The boat to Gaza: neither freedom, nor a flotilla

After beckoning for just a few days, the light of the Freedom Flotilla was extinguished. The story of the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla, which achieved great, though tragic, notoriety, did not repeat itself. Manifold goings-on in our restive region, such as those unfolding in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Egypt, grabbed the headlines and the solidarity with Gaza was forgotten. This did not, however, prevent the project's initiators from declaring that "the message has been delivered" and the whole thing represented a "victory".

As ever, our politicians deal in dreams rather than reality and end up believing their own delusions, as there is no one to pass sobering criticism. Let's be honest here: where exactly was the "freedom" part? Has the flotilla promoted lifting the blockade on Gaza? And how exactly did Knesset member Basel Ghattas's marine cruise contribute to the Palestinian cause or serve the interests of his electorate? First and foremost, this was no "flotilla." It was a solitary small fishing vessel that made its way from Norway for two months and, after passing through a number of European ports, predictably failed to reach its destination. It carried 18 individuals. With the exception of former Tunisia president Moncef Marzouki and Ghattas, they were all radical European activists who, with all due respect, represent a negligible share of political power. The majority of Europeans who are fighting against the occupation and support the so-called "two state solution" took no part in the initiative.
Second, the discourse on the subject of the siege should take the form of a debate. It's true that the Gaza Strip is subject to an aerial and marine blockade, yet there is also an extraordinary dialogue taking place between Israel and Hamas that should not be ignored. Some of the dialogue is happening face to face behind closed doors, whether it's in Israeli prisons (where Israeli officials can speak to incarcerated Hamas operatives) or in rooms of another kind at the Erez border crossing; there are also talks taking place in Tel Aviv, Istanbul and Doha through Qatari brokers. A defected senior leader of the Hamas, Hassan Yousef, went on Israeli television to confirm as much.

Moreover, there is another aspect to the Israel-Hamas cooperation: to quote a statement by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which was not contested by Hamas, "Israel transferred 1.6 million tons of goods to Gaza since Operation Protective Edge, more than any other nation. This equals a ton of goods for every Gazan. Up to 800 truckloads of goods enter daily."  Third, the participation of Ghattas did more harm than good on several levels. He stole the limelight from a far more important person, the highly regarded former Tunisian president who, lest we forget, was that country's first democratically elected leader and whose conduct after losing the subsequent election painted him as a paragon of democratic statesmanship. Some even say that despite being virtually ignored by the media, Marzouki decided to board another flotilla, which is presently docked in Greece.

http://www.i24news.tv/en/opinion/77400-150706-the-boat-to-gaza-neither-freedom-nor-a-flotilla

A ton of goods per person over the entire period that Operation Protective Edge was in operation.

Can you break that down into products so that we can all establish just how generous Israel were to each and every Gazan person in allowing goods to go into Gaza?

And of course what they sent in is more than any other nation because they control what they get and what they can't get.

Where's the fishing boat that was freely donated in aid to the Gaza Fisherman's Association? Has it been delivered yet?

To suggest Netanyahu got any credibility out of that is a joke and something you would only see from someone trying to put some spin on it lol

Irn Bru wrote:A ton of goods per person over the entire period that Operation Protective Edge was in operation.

Can you break that down into products so that we can all establish just how generous Israel were to each and every Gazan person in allowing goods to go into Gaza?

And of course what they sent in is more than any other nation because they control what they get and what they can't get.

Where's the fishing boat that was freely donated in aid to the Gaza Fisherman's Association? Has it been delivered yet?

To suggest Netanyahu got any credibility out of that is a joke and something you would only see from someone trying to put some spin on it lol

You want me to do something you can do for yourself.

What a poor deflection to the points made
To suggest you say anything credible is a joke