I have just done (Monday) a short interview on BBC 24 TV News, about
the tragic events in the Middle East today. As always with such
events, there has been somewhat of a one-sided view that has emanated
from sections of the media.

Like any human being, I mourn the tragic loss of life and the injuries
sustained by those on the ship - including the Israeli Navy. I also
believe that the Israeli authorities should ensure that the UK Foreign
Office has full access to any British citizens caught up in the
affair. An impartial independent inquiry will help to understand
exactly what really occurred.

However, it is important to set out some important facts:

    * The Israeli Navy offered the Flotilla the chance to unload in
Ashdod, which was refused;
    * When the Israeli navy boarded the ship, they were attacked by
individuals with a range of weapons;
    * The Flotilla was organised by the Islamist group IHH - a body
that has close ties to extreme Islamists and is part of the global
Jihad movement;
    * A million tonnes of humanitarian supplies have entered Gaza from
Israel from January 2009 to May 2010;
    * Over the past two years Hamas have taken part in countless
attacks on aid shipments into Gaza, including the hijacking of aid
convoys for the use of Hamas fighters rather than Gaza citizens.
    * Gaza's border includes Egypt as well as Israel. Egypt mounts a
full blockade against Gaza not allowing any aid trucks through at all.
Yet no one complains about this.

My final point is this: If a ship had entered British waters, insisted
on docking anywhere, and had refused to stop, the British Navy would
have boarded it in moments. This wasn't in Britain, but on the waters
outside Gaza, which is governed by the Hamas Terrorist organisation.
For years, Hamas have smuggled millions of dollars of weaponry (from
Iran) into the Gaza strip to be used in attacks against Israel. Over
6,ooo missiles have been fired from Gaza onto Israeli towns, since the
unilateral Israeli withdrawal in 2004.


by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com