CAMERA Letter Corrects False Assertions on Flotilla in Cape Cod Times

A June 30 letter, “Gaza blockade situation isn’t so black and white,” contained numerous falsehoods concerning Israel. The following information from publicly available sources corrects those falsehoods:

Israel delivers 15,000 tons per week of food, medicine and supplies to UN and other non-Hamas agencies in Gaza. Financial Times correspondent Tobias Buck confirmed first-hand that Gazan stores are well-stocked. Israel offered to deliver all non-contraband aid from the flotilla to Gaza after inspection. The flotilla leaders refused that offer because their central goal according to spokeswoman Greta Berlin was not to deliver goods but to undermine the naval blockade.

The letter writer incorrectly claims no Israeli soldiers were casualties in the incident. Two were seriously hurt, one critically.

Contrary to the letter writer’s assertions, successive Israeli governments have publicly committed to a two-state solution since 1993, and Israel has on more than one occasion offered over 95 percent of the West Bank and all of Gaza to Palestinians in exchange for peace. The Palestinians have rejected the Israeli offers.

Israel does not “pay settlers to confiscate Palestinian land.” In a 1978 ruling (the Elon Moreh case), Israel’s Supreme Court banned settlement building on Palestinian land.

Israel established a naval blockade of Gaza in 2007 to stop Iran and Syria from delivering rockets and munitions to Hamas. Last November the Israeli navy intercepted an Iranian boat, the Francop, loaded with rockets and munitions.

Steven Stotsky

Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America

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