Israel can never win

Submitted by Ken Besig Israel (Israel), Jun 1, 2010 at 02:32

Dr. Pipes, I must disagree with your analysis of the recent confrontation between Israel and the Hamas terrorist supporters on the ships in question.

First of all, in any confrontation between Israel and Arab terrorists or their supporters, the world media, most European nations, and of course the United Nations will condemn any and all Israeli defensive actions, declare Israel the perpetrator, and about the only Israeli action they will accept is total Israeli surrender.

Secondly, the Rachel Corrie incident and this confrontation may well shift some opinion against Israel, but the clear and definite Israeli reaction to this attempt to break the Gaza blockade will also empower Israel's allies and encourage those undecided elements in the West to support the right of a free and democratic state to defend itself, with arms, against those who would destroy it.

Finally, whether this or that strategy is acceptable or not on the world stage, the fact is that the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip is doing everything in it's power to obtain heavy weaponry with which to attack Israel and our citizens. Had Israel not responed forcefully to this provocation, there is every reason to believe that rogue states like Iran and North Korea would take this as a green light to begin supplying Hamas with the really dangerous weapons Hamas is seeking. Thus Israel has every right and indeed the deepest responsibility to her citizens to take whatever steps Israel feels it must to protect herself.

Rather than question or even criticize the Israeli response to this flotilla, better one should ask why it was that the so called aid to be delivered could not have been off loaded to an Israeli port for delivery as was requested by Israel, or barring that, off loaded at an Egyptian port for delivery through the Sinai border with Gaza. Indeed, how is it that Egypt, an Arab Moslem state, which also has an embargo on the Gaza Strip from it's border with Gaza in the Sinai, is somehow immune from any Western or UN criticism of it's behavior and only Israel has to bear the brunt of international condemnation. I would also suggest that the behavior of Turkey, which happens to be a member in good standing of NATO, in this matter has been rash, dangerous, counterproductive, and at complete odds with the standards of international behavior and treaty.

There were a lot of mistakes made here, and only a few by Israel, most were made by an international community cowering in fear of Islamic terrorism and allowing this travesty to even occur. Turkey bears much if not all of the responsibility for the injuries and deaths by failing to first allow the ships to off load in an Israeli or Egyptian port for delivery to Gaza, for not absolutely searching the ships in question for arms and weapons and removing them, and for it's failure to follow international treaties regarding embargoes by states under siege or at war.

This is assymetrical war and a propaganda war and as a war once the first shots are fired even the best laid plans are often tossed aside, and decisions have to be made in real time by real people under fire.

But since Israel will never be allowed to win, and will in international eyes always be the villain, she might as well do the best she can given the circumstances.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".