Disarming Israel

[Karlis]

Turkey denounces its illegality, inhumanity, barbarity, etc. The usual U.N. suspects, Third World and European, join in. The Obama administration dithers.

But as Leslie Gelb, former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, writes, the blockade is not just perfectly rational, it is perfectly legal.

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Disarming Israel

by Charles Krauthammer

06/04/2010

WASHINGTON -- The world is outraged at Israel's blockade of Gaza. Turkey denounces its illegality, inhumanity, barbarity, etc. The usual U.N. suspects, Third World and European, join in. The Obama administration dithers.

But as Leslie Gelb, former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, writes, the blockade is not just perfectly rational, it is perfectly legal. Gaza under Hamas is a self-declared enemy of Israel -- a declaration backed up by more than 4,000 rockets fired at Israeli civilian territory. Yet having pledged itself to unceasing belligerency, Hamas claims victimhood when Israel imposes a blockade to prevent Hamas from arming itself with still more rockets.

In World War II, with full international legality, the United States blockaded Germany and Japan. And during the October 1962 missile crisis, we blockaded ("quarantined") Cuba. Yet Israel is accused of international criminality for doing precisely what John Kennedy did: impose a naval blockade to prevent a hostile state from acquiring lethal weaponry.

Oh, but weren't the Gaza-bound ships on a mission of humanitarian relief? No. Otherwise they would have accepted Israel's offer to bring their supplies to an Israeli port, be inspected for military materiel and have the rest trucked by Israel into Gaza -- as every week 10,000 tons of food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies are sent by Israel to Gaza.

Why was the offer refused? Because, as organizer Greta Berlin admitted, the flotilla was not about humanitarian relief but about breaking the blockade, i.e., ending Israel's inspection regime, which would mean unlimited shipping into Gaza and thus the unlimited arming of Hamas.

Israel has already twice intercepted weapons-laden ships from Iran destined for Hezbollah and Gaza. What country would allow that?

But even more important, why did Israel even have to resort to blockade? Because, blockade is Israel's fallback as the world systematically delegitimizes its traditional ways of defending itself -- forward and active defense.

(1) Forward defense: As a small, densely populated country surrounded by hostile states, Israel had, for its first half-century, adopted forward defense -- fighting wars on enemy territory (such as the Sinai and Golan Heights) rather than its own.

Where possible (Sinai, for example) Israel has traded territory for peace. But where peace offers were refused, Israel retained the territory as a protective buffer zone. Thus Israel retained a small strip of southern Lebanon to protect the villages of northern Israel. And it took many losses in Gaza, rather than expose Israeli border towns to Palestinian terror attacks.

But under overwhelming outside pressure, Israel gave it up. The Israelis were told the occupations were not just illegal but at the root of the anti-Israel insurgencies -- and therefore withdrawal, by removing the cause, would bring peace.

Land for peace. Remember? Well, during the past decade, Israel gave the land -- evacuating South Lebanon in 2000 and Gaza in 2005. What did it get? An intensification of belligerency, heavy militarization of the enemy side, multiple kidnappings, cross-border attacks and, from Gaza, years of unrelenting rocket attack.

(2) Active defense: Israel then had to switch to active defense -- military action to disrupt, dismantle and defeat (to borrow President Obama' s description of our campaign against the Taliban and al-Qaeda) the newly armed terrorist mini-states established in southern Lebanon and Gaza after Israel withdrew.

The result? The Lebanon war of 2006 and Gaza operation of 2008-09. They were met with yet another avalanche of opprobrium and calumny by the same international community that had demanded the land-for-peace Israeli withdrawals in the first place. Worse, the U.N. Goldstone report, which essentially criminalized Israel's defensive operation in Gaza while whitewashing the casus belli -- the preceding and unprovoked Hamas rocket war -- effectively delegitimized any active Israeli defense against its self-declared terror enemies.

(3) Passive defense: Without forward or active defense, Israel is left with but the most passive and benign of all defenses -- a blockade to simply prevent enemy rearmament. Yet, as we speak, this too is headed for international delegitimation.

But, if none of these are permissible, what's left?

Nothing. The whole point of this relentless international campaign is to deprive Israel of any legitimate form of self-defense.

The world is tired of these troublesome Jews, six million -- that number again -- hard by the Mediterranean, refusing every invitation to national suicide. For which they are relentlessly demonized, ghettoized and constrained from defending themselves, even as the more committed anti-Zionists -- Iranian in particular -- openly prepare a more final solution.

[Rosewin]

It is against international law to collectively punish a population. When an Israeli official said that 'the idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet' it makes it perfectly clear that one of the reasons the blockade is there is to collective punish the Gaza population. This is why...

Britain’s new pro-Israel prime minister, David Cameron, called the Gaza siege, “completely unacceptable.” UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Israel was “punishing civilians,” a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions.

France’s foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, demanded Israel lift the siege. French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy accused Israel’s Likud government of “political autism.” Both men are Jewish. Israel’s respected center-left newspaper Ha’aretz called the maritime raid “a disgraceful failure.”

A leading Israeli thinker, Uri Avnery, notes, “The Gaza blockade does not isolate Hamas. It isolates Israel.”

http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/eric_margolis/2010/06/04/14268206.html

As far as 'disarming Israel' well their possession of nuclear weapons poses a threat to the world's stability. A conflict there could impact the rest of the globe adversely. For this reason yes, Israel will be nuclear disarmed, no one in that region will be allowed to have nukes.

The 28-page final statement at the end of a review conference of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) calls for holding a conference in 2012 "to be attended by all states of the Middle East, leading to the establishment¨ of a zone free of nuclear weapons.

It also mentions ¨the importance of Israel's accession to the treaty and the placement of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards.¨

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hhdlWAtoODJ8fFrTrJAPZsbDqpQg

It may take some time but Israel is not going to be allowed to keep her weapons. This is a new world.

[Moon Monkey]

It may take some time but Israel is not going to be allowed to keep her weapons. This is a new world.

I'll take that bet as well.

[Agent X]

The world is ALWAYS outraged when Israel tries to defend itself. It is NEVER outraged when Israeli civilians are rocketed by Hamas or who ever.

Oh wait. There's no such thing as an Israeli civilian because all Israelis are required to serve a full year in the military. So that makes them all soldiers. And that makes them all soldiers FOREVER.

:angry2:

[Rosewin]

Israel would only have you believe it was defending itself. It was trained and armed commandos versus untrained and unarmed civilians.

[danielost]

It is against international law to collectively punish a population. When an Israeli official said that 'the idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet' it makes it perfectly clear that one of the reasons the blockade is there is to collective punish the Gaza population. This is why...

http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/eric_margolis/2010/06/04/14268206.html

As far as 'disarming Israel' well their possession of nuclear weapons poses a threat to the world's stability. A conflict there could impact the rest of the globe adversely. For this reason yes, Israel will be nuclear disarmed, no one in that region will be allowed to have nukes.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hhdlWAtoODJ8fFrTrJAPZsbDqpQg

It may take some time but Israel is not going to be allowed to keep her weapons. This is a new world.

it is against international law to specifically target civilians as both arab groups do.

it is against international law to hide behind civilians.

it is against international law to put weapons and troops in a civilian location to keep them from being attacked.

it is against international law to fight a war without having your troops in uniform.

[danielost]

The world is ALWAYS outraged when Israel tries to defend itself. It is NEVER outraged when Israeli civilians are rocketed by Hamas or who ever.

Oh wait. There's no such thing as an Israeli civilian because all Israelis are required to serve a full year in the military. So that makes them all soldiers. And that makes them all soldiers FOREVER.

:angry2:

yes, those 3 year old troopers can really fight man.

[Agent X]

Hey, never underestimate the power of a pointy stick.

[danielost]

the last time the jews were unarmed it resulted in 6+ million deaths. so i guess this time they wont be happy until they are all dead. as i stated the world vs isreal.

[Corp]

You know it's kind of odd that this outrage only kicked up after the raid on the aid ship. Not sure if this was the last straw but no one seemed that outraged a few weeks ago.

[el midgetron]

the last time the jews were unarmed it resulted in 6+ million deaths. so i guess this time they wont be happy until they are all dead. as i stated the world vs isreal.

Its funny how the defenders of Israel are the ones who equate it to the "Jews". I guess those folks only believe in a Jewish Israel, which is maybe why they don't give a hoot about the plight of the Palestinians, cause Israel is only for the Jews, "the chosen race". Here we call that philosophy "separatism" as in "white supremacy".

btw... YOU FORGOT THE OTHER 6 MILLION. 6 million Jews is a tragedy, 6 million other people isn't even worth mentioning........ I see that all the time in arguments, movies, articles, TV and books. An estimated 12 million people died in the Holocaust, not 6. Maybe actually "remembering" the Holocaust doesn't support the notion that Israel needs to behave as it does, when more than half the story is told.........

[Agent X]

You know it's kind of odd that this outrage only kicked up after the raid on the aid ship. Not sure if this was the last straw but no one seemed that outraged a few weeks ago.

No. People only get outraged at Israel. They don't care about Hamas rocketing their civilian populace.

[Corp]

Well my point is that this blockade has been going on for years now and people are just getting mad at how illegal and barbaric it is? Just seems a bit odd.

Edited June 7, 2010 by Corp

[J.B.]

Hamas was voted in, I thought. If a nation votes into power a group whose stated purpose is to kill another nation, and then said group starts up actions to do just that, the nation that voted them into power suddenly becomes the enemy. As for being illegal to punish an entire population. . . if said population was complicit in the attacks, said population dug their graves. It's up to the Gazans to end this, by capturing or killing every last Hamas operative they can and showing Israel some good will efforts to contain the problem. Then they can let Israel help finish cleaning up their mess, and the situation can better itself. Until Gazans wake up and kill off those damn parasites, they are no better than the parasites for allowing/supporting them.

Same as the U.S. citizens who don't take a stand against our own nation's bad actions in regards to the world are responsible for what our government does. Myself included. And I do mean a real stand, starting up lobbies and movements to end this ****.

[eqgumby]

It is against international law to collectively punish a population. When an Israeli official said that 'the idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet' it makes it perfectly clear that one of the reasons the blockade is there is to collective punish the Gaza population. This is why...

http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/eric_margolis/2010/06/04/14268206.html

As far as 'disarming Israel' well their possession of nuclear weapons poses a threat to the world's stability. A conflict there could impact the rest of the globe adversely. For this reason yes, Israel will be nuclear disarmed, no one in that region will be allowed to have nukes.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hhdlWAtoODJ8fFrTrJAPZsbDqpQg

It may take some time but Israel is not going to be allowed to keep her weapons. This is a new world.

As long as Hamas continues to launch rockets into Israel, they will keep their weapons. Don't doubt that for a second.

It's also against the law for Hamas to launch rockets at civilian targets, or are they somehow exempt?

All Iran or anyone else has to do, is allow their cargo to be inspected for weapons. That's ALL. But they don't, because they DON'T CARE ABOUT THE PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS!

[+DieChecker]

it is against international law to specifically target civilians as both arab groups do.

it is against international law to hide behind civilians.

it is against international law to put weapons and troops in a civilian location to keep them from being attacked.

it is against international law to fight a war without having your troops in uniform.

It is my belief there is no Gazan military, so every location is a civilian location and there are no Gazan soldiers, only irregular volunteers.

Hamas was voted in, I thought. If a nation votes into power a group whose stated purpose is to kill another nation, and then said group starts up actions to do just that, the nation that voted them into power suddenly becomes the enemy. As for being illegal to punish an entire population. . . if said population was complicit in the attacks, said population dug their graves. It's up to the Gazans to end this, by capturing or killing every last Hamas operative they can and showing Israel some good will efforts to contain the problem. Then they can let Israel help finish cleaning up their mess, and the situation can better itself. Until Gazans wake up and kill off those damn parasites, they are no better than the parasites for allowing/supporting them.

It is my belief that Gaza is not a free nation. There are a self governing part of Israel, like a state. Israel basically has the right to go in there whenever they want. They have just abandoned those people because they consider them too hard to govern.

The two sides are locked into a unending loop of repriasals and revenge.

[danielost]

It is my belief there is no Gazan military, so every location is a civilian location and there are no Gazan soldiers, only irregular volunteers.

It is my belief that Gaza is not a free nation. There are a self governing part of Israel, like a state. Israel basically has the right to go in there whenever they want. They have just abandoned those people because they consider them too hard to govern.

The two sides are locked into a unending loop of repriasals and revenge.

if there is no military, then there is no civilians. oh and irregulars are considered normal military if they shot at you. and they have been shooting rockets at isreal.

i have to agree with this one.

Edited June 7, 2010 by danielost

[J.B.]

Despite the U.N.'s creation of Palestine, the other Muslim nations have had officials quoted as saying that Palestine only exists as a thorn in Israel's side (I'm paraphrasing here). If these people really have said these thing - you can't expect that the Muslim nations would allow their officials to say something that wasn't already in their minds - then it's likely that without Israel, the Palestinian state would be swallowed up by other Muslim nations greedy for coastal land.

Edited June 7, 2010 by J.B.

[danielost]

the gaza strip is not promised to isreal in the bible.

[J.B.]

And if Zionism is an on and off thing for the Israeli government, that won't make much of a difference to them, will it?

[danielost]

And if Zionism is an on and off thing for the Israeli government, that won't make much of a difference to them, will it?

they still have a right to protect themselves from any threat.

[+DieChecker]

I think the discussion is about the way they defend themselves. If someone broke into your home is it OK to shoot them, then get their ID, then go back to their home, and kill all the rest of their family? Or, to repeatedly use your shotgun to protect your own home, while blowing holes in the neighbors house and killing some of the friendly neighbors? After all you are only defending yourself.

Oh, I know, your going to say, "There are no friendly neighbors".

[danielost]

I think the discussion is about the way they defend themselves. If someone broke into your home is it OK to shoot them, then get their ID, then go back to their home, and kill all the rest of their family? Or, to repeatedly use your shotgun to protect your own home, while blowing holes in the neighbors house and killing some of the friendly neighbors? After all you are only defending yourself.

Oh, I know, your going to say, "There are no friendly neighbors".

sorry it is more like someone breaks into your home, you shoot them. you get their id. then someone else from the same family breaks into your home again and again and again, and everytime they do they shoot a family member. now tell do you have the right to go and kill the rest of the family to protect yours.

[odas]

Its funny how the defenders of Israel are the ones who equate it to the "Jews". I guess those folks only believe in a Jewish Israel, which is maybe why they don't give a hoot about the plight of the Palestinians, cause Israel is only for the Jews, "the chosen race". Here we call that philosophy "separatism" as in "white supremacy".

btw... YOU FORGOT THE OTHER 6 MILLION. 6 million Jews is a tragedy, 6 million other people isn't even worth mentioning........ I see that all the time in arguments, movies, articles, TV and books. An estimated 12 million people died in the Holocaust, not 6. Maybe actually "remembering" the Holocaust doesn't support the notion that Israel needs to behave as it does, when more than half the story is told.........

My grandfather, a muslim partizan, died in the concentrations lager Jasenice in Croatia, together with about 150 other muslims and serbs, croatian partizans, gipsies... I guess they are not worthy. Could I ask for some money too?

Could I gett a piece of the cake? I guess not. The other 6 million non jews who died at camps are simply not god's chosen people, just dirt.

My Dad is sixty eight now. He was only 2 months old when he lost his heroic father to the nazis.

But who cares. Israel, Israel, Israel. Nothing else matters, right?

[+DieChecker]

sorry it is more like someone breaks into your home, you shoot them. you get their id. then someone else from the same family breaks into your home again and again and again, and everytime they do they shoot a family member. now tell do you have the right to go and kill the rest of the family to protect yours.

No. Because Israel strikes back. They are not just victims waiting in the dark for villins to attack their borders. Each time they are attacked they attack back with considerably more force.

You still do not have the right to go kill a group of people because meambers of their community keeps attacking you.

And what about using your shotgun to blast intruders while killing your neighbors? Is it OK to kill neighbors if they are harboring a criminal? Is harboring criminals given the Death Penalty now?