The Flotilla, another anecdote for Netanyahu

Under no circumstances could Israel allow the flotilla to reach the Gaza Strip. The Israelis have never allowed this to happen and will certainly not allow it in the future. They had warned the flotilla: If you want to bring food and humanitarian aid, you can enter our ports, unload it and we will deliver it to Gaza.

Naturally, Israel only lets in a small fraction of the goods needed by the 2.3 million people in the Strip. It's insufficient. This is confirmed by the NGOs still working in the region, and so is the United Nations. The world is fed up with seeing daily images of children and women begging for food.

Each side has done what was expected of it. The volunteers have gone as far as they could. From the beginning, from the port of Barcelona, ​​they knew they wouldn't be able to reach the Strip. They were warned and knew the experience of other flotillas before them. It has all become a kind of ceremony broadcast live around the world, particularly in the West. There's little else Westerners can do. Their governments refuse to intervene. Israel's case is not like apartheid South Africa. Back then, two or three years of international boycott ended the problem. What hadn't been resolved with decades of armed struggle and protests was resolved with determination in two or three years.

Now, however, determination is lacking, especially in the United States. Against South Africa, Washington led the boycott. Against Israel, it does the opposite. Donald Trump gives absolute support to the massacre in Gaza, fueling it with his weapons and bombs., defense in international forums, imposing the veto when necessary. It is true that in recent times we have seen some countries take symbolic measures, but it is obvious that no country wants to confront the great superpower.

For Israel, the Flotilla incident is only an anecdote parallel to the war, if one can say so. war in the massacre that began two years ago. The Flotilla has never been a threat to the Jewish state. It certainly bothers Israelis that the boats are heading in their direction, and that televisions broadcast their movements and activists make statements during the news. But it's a trivial nuisance. Even for Israelis, the faces of some Flotilla activists become familiar and even recognizable.

Wednesday night marked the beginning of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The country comes to a complete standstill. Stores close, televisions post a frozen commercial that will last more than 24 hours. However, the army continues bombing Gaza because it is saving Jewish lives, and that is permitted. The army can even afford to intervene on Yom Kippur against the Flotilla. Without a doubt, it was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who gave the order on such a symbolic day, which runs from Wednesday night to Thursday evening.