Don't Lift the Blockade, Says.... Guess Who?

Mahmoud Abbas.

One of the points that Abbas raised is that the naval blockade imposed by Israel on the Strip should not be lifted at this stage. The European diplomats said Egypt has made it clear to Israel, the U.S and the European Union that it is also opposes the lifting of the naval blockade because of the difficulty in inspecting the ships that would enter and leave the Gaza port.

This can be read more than one way. The article would have us believe that Abbas is aware the lifting the blockade of Gaza will be a victory for Hamas, which is the last thing he wants. (Ditto the Egyptians). It's also possible, however, that Abbas is enjoying the damage the blockade is doing to Israel, and wouldn't want that to end, either.

The significance of the story is not that it won't be reported prominently anywhere else, but rather that it is being reported in Israel. There's a long-term and fundamental dissonance between how Israelis understand the world, and how it's routinely reported everywhere else. This dissonance is the cumulative result of decades of different narratives: the one about the world Israelis know they live in, and the imaginary fabrication most external observers tell themselves about.

(thanks AKUS)