Academic describes Gaza flotilla as “ship of fools”

Dr Paul Moon, Professor of History at Auckland University of Technology, has condemned the Gaza flotilla which illegally tried to breach Israeli waters yesterday, as “a ship of fools.” He is particularly critical of Green MP Marama Davidson, whom he says seems to have very little understanding of the geopolitical situation in the region:

“The entire event has the appearance of a cheap media stunt. The protesters have deliberately breached the Oslo Accords, International maritime law, and domestic Israeli law, and have resorted to melodramatic language to dramatize what has been a mundane end to their protest.”

When taken to safety by the Israeli Navy, Ms Davidson described this action as a “kidnap,” and herself as a “hostage.” While Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei claimed that Davidson “put her body on the line” during the protest.

“The whole protest as the air of a schoolyard prank about it,” says Professor Moon, “and the protestors’ alarmist language does not conceal the failure of their venture.”

Professor Moon also points out that the protestors’ support for the “indigenous Palestinians” is a highly selective and imbalanced position, as they seem to have no matching concern for the indigenous population of Israel.

“Perhaps the greatest irony of this episode,” say Professor Moon, “is that while the Israeli Defence Forces were taking these anti-Israeli protesters to safety, Palestinians in Gaza launched a rocket attack against Israeli civilians. The actions of Ms Davidson and her colleagues have been an embarrassment to Parliament, and have exposed her and her party’s very weak understanding of the history of the region.”

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