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Turkish-Israeli Encounter
The international debate over Israel’s use of force to stop a seafaring convoy of humanitarian aid destined to Gaza has been full of emotion. An impartial analysis may help make some distinctions in this complex incident, and thus understand its causes and consequences.
Taking the events from the back end to the origin:
1- Israel’s use of deadly force, particularly at high seas, is excessive, therefore reprehensible, although Israel defends its action as self-defense against the attempt to brake Israel’s security blockade of Gaza. Israel’s action is consistent with her policy and pattern of national defense, but it does not absolve her from accountability. An independent international arbitration commission or, failing that, the International Court of Justice must be seized with the matter.
2- Organizing a direct delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, despite the knowledge of Israel’s indiscriminate policy and use of force warnings, is clearly intended as a provocation with possible deadly result. Organizers of this mission must be held accountable for the loss of life and injury as much as Israel should be. Turkey should prosecute the organizers, and presumably the government for whatever its involvement may be in the affair.
3- The organizers of the mission are an Islamist Turkish organization. It is believed to be close to the Turkish Islamist government. It is not out of the ordinary to think that this NGO’s mission was orchestrated, or endorsed by the government, considering the fact that the government’s foreign policy was steadily moving in the direction of Arab countries –allegedly to attract their petro-dollars to Turkey, and to undo Iran’s as well as Israel’s domination of the politics in the region. The mission must have been organized to show the government’s frustration with having been let down in its efforts to mediate between Israel and Syria, and with Iran on its nuclear development, which were attempts to assert its position in the region. The Turkish government must be held accountable for endangering the lives of its citizens with such a reckless, undiplomatic and irresponsible distortion of Turkey's foreign policy. Opposition parties in Turkey (if they exist) should carry out a parliamentary enquiry into their government's foreign policy.
4- The alleged humanitarian aid was not to Palestinians, but to the terrorist group Hamas. Turkish government must be held accountable for attempting to help the cause of a declared terrorist group. Opposition parties in Turkey (if they exist) should carry out a parliamentary enquiry into the real objective of the ill-fated mission.
5- Hamas is recognized internationally as a terrorist group, but Hamas take over of Gaza was the result of local elections encouraged by the international community. Therefore, getting rid of Hamas must be an internal matter for the Palestinian Authority. The legitimate way for the international community to deal with this matter is to help the Palestinian Authority to get rid of the terrorist group Hamas. It does not give any right to any government –including Israel- to take the matter in their own hands to remove Hamas from Gaza, and from Palestine for that matter. Israel’s blockade of Gaza is wrong, and has already been condemned by the UN.
June 16, 2010
