Welcome To BBC Israel 

By William Bowles

31 May, 2010
Creative-i

The BBC has outdone itself this time with an outrageous piece of blatant Israeli propaganda.

It was a tossup: should I go to the demonstration outside 10 Downing Street today (31/5/10) or write this piece on the absolutely outrageous ‘coverage’ by the BBC of the massacre of at least nineteen people by the Israeli military in international waters?

“It happened about 40 miles (64 km) out to sea, in international waters. — ‘Deaths as Israeli forces storm Gaza aid ship’, BBC, 31 May, 2010

The BBC seems not to care that attacking ships in international waters is a crime under a variety of international laws. Had it been off the coast of Somalia, then no doubt the BBC would have called it piracy but it’s Israel that’s the pirate and a murdering one at that, so the BBC conveniently omits any reference to it.

The short video (lifted from Turkish media coverage) ‘Israeli navy storms Gaza aid ship’ on the BBC Website is echoed by a virtually identical piece, ‘Deaths as Israeli forces storm Gaza aid ship’, put out a few hours later, is the BBC’s entire online coverage of what is now clearly revealed as a massacre of unarmed civilians with dozens reportedly injured and all 700-800 people abducted by the Israeli military and taken to Ashdod, in Israel. (The earlier link now takes you to the one remaining piece, see below.)

The attack came in international waters approximately 65 kilometers off the coast of Gaza according to witnesses, with Israeli storm-troopers shooting as they boarded.

But back to the BBC’s ‘news’ coverage. The first one has now been heavily abridged with a link to the later piece. Correction: in a nifty piece of editing the earlier piece has now been replaced by the later one, but in the now deleted entry, had you been quick enough, you could have read the following,

"Well clearly when you've got as many as 600 people on board these ships at night in the high seas, it is a very very difficult situation and you can imagine a rather chaotic situation. Of course the Israeli military is very well experienced at dealing with crowd control. But certainly you've got live fire being fired as well as teargas canisters which is what is being reported was fired then that is a very dangerous situation in a crowded space" — Now removed from the BBC Website

Instead, in the one remaining ‘news’ story we find the following outrageous ‘analysis’ by BBC’s Jonathan Marcus, allegedly a BBC diplomatic correspondent:

This was always going to be a high-risk operation for Israel both in terms of reputation and diplomatic repercussions.

Taking over vessels at sea is no easy task, even if the units carrying out the mission are well-trained, and it is especially difficult if the people already on board the vessels resist.

The full details of what happened will emerge in time, but in political terms the damage has already been done.

COMMENT:  For some time now I have been complaining about the "far right" jouralism of the ABC and have wondered why the "people's voice" has been so pro-conservative.  Now we have the once trusted BBC acting in the same conspiratorial manner.  Has the Murdochracy now captured the pockets of the BBC and the ABC?   Well might Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan predict an all out misinformation attack by having a "defence allowance" to permit our government the right to defend itself in the public arena and have the money required to do so.  Abbott has his own lie-chest and $100 million miner's bribes.

The Australian people can resolve this betrayal of our voice, by a resounding vote for our dependence with a Rudd Labor victory.  And then get rid of the people who have forgot the principles of their employment.

God Bless Australia.  NE OUBLIE.

I have watched the Zionist film of what is supposed to be the brutal unarmed peace activists thoroughly bashing the shit out of innocent Zionist pirates but, why are the aggressive "bashers" apparently wearing helmets and protective battle action clothing?  What is happening behind the steel scuppers?

What would be the odds of an unarmed peace activist attacking fully armed military personnel or the reverse?  Fair dinkum.

Was it a cowardly Zionist thrown overboard or was it a Zionist escaping?

The facts are that these Zionists do not obey any laws at all.  Their control of the international media allows them to lie and adjust misinformation to make them the victims of the specter of another Holocaust but - they have already been guilty of that themselves.

The argument that the Zionists and indeed the Jewish congresses; councils and various governmental organizations are to defend the right of Jews to exist merely highlights the issue that they want to keep alive at all costs.

In some 26 countries that I can identify, the Jewish people are living in harmony with the other citizens of those nations and why shouldn't they?  Why does the all powerful and obscenely wealthy Zionists disturb their lives when it was not necessary? Yet they flock to the principle that they have been maltreated since the beginning of time and they can do no wrong?

Commonsense dictates that we should consider the activities of people in a violent criminal organization as individuals who have chosen say, the Italian Mafia, or the Russian Mafia to rectify a real or perceived crime against their race.  And there has been plenty of that in the US.

The Zionists are, in my opinion, a wealthy powerful and corrupt group of Jewish Corporation Administrators, throughout the world, whose activities may someday invite prosecution and to counter this, they will have a non-extradition treaty in occupied Palestine where their criminal victims of all crimes against humanity can repeat Netanyahu’s statement – “No one will hurt Jews ever again”.  Struth.

God Bless Australia and may the Zionists be brought to justice in the civilized world.  NE OUBLIE.

If you think about it, Israel's calculated murder of peace activists on a mission to break the siege of Gaza makes perfect sense. A lot of observers were baffled that Netanyahu's government inflated the importance of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla which was delivering vital humanitarian aid to the largest concentration camp in the world but had the secondary mission of publicizing the brutal and illegal siege of Gaza. To casual observers, it seemed like Israel's belligerent posture was amplifying the international media attention given to the flotilla. It seemed so counter- productive for the Israelis to hand the peace activists what amounted to a nuclear powered bull horn. 

The only excuse that Netanyahu and Lieberman could make for their seemingly irrational obsession with the supply ships was that the peace activists on board where delegitimizing Israel. The Israelis couldn't make the usual 'security' arguments about terrorist threats - not with so many unarmed European Parliamentarians and peace activists on board. So they dreamed up a new category of criminals nobody has ever heard of before - de-legitimizers. There are millions of decent people who abhor Zionism and view Israel as a racist state. Israel and her supporters can argue with that, but since when has delegitimizing Israel been a capital crime that justified piracy on the high seas?

The flotilla was in international waters when it was assaulted - seventy miles from its destination. It was a pre-dawn raid and, in an operation of this sort, the darkness elevated the risk of inflicting unnecessary casualties. Quite a few journalists were on board and the dark offered the Israelis a veil to ward off any cameras that could clearly document that the violence was premeditated.

The overwhelming evidence suggests that this Israeli raid was planned, perfectly timed and achieved its desired objective - to scuttle a scheduled meeting with Obama. What else would explain the hurry? Was there a clock ticking away? The answer to that question is yes. Only a few precious hours remained for Netanyahu to weasel his way out of an appointment at the White House. That might help explain the smug self-satisfied look on Netanyahu's face when he announced the cancelation of the visit.

The scheduled meeting at the White House was no ordinary tete-a-tete. It was a carefully orchestrated event. A week earlier, Obama had dispatched Rohm Emanuel to Jerusalem to butter up Netanyahu. According to news reports, Israel's prime minister was given "unequivocal assurances" from the US President that an accord agreeing to talks on a nuclear weapons-free Mideast would not endanger the Jewish state. The assurances included a significant upgrade of Israel's strategic and deterrent capabilities and a promise that no UN resolutions would be adopted that would hurt Israel's 'vital interests.' One has to presume that Obama's promises included blanket amnesty for last year's war crimes in Gaza. As a bonus, Netanyahu stopped in Europe to pick up membership in the OEDC - making Israel the only wealthy country in the world to get lavish American aid.

Of course, Obama and the Europeans expected a little reciprocity and a more flexible Israeli posture in the proximity talks with the Palestinians. It was Netanyahu's turn to give a little. There was talk in the press of a love fest where a 'new and improved' Netanyahu would make an appearance and be willing to make a few hard choices to end the interminable conflict. The Israeli Prime Minister who opposed Camp David, the Oslo agreement and the withdrawal from Gaza was under pressure to deliver the goods.

Sabotaging peace initiatives is something the Israelis excel at and Netanyahu is a skilled practitioner of obstructionism. Lest we forget, he secured the position of Prime Minister by putting together the most right wing coalition in Israeli history. He leads a government that is made up of pro-settler parties and outright expultionists. Freezing settlements or withdrawing from the West Bank or making any kinds of concessions on East Jerusalem would unravel his government.

Netanyahu didn't have much of a choice in the matter. There was a strategic imperative to create a crisis to justify cancelling the meeting with Obama. Murdering the peace activists on the high seas was a high risk maneuver and it came at a well calibrated cost. Let's first dispel the rumor that Israel is or has ever been concerned with its international reputation. Notice that it was Netanyahu who cancelled the White House appointment. Why the rush to get back to Israel? Was there any better way to do a little damage control than by making a few concessions in Washington in front of the fawning lenses of pro-Israeli CNN cameras? But the White House was the last place the Israeli Prime Minister wanted to be.  And if all it took was piracy and murder on the high seas, it was a price Netanyahu was willing to pay.

Israel's has a well established record of planning and executing premeditated atrocities. They've shot Libyan passenger planes out of the sky and carpet bombed Gaza, South Lebanon and Beirut. One can go down the list of infamous massacres from Sabra and Shatilla to Jenin to Deir El Yassin, Qibya and a hundred other places where they've slaughtered innocents. Aside from the attack on the Liberty, the only thing that distinguishes this latest war crime is that the victims were not Palestinians or Arabs. With the assistance of the Jewish Lobby and their well-placed partisans at FOX noise and CNnothing, Israel always manages to wipe the incriminatory blood stains off its garments and make a miraculous recovery as the perpetual victim.

Anybody with half a brain should be able to figure out that this most recent Israeli atrocity was premeditated. Netanyahu will pay a price and there will be a price to pay but it will be paid in short term currency. Obama might or might not figure out that he gave away the store and walked away empty handed but with mid-term elections on the horizon, he'll still shield Israeli leaders from accountability for their war crimes. Relationships with Turkey will be strained and a few European foreign ministers will fume. The United States had no problem figuring out how to react to piracy with the Achille Lauro, but all they can muster up in response to this latest act of Israeli state terrorism is a benign statement of 'concern.' Washington might even work up the courage to ask the Israelis to conduct an inquiry.  Israel will be ostracized for a few weeks but Netanyahu will have accomplished his goal by derailing yet another peace initiative and winning additional time to continue building settlements and dispossess the Palestinians of their native soil.

The Palestine Chronicle

Well, now Israel has done it. They have actually provoked Turkey to the point that they may start a war over this incident massacre:

Turkey has threatened Israel with unprecedented action after Israeli forces attacked an aid vessel, killing 10 peace activists headed to Gaza.Israel said 10 people died while those on the ship said at least 15 were killed.

A shocked world has responded with outrage. Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel and warned of unprecedented and incalculable reprisals.

Two Turkish activists were reported to be among those killed in the flotilla. Ankara warned that further supply vessels will be sent to Gaza, escorted by the Turkish Navy, a development with unpredictable consequences.

Israel has sounded an alert throughout the country fearing rocket attacks by Hezbollah in Lebanon.

If Turkey is promising to send new supplies with naval escort, then we're headed for an epic showdown between two of Americas closest allies. I don't think Obama is getting too much rest and relaxation this Memorial Day.

Meanwhile, the Arab League will meet tomorrow and put immense pressure on Egypt to lift their portion of the Gazan blockade. I can't imagine that Egypt will refuse. In fact, I think Israel has jeopardized their peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan.

All this, and for what? To keep construction materials from the Gazan people? Israel is not behaving in anything resembling a rational manner. They just lost the only friends they had not named America. And who can help them now but Big Daddy?

The problem is that Big Daddy has more to consider than Israeli's deluded interests.

We have to worry about our own image and international relationships.

Turkey Promises to Send Supplies to Gaza With Naval Escort

The tragic events off Gaza remind us there are still those who seek to manipulate humanitarian needs for extremist ends. The situation is ongoing, but several facts are clear. The flotilla organisers' intent was violent, the methods employed were violent and, regrettably, the result was violent.

The attack on the Israeli soldiers aboard the Mavi Marmara was premeditated. The number of weapons found on board - including stun grenades, petrol bombs, knives, steel rods and clubs - and its passengers' actions attest to the flotilla's focus: not to deliver aid, but to engage in a cynical and politically motivated media stunt.

Children were carried aboard, paraded on television as human shields, to deter Israel from halting the flotilla. Participants welcomed martyrdom, chanting jihadist phrases against the Jews, whipping up the crowd with cries of ''Intifada, intifada, intifada!'' Huwaida Arraf, an organiser, foreshadowed violence, saying: ''They are going to have to forcefully stop us.''

The Turkish organising group, IHH, is known for its ties to and support of radical Islamic organisations, such as Hamas, and for its past support of global jihad movements such as al-Qaeda. It was flagged in the past by the CIA for extremist affiliations.

Israel was justified and required to act against a flotilla seeking to undermine the security of its people. The armed conflict between Israel and Hamas has seen 12,000 rockets launched from within Gaza against Israeli civilian centres. Hamas is smuggling arms and military supplies into Gaza, by land and sea, to continue its attacks.

The naval blockade is not to deny aid, but to curb Hamas rearmament. Despite deadly attacks, Israel has facilitated the flow of aid into Gaza. Since January last year it has exceeded 1 million tonnes - including food, clothing, building and medical supplies.

Israel repeatedly offered to accept the cargo under UN Relief Works Agency supervision; it was refused.

The Israeli government and defence force informed the organisers Israel was prepared to prevent the vessels from violating both Israeli and international law. They refused to allow security inspection of the cargo, adamant to reach Gaza at all costs. Organisers and passengers were made aware their actions were illegal.

As promised, the cargo will be distributed under UN Relief Works Agency supervision. Participants are being treated in medical facilities, and independent investigations will be conducted as required by Israeli law.

It is a sad week for those who support and promote peace and moderation. Flotilla participants hold a wanton disregard for regional peace and security, and their cynical manipulation of the humanitarian needs of Palestinians supports a culture of terrorism.

Yuval Rotem is the Israeli ambassador to Australia.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/the-daily-cartoon-760940.html

(02/06/10)

"Millions of people in the world are feeling the same", says Egyptian writer Ahdaf Soueif. "People everywhere see and understand what is happening. The time has come for the governments that represent us to stop engaging with Israeli lies and excuses."

This will count. A flotilla of relief boats attacked in international waters. Armed commandos boarding a vessel carrying supplies for a besieged civilian population. More than 10 peace activists reported killed. This has to be made to count.

The dead have joined Rachel Corrie, Tom Hurndall, James Miller and Brian Avery in giving up their lives for the Palestinians. None of these young men and women went out to die or wanted to die or was accepting of death. Each and every one of them ultimately believed that they were safe; that there was a boundary - call it a boundary of legality, a boundary of civilisation - that Israel would not cross. They were wrong. And in proving them wrong, Israel has revealed, once again, its true face to the world.

This face, of course, the Palestinians know well. They see it every day in the teenage soldiers of the occupation chewing gum as they dish out humiliations, in the settlers shooting young Palestinians with impunity, in the soldiers firing gas canisters at the heads of demonstrators. The world saw that face in January last year when Israel unleashed the might of its air force on Gaza - the only time in modern warfare that a civilian population was sealed in as it was being bombed and shelled. Now Israel is out on the high seas killing internationals.

So never mind the multimillion-dollar public relations campaign - actions speak louder than words, and the murder of these peace activists is Israel's message to the world. It does not matter what Mark Regev or any other Israel spokesperson says. It does not matter what spin the Israeli government tries to put on this; the only link between Israeli words and Israeli deeds is this: Israel uses words as a decoy and an obfuscation and a cover for its deeds. It has done so for 62 years. These internationals, dead now, murdered, have ensured that anyone who does not see this is wilfully blind.

israel must pay the moral & economic price for its crimes

meanwhile .....

The Obama administration walked a fine line Tuesday in response to Israel's lethal raid on a flotilla trying to break the blockade of Gaza, urging Israeli leaders to let more aid into the beleaguered territory but refusing to criticize the U.S. ally for the use of deadly force.

President Barack Obama telephoned Turkey's prime minister to express his "deep condolences" for the deaths and injuries aboard a Turkish-flagged vessel and called for an impartial investigation. And Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed support for a U.N. Security Council statement that condemned the "acts" that cost the lives of nine pro-Palestinian activists off the Gaza coast. But U.S. officials did not say whether they held Israel or the activists responsible for the bloodshed.

White House Backs Investigation Into Israeli Raid

have the creatures on pennsylvania avenue ever heard of Richard Goldstone .... what about their own butchered servicemen on the USS Liberty, still waiting for justice after more than 40 years .... or have they been so thoroughly & totally corrupted that they simply choose not to know or care?

Will the 'independent investigation' be like the one Israel allegedly conducted into the deliberate targeting & deaths of US peacekeepers in Lebanon, bombed repeatedly by laser-guided bombs, in spite of repeated UN warnings, as reported in the Australian Story - The Blue Beret Part Two report mentioned by Gus? To quote Israel's foreign ministry spokesperson, Mark Negev (again): "We totally & unequivocally reject any charge that this was a deliberate act against a UN position."  

elsewhere .....

Irish humanitarian aid ship the MV Rachel Corrie is still sailing for Gaza, in spite of Israel's recent, devastating attack on other vessels in the Gaza aid flotilla, resulting in at least nine dead activists and hundreds of prisoners.

The ship, named after 23-year-old U.S. peace activist Rachel Corrie - who was crushed to death in 2003 by an American-built bulldozer operated by the Israeli army - has been pleading with the international community to pressure Israel into leaving them alone.

The Irish government, for its part, has threatened Israel with "the most serious consequences" if any Irish national, captured or currently abroad an aid vessel, is harmed.

"If any harm comes to any of our citizens, it will have the most serious consequences," Taoiseach Brian Cowen said, according to The Irish Times.

"Taoiseach" is the position bestowed upon the individual who leads Ireland's government.

Irish Aid Vessel Plans to Pass Through Israel's Gaza Blockade

The Lone Ship Of The Freedom Flotilla: The Rachel Corrie MV Continues To Sail Towards Gaza In Defiance Of Israeli Threats

By Michel Chossudovsky

01 June, 2010  (From Countercurrents Emphasis added)
Global Research

Following Israel's criminal raid in international waters on May 31st, the Rachel Corrie MV continues to sail towards the Gaza coastline in defiance of Israeli threats.   In an act of tremendous courage, the Rachel Corrie MV is determined to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.  At noon today, I received the following message from Christopher Chang and Ram Kardigasu, on behalf of the Malaysian and Irish peace activists, who are on board the Rachel Corrie:

RACHEL CORRIE: MV Rachel Corrie is now the sole ship on the international freedom flotilla moving towards Gaza.
The Malaysian and Irish peace and humanitarian activists aboard share their deepest grief and sense of lost with the loved ones of those killed and injured in the illegal action undertaken by Israel on Monday 31st May 2010 in the international waters of the Mediterranean.
In the names of our friends, we are more determined than ever to continue into Gaza with our humanitarian cargo and our support for the blockaded and suffering people of Gaza.
We expect Israel to respond to the international condemnation of its violence by not impeding by any means the safe passage of the Rachel Corrie.
We appeal to the international community and United Nations to continue to demand Israel our safe passage into Gaza.
Jointly issued by Malaysians and Irish on board the Rachel Corrie.

Sent on behalf of the humanitarian activists on aboard the Rachel Corrie - by PGPO land team (Ram Karthigasu and Christopher Chang)

In recent developments, the Netanyahu government is in crisis:  "Senior ministers [of the Netanyahu cabinet] have been sharply critical of the fact that the decision to seize control of the flotilla to Gaza was made after two meetings of the forum of seven senior ministers but without official deliberation by the inner cabinet, the body that has the authority to approve military actions of this scale." What this suggests is that the actual decision to conduct the raids in international waters bypassed the Cabinet. (Haaretz.com headlines RSS)

(The questions of legality and politics were deleted by me as irrelevant.)

It is important that this news gets out, with a view to ensuring that the Rachel Corrie MV safely reaches the coast of Gaza without encroachment, with a view to breaking Israel's criminal embargo.

In this endeavor we shall prevail. Our hearts and minds are with those who continue to sail on board the Rachel Corrie MV.

It should be noted that Israel has not in any way modified its policy with regard to the Rachel Corrie MV: There are two more ships heading for Gaza including the Rachel Corrie MV. Israel has promised "to respond even more harshly":

“Israel will use more aggressive force in the future to prevent ships from breaking the sea blockade on the Gaza Strip, a top Navy commander told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

“We boarded the ship and were attacked as if it was a war,” the officer said. “That will mean that we will have to come prepared in the future as if it was a war.” (www.ynetnews.com)

The Rachel Corrie MV is in part supported by the Perdana Global Peace Organization under the helm of Malaysia's former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

Global Research Director Michel Chossudovsky is a member of the Perdana Global Peace Organisation and of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission.

COMMENT:  The latest Zionist crimes are just an unrelenting continuation of their premeditated and uncivilized acts for over 6O years.  So far they have always been against the Arab nations but now they take on the Muslims of Turkey.

Why I deleted the questions asked by the original writer of the above, is that all too often, the commendable “check both sides” attitude of the Goyim (including the Muslims) is anathema to the doctrine of the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion – and I am now reasonably satisfied that those dictates promote the Zionist contempt for any form of law that doesn’t conform with theirs.

Ergo, in the current situation and as “peaceful Goyims” I ask:  Was the incident in international waters?   Yes.

Were the boats in those international waters protected by international and Maritime law when approaching the seaboard of Palestinian Gaza?   Yes.

Is the blockade of any nation an act of war?   Yes.

Will Egypt, if it does NOT open it’s access to Gaza now that this Zionist declaration of War has been acknowledged – will they be held as part of the warring religious fanatics?    Yes.

God Bless Australia and may the false existence of this rogue state of “Israel” be absorbed into normal societies for the sake of all humanity.  NE OUBLIE.

As I have so often repeated - you administrators of this forum may never be knighted or receive any of Gough Whitlam's Australian rewards - or G.W. Bush's "Freedom medal" as Rattus did but, I like your consistent insistence on "both sides" of a subject no matter what you personally believe.

Either I was born too early or you two were born too late – such is the small windows of honesty.

The above article by Yuval Rotem, the Israeli ambassador to Australia, is courageously against all world knowledge and opinion.  That is the Zionist way and, may I say, the way one would expect the honorable representative of a government body to respond.

Good luck to Yuval.

Cheers Ern G.

It is impossible for one to maintain calm while reading lies. Today's dosage of lies (called Hasbara, and from now on, when an Israeli is lying, I will start to use the very "to hasbara", conjugated appropriately) was more poisonous than usual. It runs under the topic of "defending atrocities", which is only slightly less frequent than the "defending racist policies" rubric. My comments to these obscene utterings from the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministy in Rabid Red. 

Seizure of the Gaza flotilla: Press conference with Deputy FM Ayalon

DEPUTY FM AYALON:  Good morning, everyone. I want to report this morning that the armada of hate and violence in support of the Hamas terror organization was a premeditated and outrageous provocation.

Thus begins the greatest lie/hasbara of the day. The invention of a catchy little phrase that only the most audacious would utilise word for word, but the hasbarists will have time to refine it. That they choose to put Hamas and "terror" right in the first line, though is the most important part. This is what may pass to the international news agencies, which is the whole point, and the statements made earlier in the day by outraged politicians the world over are being softened as the minutes pass. Of course the flotilla was premeditated, and of course it was a provocation! How else can one do things with Israel there? Spontaneous, improvised and expecting applause? The intent, however was not violent and there's not a stitch of evidence for this, but the violence that follows such an act of a bloody massacre indeed is spontaneous and very real. People are enraged. It is right to be enraged by such an attack on humanitarians bringing aid!!! However, let's assume that cement powder can be lethal if the bags are swung around, and that paper can cause lots of cuts on the fingers that make it hard to pull triggers of Uzis.

The organizers are well-known for their ties to Global Jihad, Al-Qaeda and Hamas. They have a history of arms smuggling and deadly terror. On board the ship we found weapons that were prepared in advance and used against our forces. The organizers' intent was violent, their method was violent, and unfortunately, the results were violent.

Oh! This one is good, unfounded, but good for the masses who will believe whatever Israel tells them. Pull out the big bad monster of Global Jihad (what is that? Does it matter?!)  the terrorist for all seasons Al-Qaeda and Hamas for good measure. As well, it's pretty clear from the film that when you have commandoes storming down on top of you, you are going to expect to be attacked violently, and you grab whatever it is that is near to you, the videos seem to show just parts of the ship itself! No guns on board that were not carried by the Israelis. We see parts of the ship itself, swung around in attempts to stave off the attack. My only question here is, why does the speaker consider the results "unfortunate"? The special ops commandoes could have stayed off the boat and if they couldn't resist that, at least not brought automatic rifles that are famous for being violent.

Israel regrets any loss of life and did everything to avoid this outcome.

This phrase is repeated on so many occasions, I think they must have a copyright on it and get royalties each time it's said.

We repeatedly called upon the organizers and all those who were associated with them, through diplomatic channels and any other means we could, to stop this provocation.

Of course, they called on the organisers to do nothing for the people who are suffering in Gaza, but fortunately, there are humans who think for themselves and act upon their consciences. It all could have been avoided had Israel just delivered what is required of it by International law, that is, if they allow goods and money in for reconstruction and basic life needs and allow people in and out.

The so-called humanitarian aid was not for a humanitarian purpose.

No? Do they think that now Gazans will start a cottage industry of paper airplanes and cement rockets?

Had it been for a humanitarian purpose, they would have accepted our offer to deliver all humanitarian supply through the appropriate channels which are used on a daily basis, as we make sure that Gaza will not be in short of humanitarian supplies.

How do you spell "liar"? "h-a-s-b-a-r-i-s-t".  Daily basis? Israel makes sure on a daily basis that Palestinians are hanging on a thread and surviving only by their own wits and tunnels.

On a daily basis, we do that.

uuuuure, sure you do!

We ask them to send this through the appropriate channels, whether it's the U.N., whether it's the Red Cross, whether it's our people, but to no avail.

The channels have been asked and implored for years in the words, "open the damned crossings! Lift the damned siege! Free the Gazans from the prison you have closed them into!" To no avail indeed.

In fact, what they said was that it's a humanitarian campaign, but they said repeatedly that their intent and purpose was to break the blockade, the maritime blockade, on Gaza.

Exactly. It is humanitarian to bring in aid if aid is being denied through "appropriate channels".

The maritime blockade on Gaza is very legal and justified by the terror that Hamas is applying in Gaza.

Very legal? As in what laws precisely? And I don't mean Israeli laws, I mean international laws. There is nothing that justifies denial of construction material, food, medicines, school supplies, clothing, cigarettes, petrol, diapers, balsam, soap, wheelchairs.... everything that makes life possible.

Allowing these ships to go in an illegal way to Gaza would have opened in fact a corridor of smuggling arms and terrorists to Gaza, with the results, inevitable results, of many, many thousands of civilian deaths and violence all over the area.

There's the contradiction, if things aren't allowed in (because legally - according to Ayalon - they can't go in because the blockade is "legal") the only option is to circumvent the Israeli law. There is no law in Gaza prohibiting a ship's entry, unless Israel will violate international maritime law or impose their own control over Gaza which "they left" to Palestinians, in their earlier propaganda. To bring in things, anything at all, they call "smuggling" because they will not legally allow it. Therefore, they see many thousands of (Israeli) deaths (the other deaths don't count for them) because the paranoia is extreme and bringing life to Palestinians by means of goods for survival means Israeli death, logical n'est pas? They must confound people into thinking that all goods brought into Gaza ("Terrorland") are naturally meant just to harm Israeli lives. Of course, we must understand the priorities! If Israel would leave Gaza to Palestinians, maybe there would be less violence to begin with? But that thought is just too rational to consider!

After these repeated calls where not heeded by the organizers, we told them that they will not be allowed to break the blockade, as according to maritime law we have the right to do that.

Not in international waters you don't! And this is where you undertook your operation. But what counts is that already all the other hasbarists are repeating your lies word for word, even adding some exciting details to it such as "people on the boat chanting anti-Semitic songs" (from the AJC org. press release http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=2818289&ct=8418965&notoc=1).

Unfortunately, they also, people, the organizers upon the ship, did not heed the calls of our forces this morning to peacefully follow them and bring a closure, a peaceful closure, to this event.

They do not have to give in to acts of piracy on the seas. This is what they bravely did. You will be judged for this, and perhaps they know it too.

No sovereign country would tolerate such violence against its civilian population, against its sovereignty, against international law.

This is the reason you hasbara yourself blue in the face to make certain Palestine is never sovereign. They might just repeat your words sooner than you like. And, to call on international law from the greatest violator of international law on the planet is the definition of chutzpah itself.

And we in Israel call today upon all relevant parties and all relevant countries to work together on calming the situation. Thank you very much.

You call for calm since you know that you have murdered activists and civilians in cold blood, and this will only bring about more and more unrest. You have brought down the rage of the world upon your shoulders. But, like all the other times, you will hasbara your way out of it and the world media and governments will help you. In a few days it will all be forgotten. Hell, there's a World Cup to dispute! People are distracted!

Israeli Deputy FM Ayalon lies through his teeth about the flotilla massacre

The report of the fact-finding mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla released last week shows conclusively, for the first time, that US citizen Furkan Dogan and five Turkish citizens were murdered execution-style by Israeli commandos.

The report reveals that Dogan, the 19-year-old US citizen of Turkish descent, was filming with a small video camera on the top deck of the Mavi Marmara when he was shot twice in the head, once in the back and in the left leg and foot and that he was shot in the face at point blank range while lying on the ground.

The report says Dogan had apparently been "lying on the deck in a conscious or semi-conscious, state for some time" before being shot in his face.

The forensic evidence that establishes that fact is "tattooing around the wound in his face," indicating that the shot was "delivered at point blank range." The report describes the forensic evidence as showing that "the trajectory of the wound, from bottom to top, together with a vital abrasion to the left shoulder that could be consistent with the bullet exit point, is compatible with the shot being received while he was lying on the ground on his back."

Based on both "forensic and firearm evidence," the fact-finding panel concluded that Dogan's killing and that of five Turkish citizens by the Israeli troops on the Mavi Marmari May 31 "can be characterized as extra-legal, arbitrary and summary executions." (See Report [.pdf] Page 38, Section 170)

UN Report: American Citizen Executed By Israelis During Mavi Marmara Raid

Three serious complaints made against a BBC programme which purported to tell the story of Israel's attack on the Gaza aid flotilla last year have been upheld at the highest level.

Despite a highly unsatisfactory internal process, with the BBC's own Editorial Standards Committee ruling on a BBC programme, Panorama's Death on the Med, the Committee ruled that the programme broadcast in August 2010, had breached the BBC's Editorial Guidelines on accuracy and impartiality on three counts. The decision of the Committee to rule against the other points of complaint underlined why an independent, external complaints process is essential.

The committee found that the Panorama team had failed to make use of autopsies showing how nine Turkish aid workers on board the largest boat in the flotilla, the Mavi Marmara, were killed by Israeli commandos and the level of violence used against them, even though this was fundamental in considering the motives of Israel in storming the boat.

It also found that the programme should not have dismissed medicines being carried on the Mavi Marmara as out of date, which suggested the rest of the aid was worthless, and that it failed to mention other valuable aid that was being carried.

The programme also failed to mention that many of the activists wounded by Israeli troops did not receive treatment for hours and that many of the passengers were seriously mistreated by Israeli commandos.

Nearly 2,000 people contacted the BBC after the programme was aired last year, and of those, around 1,440 made contact in order to complain about bias and inaccuracy.

Complaints against BBC Panorama programme are upheld

BBC Censors “Palestine” because, well, really, who says it’s occupied?

Seriously, this is the BBC (via Electronic Intifada):

This week, the BBC issued its final ruling on a controversy which has been raging for nearly a year after the words “Free Palestine” were censored from a freestyle rap played on Radio 1Xtra.

Appearing on the popular Charlie Sloth Hip Hop M1X last February, the artist Mic Righteous performed a rap which included the lyrics: “I can scream Free Palestine for my pride/still pray for peace.”

BBC producers replaced the word ‘Palestine’ with the sound of breaking glass and this is the version that was aired and which can be seen on a video on the BBC website(the censorship occurs at 2:59).

The edited performance was repeated in April on the same show.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) has spent the last eight months trying to find out why the decision to censor an artist who raised the issue of Palestine was made.

During the course of a long correspondence, the BBC’s head of editorial standards for audio and music, Paul Smith, wrote that the show’s producer “did not edit out the word ‘Palestine’ because it was offensive — referencing Palestine is fine, but implying that it is not free is the contentious issue.”

In that single sentence, a senior BBC executive revealed the BBC’s complete disdain for the Palestinians and their suffering, and its shameful disregard for international law when it is being broken by Israel.

Antony Loewenstein