The Nimitz class Super-Carrier USS TRUMAN ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Truman
.... and "at least" 10 other US warships passed through Egypt's Suez Canal from the Indian Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea, arriving off the coast of Israel and Gaza today.
Iran has threatened to send Iranian warships to accompany future "activist" ships attempting to illegally break the naval quarantine (blockade) of Gaza imposed by BOTH EGYPT AND Israel to prevent weapons from entering Gaza.
So it appears that the United States is seeking to nip such a confrontation in the bud. Although Obama is no friend of Israel, he appears to have enough sense to know that the presence of a US aircraft carrier off of Gaza WILL AVOID THE WHOLE PROBLEM (hopefully) by discouraging such confrontation.
While I don't believe Obama has Israel's best interest at heart, Obama does not want headlines that harm Obama's agenda and his coalition of liberal voters that include America's Jewish community.
"NO news is GOOD news" out of the Middle East, I believe is Obama's strategy in sending the USS Truman into the Mediterranean.
If Gaza is re-supplied with weapons, and attacks on Israel resume, ISRAEL WOULD BE FORCED TO RESPOND BY RE-ENTERING GAZA WITH TANKS & TROOPS
Thus keeping weapons out of Gaza preserves peace and protects lives, and Egypt for 3 years was whole-heartedly supporting the continued disarmament of bloodthirsty barbarians in Gaza.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/138164
Published: 06/20/10, 5:37 PM / Last Update: 06/20/10, 6:08 PM
US, Israel Warships in Suez May Be Prelude to Faceoff with Iran
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Follow Israel news on Twitter and Facebook.
Egypt allowed at least one Israeli and 11 American warships to pass through the Suez Canal as an Iranian flotilla approaches Gaza. Egypt closed the canal to protect the ships with thousands of soldiers, according to the British-based Arabic language newspaper Al Quds al-Arabi.
One day prior to the report on Saturday, Voice of Israel government radio reported that the Egyptian government denied an Israeli request not to allow the Iranian flotilla to use the Suez Canal to reach Gaza, in violation of the Israeli sea embargo on the Hamas-controlled area.
International agreements require Egypt to keep the Suez open even for warships, but the armada, led by the USS Truman with 5,000 sailors and marines, was the largest in years. Egypt closed the canal to fishing and other boats as the armada moved through the strategic passageway that connects the Red and Mediterranean Seas.
Despite Egypt’s reported refusal to block the canal to Iranian boats, the clearance for the American-Israeli fleet may be a warning to Iran it may face military opposition if the Iranian Red Crescent ship continues on course to Gaza.
The warships may exercise the right to inspect the Iranian boat for the illegal transport or weapons. Newsweek reported that Egyptian authorities could stop the ship for weeks, using technicalities such as requiring that any official documents be translated from Farsi into Arabic.
The magazine’s website also reported that the Iranian navy is the weakest part of its armed forces. Tehran has already backed down from announced intentions to escort the Iranian ships with "volunteer marines” from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The Iranian news site Hamsayeh.net reported, “The move might be in connection to U.S. self-inflicted embargo against Iran aimed at inspecting Iran bound ships for suspected goods related to the country’s nuclear program.”
Another battle on the high seas may involve one, and possibly two, Lebanese vessels that are aimed at challenging Israel’s sovereignty over the Gaza coastal waters. Hizbullah, gearing up for a reaction to a possible clash between the Israeli Navy (pictured) and the Lebanese boats, has delayed rocket units near Lebanese ports, according to unofficial military sources.
Israel has warned U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Israel will use force, if necessary, to stop the boats, one of which is carrying approximately 70 women passengers and crew organized by Hizbullah support Samar al-Hajj. Her husband is one of several jailed suspects involved in the assassination for former Lebanese anti-Syrian Prime Rafik Hariri.
Hizbullah has denied it is connected with the Lebanese flotilla, but it has been reported that Al Hajj met with Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah last month. (IsraelNationalNews.com)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
We welcome and believe in an open exchange of ideas, even from those who disagree. However, remember that even minor children can find these websites on the internet. You must use language and arguments suitable for audiences of all ages. Please focus on ideas, facts, and arguemnts, not on personal attacks.