ISRAEL'S WITHDRAWAL FROM GAZA - FIVE YEARS LATER

Five years ago, in August of 2005, Israel began pulling completely out of Gaza in an effort to hand control over to the Palestinians; it was an attempt at peace. Here we are in August of 2010 and not only is Gaza now controlled by Hamas, which continues launching rockets into Israel but another part of the arrangement was that Israel would control the coastline. Currently, Israel is under pressure to end the blockade that does just that. That pressure is coming from many sources and the Obama administration doesn't seem the least bit interested in alleviating any of it.

Let's go back to a Washington Post article from August 10th, 2005.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the withdrawal was to increase security of residents of Israel, relieve pressure on the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and reduce friction between Israelis and Palestinians. Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, claims that the withdrawal is the result of violent Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation.

If Hamas operated under the assumption then that Israel was giving up Gaza because of "resistance" from Hamas, why wouldn't Hamas operate under the same assumption with respect to the Israeli blockade? Further emboldening them in this regard is that longtime Obama friend Rashid Khalidi, a man with ties to the extremely anti-Israeli PLO, is attempting to coordinate another flotilla with the sole purpose of breaking that blockade.

Aaron Klein reports at RBO:

Khalidi and other Obama associates are members of an American effort to raise $370,000 to finance the purchase of a U.S. ship in an effort to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. The tentative title of the ship is “The Audacity of Hope,” the namesake of Obama’s autobiography.

So now that Obama's friends and associates are actively attempting to subvert the conditions of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, the U.S. president as well as his Attorney General don't seem all that interested in pursuing a legal course of action.

Back to the 2005 Wapo piece:

The Israeli government expects the withdrawal will reduce Palestinian attacks on Jewish citizens. The Israeli Foreign Ministry says that the withdrawal shows that Israel is willing to make significant concessions for peace.

It's pretty safe to say that was a faulty premise. The man who knew that then, Benjamin Netanyahu, resigned in protest at the time and is now the Prime Minister. If he knew in 2005 what should be obvious to the world in 2010, then he must also know that caving to pressure to end the blockade will yield similar results.

Back to Klein's piece at RBO. Since Hamas is identified by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organization and Obama's friend, Rashid Khalidi is attempting to provide the group support in the form of a boat named after one of Obama's books, does that not make Khalidi guilty of a crime? If it does, Holder is unlikely to pursue it, adding yet another black mark to his already disturbing record. Klein refers to a piece written by Andrew McCarthy at National Review:

McCarthy argues the Justice Department, under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, could investigate Khalidi and other flotilla organizers for providing material support to Hamas, which is designated by the State Department as a terrorist organization.

Jonathan Schanzer points out at the Weekly Standard that according to a Supreme Court decision in June, Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, the prohibition against material support to terrorists can apply even when the offerings are not money or weapons.

HERE is the link to Schanzer's article.

Lastly, ain't it interesting that Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, and now ANOTHER early founder of the Weather Underground has supported the Free Gaza Movement, a group actively involved in attempts to aid Hamas in the breaking of the Blockade. Again, from Klein:

Khalidi, meanwhile, is not the only Obama associate involved in the Gaza flotilla effort.

WND found that another signatory to the American flotilla project is Naomi Esther Jaffe, who founded the Weatherman terrorist organization along with Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn. Jaffe engaged in fundraising efforts for Obama’s presidential campaign, even advertising a “Yoga for Obama” event on Obama’s campaign website.

Ayers and Dorhn themselves have been leaders of efforts to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

It would seem that we have yet another case in which the Eric Holder led Department of Justice is selectively choosing which laws it will enforce and, as in the New Black Panther Party case, Obama's supporters and / or friends are the ones not brought to justice.

h/t to WND