Talk of the town: Ship to Gaza

This time around, I thought I'd write and speak my mind ...

The recent turn of events about the Ship to Gaza has turned ugly. Yes, it’s very ugly.

While I support the cause of feeding the hungry and the innocent victims caught in between the warring countries of Israel and Palestine, still I can’t see any justifiable reason for its set of armies to resort to extreme violence and cause harm and death to its people.

The boarding of the Ship to Gaza has many versions – all depending on who you talk to, or what medium you’d use to look for information and details on what exactly went wrong.

Bear in mind that Gaza is the stronghold of the Hamas terrorist cell – which in many years claim to represent the welfare of the Palestinian people. The Hamas is also said to be revered by some as heroes! If you ask me, I can never imagine any group of people as heroes if part of their main agenda is to hurt and kill people, regardless of race or affiliations.

Hoping to contain Hamas’ acts of terrorism against Israel and its people, Israel saw it fit to maintain a blockade of Gaza which now ran for many years. However, the blockade would only allow basic humanitarian supplies into Gaza – food, clothing and medicines among others. The blockade, of course, didn’t sit well with the Hamas. Their only way out was to resort to more and intensified rocket fires over Israeli borders targeting its towns and people. In effect, you’d expect retaliation from Israel, right?

Over the years, the warring parties continued their never-ending and violent cat-and-mouse play with life at stake – never mind whose side. Each has now earned their own share of sympathisers. These sympathisers would soon adapt their own brand of “not my fault nor had done any wrongdoing” stance – very principled and expounding on their right to choose who to believe and support.

The incident at the Ship to Gaza a couple of days ago ticked me off – big time! Armed now with some information gathered from different media sources, I am inclined to ask, and doubt, the real purpose and intent of this humanitarian initiative as spearheaded by Turkey.

Allow me to ask …

• Other than the allowed food, clothing and medicines according to the terms of the Israeli blockade to Gaza, what else is the ship really carrying?
• If the organisers claimed the ship was already inspected and cleared by the Turkish government before it sailed to Gaza, why deny the Israeli officers the right to inspect the boat the second time around? It is one thing to inspect a ship before it sails and yet another when it enters another water territory, right? (click here to open video)
• If the nature and sole intent of the ship is to really deliver the goods to Gaza, why did the organisers rejected the very idea to let the Israelis escort and deliver the goods after inspection of its cargo? (click here to open video)
• Why the violent reaction from the “peacekeepers” (or shall we call them activists?) of the boat when they were informed that the Israeli naval group will have to board the ship? Was their collective lynching act necessary? (click here to open video)
• Was it true that there were Hamas members in the ship’s rooster of passengers?

Conflicting versions of what really happened abound. Some observers say that the Ship to Gaza initiative was meant to provoke Israel – it was under the guise of humanitarian activity with invited sympathisers on board who supports their mission to feed and care to the needy people of Gaza. That the boats in the convoy actually had direct and specific orders to sail to Gaza regardless of the Israeli blockade. And sail through it did, regardless of the repeated hail calls to stop and comply with the Israeli naval blockade as it is being enforced by Israel. Confrontation as a result, is then inevitable. But a number of death as an outcome of this equation is just too much too handle. However, one thing is quite certain, and now obvious – the Hamas have gotten themselves world centerstage, and they surely will use it to their advantage to gain sympathy for their cause – whatever that is.

Also, some reports claimed that the Israeli interception was done on international waters – a free zone to do what you want to do out at sea. Could Israel have done so? Or is it a claim too easy to make to dodge the bullet of blame? In more ways than one, facts tend to get twisted – all depending on who is retelling the chronology and chain of events that has happened. I would love to hear the version of the “invited guests and sympathisers” on board of the ship as to what really went on – before, during and after the Israeli boarding activity took place – of what they are to say, or what they were told to say, or what they are not allowed to say. Catch my drift?

Now, I’ve been asking myself: is Ship to Gaza a friend or foe? What is your take?

Israel and Palestine have both maintained that they are fighting for their survival, their principles, religion and their right to exist. Neither is prepared to accept fault or any wrongdoing – both parties claim they are right and entitled to do what they do. Neither would bulge, neither is willing to loosen up their end of rope as it snoozed tighter on the throats of the very people they claim they are protecting and are fighting for. These are the very people who are now suffering, trapped, and caught in the crossfire of their guns and knives and their sharp wagging tongues in endless exchange of virulent vile and vindications rubbing to the sentiments of its own people. How ironic! When will this ever stop?

Geez …