Greenwald: US, Israel Escalate Threats Against Flotilla, Including US Citizens

[Karmadillo]

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/06/27-10

Monday, Jun 27, 2011 08:28 ET
U.S., Israel escalate threats against flotilla, including U.S. citizens
By Glenn Greenwald

<edit>

But over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also gave her views on the flotilla, and while her rhetoric was somewhat more restrained than that quoted above, she also seemed to endorse possible violence by this foreign nation against her own country's peacefully protesting citizens:

Well, we do not believe that the flotilla is a necessary or useful effort to try to assist the people of Gaza. Just this week, the Israeli Government approved a significant commitment to housing in Gaza. There will be construction materials entering Gaza and we think that it's not helpful for there to be flotillas that try to provoke actions by entering into Israeli waters and creating a situation in which the Israelis have the right to defend themselves.

Though Clinton's language was draped with the subtleties of diplomatese, there is little doubt that she, too, is justifying a potential attack by a foreign government on unarmed American protesters (ironically, Clinton's remarks came at the same Press Conference where she impugned the patriotism of others -- namely, critics of the Libya War -- by branding them as "on Gadaffi's side").

The perception that Clinton endorsed possible Israeli violence against Americans is bolstered by the conduct of the U.S. Government in the wake of Israel's attack on the prior Gaza flotilla, when Israel killed 9 people, including the unarmed 19-year-old American citizen (and Turkish citizen) Furkan Dogan. While most governments instinctively condemn the killing of their own unarmed citizens by foreign armies -- Turkey was furious at Israel for months and world leaders in virtual consensus harshly condemned the Israeli aggression -- the Obama administration almost immediately took Israel's side, culminating with Joe Biden's disgusting rhetorical question, posed before the American teenager was even buried: "what's the big deal here"?

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[Poll_Blind]

1. Israel can board a ship, filled with aid, in international waters, execute passangers. Fine by US!

And as this second flotilla rolls around, filled with a number of notables, including Americans, including Jews from the rest of the world and from within Israel, the US wants to make it clear that if they get bullets in the head from Israeli commandos...the US is more than happy to slap handcuffs on their corpse and call the victims provocateurs.

PB

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. Is there any doubt that were this flotilla to go to any other country on the planet

the US would be warning the target country NOT to kill unarmed people in international waters? The Gaza blockade by the Israelis is collective punishment and that is a war crime no matter how you slice it.

[texshelters]

3. Letting people eat and have medicine and housing in Gaza makes

Israel insecure. We can't have them feeling fear, can we?

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. No doubt the U.S. and NATO will establich a humanitarian no-fly zone over the flotiilla.

[MisterP]

5. American blood is sacrosanct until it isn't: just ask Ita Ford, Maura Clarke, Jean Donovan,

Dorothy Kazel, Ben Linder, John Sullivan, Stanley Rother, Michael Kline: to the Establishment they're fools, "useful idiots" giving cover to terrorists; their murders are restrained and in self-defense.
When soldiers and agents are attacked or seized, contrariwise, it's cowardly and an utter evil that can only be met with rapid death at the hands of our invulnerable, omnipontent special forces and congratulatory chanting afterward.
More than cynical national interest, this points to an outright depravity shared at one point or another by Washington, San Salvador, Jerusalem, and Pretoria

[classysassy]

6. Why are American politicians,both parties

so fearful of the Israeli government?I'll bet my last peso,BiBi could burn an American flag at high noon on the capital steps and all our congress critters would defend his act.

[ImNotTed]

7. I'd best not be criticizing Israel

I'm about to go to bed, and would like to wake up in the same place.

[Karmadillo]

8. Kick

nt