As the world continues to bash Israel, to condemn and call for justice against the persecutor of innocent humanitarian activists, the real facts surrounding the Gaza flotilla are beginning to unfold, presenting an entirely different picture than Turkey, Hamas and others depict.

For one thing, Israel Navy commanders are being accused of ‘blowing it’, sending the elite Shayetet 13 commandos to the six vessels believing they may encounter passive resistance, nothing more. They did not bring automatic weapons, and were under strict orders to only use their pistols if they find themselves in a life-threatening situation. In short, the intelligence information was far off, and Turkey and its cohorts planned a different kind of welcoming reception for the commandos, a well-planned assault.

The IDF was well-aware of the trap, not the physical attack, but the realities of having to confront the self-proclaimed humanitarian mission, which was nothing more than another effort to infuse weapons and supplies into Hamas-controlled Gaza, and to bait Israel once again into a diplomatic blunder, which succeeded, albeit to a limited extent according to some.

One can only wonder how the United States would act if her marine borders were compromised by hostile vessels, and how the European Union would address an “Islamic peace flotilla” that threatened its security.

The elite force, considered by many experts as “the best trained soldiers in the world” understand discipline and orders, and they refrained from using live fire until they had taken a beating literally, attacked with clubs, chains and knives. After some of the team was seriously injured, the weapons came out. These are soldiers who complete over two years of basic training, learning how to operate on the highest level as an infantry soldier and commando, and then doing it all over again in the water. They are second to none, but when their hands are tied, they too fall victim, perhaps a microcosm of the State of Israel, with her hands tied, taking a beating for seeking to defend its borders and its citizens.

The commandos were carrying toy paint guns, not shooting to kill as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would like the UN Security Council to believe. The weapons found on board paint a different scenario, one of premeditation to engage in conflict. The You Tube videos clearly show the humanitarians attacking the soldiers as they slid down the ropes from the chopper hovering overhead. They were assaulted within seconds of reaching the boat, not even having time to comprehend the drastic reality that was a far cry from the situation they were briefed on.

Millions of shekels were spent on preparing Beersheva Prison, food, refreshments, all in the name of not being accused of mistreating the humanitarians, aware that every move would be scrutinized by the international community. Arab MKs were there, using their Israeli taxpayer salary to support the enemy, to serve as witnesses to the atrocities. There were European parliamentarians on board as well as members of the press, all waiting for another round, to take the next blow at Israel following Operation Cast Lead, the successful anti-terrorist offensive launched against the Hamas terror regime in Gaza.

That operation, which was also condemned by Erdogan and marked the start of the deteriorating relations with Turkey, was a response to over seven years of rocket fire into southern Israel. Thousands and thousands of rockets were fired indiscriminately into civilian population centers while Erdogan remained silent, along with his comrades, UN Secretary-General Bank ki-Moon, and the greater European Union community. Yes, every now and then when a rocket claimed an innocent life, a token condemnatory statement was released, but limited, and always concluding with calls to Israel to use restraint in her response. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is a master of rhetoric, always balancing her well-rehearsed statements to conclude with calls to Israel to use restraint, never wishing to risk insulting the global Islamic community and its supporters.

In 2005, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered the implementation of his Disengagement Plan, uprooting close to 10,000 residents of Jewish Gaza. Many of those families remain refugees to this very day, seeking employment and desperately trying to get their lives back on track. At that time, Binyamin Netanyahu and his Likud cohorts did not leave the government or oppose, realizing this is the sacrifice that must be made in the name of peace.

Synagogues were left barren only to serve as Hamas training areas later on. Bodies were exhumed from the cemetery, but Atra Kadisha remained deafeningly silent. There was no money involved, no gain for the Meah Shearim cartel, so why take to the streets for bodies of settlers? This was not a halachic matter of kovod ha’mes, continuing with life as usual as the holy neshamas were disturbed in the name of Ariel Sharon’s master peace plan. Hothouses were destroyed and a once vibrant thriving community was reduced to rubble. Israel ended her “occupation” of Gaza, but there was no applause, and today, five years after the fact, the rockets continue to fly and Israel is still the target of world condemnations, no longer the occupier however, but the convenient recipient of the Western World’s hypocrisy.

The White House under the leadership of President Barak Obama has set the stage for Israel bashing, along with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who gives license to the one-sided policies that not only place Israel in existential jeopardy, but sorely compromise American interests, preferring to appease radical Islam at the expense of America’s democratic values. It would appear that 9/11 is a distant fading memory for Obama and Emanuel, as Iran continues to take bold steps to nuclear independence, while Russia continues to army Syria and Iran, and the latter feed Hizbullah, with one common denominator, the destruction of the State of Israel.

The Gaza flotilla was another pristine example of Israel’s morality, showing the world once again that the IDF remains the most moral army in the world, willing to sacrifice its own soldiers rather than compromising its operational code regarding civilians and unarmed threats.

Israel continues to pump humanitarian aid into Gaza, much of which is pilfered to feed the Hamas black market. There are no shouts from Erdogan, Obama, or even French President Nicolas Sarkozy regarding Gilad Shalit, who is also a French citizen. In three weeks, he will mark four years in captivity, without any rights, humanitarian visits, International Red Cross visitations, or a signal that his terrorist captors are treating him in accordance to international treaties. The world is too busy condemning Israel to be concerned with one soldier.

The White House reportedly sabotaged a prisoner exchange deal that would have brought Shalit home, not wishing to strengthen the Hamas regime with a victory, preferring to let Shalit rot in Gaza for the sake of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ (Abu Mazen) future. This is the very same ‘moderate’ who worked to fund the infamous Munich Olympic massacre of the Israeli athletes, and whose doctorial dissertation documents his Holocaust denial philosophy.

The testimony from the naval commandos accompanied by the video footage available being painting an entirely different case, one that demands resounding condemnations against Turkey, who was behind the bogus mission, secretly seeking to boost Hamas, and all the others.

For the EU and Israel’s staunch allies, apologies are in order, and action must be taken against the radical nations who seek to destroy the only democratic nation in the Mideast, a reality that would chas v’sholom bring tragedy to the Jewish People, but no less of a tragedy to the Western world and its values, which are a constant target of the growing internaiutonal radical Islamic agenda.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)