"What Should The Israelis Have Done?"

The hasbaraniks continue to infest the Interwebs like locusts, presenting the IDF Spokesman's Line on the Mavi Marmara Affair, rigidly adhering to the talking points that they repeat by rote over and over and over again, about how surroundsed, beset and victimised poor little friendless Israel is in the midst of a ravening horde of Arabs and how necessary it is to prevent weapons from being smuggled into Gaza, and how Hamas is a Terrorist Organization that has vowed to wipe Israel off the map, and how many times the convoy was offered safe passage to Ashdod and how cruel and vicious the passengers were to the kindly IDF Commandos who carefully rappelled down to the decks so as not to disturb the passengers' slumbers, only to be met with a ravening horde of Peace Terrorists who pummeled them with Terror Sticks and stabbed them with Terror Knives and threw them over the Terror Rails of the Terror Ship until the patience of the Gentle Commandos who were only enforcing the necessary blockade was exhausted and with Immense Sorrow in Their Hearts for what the Peace Terrorists were forcing them to do, they fired into the ravening hordes of Peace Terrorists on that one ship, just the one remember, and finally, with great difficulty, brought the unfortunate situation under control. Heroically.



That's the Line from hasbara HQ. Now some of the hasbaraniks will embroider this basic story with tales of the Holocaust and all the Little Hitlers that have popped up in our midst, or they will go on about how the many outspoken Jewish critics of Israel's behavior are objectively Pro-Terrorist and clearly self-hating Jews, etc. etc. Each hasbaranik has their own little quirk. But the core story is repeated over and over and over again, in an almost trance-like state. A wonder to behold.

Every now and again, a hasbaranik will ask, "Well, what should Israel have done, Mister Smartypants?"

My answer? Simple:

Welcome the humanitarian aid ships, issue no threats or orders, offer to escort them to the Port of Gaza, and assist in the unloading and distribution of supplies by paying for personnel and transport. Then thank the Peace Terrorists and peacefully escort them back to international waters.

Couldn't be simpler.

No deaths, no violence, and... Israel breaks its own blockade.

What a concept.

So far nearly everyone is thinking about this incident and the situation that led to it tactically. "What would you have done to preserve the blockade?" when the simple and I believe correct answer is strategic: Israel breaks its own blockade and assists the humanitarian convoy in achieving its humanitarian objectives.

If the Israelis had done that, the picture today would be very different, many people would still be alive and healthy, the situation in Gaza would start to measurably improve, and Israel's image would undergo a transformation.

Israel has the power to make this kind of strategic move, power that Hamas doesn't have. Israel has the ability to move forward.

Why doesn't it do so?