On Predatory States...

One of the distinct drawbacks of a very wet weekend is that it allows far too much time for thinking. To be honest, this and another topic have been exercising the ol' probligo grey mush for the past few weeks, several different drafts have been written, considered and discarded in that time.

The first in these topics is the vexed question of Israel.

I am NOT going to debate it here, again, ad nausem...

Israel, as far as I am concerned, deserves everything its enemies can provide it. "Deserves" simply because of its attitude, its approach, and total lack of humanity. So too, come to think of it, do some of their friends.

Israel's enemies too, deserve the consequences of much of what happens.

As I have said previously so many times, there is no right in the Levant. There is only wrong.

In this latest stoush, there are two things which could be done, both of which would do nothing more than illustrating the futility in trying to resolve the problem.

The first is the idea of an independent inquiry into the Israeli navy boarding vessels in international waters. the thought that an enquiry could be led by Sir Geoffrey Palmer (past NZ PM, international law expert etc etc) did have its attractions. He is a man of great honesty, of great ability and a very judicious mind.

But for all the good that such an enquiry would do, Geoff, I am sure that the UN could find it a whole lot cheaper and a danged lot more effective to give you and several assistants a good long vacation somewheres a lot more pleasant. One thing is certain, any inquiry not carried out by the Israelis will carry as much weight for the Israelis as the whistling in the wind of a skeleton on the gibbets at Notting Hill.

The second idea was proposed by a Turkish MP; Deputy Prime Minister if I recollect. He proposed that the Turkish government should make a similar delivery of aid to Gaza, carried by the Turkish Navy.

Now this has very considerable potential in my mind. It would rank with NZ sending its navy to Mururoa in protest against the French wiping their nuclear arse-n-all in our back yard. But just think about it. I am sure that the Gazan government members could leave their rocket launcher alone for long enough to send an invite to the Turks for a goodwill naval visit to a Gazan port.

In reality, I suspect that some "very good friends" ( of both Turkey and Israel) will pursuade them that it would not be a good idea, and nothing will come of it.

What is far more likely is that the more unruly elements in Lebanon will once again make that small provocation that results in Israel losing its military nuts in both South Lebanon and Gaza.

ps yes there have been several minor edits to this - all on the one day.