The delegitimization war against Israel is at bottom a war on the truth itself. Two examples illustrate the dementia that has overcome many Western elites. The first is a short Pajamas Media video by Richard Landes showing the large quantities of food and medicine that are sitting on Gaza’s borders, waiting to be delivered — if only Hamas would let them in. Israel is awash in foreign correspondents whose job is to place the conflict under a microscope; why are none of them interested in these kinds of facts?
The second is the continued emergence of irrefutable evidence that a violent confrontation was exactly what the flotilla planners intended. The latest is a video taken on the Mavi Marmara before the hostilities broke out that records, in the background, two “peace activists” talking openly about the impending violence:
Voice A: “They get held hostage or they get chucked off”
Voice B: “Chucked off?”
Voice A: “They get chucked off — they get thrown off.”A few minutes later, Voice A explains things further for Voice B:
Voice A: “These guys … these Turks … they’re not like us … [we] come from an easy life … [they are not] just on a boat to Gaza … they’re always ready for these things.”
After a pause, Voice B expresses his concern, which is dismissed by Voice A:
Voice B: “So they’re ready to fight?”
Voice A: “Whatever happens.”
You’d think this kind of thing would be headline news for all those who gave this story blockbuster treatment in its opening hours, when it was gleefully assumed in enlightened quarters everywhere that Israeli commandos had savagely massacred dozens of extremely peaceful humanitarian activists.
Yes, the Israelis are terrible at handling these crises, are incapable of staying ahead of fast-moving events, and lack competence in basic PR. But “optics” and proactive media relations only get you so far when the international media and the “international community” are so dedicated to manufacturing a false reality. As David Brog noted recently, Israel is guilty until proven guilty. So why even try?
