Fields: Israel Handed Hamas A Victory
BY SAM FIELDS
Guest Columnist
“The refusal of the flotilla’s organizers to comply [with Israeli demands to stop] suggests that beneath their avowed “humanitarianism purpose, the larger aim was to provoke international outrage so that Israel would be forced to drop the blockade. Miami Herald editorial June 2, 2010
It was certainly a “DUH!” moment for the Miami Herald.
Apparently everyone in the world knew that this flotilla was a political strategy—except the Miami Herald.
Special note to Editorial Page Editor Myriam Marquesz. They had an 85 year old Holocaust survivor aboard. Did you think he was there to tote cement bags?
She reminds me of opponents of sit-ins at the segregated lunch counters.
“We know for a fact that them colored boys wasn’t really hungry. They was just trying to rile up folks and get their names in the newspapers.
Hey Sherlock. What was your first clue????
This flotilla was a strategy to bait the Bibi Netanyahu government into overreacting. Bibi went for it hook line and sinker.
It was a strategy to further isolate Israel from the rest of the world. It worked better than the organizers could have imagined.
Their goal was to raise world consciousness about the Gaza embargo. The Likud government gave them an early Christmas, Ramadan and Hanukkah all rolled into one.
It played out better than 1960 movie Exodus. The only things missing were Paul Newman and the twin pianos of Ferrante and Teicher. This time the Israelis were the British. And instead of looking for a peaceful solution, the Peter Lawford character needlessly attacks the ship and kills a bunch of the refugees.
Make no bones about it. There was no need to do what they did to prevent the ships from reaching Gaza.
All they had to do was disable the rudder and/or the prop and that ship is going nowhere. Every boat owner has fouled his propeller with the anchor line.
They could have come along the side in Zodiacs and tossed chains into the props and the ship would have been figuratively and literally dead in the water. If needed, they could have then put divers in the water to disable the rudder.
Leave the ship and let a friendly tugboat haul it back to Turkey.
So why didn’t they take the peaceful road? The answer lies in domestic Israeli politics.
Bibi heads a rightwing minority government that must periodically throw red meatâ€â€Kosher, I’m sure–to its political base to show they are tough.
If it means further damaging Israel in the world that’s a sacrifice he’s willing to make to stay in power.
It’s like Bush/Cheney. They improved their status with their rightwing base every time they went it alone, while they openly thumbed their nose at the rest of the world.
Simply put, Netanyahu put his political survival above national interest. The initial polls in Israel show that 60% of Israelis opposed his actions. The 40% are his base.
Fire hoses, beatings and even murder did not stop the American civil rights movement. It only further emboldened it. These deaths will not stop relief ships to Gaza.
My guess is that the folks running the anti-embargo effort have gotten thousands of e-mails from famous and not so famous people willing to go on the next ship.
So there will be a next ship and a next and a next with Hamas playing the equivalent part of Haganah trying to rescue the Jews aboard The Exodus. The media coverage will be bigger than the World Cup and the Superbowl combined.
Hamas needs to send Bibi a thank you note.
XXXX
A similar opinion from the New York Times is here. And a contrary one is here from the Israeli ambassador.
June 3rd, 2010 at 5:19 pm
Mr. Fields finds fault with everything done by Israel. Have you been to Israel? Have you talked to Israelis?Would he allow Hamas to resupply with arms without any checks on what is coming into Gaza?
Please Mr. Fields stick to your foolish pronouncements on atheism and stop your ill conceived thoughts on the internal affairs of Israel.
June 3rd, 2010 at 5:46 pm
sam fields…another of the politically incorrect self-hating american judens. Hussein Obamba empowered the arab radicals with his anti-Israel tone so they are jumping on the band wagon. it’s not going to work and Obamba is seeing that he is becoming a one term president, that is why he is changing his mind regarding Israel. lets see if the self-hating american judens vote for him this time around.
June 3rd, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Israel was once beneficial to the United States. Now Israel has become a burden to the U. S., destroying our relations everywhere in the Muslim world.
Israel must understand that relations with them is a two-way street. We can not keep propping them up unless they make an attempt to compromise.
June 3rd, 2010 at 6:49 pm
how Y.L. do you explain the Israeli public’s concern and disappointment at the Israel’s military’s response…self hatred?…Fields hit the nail on the head… this was internal politics…in US the people who think like you already vote righty..you’ll have 2 righties to vote for when 2012 comes around..one worsr than the other and Obama will breeze in…the economy permiting
June 3rd, 2010 at 7:04 pm
I don’t know what happened on that ship or what the cargo was but Militant Arabs have never used women and children (and 85 year old men for that matter)as human shields before, have they? Benefit of the doubt goes to Israel. As far as Israel comprimising, what do you call what they offered Arafat a few years back? The offer was refused because Palestinian terrorist leaders only remain in power as long as there is conflict. The only compromise they will accept from Isreal is a complete genocide of the Jewish people. Until Jihadists stop openly calling for the elimination of the Jewish people, Israel will always have the right to kick ass and take names later.
June 8th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Sam Fields has hot the nail squarely on the head.