It's time to expel Israel from the UN

By ESSA BIN MOHAMMED AL ZEDJALI | ARAB NEWS

It's time to expel Israel from the UN

Without doubt, the Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound "Freedom Flotilla" in the dawn of Monday, May 31, 2010 is one of the most savage crimes in recent history.

It seems the ruling power in Tel Aviv has been afflicted with a variant of mad cow disease; otherwise, how could it be so cruel to unleash such a beastly raid on the "Mavi Marmara," the Turkish flagship of a flotilla carrying medical and humanitarian supplies to the hapless people of Gaza Strip?

There were no weapons or military equipment on board the flotilla as Israel has claimed to justify the brutal crime it committed on the pretext of self-defense. It was as if the flotilla which was carrying some 500 unarmed activists from 40 countries had sailed with the sole aim of invading Israel! Israel should know that untenable excuses such as these won't wash with the international community.

The whole world has denounced the savage Israeli offensive on the "Freedom Flotilla". Masked commandos rapeled on to the Turkish ship's deck from helicopters and carried out a lightning raid shortly before the call for dawn (fajr) prayer. Some 55 helicopters were said to be involved in the operation.

The UN Security Council held an emergency session on June 1, 2010 and invited Lebanon for the meeting to discuss the consequences of the Israeli offensive. The UN Council issued a statement expressing regret for the deaths of peace activists due to the use of extreme force by Israel during the raid which took place in international waters.

It is, however, not the first time that Israel has committed a crime against the Palestinian people; there are over 40 serious crimes Israel has perpetrated during the last 62 years, starting from the massacre of Deir Yassin in 1948 to the invasion of Lebanon in 1982, brutal massacre at Sabra and Shatila, the raid on Qana, the 1996 massacre in Lebanon and the Dec. 27, 2008-Jan. 18, 2009 massive strike on Gaza.

We, the Arabs, demand that the UN Security Council take a serious view of the unjustifiable and unconscionable raid Israel has carried out on the "Freedom Flotilla", impose strict sanctions and push for a resolution to expel the errant and aggression-prone State of Israel from the UN whose laws and conventions are against offensives of all types.

We also appreciate the decision of the Egyptian government to open the Rafah Crossing and allow the Palestinian citizens to transport food and medical supplies.

We also praise the role of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who described Israel as the "State of Pirates" and whose stance on the Palestinian issue was indeed a brave one. This has added to his popularity in the Arab and Muslim world and among the peace-loving countries worldwide. By committing such a crime, Israel has in fact become a state of pirates in the Mediterranean, like the Somali pirates in the Red Sea.

Among the clear atrocities of the Zionist state was the action the Israeli Navy took the other day, when they forcefully banned the Irish aid ship "MV Rachel Corrie" from heading to the Gaza Strip which is under illegal Israeli blockade. The Israeli Navy has also forced the Irish vessel from anchoring at the port of Ashdod in southern Israel.

We hope that Egypt would ignore the current pact on border crossing regulations in view of Israel's unabashed disrespect for all international pacts and laws the moment it starts to perpetrate crimes against the Palestinians and all those who try to help them.

I strongly believe that Israel would not have committed such a crime without the help and approval of the US administration as Israel cannot launch a military operation without green light from Washington.

The incident raises a number of questions, chief of which is how could Israel manage last Monday to unleash attack on "Mavi Marmara", the Turkish flagship of a six-boat convoy, flying the flag of Turkey which is a member country of the NATO. The question demands a convincing answer.