Hardly surprising that post the attack on the flotilla of vessels carrying humanitarian aid to the Gazans that analysis is popping up everywhere.
Famous Israeli author, Amos Oz, in The New York Times:
"Even if Israel seizes 100 more ships on their way to Gaza, even if Israel sends in troops to occupy the Gaza Strip 100 more times, no matter how often Israel deploys its military, police and covert power, force cannot solve the problem that we are not alone in this land, and the Palestinians are not alone in this land. We are not alone in Jerusalem and the Palestinians are not alone in Jerusalem. Until Israelis and Palestinians recognize the logical consequences of this simple fact, we will all live in a permanent state of siege — Gaza under an Israeli siege, Israel under an international and Arab siege.
I do not discount the importance of force. Woe to the country that discounts the efficacy of force. Without it Israel would not be able to survive a single day. But we cannot allow ourselves to forget for even a moment that force is effective only as a preventative — to prevent the destruction and conquest of Israel, to protect our lives and freedom. Every attempt to use force not as a preventive measure, not in self-defense, but instead as a means of smashing problems and squashing ideas, will lead to more disasters, just like the one we brought on ourselves in international waters, opposite Gaza’s shores."
Stephen Walt, on his blog, on FP in "Defending the indefensible: a how-to guide"
"Powerful states often do bad things. When they do, government officials and sympathizers inevitably try to defend their conduct, even when those actions are clearly wrong or obviously counterproductive. This is called being an "apologist," although people who do this rarely apologize for much of anything."
Also on FP, this piece by Joshua Keating "What’s the Right Way to Board a Hostile Ship?"
And, finally, there is this on Salon:
"When Israeli forces refused to grant Western journalists access to Gaza during their January 2009 incursion, Taghreed El-Khodary was one of the few Western media voices on the ground. The Gaza-born journalist reported on the military assault for the New York Times and is now a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.
In a conversation with Salon on Wednesday, she talked about Israel's attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, the real reasons for Hamas' strength, and which news outlets she does -- and doesn't -- trust."
Read the Q & A here.
Famous Israeli author, Amos Oz, in The New York Times:
"Even if Israel seizes 100 more ships on their way to Gaza, even if Israel sends in troops to occupy the Gaza Strip 100 more times, no matter how often Israel deploys its military, police and covert power, force cannot solve the problem that we are not alone in this land, and the Palestinians are not alone in this land. We are not alone in Jerusalem and the Palestinians are not alone in Jerusalem. Until Israelis and Palestinians recognize the logical consequences of this simple fact, we will all live in a permanent state of siege — Gaza under an Israeli siege, Israel under an international and Arab siege.
I do not discount the importance of force. Woe to the country that discounts the efficacy of force. Without it Israel would not be able to survive a single day. But we cannot allow ourselves to forget for even a moment that force is effective only as a preventative — to prevent the destruction and conquest of Israel, to protect our lives and freedom. Every attempt to use force not as a preventive measure, not in self-defense, but instead as a means of smashing problems and squashing ideas, will lead to more disasters, just like the one we brought on ourselves in international waters, opposite Gaza’s shores."
Stephen Walt, on his blog, on FP in "Defending the indefensible: a how-to guide"
"Powerful states often do bad things. When they do, government officials and sympathizers inevitably try to defend their conduct, even when those actions are clearly wrong or obviously counterproductive. This is called being an "apologist," although people who do this rarely apologize for much of anything."
Also on FP, this piece by Joshua Keating "What’s the Right Way to Board a Hostile Ship?"
And, finally, there is this on Salon:
"When Israeli forces refused to grant Western journalists access to Gaza during their January 2009 incursion, Taghreed El-Khodary was one of the few Western media voices on the ground. The Gaza-born journalist reported on the military assault for the New York Times and is now a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.
In a conversation with Salon on Wednesday, she talked about Israel's attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, the real reasons for Hamas' strength, and which news outlets she does -- and doesn't -- trust."
Read the Q & A here.
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