A Wind of Change

What profound excitement and satisfaction in the Middle East, now that Israel is once again on the ropes of public opinion condemning it unequivocally as an intolerable thistle under the saddle of tolerant neighbourliness. With much of Europe in a state of high condemnation, and the U.S. government under President Obama declaring that it is past time to lift the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, celebratory self-congratulations are in bloom.

All eyes are on Turkey, that country of whom nine of their citizens paid the glorious, ultimate price of suicide by any other name. Turkish opinion has been inflamed with righteous anger at the direly consciousless deeds of a country attempting to protect itself from the plans of its neighbours to obliterate it and thus return the entire Middle East to complacent Islamic rule (allowing Arab countries to revert to their usual state of viciously divisive disagreement).

A blockade of a country is a miserable occurrence. The U.S. naval blockade of Cuba almost led to a nuclear confrontation between America, Cuba, and Russia. Moreover, a 50-year trade embargo has been in place against Cuba prohibiting travel, prohibiting American companies trading with its hemispheric neighbour; Congress passed a bill imposing sanctions against countries that trade with Cuba. The U.S. invaded Cuba, attempted to assassinate its president; the country has suffered greatly under the embargo.

However, President Obama, after meeting with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, announced he plans to pressure Israel to loosen its Gaza blockade. The blockade that is in effect because Hamas threatens to attack Israel, and has done so repeatedly, and is in the process of acquiring ever greater numbers of weapons to enable those attacks. Cuba has never attacked the U.S. Turkey, on the other hand, attacks its Kurdish population, and even crosses its border with Iraq to lob bombs at Kurds.

Since 1994, the Palestinian Authority has received over ten billion dollars in foreign aid; most of it from the European Union - the United States the second-highest donor, above Saudi Arabia. Where has all that funding gone? United Nations statistics indicate that the child mortality rate for Palestinians is 35 per one thousand, compared with 180 per one thousand in Angola and 115 in Niger. Life expectancy for Gazans is 72 years, about 5 years more than the world average.

The Palestinian Authority contributes fully half its budget to Gaza. Despite all the massive funding received through foreign donations, both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are increasingly dependent on foreign aid. This, despite that the economy of the West Bank is beginning to thrive, growing at the unprecedented rate of 6% annually. Foreign aid is held to have contributed to a culture of corruption, government malfeasance and terrorism. Helpful to no one.

Israel's blockade of Gaza is well within normal international regulations under the circumstances it faces. The incident on boarding the Turkish ship was one that was manufactured by those among the 'peace activists' who were prepared for a violent confrontation, rather than submit to Israeli naval personnel boarding the ship and guiding it into port. The weapons brandished by the Turkish thugs were as lethal under the conditions that pertained as handguns; they used grenades, knives and metal rods to beat the rappelling and thus helpless Israeli naval personnel.

If Turkey holds Israel responsible for the deaths of 9 of its citizens, it is itself responsible for having full knowledge of the adventure and doing nothing to halt it, nor to ensure that no violence ensued. Turkey is far more invested in burnishing its newly-recognized credentials as a supporter of the Palestinians' 'human rights', and as a stalwart alongside Iran and Syria, inclusive of their support of Hezbollah and Hamas; a country coming back home to its historical religious and cultural roots.

And Fatah leaders in Lebanon too have lost no time in attempting to orchestrate a charge by Palestinians against Israel. Invitations have gone out world-wide for Palestinians to return to the Middle East for a planned invasion of Israel's borders. "What can Israel do, kill the entire Palestinian nation? And even if they kill all those who take part in the march, the number of remaining Palestinians will still be more than all the Jews in the world", claimed Mounir Al-Makdah, a Lebanese-based Fatah leader.

"The freedom flotilla brings a message of the beginning of the end of Israel", Al-Makdah gloated.
"A wind of change has begun to blow, and Israel has begun to be a yoke not only for the Palestinian nation, but for the whole world." Palestinian nation, what precisely is that? A not-yet accomplishment, precisely. The "Palestinian nation" is a people of Egyptian and Jordanian stock, basically, who have no wish to return to their roots, nor do Jordan and Egypt wish to accept them.

Far more to the point to have them continue to fester as 'refugees' awaiting return to what they feel is rightfully theirs. Which, needless to repeat, will be accomplished with the obliteration of Israel. Long in coming, but well worth the wait. The plan - wait for it - is for marches to take place on a co-ordinated basis, emanating from all areas bordering on Israel; Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank, overwhelming the resources of Israel.

Of such matters are the dreams of world division, national conquest and the banishment of adversaries constructed. Israel has other plans.