Amidst all the current fanfare and furor surrounding
Israel’s blockade of Gaza,it may be illuminating to
inspect what’s really going on in Gaza. The U.N.’s
summer camp program for Gaza teenagers is
instructive and illuminating.
By way of introduction, the United Nations,
thru its Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA),
funnels some 500 million dollars a
year into Gaza. UNRWA also sets up,
operates and oversees summer beach-camp for
some 200,000 Gaza teenagers. Many parents
in Hamas controlled Gaza willingly opt to
send their kids to the UNWRA beach camps
instead of directing them to attend
competing summer camps run by Hamas.
The Hamas summer camp experience offers
Koran recitation, Koran memorization,
guerrilla training with plastic or wooden
rifles plus some other seemingly normal
summertime activities like arts and crafts,
volleyball and soccer on the beach and swimming
in the Mediterranean. But, for a fleeting
period earlier this spring, it actually appeared
that the UNWRA camps (to the dismay and chagrin
of the Hamas camps) were going to have a surge
in attendance by Gaza’s teenagers. Why?
The answer is embedded in the definition of
precisely what constitutes a proper summer
camp. According to Hamas spokesman,Younis
al-Astel, the UNRWA summer camps are coed,
that UN camps teach campers how to dance,
and that UNWRA camps even had activities
which promote reconciliation between the
Palestinians and Hamas further flatly
asserts that UNRWA’s for Gaza’s teenagers
are little more than“… summer
camps of debauchery!"
Some Hamas officials also (falsely) claim
that UNWRA “lets boys and girls play together.”
Hamas’ Minister Of Culture actually
hotly protested that the UNWRA camps
“…even let pubescent girls swim in the sea.”
With such alleged activities, is it any wonder
that Gaza’s youth are attracted to UNWRA’s
summer camps? Indeed, Hamas complains that
"UN summer camps have affected our summer
activities this year because they (the UN camps)
attract the children by offering them
“entertaining games” (emphasis added).
Now that is assuredly intolerable, is it not?
Much of what Hamas alleges about the UNWRA
summer camp experience is patently false. But
that is apparently irrelevant to Hamas which
has a clearly different notion of what
activities should be offered at its many
Gaza summer camps. According to Ihab al-Eisawai,
Hamas’ summer camp media officer,
"each Hamas summer camp carries the name of
a Hamas militant killed by the Israeli
occupation, or the name of a village destroyed
in Palestine in 1948 and the
names of the prisoners….Our camps are different;
we carry out cultural, media, arts and technology
activities, in addition to focusing on teaching
them about the real Islam." In fact,Ismail Haniya,
Gaza’s titular head of the Hamas, announced that
campers who excelled in Koran memorization
would receive a prize that would pay travel
expenses for a pilgrimage to Mecca. What
red-blooded Gaza kid would not aspire to
that loftly goal?
Some Gaza kids who joined Hamas’ camps on the
first-day of the summer camp activities waved
Palestinian flags, others carried pictures of
shaheeds (Hamas’ martyrs) waved banners
imprinted with the names of Hamas prisoners
or held up placards with slogans such as:
“Victory For Gaza-The Glory Of Jerusalem.”
Apparently, the looming success of the quite
different UNWRA camping experience was too
much for Hamas afficiandos to tolerate.So,
on this past May 23rd, a group of thirty masked,
armed and benighted male Gazans assaulted,
torched and otherwise vandalized UNWRA’s largest
summer camp site on the Gaza beach. The zealots
tied up a guard and left a note and
three bullets threatening the life of UNWRA’s
local director, John Ging, unless UNWRA
cancelled camp for 200,000 Gaza kids. Perhaps
more importantly, Hamas security forces
conspiratorially allowed the
masked vandals unimpeded entry into the UNWRA
summer camp site. The Hamas security forces
then blocked UN supporters who tried in vain
to protest.
So, given knowledge of and insight into the
foregoing circumstances,a number of matters
concerning Gaza become less befogged and less
beshrouded in emotionally charged Hamas propaganda
or in activist press releases. First, you certainly
do not want to plan your next vacation to be on the
Gaza strip. Second, the average American or
European-bred teenager would be wholly horrified if
required to spend his/her summer at a Gaza beach
camp operated by Hamas. Third, adult life in the
Gaza strip is assuredly no summer camp for
anyone living there. After all is said and
done, Gaza is a tiny, blockaded enclave
completely dominated and tightly controlled
by the clenched fist of terrorist-tainted Hamas.
That said, based on reports and photos from
multiple disparate sources, the overarching
majority of kids attending either the
UNWRA or Hamas summer camps appear to be
properly clothed and well-nourished.
Therefore, considering the several hundreds
of summer camps being funded and actually
operating in stark competition between UNWRA
and Hamas, it would seem reasonable to believe
that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is not
nearly so dire nor so excruciatingly oppressive
as to mandate the critical necessity of a
blockade busting flotilla. But, then, that is
only my humble opinion.
Of a certainty, my own grandkids would not be
emotionally disposed to cavorting at an UNWRA
campsite on the Gaza strip nor would
they be fitting campers to benefit from the
clearly captivating summertime activities
sponsored with such loving verve and delicate
care by Hamas at their seaside camps along the
not-so-scenic Gaza strip.
Having now learned about the above circumstances
on the Gaza strip, the caustic warning of
Alexander Pope comes to mind. He cautioned:
“A little learning is a dangerous thing;
drink deep or taste notthe Pierian spring.”
P.S. My grandkids prefer summer visits to the
sugar-white, sandy beaches of the Florida
panhandle. Well, by August, when my grandkids
arrive, the beaches on the Gaza strip may be
more inviting than Florida’s sugar white beaches.
By then, Florida’s beaches may be blackened
and polluted with BP oil still profusely gushing
into the Gulf of Mexico. Go Gaza!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Talking Turkey And Torpedoes
It’s outrageous; it’s barbaric; it’s inhumane; it’s irrational; it’s illogical; it’s simply unbelievable. No, we are not talking about Israel’s commando raid that tragically killed nine activists aboard the blockade running Turkish flotilla headed to Gaza. But, yes, we are referring to the super-cavitation North Korean torpedo that wantonly and willfully killed forty-six South Korean sailors aboard their naval vessel.
Not unexpectedly, the world’s outrage has focused –with almost microscopic exclusivity – upon the inexplicably improvident Israeli commando raid. Indeed, the Turks, the E.U., the Arabs and the entirety of the Moslem world are infuriated. They are all, separately and severally, aflame with self-righteous, moral indignation. And, let there be no mistake, the conduct of Israel’s raid –during which nine activists died- was wholly unacceptable.
Still, there is not the slightest suggestion or even thinly veiled hint from any quarter, regardless of how pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel, that Israel premeditated, willed, planned or even contemplated the tragic civilian deaths. Admittedly, those deaths were foreseeable. Commando raids are inherently dangerous and deadly. The Israelis certainly knew that. Furthermore, Israel had multiple other options to impede, interdict, block and stop the flotilla from reaching Gaza.
Need it be said that everyone everywhere customarily demands a higher standard of behavior from Israel. Traditionally, even Israel has held itself out as dedicated to acting in and on a higher moral plane. But, in this flotilla situation, Israel screwed up big time and it has frightfully little room for excuses. The Israeli commando raid was conducted with an insensitivity, irrationality and an uncharacteristic incompetence that has –of late- crept into an unseemly number of Israeli affairs. Israel must better conduct itself, if only in pursuit of its own self-respect, its own dignity and its Biblical mandate to be “a light unto the nations."
But there is an more odious flip side to the above. Sanctioning an attempt to breach the Israeli blockade of Gaza was among the most dangerous and provocative acts that Turkey could have underwritten. The Turkish government was well aware that a Turkish organization with unquestioned links to Hamas was launching a flotilla of rabid activists heading for Gaza. The Turkish authorities knowingly opted not to stop the flotilla. The Turks clearly understood that the flotilla would place Israel in an untenable situation. The powers that be in Turkey knew that the flotilla would constitute a head-on challenge to the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The Turkish organizers were cognizant that attempting to break a blockade constitutes “the use of force” under the rules of the United Nations. The Turks clearly understood that Israel proactively defends its national interests and security.
Indeed, it is or should be crystal clear –except to those whose vision is beclouded by anti-Israel myopia- that everyone with knowledge of the Turkish flotilla knew or
should have known that its mission was fraught with eminently foreseeable danger to life and limb. Blockade busting is an inherently dangerous act. It contemplates hostility; it anticipates angered antagonism; it invites armed intervention; and it solicits proactive military interdiction. It is astounding is that the Turkish flotilla did not elicit greater loss of life.
Perhaps of equal importance, the Turks – egged on by their Islamist-oriented and Israel-bashing Prime Minister- had absolutely no doubt that Israel would react to the blockade busting flotilla precisely as Israel did react. Indeed, that Israel’s raid resulted in bloodshed is a testament not only to Turkish geopolitical acumen, but –pointedly- also to Turkey’s conspiratorial complicity and behavioral culpability.
Of course, the Turkish flotilla may well have also had a humanitarian purpose. But that clearly secondary status did not mask the flotilla’s primary significance. The flotilla’s attempt to breach the Israeli blockade while attempting to deliver a completely unknown cargo (destined for Hamas) had significant military ramifications for Israel. Furthermore, the flotilla proceeded in flagrant disregard of Israel’s offer of docking rights in an Israeli port. The flotilla disdainfully rejected aid in transporting all non-military materials overland to Gaza.
Premises considered, it then became incumbent upon Israel to treat the flotilla as a hostile threat to Israel’s security and well-being. This threat was magnified exponentially because Hamas-controlled Gaza continues to unequivocally and
unapologetically deny Israel’s right to exist. There is not a nation on earth that would –in light of the foregoing scenario – forfeit its absolute right to protect itself and its national duty to safeguard its citizens.
In retrospect, Israel is responsible and accountable for its inexplicable decision to use commandoes instead of employing other alternatives to stop the flotilla. But Turkey is inescapably culpable for the tragic, but foreseeable civilian casualties. In its current bid to become the big kid on the Mideast block, Turkey –with Machiavellian premeditation- willfully chose to malignantly aid, abet and callously toy with the lives of the flotilla’s activists. For the Turkish powers that be, the activists’ lives were seemingly expendable!
So, boo to the Israelis who should certainly know better and must behave better. But shame on the Turks who also know better, thought about what they know and then wantonly decided they did not give a diddly damn about placing their activists in harm’s way.
And speaking about wanton disregard of life, let’s briefly talk about those 46 deaths attributable to the North Korean torpedo. Now that is a matter which deserved widespread outrage and international condemnation. However, more than two months after the torpedo exploded, there have still been no sanctions by the U.N., there has not been a word of protest from Russia, there is abject silence from China, and there is massive indifference and apathy from the Arab and Moslem world. That torpedo incident screams for outrage; it cries out for angry demonstrations; it begs for retribution. But international impunity, passivity and diplomatic circumlocution reign supreme when dealing with No. Korea. Even the So. Koreans have been all but mute. And all that is truly outrageous.
Imagine, if you will, that Israel had wantonly torpedoed even one ship in the Turkish flotilla. Consider, if you will, the resulting worldwide clamor seeking sanctions, retribution and revenge against Israel. Contemplate, if you will, the virulent condemnation, fanatic furor and vile opprobrium that would have engulfed Israel had one its submarines lain in wait to blast a Turkish ship into oblivion. Perhaps this scenario gives a broader perspective, a wider context and clearer illumination to the disparate standards applied to Israeli conduct in contradistinction to the behavior of No. Korea and to that other axle of evil, Iran.
In sum, perhaps Machiavelli understood the above manner of geopolitical gamesmanship best. He might well have opined: “Never have less scruple in condemning an evil nation than in excoriating a nation which deems itself upright.”
P.S. Geopolitical affairs are unusually complex and often convoluted. The highly sophisticated No. Korean super-cavitation torpedo is a case in point. This unique weapon was originally dreamed up and engineered in Russia where it is known as the Shkval torpedo. The Russians sold the torpedo to Iran. Iran then reverse-engineered the torpedo and allegedly improved it. Arguably, Iran then transferred the torpedo to North Korea in exchange for No. Korea’s nuclear technology. Boom!
Not unexpectedly, the world’s outrage has focused –with almost microscopic exclusivity – upon the inexplicably improvident Israeli commando raid. Indeed, the Turks, the E.U., the Arabs and the entirety of the Moslem world are infuriated. They are all, separately and severally, aflame with self-righteous, moral indignation. And, let there be no mistake, the conduct of Israel’s raid –during which nine activists died- was wholly unacceptable.
Still, there is not the slightest suggestion or even thinly veiled hint from any quarter, regardless of how pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel, that Israel premeditated, willed, planned or even contemplated the tragic civilian deaths. Admittedly, those deaths were foreseeable. Commando raids are inherently dangerous and deadly. The Israelis certainly knew that. Furthermore, Israel had multiple other options to impede, interdict, block and stop the flotilla from reaching Gaza.
Need it be said that everyone everywhere customarily demands a higher standard of behavior from Israel. Traditionally, even Israel has held itself out as dedicated to acting in and on a higher moral plane. But, in this flotilla situation, Israel screwed up big time and it has frightfully little room for excuses. The Israeli commando raid was conducted with an insensitivity, irrationality and an uncharacteristic incompetence that has –of late- crept into an unseemly number of Israeli affairs. Israel must better conduct itself, if only in pursuit of its own self-respect, its own dignity and its Biblical mandate to be “a light unto the nations."
But there is an more odious flip side to the above. Sanctioning an attempt to breach the Israeli blockade of Gaza was among the most dangerous and provocative acts that Turkey could have underwritten. The Turkish government was well aware that a Turkish organization with unquestioned links to Hamas was launching a flotilla of rabid activists heading for Gaza. The Turkish authorities knowingly opted not to stop the flotilla. The Turks clearly understood that the flotilla would place Israel in an untenable situation. The powers that be in Turkey knew that the flotilla would constitute a head-on challenge to the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The Turkish organizers were cognizant that attempting to break a blockade constitutes “the use of force” under the rules of the United Nations. The Turks clearly understood that Israel proactively defends its national interests and security.
Indeed, it is or should be crystal clear –except to those whose vision is beclouded by anti-Israel myopia- that everyone with knowledge of the Turkish flotilla knew or
should have known that its mission was fraught with eminently foreseeable danger to life and limb. Blockade busting is an inherently dangerous act. It contemplates hostility; it anticipates angered antagonism; it invites armed intervention; and it solicits proactive military interdiction. It is astounding is that the Turkish flotilla did not elicit greater loss of life.
Perhaps of equal importance, the Turks – egged on by their Islamist-oriented and Israel-bashing Prime Minister- had absolutely no doubt that Israel would react to the blockade busting flotilla precisely as Israel did react. Indeed, that Israel’s raid resulted in bloodshed is a testament not only to Turkish geopolitical acumen, but –pointedly- also to Turkey’s conspiratorial complicity and behavioral culpability.
Of course, the Turkish flotilla may well have also had a humanitarian purpose. But that clearly secondary status did not mask the flotilla’s primary significance. The flotilla’s attempt to breach the Israeli blockade while attempting to deliver a completely unknown cargo (destined for Hamas) had significant military ramifications for Israel. Furthermore, the flotilla proceeded in flagrant disregard of Israel’s offer of docking rights in an Israeli port. The flotilla disdainfully rejected aid in transporting all non-military materials overland to Gaza.
Premises considered, it then became incumbent upon Israel to treat the flotilla as a hostile threat to Israel’s security and well-being. This threat was magnified exponentially because Hamas-controlled Gaza continues to unequivocally and
unapologetically deny Israel’s right to exist. There is not a nation on earth that would –in light of the foregoing scenario – forfeit its absolute right to protect itself and its national duty to safeguard its citizens.
In retrospect, Israel is responsible and accountable for its inexplicable decision to use commandoes instead of employing other alternatives to stop the flotilla. But Turkey is inescapably culpable for the tragic, but foreseeable civilian casualties. In its current bid to become the big kid on the Mideast block, Turkey –with Machiavellian premeditation- willfully chose to malignantly aid, abet and callously toy with the lives of the flotilla’s activists. For the Turkish powers that be, the activists’ lives were seemingly expendable!
So, boo to the Israelis who should certainly know better and must behave better. But shame on the Turks who also know better, thought about what they know and then wantonly decided they did not give a diddly damn about placing their activists in harm’s way.
And speaking about wanton disregard of life, let’s briefly talk about those 46 deaths attributable to the North Korean torpedo. Now that is a matter which deserved widespread outrage and international condemnation. However, more than two months after the torpedo exploded, there have still been no sanctions by the U.N., there has not been a word of protest from Russia, there is abject silence from China, and there is massive indifference and apathy from the Arab and Moslem world. That torpedo incident screams for outrage; it cries out for angry demonstrations; it begs for retribution. But international impunity, passivity and diplomatic circumlocution reign supreme when dealing with No. Korea. Even the So. Koreans have been all but mute. And all that is truly outrageous.
Imagine, if you will, that Israel had wantonly torpedoed even one ship in the Turkish flotilla. Consider, if you will, the resulting worldwide clamor seeking sanctions, retribution and revenge against Israel. Contemplate, if you will, the virulent condemnation, fanatic furor and vile opprobrium that would have engulfed Israel had one its submarines lain in wait to blast a Turkish ship into oblivion. Perhaps this scenario gives a broader perspective, a wider context and clearer illumination to the disparate standards applied to Israeli conduct in contradistinction to the behavior of No. Korea and to that other axle of evil, Iran.
In sum, perhaps Machiavelli understood the above manner of geopolitical gamesmanship best. He might well have opined: “Never have less scruple in condemning an evil nation than in excoriating a nation which deems itself upright.”
P.S. Geopolitical affairs are unusually complex and often convoluted. The highly sophisticated No. Korean super-cavitation torpedo is a case in point. This unique weapon was originally dreamed up and engineered in Russia where it is known as the Shkval torpedo. The Russians sold the torpedo to Iran. Iran then reverse-engineered the torpedo and allegedly improved it. Arguably, Iran then transferred the torpedo to North Korea in exchange for No. Korea’s nuclear technology. Boom!
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