This video was released by Israeli activists making fun of the flotilla and claims of suffering in Gaza. The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) has been featuring the video.
The video mocks claims that “a billion dollars” cannot buy enough to feed people in Gaza and supply their children with “missiles and cheese.” The United Nations and various Western countries have decried the blockage on Gaza and documented a health crisis among its inhabitants. Israel routinely bars supplies to Gaza including health-care equipment and other items. The blockage was created in response to Hamas winning elections in Gaza.
The video mirrors another video released by the Israeli government that also mocked suggestions of any crisis.
Putting aside the controversy about what occurred on the ship and who escalated the confrontation, the continued denial of any humanitarian problem in Gaza is astonishing. It certainly does not help the cause of Israel.
What strange bedfellows: Wacko fundamentalist Christians and secular Israelis. [In case you don’t know, most Israelis are secularists who eat pork, calling it “white meat” and violate all kinds of other orthodox prohibitions. I know I have Israeli friends who told me with a laugh about the “white meat” story. They never attend religious services. They are as religious as most Europeans, i.e., not religious.]
Fundamentalist Christians, like CBN viewers, support Israel only because Israel’s existance is one of the signs of the “end times” in the Book of Revelations.
The Israelis and others, being no dummies, play the American Christain fundamentalists like violins. If you have the time, watch CBN or other fundamentalist TV channels and you will see all kinds of phony charitable appeals for assisting elderly poverty stricken Jews to leave Russia, etc. These ads even appear on mainstream TV in S.C. and other places. I have seen them while traveling. Pretty sickening. I don’t think these scams are necessarily Israeli, but just opportunists taking advantage of gullible people. No worse than any other televangelist asking for contributions, but still bizarre.
Anyone note that the Israelis have refused to conduct any formal investigation into the incident?
BTW, don’t think that people who object to Israel’s conduct are pro-Palestinian. I am not a Hammas supporter.I know they’re terrorists, but they were voted into power by Gazans. (So much for spreading democracy in the Mid-East.) Like others, I am just sick of Israeli arrogance and “chutzpah”.
Hey Tootie fairy,
I suppose it is fashionable these days for rightwingnuts to coddle adherents of a religion which condones grown men having sex with children and still sanctifies slavery and racism.
I even misread your post for a moment, I thought you had grown a brain and were speaking of catholics…
Don’t be violent, you say… Well, maybe go and tell it to Israel? Seems they entered a Turkish vessel in international waters…
What would you have done, Almighty Tootie, were it to be the Turks entering a US vessel carrying aid, killing 9 or so?
Stay peaceful like Ghandi? You, double whopper with cheese.
Buddha Is Laughing
I should also add this is one of the foundations for why I am so vehemently opposed to fundamentalism from any source as fear and hatred of the “other” are the prime mechanics for such belief systems.
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I would like to offer a thought for your consideration outside of the F. Paradox … a digression on your digression:
Fundamental Christianity (and many mainline Christian denominations and other religions) also teach that man is born evil (violent) because of the actions of Adam and Eve. Thus “original sin” condemns all their descendants (all humankind). Born with sin on our souls, man cannot help being violent.
This sort of orthodox thinking literally excuses mankind for his baser instincts in an almost Calvinistic manner of predestination and if he doesn’t have these baser instincts, it convinces him he does. Once convinced, religion then offers to save him from himself.
Perhaps the fear and hatred of others to which you refer is grounded in this elemental hatred of oneself thanks to the belief system that promotes the idea of original sin. It also makes it much easier to convince people that a holy hatred/violence of and against others will wash away their own sin and earn them a place in heaven.
To change the “societal control mechanisms of fear and hatred in both a deliberate and in a timely enough fashion to prevent destruction” would put one directly in contention with almost all organized religions, especially Christianity. It is a worthy ambition but the difficulties would be immense.
If, however, one could successfully debunk the original sin teaching, perhaps … perhaps progress could begin.
BIL:
We will succumb to our base instincts by virtue of our increasing capacity to develop technology to aid our condition? That’s actually an interesting digression. I want to think about that before commenting.
Jill:
“Both countries would do well to sane up and stop violating all international and lawful norms of conduct.”
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True enough, and what every sane person’s wants too. But , what if as here, neither party will “sane up?” Inevitably there must a be a winner and a loser in this zero sum game they are playing. I am just postulating that in such a circumstance, it is usually the stronger over the weaker. How can that be in the interests of Hamas?
I should also add this is one of the foundations for why I am so vehemently opposed to fundamentalism from any source as fear and hatred of the “other” are the prime mechanics for such belief systems.
mespo,
I won’t disagree with Bob’s quick take on the current state of evolution, however, I am a firm proponent of the proposition that the next step in human evolution must be consciously made to the nature of our conscience – or not at all.
Now pardon me while I digress . . .
I think the answer to the Fermi paradox is that technological advancement outstrips societal advancement more often than not resulting in the destruction of most intelligent and technologically advanced life before contact can be made with any alien species. If we as a species don’t change, our technology and its misapplication will kill us all. Since biological evolutionary processes are slower than technological evolution by an order of magnitude (if not several), the change must be both deliberate and in a timely enough fashion to prevent destruction. To this end, fear and hatred should be eliminated as societal control mechanisms. They are 1) barbaric and 2) self-destructive in application. Perhaps fighting this part of human nature is Sisyphean, but only by removing these specific tools (fear and hatred) from our set of social engineering tools can we ever hope to evolve physically, socially and technologically enough to leave this cradle of Earth and venture to the stars.
Jill,
I’m late to the party … posted on another thread after reading mespo … so very glad to be reading you again!
lottakatz,
Thanks! Nice to hear from you again!
Jim,
This is a good point. The blockage was part Egypt’s as well. Many of the protesters were very angry about that as are many ordinary people in most of the Arab states.
mespo,
Glad to hear from you as well but I must disagree. You wrote: “I support the right of Israeli to defend herself from terrorists smuggling in arms to use on her school kids. Call me reactionary.” Except that isn’t what is going on. Israel stopped food, medicine and building supplies from reaching Gaza, not because of terrorism but to dislodge Hammas. Their actions are considered a form of collective punishment. It is illegal for civilians to be targeted in this way.
The leaders of both Hammas and Israel seem criminal to me. They would both rather see people suffer than strike a deal to coexist. I do see the US and Israel acting exactly in the same manner. After 9/11 we began wars. These wars have turned the world into “battlefield earth” and has laid waste our own values. We had another choice, a better choice. We could have treated the perpetrators as criminals. Every bad thing that has befallen us has followed from our declaration that we are at war with the “terrists”. Just so, Israel has reacted to the election of Hammas by using it as a declaration of war against the people of Gaza. This is stupid and will ultimately fail. Both countries would do well to sane up and stop violating all international and lawful norms of conduct.
As to the christians, they salivate for death and destruction in Armageddon. Unfortunately, many of our leaders share these exact sentiments (see Nancy Pelosi on Nancy in the post below). These members of The Family share the end times world view, only they know no party or religious bound. They do as they please because god has given them power to use as they wish. That is what they do and what they will keep doing until people who value life, stop them.
FFLeo:
“Regardless of what you say now or henceforth, mext to Mike Spindell, you are the person I most look forward to reading. That says a lot, since I have *many* top favorites at this site–a place that attracts some of the best.”
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I accept the admonishment as between friends and say sincerely that your comment mirrors my own sentiments in regards to your posts.
BIL:
“Repression upon repression builds nothing but resentment and anger.”
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Sad to say that our evolution will not allow us to move beyond the prescient observation of the Roman Suetonius’ in explaining the choices available to the civilized man in his dealings with the uncivilized one who can neither be reasoned with nor cowled:
Oderint dum metuat (Let them hate so long as they fear).
As a smart fellow I know says, “We haven’t evolved one bit since we emerged from the ooze,” or words to that effect.
Hey Jill!!
Well, Egypt is now saying that it will leave the Rafah crossing open indefinitely. If so, then it seems to me that the blockade is essentially finished.
From the AP:
“Egypt is the one that broke the blockade,” Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said. “We are not going to let the occupying power escape from its responsibilities.”
Yo Seattle
Isn’t it amazing that a book, compromised from many more books, put together with stories of fiction and fantasy of thousands of years ago plays a crucial roll in how we live our lives today.
The book of revelations, rapture, right wing forces and that of dark knights, the mention of seals being broken and seals dying all over the Middle east.
But there it is, you look and see what has been happening for thousands of years and say,
that shits been happenin for thousands of years, or your one to say that Iran believes in the book too, and they want to test it out to see if it’s true by wiping Israel of the map and becoming a martyred nation.
Then everybody get the virgins all at once,then everybody happy.
Tensions do seem to be flaring up and know doubt Iran is developing a big old hard on that soon can be launched from a launch pad, so who knows what will happen.
We have what appears to be a pro Palestinian administration or pro Hamas, or at least an administration up to this point that has said it would do as it said it would by extending a hand and who cares if you unclench your fist.
The Obama’s administration has lifted the ban on Ramadan.
One of the first things Obama did was to send the check.
on January 27, of 2009, Obama allocated $20.3 million for Palestinian migration and refugee assistance. Quite da booty.
One month later, in the middle of a great economic crunch, Obama sent $900 million to Gazans, or should I say Hamas.
That was alot of money in da midst of being in the greatest recession since the great depression. Yall remember all that don’t you. If we don’t pass the stimulus unemployment will rise above 8 percent. Well folks like the census, they are gettin ready to hire everybody to pick up black balls off the beach.
A week ago, the Guardian ran this headline: “Hamas leader says American envoys making contact, but not openly.” And this was before the crises.
Then it turns out that the administrations most ardent supporters are themselves supporters of the Flotilla.
When asked about the situation on Larry King Obama said “Time to move forward and break out of the impasse,” and “the status quo is unsustainable.”
and I’d say I’d have to agree with him.
Mespo –
“It seems to me that Israeli pre-condition that Hamas acknowledge Israel’s right to exist is a reasonable one.”
and Byron –
“They will never acknowledge Israels right to exist….”
How’s this for reasonable?
From Time magazine’s report on Jimmy Carter’s visit to Israel/Palestine, April, 2008:
Hamas will not recognise Israel but will accept a Palestinian state on Palestine territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, the Islamic militant group’s exiled leader said today.
The statement by Khaled Mashaal in Damascus amounted to a tacit acceptance of Israel’s right to exist alongside a Palestinian state, but without explicit recognition. Hamas has previously called for the destruction of Israel, which occupied the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 war. Israel later declared the entire city of Jerusalem as its capital.
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American right-wing christians (or whatever the term is for CBN and company) are radical supoorters of the most right-wing forces in Israel. This is because of beliefs about the book of revelations and the end times and the rapture and all that malarkey. So you would expect CBN to act the way it does.
Hey Jill! It’s nice to see you again, welcome back.
Mespo:
the Palestinians have nothing to fear from Israel. I imagine they are hoping to provoke to give Iran an excuse to enter the fray.
There is no hope of a Mid-East peace with a nuclear Iran as a foil to Israel. Disarm Iran and pull the plug on wherever the Palestinians are getting money from but as long as sharia law and Arab dictatorships are prevalent they will probably not change their tune.
They will never acknowledge Israels right to exist because the spectacle of a liberal democracy in the Arab backyard is a threat to all Arab countries. The only hope for Israel is liberal democracy in the middle east. I am not going to hold my breath.
Israel Apologizes For Circulating Spoof Video Mocking Gaza Flotilla.
Too little, too late. Rub some more salt on that wound.