Talksport Report; Gaza Flotilla Incident

A brief round-up of last night’s Talksport radio phone-in – which attracted oodles of calls about Israel and the attack on the Gaza flotilla.

I set out my stall from the start; without seeking to excuse or justify the slaughter of ten members of the aid convoy taking supplies to Gaza, I asked – has the outside world done enough to understand Israel’s paranoia?

This is a country which was born out of the ashes of the Holocaust, and is surrounded by enemies. In the 72 years since the Jewish state was founded it has been the subject of frequent attacks by its neighbours.

In this context, can’t we at least understand why they might be a bit trigger happy – especially if the the “charity workers” are wielding staves?

One caller reckoned the brouhaha caused by the incident was down to anti semitism pure and simple; another argued that by sending commandos onto the boat, Israel was guilty of piracy, and had effectively declared war on Turkey.

It’s interesting to note that it’s Israeli atrocities which seem to provoke Britain’s Muslims to demonstrate; I was moved to ask, where were they when North Korea torpedoed a South Korean ship? Or when Iran strung up teenage homosexuals?

There is a dynamic to this story, and others about Israel, that go beyond simply allegations of human rights abuses.

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