What were they about? Let's get this straight. Israel is enforcing a blockade against Gaza that is in blatant defiance of international law. A flotilla of activists attempts to break the blockade and supply humanitarian aid to Gaza.
And Israeli commandos in international waters board some of the ships, in order to take them over, and have the to complain when they are attacked? You can check out the Israeli military video, and see its astonished outrage that the people being boarded resisted, and try to fight off the commandos.
How dare they, the captions imply! At one point the "rioters," as the Israeli Defense Force calls them, attempt to "kidnap" an Israeli soldier. Excuse me? They were not rioters. They were passengers on a large boat trying to deliver humanitarian aid. They appeared to try to defend themselves from interlopers lowering onto their boat carrying machine guns. And who were the rioters, exactly? Who was trying to kidnap whom?
Beware, Americans. By tomorrow morning you will be hearing the "official" Jewish community parroting the IDF line, complaining about the nerve of those activists defending themselves in international waters from heavily armed soldiers enforcing an illegal blockade. Oh yes, and they will be mourning the soldier's deaths and not the deaths and maiming of those who set out to break an illegal blockade on humanitarian grounds.
Please let your senators and representatives know you do not think they should be giving Israel a free pass to do anything militarily they please, while blaming the victims for defending themselves. For the rational voice, check out to this madness. Thank goodness those of us who want to see a genuine peace in the Middle East have someplace to go in moments like these.
But is there really nothing Israel will not do? Ok, I guess they could have sunk all of the ships. Great. Shall we congratulate the IDF on its restraint — before AIPAC gets to it?
It's high time for President Barack Obama to hear this, not just from me, but from millions of American Jews. I do not want my tax dollars —any of them — supporting the military of a government that continues illegal settlements, continues the illegal blockade, and then blames the people being displaced and blockaded for not wanting peace. I'm tired of being played for a patsy — I would think President Obama would be too. No more excuses.
— is the History Department Chair, University of Hartford
