# 148 – Gaza-5 Gaza Blockade

June 6, 2010

Gaza-5 – I’ve never…never written so much in so short a time. Why?

Watch this ‘explanation’… You may not be a Fox News fan, nor perhaps are you one to watch ‘clips’ on the internet.

But….why am I writing these letters, and why do I hope you are reading them? Let me repeat why I do not start a blog (what a silly word) nor try to get some publication to print my letters.

I don’t want anyone saying ‘oh he would say that, wouldn’t he? He’s Israeli’.

I want, I need you to believe me because you know me as Stephen Pohlmann, a person desperately trying to be fair and to be at peace with the neighbours.

Watch this clip – Glenn Beck, whoever he is (I rarely watch Fox News) has taken the words right out of my mouth…..

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4223984/glenn-beck-web-exclusive

There is also another link (Oh No! Not ANOTHER link…)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saeky9I5T9c

which is another one of those ‘specially produced videos’, but which just reminds anyone who needs reminding what it would mean to actually and really Boycott Israel. I’m not saying the World would stop, but it certainly would go back in time…

So…is Israel’s blockade of Gaza fair, legal, justified?

Well of course it is. Wake up you lot. Don’t keep believing everything you read. Don’t be gullible.

Let’s split this into 2 parts: why the blockade is justified – and how to lift it.

Whether democratically-elected or not, Hamas is in charge of Gaza.

No one, including Human Rights members or Goldstone himself will deny that there is conflict between Hamas (= Gaza) and Israel.

Hamas has not only NEVER accepted Israel’s existence, it has openly supported Israel’s destruction.

Hamas is openly supported by states that wish Israel’s demise, including Iran, whose leader is well-known for his anti-Israel statements (have you seen Larry King’s interview with him – Larry happens to be Jewish, and was visibly squirming with this grinning liar in front of him).

Israel is at war or in conflict with Hamas.

International waters and all that stuff has nothing to do with the rules of war.

Israel has every right to check if arms etc., are being smuggled into Gaza. There are enough precedents not to trust the ships.

The ‘Rachel Corrie’ was treated correctly yesterday. Why was it different to the debacle 4 days ago? Because the intentions of those on the ships were different, and Israel grossly and naively underestimated their radical determination.

Read Uni Toronto’s Prof. Ed Morgan on the subject …

http://www.law.utoronto.ca/visitors_content.asp?itemPath=5/5/0/0/0&contentId=2019

(I’ve attached a copy of his explanation for your convenience)

And how do we lift the blockade?

‘All’ are calling for it.

Well… you think we want to maintain the blockade? Don’t be silly.

5 years ago, Israel withdrew 100% from Gaza, in the hope for peace.

The Gazans were not happy with that. Wanted us to basically lay down every arm, every form of defense against possible future conflict.

Would you have done so? Don’t be silly.

But would you have said “Wow, we are on the way to the State we’ve always wanted. Nobody here to dictate to us. Let’s start building’.

Don’t be silly – of course you would.

But they didn’t. They armed themselves, the attacked Israel, they threw out the moderates in a coup d’etat. The rest is sad history.

In one of the many attacks on Israel, Hamas captured Gilad Schalilt (don’t dare say ‘Oh not that subject again!’. This tragedy becomes a horror with Israel’s readiness to exchange 1,000 for that mother’s son, so many of whom will go on fighting, and which gives Israel’s enemies the confidence to do the same thing again and again).

In Gaza, the extremist Islamic regime is oppressing ALL who are against Shariah law. Please don’t say you didn’t know – or worse, that it’s not important. When it happens in Kings Cross, London or Sydney, or in Manhattan or Amsterdam, you can’t convince me you won’t be worried.

Many thousands of rockets fell on Israel, all fired from Gaza. I have proof, as you know, that over 400 (almost 500 now) have been fired since the ceasefire.

So, should we perhaps transfer the blockade responsibility to the international community? To Egypt, perhaps? Or to the UN? Well, no matter how closed Egypt’s border is (was) to Gaza, it would NEVER agree to be the policeman in that area.

And the UN? I’ll let you into a state secret: they’ve been stationed in southern Lebanon for years.

They call themselves UNIFIL. We welcome them all the time to our cafes and beaches – despite the fact that they couldn’t prevent a hamster filling it’s cheeks with tissue paper. Southern Lebanon is proudly and openly ruled by Hizbullah, which has openly stated it’s renewed readiness to attack Israel. UN. Now, what does that stand for….?

Perhaps we should re-write the list of restricted goods going into Gaza. But that would only shift the problem 2° to the right.

Isn’t it now obvious to all? It’s not up to Israel. We are ready yesterday to have peace. The Gazans are not. The blockade must continue.

It is legal, it is understandable and I’m so sorry for the innocent Gazans who suffer as a result of the blockade.

It is up to them.

And no, I am still positioned in the centre (center).

Stephen