Opposition to the Gaza blockade picks up steam and demands for an international enquiry has been rejected by Israel ( scalded by the Goldstone Commission's accusation of war crimes for its Gaza offensive,2008-09). Instead it is proposing to hold its own enquiry, but there is widespread skepticism about its impartiality.
The fallout from the attack on the aid flotilla has focused attention on the strained relationship between the Netanyahu gov't and the Obama administration and of the damage to America's international reputation. Two months ago, General Petraeus pointed out that that the perception that the United States favours Israel "breeds anti-Americanism and blosters al-Qaeda" and the head of Mossad Meir Dagan was quoted by Israeli press as saying that "Israel is gradually turning from an asset to the United States to a burden", and prominent U.S. commentators (Nicholas Kristof and Peter Beinart among them ) have noted that Israel's hardline policies are turning off young Jews, who feel " less identification" with Israel than their elders......" for several decades the Jewish establishment has asked American Jews to check their liberalism at Zionism's door and now to their horror, they are finding that many young Jews have checked their Zionism instead", Beinart in New York Review of Books. Kristof wrote in the New York Times that when he heard of the attack he thought "Israel wouldn't be so obtuse as to use lethal force on self-described peace activists in international waters with scores of reporters watching". It did and was "so obtuse". He also noted that it has failed to topple Hamas, failed to recover captured soldier Shalit and failed to keep rockets out of Gaza. The seige has accomplished nothing, except devastate the lives of 1.5 million ordinary Gazans and even strengthened Hamas.
The destruction of two years ago has made life more miserable. Destroyed homes and infrastructure hasve not been re-built, because supplies of materials are blocked by Israel. Among the items/goods that Istrael typically blocks are notebooks, writing utensils (I guess writing letters and doing homework are a threat to Israel's security, after all pens and pencils can be used as missiles!!!!), blank paper ( they can be used to make paper planes to carry the pen and pencil missiles!!!), coriander...unflavored cooking will cause malnutrition?, chocolate...no treats....what vindictiveness!!!!, fishing rods......the hooks, lures and flies are potentially a means of actually catching something to eat, thus depleting the fishstocks....can't have that, and countless more items. "That's not security , that's travesty", Kristof..... 90% of the water in Gaza is undrinkable and the sick get sicker. Is it any wonder that they hate their tormentor/ their warden?
The fallout from the attack on the aid flotilla has focused attention on the strained relationship between the Netanyahu gov't and the Obama administration and of the damage to America's international reputation. Two months ago, General Petraeus pointed out that that the perception that the United States favours Israel "breeds anti-Americanism and blosters al-Qaeda" and the head of Mossad Meir Dagan was quoted by Israeli press as saying that "Israel is gradually turning from an asset to the United States to a burden", and prominent U.S. commentators (Nicholas Kristof and Peter Beinart among them ) have noted that Israel's hardline policies are turning off young Jews, who feel " less identification" with Israel than their elders......" for several decades the Jewish establishment has asked American Jews to check their liberalism at Zionism's door and now to their horror, they are finding that many young Jews have checked their Zionism instead", Beinart in New York Review of Books. Kristof wrote in the New York Times that when he heard of the attack he thought "Israel wouldn't be so obtuse as to use lethal force on self-described peace activists in international waters with scores of reporters watching". It did and was "so obtuse". He also noted that it has failed to topple Hamas, failed to recover captured soldier Shalit and failed to keep rockets out of Gaza. The seige has accomplished nothing, except devastate the lives of 1.5 million ordinary Gazans and even strengthened Hamas.
The destruction of two years ago has made life more miserable. Destroyed homes and infrastructure hasve not been re-built, because supplies of materials are blocked by Israel. Among the items/goods that Istrael typically blocks are notebooks, writing utensils (I guess writing letters and doing homework are a threat to Israel's security, after all pens and pencils can be used as missiles!!!!), blank paper ( they can be used to make paper planes to carry the pen and pencil missiles!!!), coriander...unflavored cooking will cause malnutrition?, chocolate...no treats....what vindictiveness!!!!, fishing rods......the hooks, lures and flies are potentially a means of actually catching something to eat, thus depleting the fishstocks....can't have that, and countless more items. "That's not security , that's travesty", Kristof..... 90% of the water in Gaza is undrinkable and the sick get sicker. Is it any wonder that they hate their tormentor/ their warden?
