Does The Media Know The Goal Of #Flotilla2?

The New York Times, for one, does not seem absolutely sure.

The New York Times apparently describes the purpose of the second Flotilla from sailing:

The departure of a pro-Palestinian flotilla of international ships with plans to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza has been delayed, in large part due to the efforts of an Israeli advocacy group, both sides said Tuesday.


...Ten ships are slated to head toward Gaza this week, in a challenge to Israel’s naval embargo of the Palestinian coastal strip governed by Hamas, the militant group that opposes Israel’s right to exist. All the vessels are insured and have been certified as seaworthy, said Adam Shapiro, a coordinator and spokesman for the flotilla.[emphasis added]

So it seems clear that the goal of the Flotilla is to actually break the blockade--an act that would be more than just symbolic: according to international law, if the blockade cannot be maintained, it must be removed. There is no such thing as a partial blockade.

Of course, the fact that the Flotilla is making a point of going by boat and not through Egypt by land--which is a real option--only supports this view of the flotilla's purpose.

And yet in the same article, we read:

Flotilla activists, however, say their intentions are only to assist the civil population in Gaza and not to express support for any particular Palestinian political group.

No agenda, no support for any group--just showing humanitarian support for Gazans, although breaking the blockade will directly help a terrorist group named Hamas.

This same conflicting story can be found in the US contingent of the flotilla. In their "letter to Obama", they write:

In addition to 36 passengers, 4 crew, and 10 members of the press, our boat will carry thousands of letters of support and friendship from people throughout the U.S. to the women, children and men of Gaza. There will be no weapons of any sort on board. We will carry no goods of any kind for delivery in Gaza. Our mission is from American civil society to the civil society of Gaza. We do not serve the agenda of any political leadership, government or group. We are engaged solely in non-violent action in support of the Palestinian people and their human rights.

At least the other boats claim they are bringing aid--not so the American group which has no pretext at all for insisting on going through the blockage, other than to break it.

That, again, makes their claim that they "do not serve the agenda of any political leadership, government or group" all that much more ludicrous, since breaking the blockade directly benefits Hamas--particularly in making it that much easier for the terrorist group to obtain arms.

And yet the media will insist till the very end that when it comes to the flotilla, "their intentions are only to assist the civil population in Gaza."

Technorati Tag: Israel and Gaza Flotilla.