Melanie Phillips Poses a Question

Ms. P. casts a baleful glance at the flotilla ruckus:

So let’s get this right. Israel kills Islamic terrorists who are trying to lynch its soldiers by clubbing them to death, stabbing them with massive knives and firebombing them – and according to Sir Jeremy Greenstock, this shows that Israel must now start talking to Hamas, an Islamic terrorist organisation which is committed to the destruction of Israel and the genocide of the Jews. In other words, when attacked by Islamists waging war on the free world, the correct response is to give in. This was of course the British response right from the start of Arab violence against Jews returning to the Land of Israel in the 1920s – a policy of appeasing terror and punishing its victims that the British continue to this day.

The only consequence of Sir Jeremy Greenstock’s profoundly stupid and craven comment is to strengthen Hamas and weaken not just Israel but all in the region who rightly fear it – such as Egypt. Egypt’s rightful fear of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood is why it maintains a true blockade of Gaza, refusing to allow through any humanitarian aid – unlike Israel, which lets through thousands of tons of aid every week. Yet Sir Jeremy Greenstock was strangely silent about this. Repeating the lie that Gaza was starving, he did not call upon Egypt to lift its blockade of Gaza, only Israel. Why the double standard, Sir Jeremy?...

I'm pretty sure that one's rhetorical, since Melanie of all people is well aware of the answer.