It’s not just the Greek Government; the EU as a whole, including the UK Government, together with the UN, Russia and the US are working to defeat the flotilla of peaceful activists protesting the brutal crimes against the people of Gaza and Palestine. Israel uses criminal methods to sabotage the boats of the flotilla, and commits a host of daily crimes against the people of Palestine. Palestinians themselves have committed two crimes: the first was to be living on land coveted by colonists; the second was to resist their displacement and dispossession. The long record of European powers in attacking and colonising people all over the world whose lands and resources they coveted is now being replayed in Palestine, this time through the determined support of European governments for the Israeli project to replace all Palestinians, as far as is possible, with Jewish immigrants.
The entire world system of states is acting in support of the State of Israel:
- The Quartet headed by Tony Blair absolves Israeli soldiers of all responsibility for the murders of nine aid workers trying to get to Gaza on the Mavi Marmara: the Quartet “regrets the injury and deaths caused by the 2010 flotilla”. (SPSC emphasis added)
- The Quartet demands an end to the “deplorable five-year detention of Gilad Shalit”, while making no reference to the thousands of Palestinian political prisoners illegally held in jails in Israel.
Shalit is an occupation soldier whose unit fired murderous rounds of tank shells into Gaza. He was captured by Palestinian fighters in a daring operation, against overwhelming odds, and has been held as a bargaining chip for the release of Palestinian prisoners, many held without trial for years and routinely tortured. - The Quartet ” calls on all governments concerned to use their influence to discourage additional flotillas, which risk the safety of their participants and carry the potential for escalation.”
- All goods to Gaza must go through “established channels so that their cargo can be inspected” – Israel taxes and creams off value from materials it allows into Gaza.
The states of the EU are supporting the state of Israel. Tony Blair’s job is just to go around rubbing salt in open wounds.
