Tom Rose Defends Israel, Goes After Imus

Former Jerusalem Post Publisher Tom Rose does not host an 8-hour long radio program on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, as Imus’s incorrect reading of Rose’s bio would lead people to believe. He can, however, talk extemporaneously, which he did this morning about the Israeli raid of Turkish ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, in which ten people were killed.

“This is what happens after 30 years of global apology tours,” said Rose, an ardent supporter of Israel. “You get global bloodlust.”

Apologies, he added, “have led to a situation where Israel defends its Gaza border by boarding a ship filled with Hamas terror supporters.”

Rose likened this provocation of Israel by its detractors to a schoolyard bully. “If you don’t stand up to bullies, the bullying increases,” he said. “Bullies aren’t placated by apologies; they’re encouraged to bully more.”

Regretfully quoting “that great theologian” Osama Bin Laden, Rose said, “People like winners. I think that’s the problem. Israel thinks it can improve its standing in the world by showing again and again and again how little it does to defend itself. And that just provokes more attack.”

Imus wondered how Israel “got suckered into” storming the ship and killing ten people on the flotilla’s sixth attempt in two-and-a-half years to break Israel’s blockade of supplies to Gaza.

“In typical Jewish fashion, I will answer a question with another question,” said Rose. “What could Israel have done? What should Israel have done?”

Israel has received no plaudits, he pointed out, for allowing the first five flotillas to break the blockade unharmed. “Of course they should have been better prepared, that can always be said,” Rose added, referring to Israel. “The Allies should have been better prepared for D-Day. War is filled with uncertainty, filled with unanswerable questions.”

Rose doubts the likelihood of Turkey’s Navy escorting the next flotilla to Gaza, as has been reported. If they do, however, he predicted the outcome would be either war, or a coup by the Turkish Army to overthrow the Islamist government there.

At the end of the day, he believes Israel is being attacked for a self-defense that will never be justified. As for claims that the flotilla was unarmed, Rose sort of laughed and said, “Is an iron bar an arm? Are sharp, serrated knives? Gloves? Baseball bats?”

When Imus protested that he meant armed with munitions, Rose had a suggestion: “You get hammered with a metal bar, and tell us it’s not an arm or a weapon.”

We’re sure there’d be plenty of able-bodied volunteers to aid in this experiment.

-Julie Kanfer