David Harsanyi, Denver Post:
[…] I’m not one of those who reflexively accuses critics of Israel of anti-Semitism. That would be preposterous. Or nearly as preposterous as pretending that Judaism has nothing to do with the defense, criticism or the never-ending war waged against Israel.
And it is undeniable that there are those who consistently and disproportionately vilify the Jewish state as an impediment to peace while at the same time rationalizing or ignoring far greater injustices and dangers in the world — often simultaneously.
The brouhaha over the skirmish on a Turkish flotilla with humanitarian aid headed to Gaza — to help fix a self-inflicted crisis — was only the latest case in point.
It must be noted that unlike the typical “humanitarian” aid vessels, these were filled with violent activists rather than the normal caches of weaponry.
The impulse towards peace was so strong among passengers, in fact, that rather than allow an Israeli search for armaments — a blockade necessitated by Hamas rockets falling on Israel daily — the mob, chanting songs about invading Israel, attacked those who boarded with sharpened iron bars, poles, rifles and clubs.
Before boats were boarded, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, whose Jew-hating would make Himmler proud, already had said, “If ships reach Gaza — victory. If terrorized by Zionists — victory.”
Using civilians as human shields, stocking weapons in schools, mosques and boats, and relying on death and martyrdom as forms of depraved propaganda is the game plan.
Yet, from the bullet-riddled environs of Time and Atlantic magazines to the crater-filled battlefields of cable news studios, courageous pundits judged that the Israeli commandos’ response, which killed 10, was “disproportionate.”
[…]
Though all the evidence isn’t in, Israel will no doubt investigate the incident, as is the custom in democracies that feature political parties and a free press.
In Gaza, on the other hand, Hamas rarely relies on NGO reports. A boatload of Jews — any kind of Jews — would have had no chance.
Still, commentators like Alan Colmes opine: “To speak out against this despicable act isn’t to hate Israel, but rather to love it, and peace.”
So why don’t left-wing pundits love Turkey for a while? That nation, after all, not only instigated this event but is home to more than 25 million Kurds living in occupied territories. Kurds who deal with daily human rights abuses: torture, mass disappearances, assaults on their language and culture.
No emergency sessions at the United Nations for them.
No editorial cartoons depicting their victimhood.
Not many columnists spinning overwrought tales about their plight.
And no U.S. administration is pressuring Turkey to give Kurds their own state.
Why?
Because there is always a disproportionate response by critics who claim that Israel and its supporters are the ones with naked and irrational hostility towards . . . well, folks who want to see them as smoldering ash.
So. Harsanyi. That’s a Jewish name, is it not?
Yeah. That’s what I thought.
Those
JewsIsraelis. Always causing trouble. Look at Podhoretz, he is out of control. And that Kristol? Always defending Bush.“So. Harsanyi. That sounds vaguely Jewish, yes?”
At least it isn’t Armenian. Oh wait, sorry, bringing them up’s not nice to the peaceful Turkish fellas.
A reader writes:
See the
IsraelisZionists are now attacking Jews! Yet appeasers like Podhoretz and Kristol defend the agressors. This is a dark shame on Jews, like that blood libel thing (till anti gay Mel Gibson screwed that all up for us).This makes a great opportunity me to try to wedge those American Jews to Barack Obama, who should be condemning this Zionist aggression, but he cannot because he fears American Jews. Then maybe they would really trust me.
As for kurds, that is the lemon stuff we Brits put on our toast. It is the Zionists who are the agressors here. Stay on the program.
A couple of newer videos of the raid.
“Still, commentators like Alan Colmes opine: ‘To speak out against this despicable act isn’t to hate Israel, but rather to love it, and peace.’”
Colmes must be lovin’ on the Israel they are going to become, just like Barack and M’Chelle will one day be proud of the America that will have become; in both cases, after the lefties have had their way destroying the great societies that once were.
putz…
Wait, isn’t that a yiddish word?
Has anyone heard from Gilad Shalit on what he thinks about these boats being intercepted?
Has anyone heard from Gilad Shalit?
I’m tellin’ you though, Israel is standing at the stop:
http://powip.com/2010/06/this-weekends-other-israelu-s-story/
And the bus is surely coming; and soon. It will only be a matter of time before Obama has replaced the part of American Jews that defect from his constitency with other substitutes; or, the mid-terms will pass. Either way, the Israelis are joining Wright, Phleger, and his racist granny soon…
“Either way, the Israelis are joining Wright, Phleger, and his racist granny soon…”
Already has Bob.
Thank you for that link sdferr! I hadn’t seen that yet; my days have been veeeerrrrry busy lately.
And, aside from the geopolitics, I have to say this whole Israeli scenario is playing out in a very disturbing way; very much like I thought it might when Obama was elected. And when I say disturbing, I’m using it in a metaphysical sense.
In any sense, I have a very bad feeling that the Middle East is on the verge of another blow-up.
Dear Media Lib Elites:
Imagine that you’ve just been seated for luncheon at the Russian Tearoom. Over a splendid Chardonnay, one of your fellow travellers bemoans the wretched fate of the peace activists living in Hoboken just down the way and over the river. Much to your consternation, it’s rumored that the Hoboken peace activists have acquired rockets and mortars. Just then a round whizzes through the splendid plate glass window of the Tearoom and slams into a party of four three tables away. The happy diners have been reduced to smoking blobs of gore. You and your party are covered in blood and shit, and glass.
What to do about peace activists you wonder. Blockade? Splendid idea. Send in the NYPD SWAT Team? Capital! Cage those animals behind a wall? Well, of course. But what if the Hobokenites are hurt? “Fuck them” you all cry simultaneously.
The Proproganda Floatilla has been in the works for a while.
Funny how if the Jews are involved some people go the other way.
t must be noted that unlike the typical “humanitarian” aid vessels, these were filled with violent activists and useful idiots rather than the normal caches of weaponry.
I hate to quibble, but I believe there were plenty of useful idiots on that flotilla.
Sink every single ship in the flotilla. They were warned. They ignored the warning. See you at the bottom.
There was absolutely no reason that for a tear gas canister to be shot into her face.
Gee, if only her face hadn’t been there.
If I had to do it again, I would have stayed in Olympia.
Fuck the Palestinians. Seriously, what the hell was I thinking.
Emily picked bad friends. Emily lost her eye. Emily is stupid.
Perhaps the Israelis could learn a thing or two from the jihadis about PR. Kill enough people and they won’t say anything bad about you ever again.
The irony of your comment, Mikey, is that Israel would have to give up it’s moral underpinning to accomplish that … a moral underpinning that the left and most of the Arab world either fails to recognize or willfully ignores in lockstep to the “liberation justice” drums.
This after life stuff really sucks. It is not like the Palestinians have done anything for me. I was such an idiot.
Hell is not what you think it is. Hell is an eternity of regret.
Now this:
Two more items.
And.
One large unknown, at least from where I’m watching this ugly theater play out, is the question how far and how long the Turkish nation is going to go along with the Islamists in its midst? We see the Israelis, for instance, continuing contacts between their respective militaries and that an arms deal earlier agreed to is going forward – so we might wonder, since the Turkish military has long been the bulwark of Ataturk’s reforms, will it be yet again and is this what Israel expects or hopes?
How are the member states of NATO thinking of these matters, particularly as regards the growing friendship between the government of Turkey and the government of Iran? Will NATO long risk an undermining collusion therein should matters ever come to blows between itself and Iran?
[…] the New Republic has an outstanding piece detailing the sequence of events that led to the unfortunate calmity and provides commentary supporting Israel’s rightful claim to defend itself.) In his […]
#19 BJ: You can always regret the actions you took to win once you’ve won.
(Now – how did I get so cold-hearted so suddenly?)
Here‘s Mona giving an ASCII hummer to Greenwald.
Israel and Turkey were close allies when the Turks were repressing the Kurds the most.
Sort of like how the US and Saddam were buddy-buddy when he was gassing ’em.
Look at how the leftists ignore the plight of the Kurds in Turkey:
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=turkey+kurds+site%3Acommondreams.org
AJB is too stupid to insult.
Yeppers, AJB. And we here at PW remember those convoys lead by Commondreamers, bringing aid to the Kurds at the risk — and in many cases, the loss — of their lives, eventually shaming the U.N. Security Council into passing resolutions against the Turks, and shaming the Turks into…
Huh? WTF? I’m posting from the wrong universe again?
I remember all of the US aircraft, armored personnel carriers, tanks, and rifles the US supplied saddam Hussein with – WHOOPS!
MiG Aircraft – Russia.
T62, T72 – Russia.
BTR series, BMP series – Russia.
AK-47 – Russia.
WHOOPS! Not Russia, Soviet Union!
Sorry AJB, you had something to say about which superpower Iraq was a client state of again? Which superpower supplied Saddam Hussein’s Iraq with all of those nasty little kill toys?
(Just between us – you are an unbelievably stupid little bitch, AJB. This little accusation was destroyed sometime back in early 2003. Are you really – stop. Yes, you are that fucking stupid; so stupid you do not know the difference between T72 and M60.)
did you watch beck today?
http://www.watchglennbeck.com/
6/2/10
No, newrouter. I did not watch Beck. I just kind of keep an hobby-type interest in who is supplied with what military equipment. Kind of lets you know who is aligned with whom.
So to speak. Stuff’s expensive, so it is going to be around for a while, so you pick who you expect to be on friendly terms with a decade or so out. Don’t want to get a delivery of APC’s and have the producer country slap on a boycott so that repair parts are difficult(=expensive) to get.
Slarti – I did not realize that Mona was still on her knees in front of the great sockpuppeteer. You know how to castrate the Gleeeeeens? Kick Mona in the chin.
The US was responsible, during the 1980’s, for supplying Saddam Stretch Neck less than 1% of his military hardware and related.
The Soviet Union, China, France and Germany were his major suppliers.
Nice try at raising the thoroughly debunked narrative of us “arming Saddam.” Rumsfeld did shake his hand so you still have that.
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