From Democracy Now, an interview with the Israeli consul-general. I’ve cut out a lot of the talking points, and this is what you get:
AMY GOODMAN: Is Greece working with the Israeli government in stopping the flotilla from taking off?
IDO AHARONI: Look, I’m not familiar with the details of what is happening exactly between, as you know, I am positioned here in the United States, and I can tell you that we are very happy on the public position taken by a number of countries in Europe as well as the U.S. administration that contends that the very idea of flotilla is a provocation, unneeded one, illegitimate one.
JUAN GONZALEZ: Consul General, this issue, the statements that financial links have been uncovered between Hamas and the flotilla organizers, could you elaborate on that?
IDO AHARONI: Well, I don’t know enough details on that as well…
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to ask you about the Israeli newspaper Maariv, which quoted several unnamed members of Israel’s security cabinet as saying the army’s claims were media spin and public relations hysteria, saying security cabinet ministers were given no such information when they were briefed on the flotilla this week. That is, information about arms, about chemical use that’s expected, anything like that.
IDO AHARONI: I don’t really know, what more do you need than the living proof of 45,000 rockets shelled on to innocent civilians, children, women, the elderly?…
JUAN GONZALEZ: Consul General, the organizers of the flotilla have raised these issues that several of their ships have been sabotaged, and they believe that Israel would be the only one who would be interested in doing that and they believe Israel is behind it. Can you say publicly that Israel has not been involved in any kind of sabotage attempts on these ships?
IDO AHARONI: Look, this is the most irrelevant question, whether the ships were sabotaged or not. The entire idea of the flotilla is unneeded, not necessary, and it is not legitimate. ..
AMY GOODMAN: So, Consul General, you are not denying responsibility for sabotaging these boats?
IDO AHARONI: Well, I don’t know the details. I have no idea what the organizers are claiming. I haven’t seen any of those claims, but I can tell you that the whole idea of the flotilla is unnecessary, and we have no interest in dealing with it, and hopefully the flotilla will not leave to be on its way to Israel.
AMY GOODMAN: Let me ask you another question and it’s about the journalists. The Israeli government has said that journalists who cover the flotilla will be banned from Israel for 10 years. Why?
IDO AHARONI: I think that this statement was reversed by the government, which issued another statement that journalists are welcome to board the ship we have nothing to hide.
AMY GOODMAN: So, will they not be arrested? We have our own journalists on board, our reporters are there in Athens and planning to board the ship. They will not be arrested? Do we have these guarantees, and their equipment, our cameras, will not be confiscated?
IDO AHARONI: Again, I don’t know the details. I guess that the people that will board the ship probably have to find information themselves. I can tell you that based on the statements of the Israeli government released, the Israeli press is more than welcome to cover the actions of the Israeli navy.
AMY GOODMAN: National press, not just Israeli press?
IDO AHARONI: You asked me about a statement that is part of the Israeli Press and a statement that was issued by the Israeli government. It’s part of the Israeli press and as the Prime Minister’s office clarified this decision was reversed and the media is more than welcome to, we’re operating in full transparency.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to follow up on a point you just made about what happened in November of 2008. An official Israeli government publication, the Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, reported, “Hamas was careful to maintain the cease-fire” and only fired rockets at Israel “in retaliation,” after Israel broke the cease-fire on November 4th. This is an Israeli government publication.
IDO AHARONI: Well, I want to tell you something. You don’t really have to do more than just look at the Hamas Charter, this is an organization that openly calls for the annihilation of the state of Israel….
AMY GOODMAN: But the people on board the ship are people like the 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, Hedy Epstein, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Alice Walker, the well known labor lawyer Richard Levy, and others. These are the people who say that they are trying to challenge the blockade of Gaza, which brings me to this question, Consul General. Is Gaza occupied by Israel?
IDO AHARONI: The people that participate in this flotilla have to know what they’re doing and which organization they are endorsing and Hamas is a terrorist organization that totally negates the goals of the Palestinian national movement and our idea of a two state solution. …
AMY GOODMAN: But just that follow up on, is Israel occupying Gaza? Because it goes to the issue of whosw waters are off of the coast of Gaza? Does Israel have the right to intervene there?
IDO AHARONI: The reality on the ground is very simple, the facts are very simple. In August of 2005, the government of the state of Israel put an end to thousands of households in [inaudible] that practically handed over the keys to Gaza. Hamas, instead of turning it into an oasis, turned it into a safe haven for terrorists. It is something that no government, including the Israeli government, should accept. Thank you so much and have a great day.
AMY GOODMAN: Thank you very much for joining us. We have just been speaking with the Consul General of Israel in New York, Ido Aharoni.
