Thanks, but no thanks

True to its original offer, Israel has sorted out the "humanitarian" aid from the intercepted Turkish ferry and sent it on to Gaza. One problem: the Gazans have refused to accept it.That figures. The blockade running was never about relieving a "humanitarian crisis"; it was about giving Israel a black eye, and with the help of western media (and western leaders in desperate need of something other than their own failures to talk about) it has succeeded brilliantly.

Not that you'll hear about it on CNN, but the issue here is construction materials--that's what Hamas wants, and that's what the ferry was delivering in large quantity. The wheelchairs are just window dressing. Either Israel resists, and gets condemned by the likes of Turkey (which meanwhile is persecuting Kurds, and which not long ago was massacring  Armenians). Or else Israel lets the stuff go through, and it will be used to build bigger and better smuggling tunnels and rocket launchers ... and the guns next time. Blue skies! -- Dan Ford