Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at a press conference aimed at clearing the air following the globally viewed raid of an aid flotilla headed for the Gaza Strip. The controversial events that took place aboard the supposed Gaza bound aid ship two days ago have triggered an angry response from Muslims around the world. The Prime Minister’s primary claim centers on Israel’s right to self-defense from what it sees as a threat from Iran via Gaza bound vessels disguised as aid ships. This claim implies that Israel’s traditional, and only major Muslim ally, Turkey, allowed the flotillas in question to leave port with weaponry destined for transfer from Iran to Gaza’s Hamas leadership. The fact that many innocent Turkish citizens were onboard the vessel when the armed Israeli commandos fell on board from the night sky, has ultimately led to a condemnation of Israel by the entirety of a usually divided Turkish Parliament. It is considered an insult by the parliament and the citizens of Turkey that they are considered to be party to alleged weapons transfer to an internationally recognized terrorist organization. Therefore, despite its passionate claims that these raids are taking place in the name of national security, Israel now faces an increasingly serious predicament in dealing with Hamas, Iran, and now Turkey at sea.
Israel’s policy currently calls for the interception of every vessel headed to the Gaza strip, a tactic which basically amounts to a blockade and headache for those who seek to transfer aid to the innocent people of Gaza. The fact that Hamas uses the humanitarian efforts as cover to smuggle in weaponry is an unfortunate byproduct of the independence of Gaza and the international waters of the Mediterranean. Turkey has every right under international law to send aid to nations it deems in need of its assistance. Israel, by not adhering to these basic rights, has put itself in a position where it is further isolated and surrounded by nations who are weary of its intentions. Though Turkey acknowledges that Iran intends to arm Hamas at Israel’s expense, it will not tolerate the death of its citizens in the name of a perceived threat by Israel. Whether warranted or not, Israel ignored the sovereignty of Gaza at the expense of Turkish lives. By not trusting Turkey to secure its ports and inspect outgoing cargo, Israel is at risk of losing the support of its only true advocate in the Muslim world.
Israel’s predicament at sea further complicates an already tense situation facing the United States and its coalition partners in the region. President Obama, already knee deep in two wars, a recession, and the worst oil spill in the history of mankind, must now help ease tensions between Turkey and Israel. As a key ally in the Middle East, Israel must understand that these kind of events, whether warranted or not, only serve to inflame the radical citizenry and the terrorist groups they seek to control. Hamas is empowered by actions which are perceived as unjust by even Israel’s oldest allies. Going forward, with more aid ships on the way to Gaza, Israel must take a hard look at whether, given its superior military capabilities, attempting to board ships preemptively is a good move from a national security perspective. Hamas knows it will never have the weaponry to challenge the Israeli Military, so wouldn’t it make more sense for Israel to work closely with Turkey and other Mediterranean countries to secure the cargo of outgoing aid ships to assure no weapons are on board? Instead of heightening tensions by risking armed confrontation, why not trust your allies to act in the best interest of peace in the region?
Until Israel understands that the greater security of the region lies in demonstrating a commitment to peaceful resolution of the region’s biggest problems, there is no reason to believe that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority will back down from their efforts to arm themselves as Israel itself has with the aid of its allies around the world. The bottom line is that until territorial respect, at sea and on land, is restored in the name of long-term peace and aversion of war, Israel cannot expect to see a decline in challenges to its naval blockade by both aid and weapon loaded ships. Israel is now at risk of embarrassing itself by appearing to bully aid ship crews in attempt to find a needle in a haystack. In addition, given the awareness of smugglers of the intent to board ships by Israeli commandos, there is no reason to believe that these foreign weapon suppliers will continue to use the sea as their primary means of delivering weaponry to Hamas. Without the aforementioned effort to engage its allies in the name of port security, avoidable, deadly raids at sea are destined to continue in the name of Israeli national security. Should this be the case, there is a great risk of a larger Mediterranean Sea front opening in the war against global terrorism and WMD proliferation. Let’s hope brighter minds prevail, and through discussion, and not conflict, there can be a resolution to the elevated tension caused by this and other ocean theatre events.
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