Is it time for an international (armed) aid operation to Gaza?

[Half-Century Man]

74. To me it seemed, the OP assumed relief supplies were not being given to or not reaching Gaza

The OP implied, at the very least, that the Israeli navy was actively denying those supplies from reaching Gaza, suggesting that the Port of Gaza had been or was likely to soon be mined.
There was an observation that perhaps it was time for a multinational naval force to occupy the waters off of Gaza and respond with force to the slightest provocation from the Israelis.

Keep Israeli ships out of the area immediately to the west of the Gaza strip, and if they fire so much as a bullet in international waters beyond that, treat it as an act of piracy.

I responded to the OP's face value argument with a counter argument that force might not be needed. If the Likud led Israeli government could be included in the execution of a relief effort, that any potential argument against said relief effort, would be rendered moot.

I was unaware this entire thread was moot.

Relief supplies were pouring in, through Israel itself (the totalitarian monster bent on genocide), sans international threat of nautical force.



The Democratic Underground has been a good place for me. I have found a large eclectic collection of kindred souls here. I value the opinion of nearly everyone here (99.4%), even when we are on different sides.
However, lately there has been a vicious response to actions taken by a specific right wing group(Likud) currently in charge of a country claiming a religious identity (one the majority of us use to link us to this specific area of the world through history, not to imply all members of Israel must be Jewish). Israel has, over the years, built up a following in the government and population of the United States.
Some favor Israel for religious reason outside of Judaism. Some favor Israel for reasons of governmental style/method. Some favor Israel because Jews leave here to go there. Some favor Israel for reasons of the physical appearance of the what is perceived as the resident population. Some favor Israel over some sense of guilt. Some favor Israel as a customer for weapons. Because this following has existed in the United States for many years it is perceived as a traditional/conservative value. (Anyone here remember the suspicion the conservatives in America had because of the socialistic Kibbutz (nearly communistic) and Moshav systems?) Here at DU, that which is perceived as conservative is idea non grata.

Instead of blaming the few responsible for the issue (on both sides), broad generalizations have been used. Flinging blame in all directions. Flinging bile in all directions, Flinging total amnesty for the favored side of the poster, in all directions.
So, rather than blame the guilty party within a group, the majority of posts here have attacked a group as a whole. And called for group punishments. Going as far as to compare some groups to their greatest abusers; or asking if a group should even (be allowed to?) exist. Is this who we are, or rather is this who we want to be?

For what it's worth: The word Israel has a slightly different meaning for Jews and non-jews. Israel is the entire lot of us. One of the ways we traditionally classify ourselves is with Cohen, Levi, And Israel. In it's simplest form, the Cohen were a tribe of Israel assigned the duties of Priests, the Levi were assigned the role of Temple attendants, Israel is all the rest of us (technically speaking, because Cohen and Levi are tribes of, all the Jews in the world are Israel). Every time someone claims Israel has lost it's right to exist because of over reaching attacks on Gaza; they are saying to us because of the actions of a specific limited number of persons within your group, the entire population has lost their right to exist. We understand what was meant, but it still is disconcerting.

Sorry to pontificate about Judaism. I too, get caught up in this tragic unproductive cycle of verbal one-up-men-ship.