly warned by the Israeli Navy in advance of the boarding and the offer repeated by the IDF.
A Legitimate and Legal Operation
IMRA asked Hebrew University international law expert Dr. Robbie Sabel about the legality of the IDF action in international waters.
Dr. Sabel explained that a state, in a time of conflict, can impose an embargo, and while it cannot carry out embargo activities in the territorial waters of a third party, it can carry out embargo activities in international waters.
Within this framework it is legal to detain a civilian vessel trying to break an embargo and if in the course of detaining the vessel, force is used against the forces carrying out the detention then that force has every right to act in self defense.
Dr. Sabel noted that there is a long history of embargo activities in international waters.
Indeed, according to the San Remo Manual that governs international humanitarian law, it is permissible under rule 67(a) to attack neutral vessels on the high seas when the vessels "are believed on reasonable grounds to be carrying contraband or breaching a blockade, and after prior warning they intentionally and clearly refuse to stop, or intentionally and clearly resist visit, search or capture."
Will the Media Report Fairly?
The initial pictures and reports of this incident (supplied mainly by the less than objective al-Jazeera and Turkish media) do not paint Israel in a positive light, not helped by the fluidity of the situation and conflicting information.
It is the duty of the international media to report fairly and accurately. We have been here before, from incidents ranging from the al-Dura affair, the Jenin "massacre" and many other libels perpetrated by a media all too willing to take the side of those who seek to harm Israel.
We hope that the media will not repeat its past mistakes. While a clearer picture of today's events may eventually emerge, the damage has already been done in the first few hours of reporting. Retractions and corrections will do little to soften the blow.
Will the media take at face value the statements and anti-Israel propaganda of groups who were committed to causing an incident of this nature? Will the media join in the automatic knee-jerk anti-Israel reaction that is all too often the norm?
Keep an eye on your local media to ensure that the facts behind this tragic incident are not drowned by a wave of anti-Israel sentiment.
At the time of writing, the situation remains fluid. This material will be updated as and when new information becomes available. Keep checking this page for the latest information on this breaking story.
HonestReporting. com
A war for world’s future
It is clear to anyone with eyes in their eyes in their head that the battle taking place off the Gaza shore is in fact a clash between an Islamist coalition which Turkey attempts to head – and which includes Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah on one hand – and forces with a liberal Western orientation, represented by Israel, on the other hand.
This fight isn’t about Gaza. The battle is about the future of the Middle East: Will it be a future where the existing political order is maintained, or will radical Islamic forces rise and replace the current order, as already happened in Lebanon and in Turkey.
The sail to Gaza is merely one event in this struggle of titans. If Israel wanted to stop the flotilla, it could have done it more elegantly – for example, by sabotaging the ships underwater. Another possibility was to block their path while declaring that only Gilad Shalit’s release will allow the vessels to continue. This way, Israel would have shifted this hot potato to Hamas.
Yet even such success would not have prompted a victory in respect to the big question: Who is the master of this region? It appears that Israel chose to tell the Islamisizing Turkey, which is ruled by a group that is ideologically identical to Hamas – no more. The forces of the Ottoman Empire, who aspire to again rule the Middle East as they did almost 500 years ago, will be stopped at Gaza’s shores.
The time has come to tell those who live near and far that this battle is not just about the Middle East; rather, it is a fight for the face of this world. At this time, Israel is located at a frontal outpost, where it fights the war of the enlightened, liberal, pluralist, open, and democratic world – in the huge struggle against the Islamic forces that threaten to take over the world and subjugate it to their green flag.
The participation of Sheikh Raed Salah, the head of the northern Islamic Movement in Israel, in this sail serves as proof that the battle is not territorial, national, or humanitarian – rather, it is a cultural-religious one. The IDF operation was meant to be the bell that may wake up the world from its stupor, so it sees the Islamic cloud that is about to cover the sun of global liberal democracy.
Dr. Mordechai Keder, the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar-Ilan University
