The Oppressed have Become the Oppressors

June 02, 2010 19:09 +0000 | Israel Politics 5

Big news on the other side of the world lately. Israeli troops attacked a ship full of activists in international waters carrying humanitarian aid, killing at least 9 people and injuring anywhere between 30 and 60 more. The "dangerous cargo" they were keeping from Palestinians in the Gaza strip was not weapons, but food and medical supplies.

It's time that we all wake up and accept that Israel's actions are those of a terrorist state. No other nation in the world is afforded the kind of support the West gives them, especially in light of the crimes committed by their government.

The Gaza blockade is now in its fourth year. The people in that region are being denied everything from food to musical instruments, and now Israel has attacked ships flying flags of NATO and EU countries in international waters. Whether or not you can accept that opposition to Israel is not the same as antisemetism is no longer the issue. Israel is using Western support in the form of military and financial aid to do evil.

Note however that I am not making the case for the Palestinians here. Frankly, I don't think that Hamas is any better than the Israeli government. No, this is just a plea that we take a moment to understand the situation for what it is and act accordingly.

Our politicians, and even our media are terribly afraid of being branded antisemetic and so the cheerleading for Israel continues. Seeing the situation for what it is: two terrorist governments duking it out with millions of civilians in-between, has to start with us.

Your action-list:

Accept the above
Contact your MP and help them understand that you and many others have accepted this and that it's about time that they started representing you and call for sanctions.
More ideas are welcome.

Comments

Roy
4 Jun 2010, 1:33 p.m. |

Very well put Dan ; I am so sick of hearing so many of our Politicians from all sides put their spin out. They speak out of both sides of their mouths. The actions of the Israeli government who authorised this slaughetr is criminal. The fear of being labeled "antisemetic" is a bad joke; that excuse lost its lustre years ago. Western Leaders need to speak up!!

Daniella
28 Aug 2010, 2:54 p.m. |

Daniel...for a pretty smart guy, you really don't know your stuff on this topic. Do the research...Israel has absolutely no legal obligation to maintain open borders...none...it has every legal right to defend its own borders....and it was also pretty clearly demonstrated that they did not start the violence on that ship.

It is easy to attack Israel because they seem to be stronger...but I find it amazing that you never once attack Hamas for lobbing rockets into playgrounds...or for suicide bombing busses - actions which are prohibited by international law.

If you want to effectively do something about the conflict...get into it...learn about it...understand the perspectives and issues and history. THAT is the first step...not writing letters to an MP based on nothing more than a few superficial news reports.

Daniel
28 Aug 2010, 4:38 p.m. |

Actually I think I'm sufficiently apprised on this one and your argument doesn't stand.

For starters, you can't send armed commandos to forcefully board a ship in international waters and claim that you aren't the aggressor.

Second, the claim that Israel is within its legal rights to do Evil does not negate the evil of those acts.

Third, I have never once spoke in support for Hamas, here or anywhere else. I have in fact repeatedly compared the two sides (as above) as being mutually evil, placing the lives of millions amidst a war over dirt and an invisible friend. My primary concern is not the villification of Israel, but rather the acceptance that despite the history of their own oppression, Israel has proven itself to be just as thuggish as the terrorists who lob morters into schoolyards, and that it's with this in mind that we need to reevaluate our support for this terrorist state.

My taxes should not be used to buy guns and bombs for those who kill and oppress civilians.

Daniella
29 Aug 2010, 8:58 p.m. |

Suggesting that this war is over dirt and/or God (I assume that is the invisible friend to which you refer) indicates that you don't understand the complexity of this conflict. If it were really that simple, don't you think it would have been solved 50 years ago? I mean seriously...a lot of very intelligent, very dedicated people have been working to solve this conflict for decades now...they're not all idiots. I've been studying this thing for a year now and even I don't understand the complexity of the conflict. Simplifying it down to dirt and God undermines what you're hopping will be accomplished - which is, I assume, peace.

As for Israel's actions being evil...I will not deny that Israel has made some less than stellar choices over the years...but I don't think this is a good example, nor do I think it is Israel's habit. Sticking with the specifics though...yes, Israel should have waited until the ship was out of International waters...but with that exception...Israel boarded a ship which they had reason to believe was transporting items into a 'state' with which it is at war that could be used as weapons. Israel would have had no problem with the ship docking in Israel, going through Israeli customs, and then - if the goods were actually humanitarian aid - having those goods sent into Gaza. The mission of this ship had nothing to do with international aid...it was specifically intended to provoke a conflict with Israel so that international opinion would sway against Israel's blockade. Israel has the right to defend its borders...it controls the ports entering Gaza and, yes, it should have waited until the ship was in Israeli territory...but that's about the extent of the illegal here.

Your suggestion that Israel is as 'thuggish' as terrorists is absurd. Israel does NOT target civilian targets. It attacks legitimate military targets (yes, a school or hospital in which terrorists are storing weapons IS a military target). Terrorists intentionally attack civilians...they intentionally cause as much damage to non-military targets as possible because it incites fear - that is the purpose of terrorism. Moreover, they intentionally park their weapons in suburbs, schools and hospitals in the hopes that states will hesitate to attack such targets. The two tactics are not even close to equivalent - they aren't even in the same ballpark.

As for your taxes being used for guns...I'd really love to see evidence of that. Somehow I don't think Israel needs Canadian tax money to buy bombs. I'd be more concerned with all the international aid that goes into Gaza and the West Bank being used to supply terrorists...now there's your tax dollars at work.