Idle has advice for both sides in the Battle of Bad PR. To the 'humanitarians': running blockades is risky. Running Israeli blockades is suicidal. Blame yourselves. If you REALLY mean to do it, next time take a couple of destroyers and a frigate or two, and make sure you have air cover (but nb this is still unlikely to work and will result in singed beards and smoking sandals).
To the Israelis: attacking any ship in international waters is very very stupid. Remember that the international press are all more or less Jon Snow in political outlook. You have the means at your disposal to annihilate a flotilla of 'humanitarians' in approx 30 seconds when they DO enter your waters, so next time, wait. Then show some restraint. Don't make so much of the world hate you even more than they do already.
To Israel's enemies: acknowledge their right to exist. Otherwise this will go on for ever. And if Ehud Barak becomes PM again and offers the Pals a deal anywhere near as good as Camp David 2000, grab it and run like buggery all the way back to Gaza and the West Bank.
To Israel: acknowledging your right to exist does not mean that we like your horrible methods and heartless attitudes. You can win your long term peace and security only if you play fair, which you almost never have done.
Houses A Both On Plague Your (rearrange for a popular phrase).
The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
ReplyDeleteBut then the Israelis never pass up an opportunity to piss off an ally.
I do love Israeli methods and attitude as they were once ours, only now we are members of the world community and as such neutered.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see how Obama fudges this one!
ReplyDeleteThe worst thing is having to listen
ReplyDeleteto the self righteous hectoring of Jon Snow and James Naughtie - usually directed towards some patient, urbane and reasonable Israeli spokesperson. The Beeb and Channel4 never saw an anti Israeli bandwagon they didn't like.
Agree 100% Mr Idle! A great summary of my own views :-)
ReplyDelete"The worst thing is having to listen
ReplyDeleteto the self righteous hectoring of Jon Snow and James Naughtie"
Having to? I stopped listening to the news and reading newspapers a long time ago. Doing so is a great recipe for a broader perspective.
'I stopped listening to the news and reading newspapers a long time ago.'
ReplyDeleteSo who are you listening to, Blue? And what are they telling you?
I don't look at or listen to the BBC, for obvious reasons - that de-spinning it all is a bore.
But the FT, WSJ, TASS, Der Spiegel, seem relatively easy to unspin and worth an eye.
Are you nipping round the world with the conference and think tank brigade?
Evidently some of the "peace" activistas knew it was suicidal since they went and had Jihadi suicide-martyr videos made-up prior to getting their freaky "Peace" on...
ReplyDeleteIt saddens me when a great sportsman of yesteryear ventures into the snake pit of human politics. Does Snow really want to be remembered as a pontificating pundit rather than the fast bowler who won the Ashes for England in 1970?
ReplyDeleteGet cracking dle.
ReplyDeleteNope - can't agree with you on this Idle - Israel is our front line against the barbarians, and absent my preferred policy of glassing the whole Middle East over, I regard their policies as a little soft. They must be - they allowed that ghastly strutting little poof Arafat to survive
ReplyDeleteI support the IDF - killing Arab terrorist scum before we have to.
Can't agree with you there, 45.
ReplyDeleteIsraeli self-defence makes even the Japanese look like poofs.