Prepare for media onslaught as Freedom Flotilla approaches Gaza

By Robin Shepherd (UK)

Prepare for another media bonanza over Gaza. This time it’s the turn of the Freedom Flotilla — a nine ship strong convoy heading to Gaza with hundreds of passengers (there are 600 on just one ship from Turkey which left Istanbul yesterday) and more than 10,000 tonnes of supplies. It is due to arrive on Thursday but is almost certain to be turned away by the Israeli navy.

So get ready for a veritable firework display of grievance mongering, as “victims” from dozens of countries howl about their “oppression” at the hands of the dastardly Israelis. And by “get ready” I mean prepare to point out that giving succour to Gaza means giving succour to its rulers, Hamas — a terror group which openly parades its Protocols of Zion style anti-Semitism and is devoted to the destruction of Israel. Morally speaking, the attempt to break into Gaza is the equivalent of attempting to bust the sanctions imposed on Apartheid South Africa. Now there’s an apartheid analogy about the Middle East that Israel’s opponents will not be using this week.

And in addition to reminding the world of just how deplorable the actions of these people really are, it would also be worthwhile to follow the example of Abraham Cooper (writing in Ynet today) who has enumerated some inconvenient truths about Israel and Gaza thus:

“For starters,” he argues with reference to what the western media should be doing, “it can tell an indifferent world what actually entered Gaza legally from Israel just this last week of the “siege”: 637 truckloads, consisting of 14,069 tons of humanitarian aid.

“Among the goods for Gaza civilians were 810,209 liters of heavy duty diesel fuel; 21 truckloads of milk powder and baby food; 897 tons of cooking gas; 66 truckloads of fruits and vegetables; 51 truckloads of wheat; 27 truckloads of meat, chicken and fish products; 40 truckloads of dairy products; 117 truckloads of animal feed; 36 truckloads of hygiene products; 38 trucks of clothing; 22 trucks of sugar and 4 trucks of medicine and medical equipment.

“In addition to that, 781 medical patients and accompanying individuals from the Gaza Strip crossed into Israel to receive treatment in various hospitals and 191 staff members of international organizations crossed into the Gaza Strip, and 202 crossed back from Gaza.”

Pretty impressive, especially when you consider that this is all being done by Israel for a people that wants to destroy it. As Cooper adds, it would also be appropriate to remind the world of what was emanating from the Palestinian territories before barriers and sanctions were fully in place. Here is Cooper’s (partial) list:

** June 1, 2001 – 21 killed and 120 Israelis – mostly teenagers – wounded outside a Tel Aviv disco.

** August 9, 2001 – 15 people were killed, including 7 children, and 130 injured in a suicide bombing at Sbarro’s in downtown Jerusalem.

** December 1, 2001 – two genocide bombers detonated explosive devices on Jerusalem’s Ben Yehuda’s pedestrian mall on a Saturday night. A car bomb exploded nearby 20 minutes later. Ten people were killed, including many children, and 188 were injured.

** February 16, 2002 – A suicide bomber deliberately targeted Jewish children sitting at a pizzeria in the town of Karnei Shomron. Three children died and over 30 were wounded.

** March 9, 2002 – A suicide bomber kills 11 people and injures 54 in a crowded Cafe in Jerusalem

** March 27, 2002 – At a Passover Seder in a Netanya hotel, a genocide bomber belonging to Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs detonated an explosive device, killing 30 and injuring 132, including many children and elderly.

** January 5, 2003 – 23 people were killed, and more than 80 were wounded when two Palestinian murderers blew themselves up near the old Tel Aviv bus station.

** June 11, 2003 – Sixteen Israelis were killed and more than 100 were wounded when a homicide bomber, dressed as an ultra-Orthodox Jew, detonated his explosives belt on a bus in downtown Jerusalem. Palestinian terrorists have attempted 11 homicide bombings and murdered 23 Israelis in the last 4 days, since Palestinians “accepted” the international “roadmap for peace.”

** January 15, 2004 – Two Israeli soldiers, a border policeman, and a security guard for a private manpower company, were murdered by a female suicide bomber at the Erez Gaza crossing.

** September 1, 2004 – Two suicide bombers exploded almost simultaneously on two buses in central Beersheba, killing 16 innocents and wounding dozens.

It all puts things in some perspective, doesn’t it? Which is precisely why the BBC and company will not be mentioning it.

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