Gaza and Jihad

It is astonishing how some people link world-wide Islamist extremism to Israel's action regarding Gaza. The most recent example being Jo Johnson MP in the Spectator magazine.

I have no problem with Mr Johnson, setting out the desperate situation. Where I differ with him however, is not just with the reason for that misery, but also the cause of terrorism and Islamism itself.

In his concluding remarks Mr Johnson states :

"It was out of 'loyalty to [her] Muslim brothers and sisters in Palestine' that Roshonara Chaudhry (the Islamist who stabbed an MP in East London) dropped out of King's College London and set off on her murderous mission".

But, this is the worst kind of moral equivalence.  It implies that the actions of one (in this case Roshonara Chaudhry), are understandable, because of the conflict in Palestine. The reality is that, even if the conflict was solved tomorrow, with Israel retreating mostly to 1967 Borders, the Roshonara Chaudry's of this world would still exist.

The objective of Islamists world-wide is not a peaceful resolution to the Middle East, but Jihad, and an ideology that believes, Israel - and by extension, Jews - should be wiped off the map per se. President Ahmadinejad for example, makes no distinction between the West Bank and Tel Aviv.   Instead, the 'Zionist entity' must be destroyed per se.

When Ehud Barak offered almost everything to Yasir Arafat at Camp David in 2000, far from discouraging Islamists, it emboldened them.   When Israel withdrew from Gaza  - unilaterally - in 2005, far from stopping Islamism, it encouraged them - with terrorist acts around the world. Islamists exist because of ideology - not policy differences.

Secondly,  Mr Johnson falls into the trap of seeing Gaza with 'Unesco'/Palestinian Solidarity spectacles.  No mention was made of the Hamas Coup against the more moderate Fatah movement in 2007.  No recognition of the 6,000 missiles fired by Islamists onto Israeli towns since the Gaza withdrawal.  No reply to the blowing up of Border crossings by Hamas, or the hijacking of aid convoys for their own purposes. No acknowledgement of the million tons of humanitarian supplies that have entered Gaza, since 2009 alone from Israel, or the 15,000 tons of supplies entering Gaza every week.

Why does he and other critics not urge the Egyptians to open their border to Gaza, in the same way they implore the Israelis?

Of course anyone visiting Gaza, seeing the misery and repression feels angry.  But that is no reason to lay most of the blame at Israel's door or even imply moral equivalence between a democratic state subject to the rule of law - and Islamists who seek nothing of the kind.

P.S.  The above is also published as a letter in the Spectator this week.

The Middle East: Listening to debate

There was a House of Commons Debate on the Middle East today. I had hoped to speak in the debate, but was not called this time. Such is the way of the Commons. Nevertheless, I thought you might like to see the speech I had prepared:

The withdrawal from Gaza

In 2005 when Israeli PM Ariel Sharon oversaw Israeli withdrawal from every inch of the Gaza Strip, the overriding feeling in the world was one of hope and optimism. It was hoped that success in Gaza would lead to withdrawal from much of the West Bank.

Hamas takeover Gaza

Instead, over five years we have seen the Hamas coup in Gaza Strip, vanquishing moderate Palestinians. Gaza has become a terrorist stateb . Over 5,000 missiles have been fired into Israel since Hamas takeover in June 2007. Terrorists continue to infiltrate Israel from Gaza to execute brutal terror attacks. Weapons and explosives - supplied by backers Iran and Syria - are continuously smuggled into the Strip to be used against Israeli citizens and territory. This sort of situation is untenable. No country can be expected to live under this sort of pressure.

Perhaps this goes some way to explaining the reasons behind the blockade of the Gaza strip. Both Israel and Egypt – we must remember Egypt have a border with Gaza as well - have imposed a blockade on goods and materials coming in and out of the Gaza Strip.

Flotilla Incident

And so I come to the events of Monday 31 May.

The loss of life incurred during Israel’s raid on the flotilla bound for Gaza was without question deeply tragic. Any decent human being weeps for those who lost their lives or suffered injuries.

It must be noted that 5 of the 6 ships were peacefully intercepted and safely docked at the Israeli port of Ashdod without incident. Unfortunately, a significant minority of ‘activists’ on the Mavi Marmara reacted with extreme violence to the Israeli military personnel.

The ensuing violence was shocking and profoundly upsetting. A detailed inquiry into the events is needed, but it has become apparent that these ‘activists’ had prepared for violence by accruing various weapons, amongst which were knives and sharpened metal bars.

Security footage on the boat shows these men preparing their ambush and television images have shown these same individuals chanting horrific anti-Semitic songs. Before the incident, various spokesmen for the flotilla stressed that the intention was to make a political statement and “break the siege” rather than delivering the aid itself.

Behind this provocative political statement, was a Turkish fundamentalist organisation, known as IHH, which appears to have a record of supporting violence and terrorism.

Blockade on Gaza

Some colleagues focus on the Blockade, as the root of all difficulties. As so often, the reality on the ground is quite different.

Since January 2009, 0ne million tonnes of aid have reached Gaza from Israel. 15,000 tonnes of aid are delivered into Gaza, from Israel, every single week. I myself have visited the Kerem Shalom crossing point at the Israeli/Gaza border and witnessed hundreds of trucks of aid being delivered into the Strip.

We ought to be actively supporting Israel to stop the blockade. Rather than demanding that all borders are opened indiscriminately, we need to begin to understand the complexities of Israel’s predicament. Israel is straddling the line between humanitarian responsibility and very real national security concerns.
I ask the Minister what steps the British Government and the international community are taking to provide real solutions to the problem of smuggling into Gaza?

Hamas vs moderates

Some people are using recent events to attack not just Israel’s actions, but as a smokescreen to attack the philosophical underpinnings of Israel itself. This must be addressed.

Israel is a sovereign state, and has the right to defend itself.

We in the UK must not lose sight of the fact that to have any hope of peace in the Middle East we must continue to pressure Hamas to renounce terrorism and violence. Hamas need to know that the fundamental Quartet Principles remain rigidly in place. Would the Minister give assurances that the Government still holds this view and remains resolute on this issue?

The reality is that Israel, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and the West have a shared interest in preventing Hamas from being strengthened. Strengthening the PA and ensuring that a moderate national unity government is established in Gaza and the West Bank should be our focus.

It is encouraging that the Israeli and Palestinian delegations have continuing the proximity talks mediated by the United States. What steps are now being taken to bolster the government of President Mahmoud Abbas and PM Salam Fayyad?

Mr Speaker, Flotilla or nor Flotilla, blockade or no blockade, we must never forget that Israel, a democratic state, is battling for its survival against an enemy that seeks its destruction. The West faces the same enemy on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq. A free and just Palestinian State and a secure Israel will only come about, when these terrorist movements have been vanquished, and when states like Iran and Syria, become the democracies that their peoples so richly deserve.

It was a good debate, with all sides of the argument represented. It showed the Commons at its best - debating an issue with great seriousness, and much thought. Although I was not called by Mr Speaker on this occasion, I was glad to be in the Chamber. The day reminded me that being an MP is about listening as well as much as talking.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Redressing the balance

I have just done a short interview on BBC 24 TV News, about the tragic events in the Middle East today. As always with such events, there has been somewhat of a one-sided view that has emanated from sections of the media.

Like any human being, I mourn the tragic loss of life and the injuries sustained by those on the ship - including the Israeli Navy Officers. I also believe that the Israeli authorities should ensure that the UK Foreign Office has full access to any British citizens caught up in the affair. An impartial independent inquiry will help to understand exactly what really occurred.

However, it is important to set out some important facts:

• The Israeli Navy offered the Flotilla the chance to unload in Ashdod, which was refused;
• When the Israeli navy boarded the ship, they were attacked by individuals with a range of weapons;
• The Flotilla was organised by the Islamist group IHH - a body that has close ties to extreme Islamists and is part of the global Jihad movement;
• A million tonnes of humanitarian supplies have entered Gaza from Israel from January 2009 to May 2010;
• Over the past two years Hamas have taken part in countless attacks on aid shipments into Gaza, including the hijacking of aid convoys for the use of Hamas fighters rather than Gaza citizens.
• Gaza's border includes Egypt as well as Israel. Egypt mounts a full blockade against Gaza not allowing any aid trucks through at all. Yet no one complains about this.
  
  

My final point is this: If a ship had entered British waters, insisted on docking anywhere, and had refused to stop, the British Navy would have boarded it in moments. This wasn't in Britain, but on the waters outside Gaza, which is governed by the Hamas Terrorist organisation. For years, Hamas have smuggled millions of dollars of weaponry (from Iran) into the Gaza strip to be used in attacks against Israel. Over 6,000 missiles have been fired from Gaza onto Israeli towns, since the unilateral Israeli withdrawal in 2004.

P.S. You can read more details HERE.

P.P.S. The pictures shows me with David Amess MP in the Israeli Town of Sderot (on the Gaza border) in 2009. We are holding the remains of missiles, fired from Gaza onto Israel by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com