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02 Jun 2010 10:25

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World: That flotilla was getting a little help from Turkey’s money

  • We became famous. We are very thankful to the Israeli authorities.
  • Insani Yardim Vakfi board member Omar Faruk • In an immediate reaction to the incident that killed nine and left hundreds stuck in the country for a day. Faruk’s Turkey-tied group, better known as the IHH, has been helping fund the Free Gaza Movement. The group’s goal with the flotilla seemed not to get the flotilla to Gaza but the draw a reaction from Israel. It worked. Israel, for its part, says that the IHH has terrorist ties and seem to have the ultimate goal of destroying the Israeli state. They deny it, of course. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jun 2010 20:43

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Politics: The White House is being super-vague about the Israel thing

  • yes They’re against acts that resulted in the loss of life. (Uh, O … kay, whatever that means)
  • no They haven’t outright said to Israel that they screwed up, or that they support their actions. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jun 2010 10:16

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World: They may not be dead, but the flotilla survivors are in purgatory

  • 600 flotilla activists are still in
    Israeli custody source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

01 Jun 2010 10:10

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World: Israelis upset because Israel effed up more than anything

  • It’s the military failure combined with the international damage. Most people could live with that if it had been done successful. It’s not that people are angry that people in Gaza are hungry. It was an operation that was ill-conceived and didn’t go well enough. They hate when things go wrong.
  • Israeli historian Tom Segev • Regarding Israel’s response to the military failure of the flotilla mission. Some feel like the activists pushed Israel into a trap that the military stepped in. Others feel that, due to this mission, the country lost the moral high ground they once had. As a result, while there’s lots of criticism on the international stage, there are completely different kinds of criticism in Israel itself. Oh, and now the Gaza situation is back in the world spotlight, meaning the criticism of Israel’s gonna last a while. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jun 2010 09:33

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World: Since Israel won’t allow it, Egypt opens up its Gaza Strip border

  • It’s a tiny strip that’s only been open for small periods since 2007. While Egypt still has beef with Hamas, they opened that strip so Gaza could get humanitarian aid into the enclave, which is otherwise completely surrounded by Israel (or Israel-blocked water). Hard materials – like steel and concrete to rebuild from the 2009 bombings by Israel – wouldn’t be allowed through Egypt, however. Still a big step, though. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2010 21:30

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Politics: For some reason, Obama not ready to throw Israel under the bus

  • The President expressed deep regret at the loss of life in today’s incident, and concern for the wounded, many of whom are being treated in Israeli hospitals. The President also expressed the importance of learning all the facts and circumstances around this morning’s tragic events as soon as possible.
  • A statement from the White House • Regarding today’s insane flotilla situation in Israel. Obama has to respect the diplomatically-important relationship with Israel, but it’s kinda tough because they keep doing stupid crap like killing humanitarians. There are a lot of sides to this story, so it’s good to take them all in, but it’s clear that Israel had to get on that boat somehow. They weren’t there for tea and strumpets. They weren’t there to show off their new iPads. They weren’t there to give high-fives to the hundreds of people on board that boat. Even if the ship had weapons and the humanitarians were ready for a fight, it wasn’t like they were about to invade Gaza, either. Why not scold Israel, Obama, and tell them they screwed up? Because they clearly screwed up. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2010 11:52

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Politics: Haaretz: This Gaza flotilla incident is Israel’s Vietnam. Ouch

  • Here in Israel, we have still yet to learn the lesson: We are no longer defending Israel. We are now defending the siege. The siege itself is becoming Israel’s Vietnam.
  • Haaretz columnist Bradley Burston • Regarding what this whole mess with Hamas and the humanitarian ship shows. Simply put, Israel is blundering its way into a massive mess. As Burston puts it, “In going to war in Gaza in late 2008, Israeli military and political leaders hoped to teach Hamas a lesson. They succeeded. Hamas learned that the best way to fight Israel is to let Israel do what it has begun to do naturally: bluster, blunder, stonewall, and fume.” Ouch. He also criticizes the country’s toxic political situation that makes things like this happen. This is an Israeli newspaper trashing Israel’s policies unforgivably. That says a lot. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

31 May 2010 10:57

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Politics: It’s official: @_____GlobalPR is an effective Twitter protest tool

  • Regarding the Gaza flotilla incident, please rest assured that we will not be suffering the consequences of our actions
  • The initial tweet from @IsraelGlobalPR • Regarding the Gaza flotilla incident that’s got Israel in hot water this morning. Clearly modeled after @BPGlobalPR, it even parodies that Twitter account. “At least our Top Kill was successful, @BPGlobalPR,” they wrote about an hour ago. Not a good sign for your industry/country when this type of protest crops up. It’s incredibly effective. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2010 10:56

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Politics, World: Twitter’s in a #freeiran-like tizzy over the Gaza flotilla incident



Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2010 10:44

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World: Israel kills a bunch of pro-Palestinian activists, pisses off Turkey

  • A very harrowing clip to watch. Israel just stepped in it, big time. For the last three years, Israel has been enforcing a blockade on the Hamas-led Gaza Strip. When a series of ships from Turkey full of activists and supplies tried to get past the blockade, the situation got incredibly violent, with at least ten deaths. Now Israel has completely pissed off their only Muslim ally in the Middle East, along with much of the rest of the world. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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