It all had the tragic and predictable outcome of an ancient Greek play that, despite being staged 1,000 times before, yet again evoked powerful emotions amongst its intended audiences.

For certain, the pro- and anti-Israel crowds – Jews and gentiles – took expected stands after Monday’s deadly debacle in the Mediterranean. During it, at least nine people died on a ship in a once Gaza-bound relief flotilla, one staffed by humanitarian activists who pummeled Israeli commandoes seemingly more prepared to disperse an impolite crowd than to combat a motivated enemy armed with rudimentary weapons (which still kill).

But in a subdued manner, many American Jews with whom I spoke were left grappling with what to think, how to respond and to where it would lead.

They were angry at Israel for messing up the mission – which is undeniable. They were frustrated by not having a meaningful message that spoke to them. And they were uninterested in the knee-jerk protectionism they heard from many Jewish groups and leaders. In short, they were not – and have not for a long time – been willing to accept without questions the standard pro-Israel rhetoric.

Mind you, some of them forget that such responses are actually needed in a world where so many people are far less understanding of the nuanced brutality Israel faces. Likewise, in eying the criticism from within Israel itself, much of the globe does not see in context the intense and time-honored soul-searching so intrinsic to Jewish life, which has a rhythm that beats to the notion of collective fate because, after all, we do have a history.

As this ongoing mess continues to unfold – one of which at this writing could indeed trigger the third intifadah Palestinians and others have warned of in recent years – here is some context to consider.

While I do not have a military background, it seems hard to argue that this mission’s planners had prepared their troops for every contingency. It’s fair to question why more soldiers were not sent to the ship at once, why non-lethal stun grenades were not used and why simple techniques – say nets dropped from above on protestors—could not have ended the situation more quickly.

Tuesday morning quarterbacking for sure, but Palestinians and humanitarian activists already pledge repeat scenarios in the coming weeks. After all, from their perspective all worked beautifully (although the families of those killed would disagree).

Look at the plusses from the organizers’ perspective: In addition to the waterfall of anti-Israel publicity, the Egyptians “indefinitely” ended their complicity in blockading Gaza (which saw quiet coordination with Israel); Turkey has new respect in the Arab world for aiding the Palestinian cause; other European nationals were wounded; and the United Nations fulfilled its ever-present desire to rush through an anti-Israel resolution.

Where does this leave us as American Jews? After all, part of our raison d’etre is to defend the Jewish state. And we are in fact commanded to remind the world of a double-standard regarding the Third Jewish Commonwealth. Indeed, last week U.S. State Department Hannah Rosenthal informed a Baltimore audience that in the last five years the U.N. Human Rights Commission has passed about 170 resolutions condemning the Jewish state– and five on Iran and Sudan.

If that’s balance, I’m a ballerina.

So what’s next?

Be prepared to hear of this situation for some time. It’s oats for the troughs of the United Nations. The Palestinians will make it the latest chapter in their ongoing saga against “the facist, apartheid Israel.” That could resonate loudly on the Arab/Muslim streets – and in a few other neighborhoods as well.

So what can we do? Explanations are nice, but not enough. We need to push for an U.S.-led investigation, one not stacked against Israel as was the U.N.’s Goldstone Commission, but run in consultation with – not giving veto power to – the Europeans.

And we need to not avoid this sensitive matter with Christian and Muslim allies in local and national dialogues. We need conversations, not public fiascos.

And at day’s end, were are left with this: Israel had warned of a confrontation. Israel had planned for a confrontation. And yet, Israel was not fully prepared and people died. That’s a failure of intelligence, creativity and action.

And it hurts.

(To respond to this column if you are not reading it at http://www.jewishtimes.com, click here http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/neilrubin/gaza_flotilla_flotsam/ and then click on “Comments” at the bottom of the page. Thank you.)

“To them. we are nothing more than “driers,””

Sorry about the typo.  the word “driers” should be “friers.”

Good Shabbos

“Where does this leave us as American Jews? After all, part of our raison d’etre is to defend the Jewish state. And we are in fact commanded to remind the world of a double-standard regarding the Third Jewish Commonwealth.”

Since when do American Jews have any sort of duty to defend Israel?  None of us (except for those with official dual citizenship) have any political allegiance to the regime in Jerusalem, which, by the way, we had no voice in selecting.  The Israeli government, by its actions, sure shows that they don’t care about Jews in the Diaspora, it sees us merely as a source of political support, money, and olim.  To them. we are nothing more than “driers,” useful idiots that help them on their unsustainable course. I see absolutely no reason why we should support the actions of the Israeli government on this matter, especially when you can read columns in the Israeli press written by people with plenty of Zionist credibility who aren’t afraid to rake their incompetent government over the coals about this incident.

As American Jews, we need to grow up and stop depending on the State of Israel as a crutch to support our Jewish identity.  The kind of Jewish life and society that is being created in the State of Israel is the total antithesis to the Jewish life that we American Jews are trying to build.  Basically, Israel is nothing more than a large ghetto, and who wants to live in a ghetto?  As far as I’m concerned, I’ve always thought that one of the main reasons for our existence as Jews was to be a light to the nations.  Our Jewish life needs to be focused more on Torah ethics (and ritual life, too) and less on power politics.  Yes, I have a sentimental attachment to my fellow Jews in the Land of Israel, our historic homeland, but I’m totally turned off by the second rate corrupt politicians in Jerusalem.

Insistence that American Jews push for a US led investigation because it would be impartial is way, way off the mark and totally naive. International waters..blah, blah blah, every country uses it’s coast guard like the US to inspect ships in international waters - this is a silly argument and not the point. Was Israel supposed to wait until it entered it’s own waters? No country would allow that! The events that created this situation is Turkey’s alignement with Syria,Iran Hizbollah and Hamas.We have nothing to apologize for it wasn’t Israel’s mistake - it is totally legal to stop ships in the high seas if they are on the way to your coast line and and have hostile elements on board. Israel has enough missiles being launched at it from Gaza and has the right to do whatever it takes to stop more from being smuggled into Gaza. There is no humanitarian issue in Gaza - they are not suffering. This is just an excuse to bombard Israel. As for The US president - with friends like Obama who needs enemies. Netanyahu stated the reality from Israel very clearly - we have to have a blockade on Gaza because our enemies our trying to turn Gaza into a mini-Iran and to survive Israel has to stop them. The mistake here is not that ten blood thirsty muslim terrorists died - it is that Israel’s enemies are succeeding in driving a wedge between the US and Israel. Obama’s continuing pressure on Israel and anti-Israel pro-Arab pro-muslim position should be a wake-up call to US citizens who care about America & American Jewry to pressure Obama into changing his policies, to weaken him and then to vote him and his ilk out of the White House and out of Congress as soon as there are elections.

Thank you for giving voice to the feelings I’ve had. Many of us who support Israel are wondering if the nation’s reliance on xenophobia and millitarism is self-defeating. Israel may have been technically “correct” in this incident, but if they were set up, they fell into the trap. One columinist cited the old saying, “if your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.”

I do not think those who uncritically back Israel in every matter are doing them any favors.

Steve, I hear you—but they weren’t all terrorists or associated with terrorists, even though they may all have been naive. We have to show some sympathy for actual suffering while putting the events that created it in context.

Also, Israel should have waited to operate in Israeli territorial waters and not international ones—giving its enemies the chance to say that this is international piracy. We’re not privy to the operations decisions so I’m assuming there was a reason why it was done where it was done, but I have yet to find an explanation on it.

Perhaps the place to start is with the facts themselves.  This was not, as you say, a flotilla staffed with “humanitarian activists.”  Rather, it was organized by the terrorism-linked International Humanitarian Fund (nice name).  It is a virulently anti-American, pro-Hamas radical Islamist group founded in Turkey in 1992 by Bulent Yildirim, and has been linked to the ultra radical Muslim Brotherhood and to al-Qaeda by French, Danish, and US intelligence agencies.  IHH’s purpose is to raise and channel funds to Hamas.  It’s also useful to note that IHH offices in Istanbul had been previously raided by Turkish security services pursuant to which IHH “activists” were arrested.  Explosives, weapons, manuals and documents pertaining to Afghanistan were found. 

Additionally, last week, Cyprus refused to allow the flotilla to enter Cypriot waters and put into port there.  Cyprus further refused to allow small boats to ferry additional persons to the flotilla to join the “peace activists” on the ships.  This is remarkable, in that Cyprus has allowed 7 previous flotillas to have port access.  Apparently, someone in Cyprus had done some research on the flotillas organizers and its likely cargo (which included concrete, that humanitarian staple, for the building of smuggling tunnels).  It seems that the Cypriots are way ahead of the UN and the EU on the true identity of the flotilla’s organizers and its purpose.

Israel had offered to allow the ships to dock in Ashdod and to send the “humanitarian aid” to Gaza after proper inspection.  Is it any wonder why IHH refused these offers and instead chose armed conflict, given their purposes and their likely cargo? 

Finally, it is worth remembering that Israel has every right, under the 1994 Gaza-Jericho accords, to act as it did on Monday.  The relevant portion of the Agreement states, “As part of Israel’s responsibilities for safety and security within the 3 mile Maritime Activity Zones, Israel Navy vessels may sail through these zones, as necessary and without limitations, and may take any measures necessary against vessels suspected of being used for terrorist activities, or for smuggling arms, ammunition, drugs, goods, or for any other illegal activity.”

Every day, in Muslim countries around the world, scores, if not hundreds, of people are killed by Islamic supremacists.  Yet none of this causes the UN to spring into action, nor does it result in European or Muslim “outrage.”  The only explanation for the latest anti-Israel outbursts from the usual suspects is anti-Semitism.  The sooner we acknowledge this, the less hand-wringing we American Jews will need to do.