"Gaza is like a prison camp" (679)
Meanwhile, the boycott movement against Israel has gained astonishing momentum. Israeli officials are frequently targeted at universities in Europe and America, forcing them to cancel lectures. This week 76 distinguished Indian academics, including writer Arundhati Roy, signed a call for cultural and academic boycott of Israel. They have joined the well-established British academic boycott of Israel movement, BRICUP, and a growing US academic boycott group.
A cultural boycott of Israel movement is also developing; the Pixies, Klaxons and Gorillaz recently cancelled concerts in Israel. Prominent writers Alice Walker and Iain Banks are also boycotting Israel. Banks has refused to have his books translated into Hebrew, as has Jordan's Queen Rania whose book for children has just been published.
Dockworkers in Sweden, Norway, India and South Africa are refusing to handle Israeli ships. In San Francisco, bay dockworkers delayed Israeli ships for 24 hours, unheard of in the US. Britain's Unite union has resolved to boycott Israeli companies, and there is a mounting movement in Europe and the US for divestment from companies such as Caterpillar, which work to support Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Individually none of these acts is likely to threaten Israel. It is their collectivity and the speed with which they are spreading and increasing that is important. Beneath the official level of Western governmental support for Israel, there is private disquiet about Israeli conduct. And at the popular level, there is a sea change in opinion: where Israel was once seen as the victim, it has now become the bully. In the UK, for example, the strength of popular sympathy for Palestinians is striking. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the same is happening elsewhere.
If this trend continues and Israel's isolation worsens it will be no bad thing. It may be the only way for Israelis to grasp that endless aggression comes at a price and that peace is not made through the barrel of a gun.
Conrad; I can't even eat Turkey, it gives me gas!!!
A cultural boycott of Israel movement is also developing; the Pixies, Klaxons and Gorillaz recently cancelled concerts in Israel. Prominent writers Alice Walker and Iain Banks are also boycotting Israel. Banks has refused to have his books translated into Hebrew, as has Jordan's Queen Rania whose book for children has just been published.
Dockworkers in Sweden, Norway, India and South Africa are refusing to handle Israeli ships. In San Francisco, bay dockworkers delayed Israeli ships for 24 hours, unheard of in the US. Britain's Unite union has resolved to boycott Israeli companies, and there is a mounting movement in Europe and the US for divestment from companies such as Caterpillar, which work to support Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Individually none of these acts is likely to threaten Israel. It is their collectivity and the speed with which they are spreading and increasing that is important. Beneath the official level of Western governmental support for Israel, there is private disquiet about Israeli conduct. And at the popular level, there is a sea change in opinion: where Israel was once seen as the victim, it has now become the bully. In the UK, for example, the strength of popular sympathy for Palestinians is striking. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the same is happening elsewhere.
If this trend continues and Israel's isolation worsens it will be no bad thing. It may be the only way for Israelis to grasp that endless aggression comes at a price and that peace is not made through the barrel of a gun.
Conrad; I can't even eat Turkey, it gives me gas!!!
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Connie? Goat? Where'd you boyz go?
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ttom? I gotta hear your take on this one.
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Albertoe?
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UN says Israel not cooperating with flotilla probe
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Desmond de Silva, a member of the UN fact-finding team, on Monday, when he said Turkey will cooperate with the UN's team with maximum transparency.
Israel is not cooperating with the UN Human Rights Council’s probe of its deadly raid on an international aid flotilla that was trying to break the blockade of Gaza, a UN official said on Tuesday
Juan Carlos Monge said the fact-finding mission is speaking to witnesses and government officials in Turkey and Jordan, but he added that the team has not been granted access to Israel. Israel’s UN mission said it was not commenting on the investigation.
A three-member fact-finding team appointed by the UN Human Rights Council arrived in Turkey over the weekend and is currently examining evidence from Israel’s attack on May 31, which killed eight Turks and one Turkish American. In a statement released on Monday, the UN said the investigators have begun questioning witnesses of the attack, after hearing other witnesses in London and Geneva. After two weeks, it will move on to Amman, Jordan.
The team -- judges from Britain and Trinidad and a Malaysian human rights campaigner -- has been refused entry to Israel, which claims pro-Palestinian activists on the boat were killed when they fought back against its commandos.
Turkey, on the other hand, has pledged full cooperation with the UN investigators. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who met on Monday with the UN team’s Desmond de Silva, a former UN war crimes prosecutor, said all the information in Turkey’s hands would be shared with the three-member team with maximum transparency. Davutoglu said Israel indirectly admits that it is guilty by opposing such investigations and added that he hoped it would revise its stance.
Davutoglu said at the meeting that the response that Israel will get from the international community will help advance peace by proving that no country is above the law.
The UN Human Rights Council team is due to present its report to the 47-nation council on Sept. 27, according to a schedule for the body’s three-week autumn session, which starts on Sept. 13. The council, where members of the 57-country Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and its developing-country allies, as well as Russia, Cuba and China, have an inbuilt majority, set up the probe in June, despite strong Western reservations.
The council’s decision on the investigation, on a resolution tabled by Pakistan for the OIC, was made despite the announcement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that he was setting up an international probe. Diplomats said Ban was unhappy with the council’s move, which fit a pattern of overt and indirect challenges from the majority in the body to the authority of the UN chief and of High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.
Israel itself is holding its own investigations behind closed doors. The May 31 incident sparked a serious deterioration in already-strained links between Israel and Turkey.
Earlier this month, current UN Human Rights Council President and Thai Ambassador Sihasak Phuanketkeow said the mission of the team -- whose members he chose -- would not overlap with Ban’s probe, but complement it.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Desmond de Silva, a member of the UN fact-finding team, on Monday, when he said Turkey will cooperate with the UN's team with maximum transparency.
Israel is not cooperating with the UN Human Rights Council’s probe of its deadly raid on an international aid flotilla that was trying to break the blockade of Gaza, a UN official said on Tuesday
Juan Carlos Monge said the fact-finding mission is speaking to witnesses and government officials in Turkey and Jordan, but he added that the team has not been granted access to Israel. Israel’s UN mission said it was not commenting on the investigation.
A three-member fact-finding team appointed by the UN Human Rights Council arrived in Turkey over the weekend and is currently examining evidence from Israel’s attack on May 31, which killed eight Turks and one Turkish American. In a statement released on Monday, the UN said the investigators have begun questioning witnesses of the attack, after hearing other witnesses in London and Geneva. After two weeks, it will move on to Amman, Jordan.
The team -- judges from Britain and Trinidad and a Malaysian human rights campaigner -- has been refused entry to Israel, which claims pro-Palestinian activists on the boat were killed when they fought back against its commandos.
Turkey, on the other hand, has pledged full cooperation with the UN investigators. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who met on Monday with the UN team’s Desmond de Silva, a former UN war crimes prosecutor, said all the information in Turkey’s hands would be shared with the three-member team with maximum transparency. Davutoglu said Israel indirectly admits that it is guilty by opposing such investigations and added that he hoped it would revise its stance.
Davutoglu said at the meeting that the response that Israel will get from the international community will help advance peace by proving that no country is above the law.
The UN Human Rights Council team is due to present its report to the 47-nation council on Sept. 27, according to a schedule for the body’s three-week autumn session, which starts on Sept. 13. The council, where members of the 57-country Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and its developing-country allies, as well as Russia, Cuba and China, have an inbuilt majority, set up the probe in June, despite strong Western reservations.
The council’s decision on the investigation, on a resolution tabled by Pakistan for the OIC, was made despite the announcement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that he was setting up an international probe. Diplomats said Ban was unhappy with the council’s move, which fit a pattern of overt and indirect challenges from the majority in the body to the authority of the UN chief and of High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.
Israel itself is holding its own investigations behind closed doors. The May 31 incident sparked a serious deterioration in already-strained links between Israel and Turkey.
Earlier this month, current UN Human Rights Council President and Thai Ambassador Sihasak Phuanketkeow said the mission of the team -- whose members he chose -- would not overlap with Ban’s probe, but complement it.
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,,,,by proveing that no country is above the law.....????Ummm, I think I've heard that befor.
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It's called Braying, FYI.
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SilverBirch: Isolate the Israelis...
By Dr Ghada Karmi , Posted on » Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Can Israel survive its recent battering in public opinion? Many believe that this may be a defining moment in a long history of Israeli impunity.
Hitherto, Israel's record of recovery from international censure has been impressive. A string of past misdeeds - the 1982 Lebanon invasion and siege of West Beirut, the Sabra and Shatila massacres, the 2006 Lebanon war, the interminable occupation of Arab land, even the 2008-2009 war on Gaza that should have been decisive - failed to tarnish Israel's reputation irreparably. Despite strong international condemnation each time, it was always been able to shrug off its critics.
The Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on May 31 is the current object of international censure. But, going by the past, there is no reason to suppose this time will be different. Speculation about growing international isolation that will damage Israel may be just that. This May, Israel gained membership in the prestigious Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, unprecedented for a state of its size. An upgrade of relations with Europe, already a continent most favourable to Israel, is delayed but not cancelled. The fuss over the flotilla assault is fading, and Israel may feel it has succeeded in facing down international condemnation yet again.
Yet, it may not turn out so well this time. Bravado, the flaunting of Israeli power over the US Congress, and the recent success in apparently restoring cordial relations with President Barack Obama cannot disguise a tide of rising panic among Israelis. For a state so wedded to the idea of itself as legitimate, reputable and a worthy member of the world community, the battering this image has received in recent months must be worrying. The international climate of opinion has never been so hostile towards Israel. The savage assault on Gaza had a powerful impact on international public opinion, further aggravated by the flotilla affair, in which nine Turkish humanitarian activists were killed. Israel's stock invocation of anti-Semitism and security threats is not working. Its partial easing of the Gaza blockade has failed to stem the tide of criticism.
Last month Israel's only Islamic ally, Turkey, announced a suspension of all military co-operation worth $7.5 billion. Turkish airspace has been closed to Israeli military aircraft. Fear of reprisals has kept Israeli tourists out of Turkey, and Israeli officers have been instructed not to visit there. The UN has insisted on an independent inquiry into events around the flotilla, and not the one Israel proposes. Israel's hitherto unfettered control over Gaza is further under threat by the European Union's call for an end to the blockade and its intention to set up a monitoring mechanism for Gaza's land and sea crossings so that more humanitarian aid can enter unimpeded. Even Israel's staunchest ally, the US, has called the Gaza siege "unacceptable."
Relations between Israel and several Western states have been strained since January. The UK and Australia expelled Israeli diplomats in reaction to the illegal use by Mossad agents of their passports in Mahmoud Al Mabhouh's killing in Dubai. The Polish authorities arrested a Mossad agent accused of involvement. The UK, France, Spain and Italy have demanded firm action over the flotilla attack. On June 14, Israel's defence minister Ehud Barak cancelled a trip to the Paris Arms Show, having been warned that pro-Palestinian groups would seek his arrest.
Conrad; Fark Turkey, I don't even like Thanksgiving!!!
Dr Ghada Karmi,your Friend,Supporter of the One-State Solution!By Dr Ghada Karmi , Posted on » Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Can Israel survive its recent battering in public opinion? Many believe that this may be a defining moment in a long history of Israeli impunity.
Hitherto, Israel's record of recovery from international censure has been impressive. A string of past misdeeds - the 1982 Lebanon invasion and siege of West Beirut, the Sabra and Shatila massacres, the 2006 Lebanon war, the interminable occupation of Arab land, even the 2008-2009 war on Gaza that should have been decisive - failed to tarnish Israel's reputation irreparably. Despite strong international condemnation each time, it was always been able to shrug off its critics.
The Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on May 31 is the current object of international censure. But, going by the past, there is no reason to suppose this time will be different. Speculation about growing international isolation that will damage Israel may be just that. This May, Israel gained membership in the prestigious Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, unprecedented for a state of its size. An upgrade of relations with Europe, already a continent most favourable to Israel, is delayed but not cancelled. The fuss over the flotilla assault is fading, and Israel may feel it has succeeded in facing down international condemnation yet again.
Yet, it may not turn out so well this time. Bravado, the flaunting of Israeli power over the US Congress, and the recent success in apparently restoring cordial relations with President Barack Obama cannot disguise a tide of rising panic among Israelis. For a state so wedded to the idea of itself as legitimate, reputable and a worthy member of the world community, the battering this image has received in recent months must be worrying. The international climate of opinion has never been so hostile towards Israel. The savage assault on Gaza had a powerful impact on international public opinion, further aggravated by the flotilla affair, in which nine Turkish humanitarian activists were killed. Israel's stock invocation of anti-Semitism and security threats is not working. Its partial easing of the Gaza blockade has failed to stem the tide of criticism.
Last month Israel's only Islamic ally, Turkey, announced a suspension of all military co-operation worth $7.5 billion. Turkish airspace has been closed to Israeli military aircraft. Fear of reprisals has kept Israeli tourists out of Turkey, and Israeli officers have been instructed not to visit there. The UN has insisted on an independent inquiry into events around the flotilla, and not the one Israel proposes. Israel's hitherto unfettered control over Gaza is further under threat by the European Union's call for an end to the blockade and its intention to set up a monitoring mechanism for Gaza's land and sea crossings so that more humanitarian aid can enter unimpeded. Even Israel's staunchest ally, the US, has called the Gaza siege "unacceptable."
Relations between Israel and several Western states have been strained since January. The UK and Australia expelled Israeli diplomats in reaction to the illegal use by Mossad agents of their passports in Mahmoud Al Mabhouh's killing in Dubai. The Polish authorities arrested a Mossad agent accused of involvement. The UK, France, Spain and Italy have demanded firm action over the flotilla attack. On June 14, Israel's defence minister Ehud Barak cancelled a trip to the Paris Arms Show, having been warned that pro-Palestinian groups would seek his arrest.
Conrad; Fark Turkey, I don't even like Thanksgiving!!!
Still trying,hey SB?
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SilverBirch: Isolate the Israelis...
By Dr Ghada Karmi , Posted on » Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Can Israel survive its recent battering in public opinion? Many believe that this may be a defining moment in a long history of Israeli impunity.
Hitherto, Israel's record of recovery from international censure has been impressive. A string of past misdeeds - the 1982 Lebanon invasion and siege of West Beirut, the Sabra and Shatila massacres, the 2006 Lebanon war, the interminable occupation of Arab land, even the 2008-2009 war on Gaza that should have been decisive - failed to tarnish Israel's reputation irreparably. Despite strong international condemnation each time, it was always been able to shrug off its critics.
The Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on May 31 is the current object of international censure. But, going by the past, there is no reason to suppose this time will be different. Speculation about growing international isolation that will damage Israel may be just that. This May, Israel gained membership in the prestigious Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, unprecedented for a state of its size. An upgrade of relations with Europe, already a continent most favourable to Israel, is delayed but not cancelled. The fuss over the flotilla assault is fading, and Israel may feel it has succeeded in facing down international condemnation yet again.
Yet, it may not turn out so well this time. Bravado, the flaunting of Israeli power over the US Congress, and the recent success in apparently restoring cordial relations with President Barack Obama cannot disguise a tide of rising panic among Israelis. For a state so wedded to the idea of itself as legitimate, reputable and a worthy member of the world community, the battering this image has received in recent months must be worrying. The international climate of opinion has never been so hostile towards Israel. The savage assault on Gaza had a powerful impact on international public opinion, further aggravated by the flotilla affair, in which nine Turkish humanitarian activists were killed. Israel's stock invocation of anti-Semitism and security threats is not working. Its partial easing of the Gaza blockade has failed to stem the tide of criticism.
Last month Israel's only Islamic ally, Turkey, announced a suspension of all military co-operation worth $7.5 billion. Turkish airspace has been closed to Israeli military aircraft. Fear of reprisals has kept Israeli tourists out of Turkey, and Israeli officers have been instructed not to visit there. The UN has insisted on an independent inquiry into events around the flotilla, and not the one Israel proposes. Israel's hitherto unfettered control over Gaza is further under threat by the European Union's call for an end to the blockade and its intention to set up a monitoring mechanism for Gaza's land and sea crossings so that more humanitarian aid can enter unimpeded. Even Israel's staunchest ally, the US, has called the Gaza siege "unacceptable."
Relations between Israel and several Western states have been strained since January. The UK and Australia expelled Israeli diplomats in reaction to the illegal use by Mossad agents of their passports in Mahmoud Al Mabhouh's killing in Dubai. The Polish authorities arrested a Mossad agent accused of involvement. The UK, France, Spain and Italy have demanded firm action over the flotilla attack. On June 14, Israel's defence minister Ehud Barak cancelled a trip to the Paris Arms Show, having been warned that pro-Palestinian groups would seek his arrest.
Conrad; Fark Turkey, I don't even like Thanksgiving!!!
By Dr Ghada Karmi , Posted on » Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Can Israel survive its recent battering in public opinion? Many believe that this may be a defining moment in a long history of Israeli impunity.
Hitherto, Israel's record of recovery from international censure has been impressive. A string of past misdeeds - the 1982 Lebanon invasion and siege of West Beirut, the Sabra and Shatila massacres, the 2006 Lebanon war, the interminable occupation of Arab land, even the 2008-2009 war on Gaza that should have been decisive - failed to tarnish Israel's reputation irreparably. Despite strong international condemnation each time, it was always been able to shrug off its critics.
The Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on May 31 is the current object of international censure. But, going by the past, there is no reason to suppose this time will be different. Speculation about growing international isolation that will damage Israel may be just that. This May, Israel gained membership in the prestigious Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, unprecedented for a state of its size. An upgrade of relations with Europe, already a continent most favourable to Israel, is delayed but not cancelled. The fuss over the flotilla assault is fading, and Israel may feel it has succeeded in facing down international condemnation yet again.
Yet, it may not turn out so well this time. Bravado, the flaunting of Israeli power over the US Congress, and the recent success in apparently restoring cordial relations with President Barack Obama cannot disguise a tide of rising panic among Israelis. For a state so wedded to the idea of itself as legitimate, reputable and a worthy member of the world community, the battering this image has received in recent months must be worrying. The international climate of opinion has never been so hostile towards Israel. The savage assault on Gaza had a powerful impact on international public opinion, further aggravated by the flotilla affair, in which nine Turkish humanitarian activists were killed. Israel's stock invocation of anti-Semitism and security threats is not working. Its partial easing of the Gaza blockade has failed to stem the tide of criticism.
Last month Israel's only Islamic ally, Turkey, announced a suspension of all military co-operation worth $7.5 billion. Turkish airspace has been closed to Israeli military aircraft. Fear of reprisals has kept Israeli tourists out of Turkey, and Israeli officers have been instructed not to visit there. The UN has insisted on an independent inquiry into events around the flotilla, and not the one Israel proposes. Israel's hitherto unfettered control over Gaza is further under threat by the European Union's call for an end to the blockade and its intention to set up a monitoring mechanism for Gaza's land and sea crossings so that more humanitarian aid can enter unimpeded. Even Israel's staunchest ally, the US, has called the Gaza siege "unacceptable."
Relations between Israel and several Western states have been strained since January. The UK and Australia expelled Israeli diplomats in reaction to the illegal use by Mossad agents of their passports in Mahmoud Al Mabhouh's killing in Dubai. The Polish authorities arrested a Mossad agent accused of involvement. The UK, France, Spain and Italy have demanded firm action over the flotilla attack. On June 14, Israel's defence minister Ehud Barak cancelled a trip to the Paris Arms Show, having been warned that pro-Palestinian groups would seek his arrest.
Conrad; Fark Turkey, I don't even like Thanksgiving!!!
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SilverBirch: Meanwhile, the boycott movement against Israel has gained astonishing momentum. Israeli officials are frequently targeted at universities in Europe and America, forcing them to cancel lectures. This week 76 distinguished Indian academics, including writer Arundhati Roy, signed a call for cultural and academic boycott of Israel. They have joined the well-established British academic boycott of Israel movement, BRICUP, and a growing US academic boycott group.
A cultural boycott of Israel movement is also developing; the Pixies, Klaxons and Gorillaz recently cancelled concerts in Israel. Prominent writers Alice Walker and Iain Banks are also boycotting Israel. Banks has refused to have his books translated into Hebrew, as has Jordan's Queen Rania whose book for children has just been published.
Dockworkers in Sweden, Norway, India and South Africa are refusing to handle Israeli ships. In San Francisco, bay dockworkers delayed Israeli ships for 24 hours, unheard of in the US. Britain's Unite union has resolved to boycott Israeli companies, and there is a mounting movement in Europe and the US for divestment from companies such as Caterpillar, which work to support Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Individually none of these acts is likely to threaten Israel. It is their collectivity and the speed with which they are spreading and increasing that is important. Beneath the official level of Western governmental support for Israel, there is private disquiet about Israeli conduct. And at the popular level, there is a sea change in opinion: where Israel was once seen as the victim, it has now become the bully. In the UK, for example, the strength of popular sympathy for Palestinians is striking. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the same is happening elsewhere.
If this trend continues and Israel's isolation worsens it will be no bad thing. It may be the only way for Israelis to grasp that endless aggression comes at a price and that peace is not made through the barrel of a gun.
Conrad; I can't even eat Turkey, it gives me gas!!!
A cultural boycott of Israel movement is also developing; the Pixies, Klaxons and Gorillaz recently cancelled concerts in Israel. Prominent writers Alice Walker and Iain Banks are also boycotting Israel. Banks has refused to have his books translated into Hebrew, as has Jordan's Queen Rania whose book for children has just been published.
Dockworkers in Sweden, Norway, India and South Africa are refusing to handle Israeli ships. In San Francisco, bay dockworkers delayed Israeli ships for 24 hours, unheard of in the US. Britain's Unite union has resolved to boycott Israeli companies, and there is a mounting movement in Europe and the US for divestment from companies such as Caterpillar, which work to support Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Individually none of these acts is likely to threaten Israel. It is their collectivity and the speed with which they are spreading and increasing that is important. Beneath the official level of Western governmental support for Israel, there is private disquiet about Israeli conduct. And at the popular level, there is a sea change in opinion: where Israel was once seen as the victim, it has now become the bully. In the UK, for example, the strength of popular sympathy for Palestinians is striking. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the same is happening elsewhere.
If this trend continues and Israel's isolation worsens it will be no bad thing. It may be the only way for Israelis to grasp that endless aggression comes at a price and that peace is not made through the barrel of a gun.
Conrad; I can't even eat Turkey, it gives me gas!!!
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Conrad73: Damn,SB,you're a real nasty Piece of Work!
Truth hurts don't it.------ This thread is Archived ------
Conrad73: Damn,SB,you're a real nasty Piece of Work!
Quite in keeping with your Friends,though!------ This thread is Archived ------
SilverBirch: Truth hurts don't it.
Truth and Silverbirch? ------ This thread is Archived ------
Conrad73: I knew Cameron was a FULLBLOODED One!
Now he's removed all doubt!
Now he's removed all doubt!
I could warm to this Cameron fellow.....tells the truth sometimes...how refreshing!
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Wasn't Sharon ex-military like Netanyahu? Just explains his war-monger mind-set.
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Fallingman: I could warm to this Cameron fellow.....tells the truth sometimes...how refreshing!
Coca-Cola is too!------ This thread is Archived ------
Conrad73: Coca-Cola is too!
And it helps with gas Conrad------ This thread is Archived ------
Conrad73: Coca-Cola is too!
Coca Cola is a sugary drink. Water is better for you! Don't believe the adverts Conrad!
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Fallingman: Coca Cola is a sugary drink. Water is better for you! Don't believe the adverts Conrad!
But we have to watch his blood pressure, especially when he stays up so late.------ This thread is Archived ------
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By Dr Ghada Karmi , Posted on » Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Can Israel survive its recent battering in public opinion? Many believe that this may be a defining moment in a long history of Israeli impunity.
Hitherto, Israel's record of recovery from international censure has been impressive. A string of past misdeeds - the 1982 Lebanon invasion and siege of West Beirut, the Sabra and Shatila massacres, the 2006 Lebanon war, the interminable occupation of Arab land, even the 2008-2009 war on Gaza that should have been decisive - failed to tarnish Israel's reputation irreparably. Despite strong international condemnation each time, it was always been able to shrug off its critics.
The Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on May 31 is the current object of international censure. But, going by the past, there is no reason to suppose this time will be different. Speculation about growing international isolation that will damage Israel may be just that. This May, Israel gained membership in the prestigious Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, unprecedented for a state of its size. An upgrade of relations with Europe, already a continent most favourable to Israel, is delayed but not cancelled. The fuss over the flotilla assault is fading, and Israel may feel it has succeeded in facing down international condemnation yet again.
Yet, it may not turn out so well this time. Bravado, the flaunting of Israeli power over the US Congress, and the recent success in apparently restoring cordial relations with President Barack Obama cannot disguise a tide of rising panic among Israelis. For a state so wedded to the idea of itself as legitimate, reputable and a worthy member of the world community, the battering this image has received in recent months must be worrying. The international climate of opinion has never been so hostile towards Israel. The savage assault on Gaza had a powerful impact on international public opinion, further aggravated by the flotilla affair, in which nine Turkish humanitarian activists were killed. Israel's stock invocation of anti-Semitism and security threats is not working. Its partial easing of the Gaza blockade has failed to stem the tide of criticism.
Last month Israel's only Islamic ally, Turkey, announced a suspension of all military co-operation worth $7.5 billion. Turkish airspace has been closed to Israeli military aircraft. Fear of reprisals has kept Israeli tourists out of Turkey, and Israeli officers have been instructed not to visit there. The UN has insisted on an independent inquiry into events around the flotilla, and not the one Israel proposes. Israel's hitherto unfettered control over Gaza is further under threat by the European Union's call for an end to the blockade and its intention to set up a monitoring mechanism for Gaza's land and sea crossings so that more humanitarian aid can enter unimpeded. Even Israel's staunchest ally, the US, has called the Gaza siege "unacceptable."
Relations between Israel and several Western states have been strained since January. The UK and Australia expelled Israeli diplomats in reaction to the illegal use by Mossad agents of their passports in Mahmoud Al Mabhouh's killing in Dubai. The Polish authorities arrested a Mossad agent accused of involvement. The UK, France, Spain and Italy have demanded firm action over the flotilla attack. On June 14, Israel's defence minister Ehud Barak cancelled a trip to the Paris Arms Show, having been warned that pro-Palestinian groups would seek his arrest.
Conrad; Fark Turkey, I don't even like Thanksgiving!!!