You attack Hamas as rejectionist but what about the rejectionism of Labor and Likud and most of the other political parties in Israel who do not accept the Palestinians as equals and continue steal Palestinian their land. They are the real rejectionists of any just peace.

Of course I know who Gilad Shalit is. He was an Israeli soldier captured in a war that Israel has continually waged. I hope he is released and feel for him, his friends and his family. But all of Palestine, and particularly the 1.4 million people in Gaza, are being imprisoned by Israel.

What you call “Israeli crimes” is pure self-defense. I have no doubt that if you had a neighbor who is permanently threatening to kill you, you would also defend yourself. But in your terminology, you would be a criminal. What nonsense!
Israel has not only the right to defend its population; it even has the obligation to do so. Under these circumstances I am more than happy when you call me an “apologist” for Israel.

You might know a lot about Venezuela and its despot, but you know nothing about Israel. Why don’t you go there to see the reality with your own eyes? I tell you why: Because you are simply afraid of realizing that all your opinions about Israel were just prejudices and reality is completely different.

First of all you would find out that there are no “big lies of the Israeli propaganda machine”, as you put it, simply because such a propaganda machine does not exist. There is hardly another Western democracy where the ruling persons are under such control from their coalition parties, the opposition parties, the media, the civil society, the public opinion as is Israel. Where else would a state president step down because of alleged sexual assaults (such as Moshe Katsav), a prime minister because of an illegal dollar account of his wife (such as Yitzhak Rabin) or a defense minister because of an internal Arab massacre (such as Ariel Sharon after Sabra and Shatila)?

Now, after the tragic incident on the “Marmara” I would expect Israel’s intelligence boss to step down, because the Israeli soldiers were not prepared to encounter violent IHH terrorists shouting “Kill the Jews”. Calling those people “peace activists” it is a slap into the face of real peace activists. And I hope that also the government’s PR boss will step down because he lost an important battle by which the roles of perpetrators and victims were thrown upside down. It was a perfect trap – Israel fell into it.

How can you dare to compare the election victory of Hamas with that of Netanyahu? I don’t fancy him (and would not have voted for Likud), but he did not annihilate his political opponents and he does not threaten to kill his neighbors. Try to talk in Gaza about Israel’s right of existence – you would not survive long. What Hamas wants is to make Israel “judenrein”.

Your homepage reveals only anti-Israel entries. About Darfur or Congo or Chechnya or Kirgizstan or Iraq or Iran or China or Turkey or or or, there is nothing. NOTHING.

You work with double standards: Bashing Israel but sparing (islamo)fascistic regimes. Have you ever protested the abuse of children as living bombs or the terror attacks in Israel?

It is an unexplored phenomenon that so-called progressive people unite with Muslim reactionists, as soon as Israel is the matter. So do you.

You always argue in your mails that you are no anti-Semite. That’s interesting because I never claimed that you are. Anyway, it was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who stated “When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews – make no mistake about it.” That was in 1967 and it is true today as ever. Some things will really never change – see the attached caricature printed in a Swiss magazine in 1956.

When you write about “a just settlement with Palestine” I fully agree. We, Evelyn and I, at least try with our peacecamp project to make tiny steps in that direction. You on the contrary only know unilateral Israel hating.

Did you forget that our common grandparents Gisela and Rudolf, when they were refugees in 1938, did not – as our parents – get a visa to any American country? But they were rescued into (then British) Palestine. Clear, it was not the Britons and not at all the Arabs which saved them. It was the Jews, it was the Zionist organizations which helped our grandparents to find a save haven and thus to survive in Jerusalem. This is not a minor detail of our family history. This was a basic event that we should always remember, should be thankful for and tell our children what it means for Jews to have a Jewish homeland.

And last but not least: In my mails I always refer to captured Gilad Shalit. You however never mention him. Could it be that you don’t know who he is? Or do you rather not give a damn about his fate?

Ronny

With regards to your support for the latest Israeli murders, the murderous, Netanyahu government had to retract their big lie about the El Qaeda connection to the Turkish group, IHH. You call them jihadists, your evidence? The Israeli strategy seems to be the big lie. It looks like a few people like you still believe them. Israeli support among the American people is dropping quickly, and will continue to do so until Israel stops its collective punishment of the people of Gaza, its violation of international law, and recognizes self-determination for Palestinians.

Palestinians voted for Hamas, Israelis voted for Netanyahu and Likud. It not up to Israel to pick the Palestinian leadership. Should Israel be blockaded until Netantyahu and Likud are out of power. Should Israel’ racist and pro-expansionist foreign minister, Lieberman, be arrested and imprisoned for his racism. This seems to be your position with regards to Hamas and Gaza. I don’t support Hamas but it is up to Palestinians to decide their leadership, not you or me.

I support ending the illegal, (collective punishment) and immoral Israeli blockade of Gaza and I strongly support the bravery of those like the Free Gaza movement who attempted this. I equally oppose the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the occupation of East Jerusalem). Because unarmed civilians on the first ship defended themselves after being attacked, in international waters in a righteous mission, does not give Israel the right to murder them. Many were shot at close range, probably executed. It is sad but not surprising that you and other Israeli apologists cannot understand how wrong Israeli policy is. Israel’s path is not only immoral but will eventually lead to its total isolation and probably destruction, possibly with millions of others.

The alternative is a just settlement with Palestine. –not easy, no guarantees but better even for the Israelis than the current militarization. aggression and occupation.

Peter

“Brave solidarity activists”? Not at all. Maybe on the other 5 ships, but not on the “Mavi Marmara”, just brutal IHH jihadists, a mob of mercenaries.

“Humanitarian supplies”? This is how you call weapons for the Hamas terrorists?

By beating Israeli sailors nearly to death as soon as they landed, the protesters made a violent reaction inevitable. You cannot attempt to kill armed soldiers without suffering casualties.

The flotilla never had any interest in getting aid to Gaza. The Israelis offered to route the aid through the Israeli port of Ashdod. Or the flotilla could have landed in Egypt and sent the aid in by road. No, the flotilla existed only to make political theatre and the IHH activists were determined to make deadly theatre, for the more deadly the performance is, the bigger the theatre becomes.

The flotilla had been warned by Israel well in advance again and again, but they refused to listen. Their only aim was to denounce Israel, and – I must admit – they succeeded.

Why has Israel always to defend itself when it defends itself?

You really want to help the Palestinians? OK, so free Gaza from Hamas!

By the way: Who shows solidarity with Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier now captive in a Hamas jail for almost 4 years?