Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyhu has announced that a special independent committee will be set up  to investigate the Gaza flotilla raid that will include an observer from  Canada and one from Northern Ireland.

The committee  will investigate the IDF raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla and give a “credible and convincing response” to the world.

He added that the investigation would prove that Israel’s conduct had been “lawful, responsible and transparent.”

The committee will be headed by retired Supreme Court judge Jacob Terkel, with the other Israeli members being international law expert Shabtai Rosen, and Maj.-Gen (res.) Amos Horev, who formerly served as president of the Technion.The international observers, who will participate both in the hearings and the consultations, are David Trimble, a politician from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize with John Hume, and Canadian Ken Watkin, the former Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces.

The committee will make decisions regarding whether the steps Israel took to prevent ships from reaching the Gaza coast, and “other matters tied up with this,” were in accordance with international law,the security circumstances that led to the naval blockade, the acts Israel took on May 31 to stop the flotilla from reaching Gaza, and whether these were  in accordance with international law.

The White House responded to the announcement, saying the proposed committee was an important step, that the administration had confidence in Israel’s ability to conduct an impartial, credible, and transparent investigation.

So why does the U.N.O. feel there is need for another     investigation? A completely international one?

Is the flotilla the reason for the new great rise in anti-Israel feeling and anti-semitism in the world?

For suddenly we are also being boycotted even by foreign artists. Different singers and singing groups have suddenly canceled their planned performances here, and Israeli singers who were to perform abroad, have also had their shows canceled.

Though Hamas who has taken over the Gaza Strip, runs a theocratic police state based on torture and terror, with no freedom of speech, no freedom for any religious expression outside of radical Islam, seeks to annihilate the Jewish state, and its state-controlled media depict Israelis and Jews as worthy of death, the world sees Israel, not Hamas, as the villain.

Why is Israel  the most censured country in United Nations history?

One Israeli leader said: “If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence.  If the Jews put  down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel .” And that is so true.

With these words I end today’s blog.

Shalom from Irene

I  was hoping to write about a more pleasant subject today - and not only about the maritime blockade to  Gaza, but unfortunately that is still at the head of our news.

I mentioned the Irish ship briefly on Sunday, but that has become old news - they gave in peacefully, sailed to Ashdod port where their supplies were examined, found suitable, before  being transferred to Gaza by land.

Strangely enough, the equipment taken off the Turkish ships earlier last week, is still in our hands.

The Hamas have refused to allow it to be transferred to Gaza. The equipment includes food products, medicine that has expired, as well as used clothing, wheelchairs,
couches and carpets, is being stored.

Now, why don’t they want this “humanitarian” aid?

Now we hear that Iran will also be sending two ships to break the blockade, and if they do so we hope there will not be further trouble.

The Iranian regime is constantly calling for Israel “to be wiped off the map” and has a proven track record of supplying dangerous weapons to Hamas in Gaza and Hizbullah in Lebanon.

Obviously, any shipment from Iran would be a major concern for Israel.

But as before,  the so called free nations of the world are ready to condemn Israel for not allowing “humanitarian” aid into Gaza.

It is time for the world to get their facts straight. There is NO humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Palestinian leadership lives in luxury on the millions of dollars of aid sent to them.

Israel allows ample supplies of food, medical supplies and
all necessary items for normal living into Gaza via the crossing check points.

The only items not allowed into Gaza are those that can be used to manufacture explosives and rockets.

Hundreds of Gaza residents are being treated in Israeli hospitals. Israel supplies Gaza with electricity, fuel and water.

The only demand by Israel of all the the Humanitarian convoys is to dock in an Israeli port from where the supplies can be checked before being sent overland into Gaza.

It is difficult to imagine that Turkey would freely allow “Unchecked Humanitarian Aid” to reach the Kurdish people in their struggle for autonomy,  so also the British with regards to the IRA, the Spanish to allow aid to the Basques and other countries facing terror problems.

I am sure that NATO forces in Iraq and Afghanistan would not freely allow humanitarian aid to reach the Taliban and El Qaida terrorists.

So why are the European countries behaving like an ostrich, hiding their heads in the sand, not seeing
the real truth?

I sure hope I’ll have a nicer subject to write about next time.

Shalom from Irene

The Irish ship intending to sail to Gaza was peacefully intercepted yesterday, but I will write about that in a couple of days. Now I just want to publish part of the speech our Prime Minister made last week - he says it all, better than I can.

 

Israel won’t apologize for defending itself,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Wednesday night, as he urged the international community to stop condemning the IDF for its Monday raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla.He spoke at a special press conference in his office, called to address the wave of harsh international criticism against the raid, in which nine people were killed.

“Once again Israel faces hypocrisy and a biased rush to judgment. In my conversations with international world leaders, I had asked them a basic question.“What would you do? How would your soldiers behave in similar circumstances? In your heart, you all know the truth, this might sound like an impossible plea, request or demand,” he continued, adding, “Israel should not be held to a double standard. The Jewish state has a right to defend itself like any other state.If ships were allowed to sail to Gaza without inspection as flotilla organizers have demanded, nothing could stop Iran from sending high-level weapons to Hamas in Gaza. Already,  Hamas has missiles that can hit major Israeli cities such as Ashkelon, Beersheba and even Tel Aviv. Very soon, their missiles will also be able to reach the outskirts of Jerusalem. Israel can not permit Iran to develop a Mediterranean port a few dozen kilometers from Tel Aviv.” He added that missiles could also be launched from there toward Europe.

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Posted in Observations | Tags: Natanyahu's speech