It would be the heights of naïveté, to believe that the activities of the Gaza flotilla participants and supporters - and fly-in demonstrators were in the slightest concerned with relieving, what they would like us to believe, a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In fact their antics are an insult to human intelligence, when the whole world is now aware of the many dozens of truckloads of supplies that are daily crossing from Israel into Gaza, not to mention across the open border from Egypt.
It is the reality however, that once across in Gaza, the distribution of goods is tightly controlled by Hamas, who cream off their own requirements, before releasing the remainder of each consignment.
Several videos easily available from UTube attest to the fact that there is a distinct dichotomy of very rich and very poor, deliberately created by the corruption of the Hamas administration for political purposes, and reminiscent of their refugee camps.
The corrupt exploiters of their own population can be seen wearing expensive suits and couture finery in their clubs that rival the finest in the capital cities of the world - and eating gourmet food served by white gloved waiters in appropriate outfits.
There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza and if Hamas would not interfere, their economy would be booming, just as that in the PA controlled areas if Israel. Go to Ramalla and see for yourself.
Flotillas and fly-ins using the term ‘humanitarian crisis’ are nothing but an unethical ploy, to keep the so-called Palestinian political demands on the front pages.
If these do-gooders were seriously concerned with the plight of the underprivileged and hungry of the world, they would surely turn their attention to the war ravished and now drought stricken horn of Africa, to Eritrea and the Sudan, - and expend their efforts to bring relief to the many millions of emaciated, helpless men women and children, many of whom are dying on their long trek on foot to find help in one of the refugee camps in neighbouring Kenya.
But of course it’s more fun to cruise the Mediterranean and get their pictures in the newspapers than to work in the parched areas of Africa.
Israel’s usual reaction to accusations of its policies vis a vis the so-called Palestinians in general or Gaza in particular is to respond afterwards, trying to explain that it’s not true, that we are doing our best, that the PA and Hamas will not co-operate, that the media is misinformed, that they are not verifying the stories fed to them by the Arab propaganda machine, That, That and That.
The policy advocated by those who see the consequences but that are unheeded by the blind in our government is to bepro-active; to publicise the real picture of Gaza; to expose the corruption; to drop leaflets, not to warn before attacks as we stupidly did during operation Cast Lead, (by the way never heard of in war to take away the most effective weapon, the element of surprise, in order to look humanitarian to the world), but to dig the dirt, name names and let the population know how they are being duped.
Instruct our Embassies to disseminate the facts. Let’s no longer fall for the propagandist concept of ‘political correctness’ in a war with an enemy that could not be more politically incorrect.
And another weapon that should be employed and I think we see the beginnings of it – is to treat the terrorist prisoners as the terrorists they are - and not like ordinary thieves and fraudsters. No TV’s,no academic education, no recreational facilities and above all no visitors or mail. That may eliminate their desire to get the accolade of honour to be an Israeli prisoner
To repeat what has often been said: our defensive attitude is perceived by the world and particularly our enemies as weakness and Israel must therefore adjust her policies to less what the world thinks of us, less to fall over backwards to occupy the moral high ground - which earns us little or no approval - and more about asserting herself by showing strength and action to regain the respect and admiration of the world, that we once had.
I am fully aware of the pressures on our government from many international quarters, and that it is easy to criticise without having the burden of government on ones shoulders; but if we repeatedly stand firm and don’t allow ourselves to be manipulated by the political aims of other countries who, were they in our situation, would do as we should, they will eventually realise that as a sovereign nation Israel will have to act in its own interest and not that of its so- called friends, because countries do not have friends only interests.