Khaled Amayreh writes in Jerusalem

While its propaganda machine ramped up to full pace following its attack on the Gaza humanitarian convoy, the truth of Israel's brutality is hard to conceal.

The Israeli government has embarked on a disinformation campaign to justify its act of piracy against the ships carrying humanitarian goods to Gazans starving for the fourth successive year under Israel's illegal blockade.

The activists, representing more than 40 nationalities, were bringing humanitarian materials included powdered milk, wheelchairs and a symbolic shipment of cement and other building materials to help Gazans rebuild homes destroyed during Israel's onslaught on the coastal territory more than 18 months ago.

Israel's alleged that the Gaza Freedom Flotilla activists were "terrorists" and agents of Al-Qaeda and Hamas and that the ships were crammed with weapons and war materiel destined for Hamas.

All leading Israeli officials, from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to Foreign Ministry operatives as well as a phalanx of spokespersons speaking in different languages spread the disinformation. Much of the Western media acted -- using the words of one British journalist -- as mere stenographers for the Israeli propaganda machine.

Netanyahu claimed during an impromptu press conference Monday that, "our soldiers were acting in self defence." Reporters and others listening to him were given the impression that it was the Israeli naval forces, not the Gaza Freedom Flotilla aid workers, which came under attack. Netanyahu went on to claim that Israel had no problem with the people of Gaza, ignoring the killing and maiming of thousands of Gazan civilians and the utter destruction of thousands of homes, mosques and other public facilities during last year's war on the besieged territory.

"Our policy was and will continue to be that Israel will let humanitarian aid, any kind of goods that are meant for peace, in for the civilian population of Gaza. We have no problems with the people of Gaza. We do have a conflict with the terrorist regime of Hamas, supported by Iran. We want to maintain a situation where we prevent weapons and war materiel from coming into Gaza and allowing humanitarian aid to go to the population of Gaza."

The suggestion that the Gaza convoy was carrying weapons or war materiel to Hamas was ridiculed by Huweida Arraf, one of the organisers, as "a pornographic lie that shouldn't be dignified by commenting on it." Another organiser reached by Al-Ahram Weekly said: "I think the prime minister knows deep in his heart that what he is saying is a lie, yet he keeps lying."

The charade was apparently stage managed by Danny Ayalon, Israel's deputy foreign minister who earlier this year humiliated the Turkish ambassador to avenge mounting Turkish criticisms of Israeli repression of Palestinians. A visibly tense Ayalon used the words "terrorists" numerous times in reference to the flotilla activists, claiming that Israel was only defending itself against "this armada of hate and violence".

Ayalon also labelled the multinational aid mission as a "violent and provocative attempt to break the blockade on Gaza," as if the starving 1.5 million innocent Palestinian civilians was a perfectly moral act while attempts by peace activists, including some Jewish participants, to break the cruel siege was criminal.

It is unlikely, though, that the Israeli hasbara or propaganda campaign will meet with much success, with the exception of the US.

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By Khaled Amayreh in occupied Jerusalem, Source: Ahram Weekly: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/index.htm