Revising the Narrative

On May 31, 2010, Israeli military forces attacked a convoy of humanitarian ships in international waters. Bound for the Gaza Strip, the ships were loaded with food, wheelchairs, books, toys, electric generators, medicines, and building materials prohibited under the Israeli blockade of Gaza, such as cement. Prior to the voyage, the convoy’s organizers had taken extraordinary steps to demonstrate utter transparency regarding the cargo and passengers on board the ships. Great lengths were taken to ensure that not a single weapon or offensive device was present – absolutely nothing that would offer Israel the pretext it most certainly desired to justify a large-scale confrontation. Predictably, however, these precautionary measures were completely ignored.

The circumstances of the Israeli attack are well documented. At 4:30 in the morning, under the cover of night, military forces surrounded the lead ship in the convoy using helicopters and small boats. Automatic weapons opened fire from above as soldiers rappelled from helicopters onto the top deck. In the following minutes, nine of the passengers aboard were shot and killed, some of them at point blank range. Many more were injured. Every one of the 600+ members of the convoy was detained, in some cases beaten, stripped of all belongings and recording equipment, and eventually deported back to their home countries. A small percentage of the aid originally destined for Gaza was later delivered, with most of it destroyed, lost, or gone to waste (as in the case of cases of expired medicines).

What most stands out about this remarkable incident is the fact that it has been so readily accepted and endorsed by western populations. Canadian and American media outlets were quick to put their spin on the story, following the ridiculous line that the Israeli attack was somehow defensive. One need only imagine the roles in this account reversed, however, to see the utter hypocrisy of the verdict. Imagine, for a moment, that an Israeli passenger or cargo ship was attacked from the air by Turkish, Palestinian, or Iranian military forces in international waters. Imagine further that nine Jews were killed in the aftermath, some of them in apparent execution style. Not only would the incident be utterly condemned by all corners of society, it would almost certainly be considered a provocation worthy of a military response. Headlines would scream for blood. Turkey – or Gaza – or Iran – or whoever the perpetrator might be - would be roundly condemned as a rogue state that must be punished.

Yet in the actual narrative, Israel is not the victim but the aggressor. The nine individuals who lost their lives were Turkish. The hundreds of others who were abused, detained, interrogated, and deported were from a host of other nations. And the real loser in this story, the Gazan citizens and communities that make up the largest refugee population on earth, were deprived of much needed humanitarian aid.

Sadly, the flotilla attack was not the first incident of its kind to occur in recent memory. Just the year before, in January of 2009, the Israeli military initiated what can only be properly described as a massacre. Over a period of weeks, Israel destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Gazan infrastructure. Schools, hospitals, police stations, flour mills, universities, power stations, roads, and other critical fixtures were levelled to the ground by hundreds of bombing sorties. Even worse, 1,400 Palestinians were killed - including over 400 children. Young Israeli soldiers later complained about the lack of actual engagement with anything resembling an armed enemy, comparing the bombardment of Gaza to the work of a child using a magnifying glass to burn up ants.

These incidents, and others like them, can only occur (and will continue to occur) with the approval of Canada and the United States. With Canada’s unquestioning diplomatic support and American financial contributions, Israel has the wherewithal to withstand criticism from much of the rest of the world. It can continue to act with impunity, smug in the knowledge that angry responses provoked by its bullying will only reinforce the false image of Israel as victim, justifying further military aggression.

Clearly, the time has come for the Canadian public to re-examine its popular understanding of Israel. Stereotypes and narratives aside, it is time for this nation to be judged by its actions like any other. Few countries in the world would be allowed to abuse its neighbours as badly as Israel has and go unchallenged. Few countries in the world would be allowed to assault humanitarian ships in international waters, carpet bomb captive communities, and collectively punish 1.5 million people through economic strangulation. With the world’s fourth most powerful military and the only country in the Middle East to possess an arsenal of nuclear weapons, Israel is not the region’s victim but its bully.

Blissfully content in their ignorance, the North American public has played along with a romantic but inaccurate narrative for far too long. If the modern state of Israel could ever be called a victim, it certainly can be no longer. It is time for courageous men and women to stand up and call Israel to account. The narrative requires revision.