ISRAEL TAKES THE L: Netanyahu agrees to loosen Gaza blockade
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Three weeks after the violent incidents surrounding the Gaza-bound flotilla, Israel decided on Sunday to dramatically ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip. Under heavy international pressure and concern about additional flotillas that may try to break the naval blockade of the Strip, the security cabinet decided Sunday to change the blockade policy. The decision was delayed a few days due to diplomatic efforts to obtain the support of Egypt and the Palestinian Authority for the changes.
Israeli officials held marathon meetings over the weekend with officials from Egypt and the United States as well as with Quartet representative Tony Blair to finalize the details of the plan to ease the siege on the Gaza Strip.
The prime minister (Netanyahu) told Blair that he never thought the blockade as constituted was particularly wise, as he understood that the civilian population, and not Hamas, bore the primary brunt.
“It’s important for me to have a policy that I can defend before the world,” Netanyahu told Blair.
^^^ - lol @ the "you can't fire me I QUIT" CYA logic at work here. "Hey, nobody said they wanted to like, BLOCKADE Gaza or anything..."
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan can claim a big check mark for himself, despite the Turkish flotilla not having reached Gaza and nine activists aboard the Mavi Marmara ship having been killed during the raid in May. Erdogan achieved his goal: He collapsed the Israeli siege on "Hamastan." The cabinet announcement on Sunday put an end to the three-year-old civilian blockade on Gaza, initiated when Hamas took power.
The second person to take credit for Israel easing the siege on Gaza is U.S. President Barack Obama. The White House made an announcement praising Israel's new policy toward Gaza, stressing that Israel responded "to the calls of many in the international community" – or, in less diplomatic language, Israel succumbed to the unbearable pressure and preferred to open the crossings and allow the transfer of civilian goods and building materials rather than absorb additional condemnation or worse.
Netanyahu must now explain why he waited until Israel became entangled in the flotilla affair instead of announcing an ease on the blockade several weeks ago. Netanyahu has an explanation, which he will likely offer the Turkel committee probing Israel's actions in the raid: Israel undertook a new examination of the blockade before the flotilla set sail and he supported the policy approved on Sunday from the outset.
Netanyahu said during a hearing that took place before the flotilla that there must be a change in Israel's Gaza policy, and instead of having a list of goods allowed into the strip, which has existed until now, there must be a list of what is forbidden. Furthermore, Netanyahu told the hearing that barring toys and other civilian goods into Gaza does not pressure Hamas, but rather erodes Israel's interests, namely, preventing arms smuggling into the territory and holding the moral high ground.
Netanyahu also estimated that the blockade does not help abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, as it creates a moral asymmetry: Hamas can use the suffering caused by the siege to justify Shalit's ongoing captivity and lack of visitation. Shalit's release depends on other factors.
Now Israel awaits future flotillas aimed at breaking the blockade and hopes that easing the siege will grant it diplomatic coverage to stop them. But even if the most positive scenario takes place, the government has lost points and Netanyahu comes off as a leader who makes decisions only under enormous pressure and after paying a heavy political price.
========
source for all those articles is Haaretz, the trillest Israeli newspaper
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/government-approves-plan-to-dramatically-ease-gaza-blockade-1.297327
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/aluf-benn-turkey-can-take-credit-for-ending-israel-s-blockade-of-gaza-1.297463
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/blair-hails-deal-with-netanyahu-to-ease-gaza-blockade-1.296412
BONUS NEWS: Israel don't ? wit the Boys in Blue -
In contrast to the courts, the police have a poor image among the entire the public. Only 24 percent of the general Jewish public expressed great faith in the police. This is up from 19 percent last year, but is still below the 2000 figure of 32 percent, Rattner said.
Among Israeli Arabs, the figure was 20 percent, down from 23 percent last year, while among Haredim and settlers, it was only 15 percent, compared with 14 percent last year.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/study-faith-in-court-system-tumbles-among-haredim-settlers-1.297535
LOL
Israeli officials held marathon meetings over the weekend with officials from Egypt and the United States as well as with Quartet representative Tony Blair to finalize the details of the plan to ease the siege on the Gaza Strip.
The prime minister (Netanyahu) told Blair that he never thought the blockade as constituted was particularly wise, as he understood that the civilian population, and not Hamas, bore the primary brunt.
“It’s important for me to have a policy that I can defend before the world,” Netanyahu told Blair.
^^^ - lol @ the "you can't fire me I QUIT" CYA logic at work here. "Hey, nobody said they wanted to like, BLOCKADE Gaza or anything..."
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan can claim a big check mark for himself, despite the Turkish flotilla not having reached Gaza and nine activists aboard the Mavi Marmara ship having been killed during the raid in May. Erdogan achieved his goal: He collapsed the Israeli siege on "Hamastan." The cabinet announcement on Sunday put an end to the three-year-old civilian blockade on Gaza, initiated when Hamas took power.
The second person to take credit for Israel easing the siege on Gaza is U.S. President Barack Obama. The White House made an announcement praising Israel's new policy toward Gaza, stressing that Israel responded "to the calls of many in the international community" – or, in less diplomatic language, Israel succumbed to the unbearable pressure and preferred to open the crossings and allow the transfer of civilian goods and building materials rather than absorb additional condemnation or worse.
Netanyahu must now explain why he waited until Israel became entangled in the flotilla affair instead of announcing an ease on the blockade several weeks ago. Netanyahu has an explanation, which he will likely offer the Turkel committee probing Israel's actions in the raid: Israel undertook a new examination of the blockade before the flotilla set sail and he supported the policy approved on Sunday from the outset.
Netanyahu said during a hearing that took place before the flotilla that there must be a change in Israel's Gaza policy, and instead of having a list of goods allowed into the strip, which has existed until now, there must be a list of what is forbidden. Furthermore, Netanyahu told the hearing that barring toys and other civilian goods into Gaza does not pressure Hamas, but rather erodes Israel's interests, namely, preventing arms smuggling into the territory and holding the moral high ground.
Netanyahu also estimated that the blockade does not help abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, as it creates a moral asymmetry: Hamas can use the suffering caused by the siege to justify Shalit's ongoing captivity and lack of visitation. Shalit's release depends on other factors.
Now Israel awaits future flotillas aimed at breaking the blockade and hopes that easing the siege will grant it diplomatic coverage to stop them. But even if the most positive scenario takes place, the government has lost points and Netanyahu comes off as a leader who makes decisions only under enormous pressure and after paying a heavy political price.
========
source for all those articles is Haaretz, the trillest Israeli newspaper
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/government-approves-plan-to-dramatically-ease-gaza-blockade-1.297327
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/aluf-benn-turkey-can-take-credit-for-ending-israel-s-blockade-of-gaza-1.297463
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/blair-hails-deal-with-netanyahu-to-ease-gaza-blockade-1.296412
BONUS NEWS: Israel don't ? wit the Boys in Blue -
In contrast to the courts, the police have a poor image among the entire the public. Only 24 percent of the general Jewish public expressed great faith in the police. This is up from 19 percent last year, but is still below the 2000 figure of 32 percent, Rattner said.
Among Israeli Arabs, the figure was 20 percent, down from 23 percent last year, while among Haredim and settlers, it was only 15 percent, compared with 14 percent last year.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/study-faith-in-court-system-tumbles-among-haredim-settlers-1.297535
LOL
Comments
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Israel didn't take an L. They might feel like they did, but this was definitely in their own best interest.
