Israel’s illegal four-year-long blockade of the Gaza Strip has become unsustainable for a number of reasons.
In the first place, formerly feuding Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have reached a détente with Egypt’s assistance and are scheduled to form a joint interim government with elections set for next year.
Secondly, changing dynamics in the region resulting from the Arab Spring means leaderships are bound to listen to the street else risk being ousted.
Thirdly, Israel’s most important neighbor, Egypt, is no longer willing to dance to Tel Aviv’s tune. Last Saturday, Egypt opened its Rafah border with Gaza permanently allowing free passage for women, children and men under 18-years old and over 40, holders of foreign passports as well as anyone seeking education or medical treatment abroad—with all others obliged to apply for Egyptian visas. It is believed that the reopening of the crossing was a carrot offered by Cairo to facilitate the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation. In response to Israel’s criticism of the move, Egypt announced that the decision was solely a matter for Cairo and the Palestinians.
This was a welcome step for the 1.5 million residents of Gaza who have been subsisting under Israel’s boot in the world’s largest open-air prison for far too long. However, a problem affecting Gaza’s economy still exists; the import and export of goods to and from the Strip is still under Israeli control. This is where Turkey, which congratulated Egypt over its “important contribution to the improvement of daily living conditions of the Gaza people,” comes in.
In the third week of June, Freedom Flotilla II consisting of 15 vessels will be poised to set sail from France, Italy, Spain and Greece with up to 1,500 pro-Palestinian activists from 22 organizations on board accompanying large consignments of humanitarian aid. One of the Flotilla’s ships will be the Mavi Marmara that is owned by IHH, a Turkish humanitarian relief foundation, and is expected to carry approximately 100 Turkish passengers willing to put their lives on the line to break the siege. The organizers say they have no objection to the ship being thoroughly searched for weapons before it begins its journey.
This will be the second sailing to Gaza for the Mavi Marmara which was attacked by Israeli forces last year on the high seas when nine unarmed Turkish activists were killed and dozens injured. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded an apology from Israel as well as compensation for the victims’ families but until now no such apology or recompense has been forthcoming. On the contrary, Israel still maintains that its military response was legal and proper.
The upcoming sailing is firmly backed by the Turkish government which has made its position known in advance. On Saturday, Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu described the blockade as “unlawful” and announced that Turkey “will give the necessary response to any repeated act of provocation by Israel on the high seas.” This echoed his previous statement to the effect his country had sent “serious warnings and messages” to Israel not to repeat last year’s aggression.
Israel’s military authorities have been just as clear, saying they will prevent the flotilla from reaching its destination while earlier this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel is obliged to act aggressively against the flotilla.” Netanyahu has bolstered his hard-line approach to Hamas in recent weeks, saying he will not enter peace talks with any Palestinian Authority that included Hamas representatives. All along he has been saying that due to Palestinian divisions Israel does not have a partner for peace.
In light of the sycophancy of the US Congress toward Netanyahu who last week told a Congressional audience “In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers . . .” it’s hardly surprising that 36 members of Congress have written a bipartisan letter to Erdogan urging him to stop the new flotilla on the grounds that it’s a provocation. Those so-called “lawmakers” obviously have no respect for international law when the blockade itself is illegal (UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called it “unsustainable and wrong”) and no nation has the right to assault an ally’s ships in international waters.
Likewise, the US government has called upon Turkey to adopt a more sensible policy which translated means the Turkish prime minister should roll over in the same way that President Barack Obama always does in face of a looming confrontation with Israel, notably his back down on Israel’s expansion of Jewish colonies on the West Bank and his U-turn on a Palestinian state being based on 1967 borders.
That appeal is certain to fall upon deaf ears when Davutoglu has recently slammed Washington’s “one-sided approach” to the Middle East. “There cannot be peace in the Middle East if Israel is seen as a ‘privileged country that is above international law,’” he said in a newspaper interview. “Israel needs to accept being subject to international law as an ordinary nation state,” he added.
Turkey’s foreign minister also compared Israel’s oppression of the people of Gaza with the way the Libyan leader Col. Qaddafi has suppressed his own. “Israel is killing civilians. It killed civilians in Gaza. What sanctions were imposed on it? Libya is Qaddafi’s own country. Killings cannot be legitimized but they’re happening in (Qaddafi’s) own country; Israel is killing people in another country, in the Palestinian territories. For me, this is the main psychological threshold.”
He’s absolutely right. How on earth can the international community attempt to bring down the Libyan leadership while condoning Israel’s which is far more brutal?
In the meantime, Turkey, which withdrew its ambassador from Israel last year, has deferred sending a new one. Turkey, which is one of Israel’s biggest trading partners and a close ally of the US, is putting itself out on a limb in solidarity with the Palestinians in keeping with its principles. Isn’t it time for Arab states to take a leaf out of Ankara’s book and make a stand? Imagine a joint Turkish-Arab flotilla of 100 or more ships heading to Gaza. That would really be something to shout about!
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.
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Israel’s deepening isolation
Rafah opening shows Cairo is no longer willing to dance to Tel Aviv’s tune
Posted on June 3, 2011 by Linda S. Heard
Israel’s illegal four-year-long blockade of the Gaza Strip has become unsustainable for a number of reasons.
In the first place, formerly feuding Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have reached a détente with Egypt’s assistance and are scheduled to form a joint interim government with elections set for next year.
Secondly, changing dynamics in the region resulting from the Arab Spring means leaderships are bound to listen to the street else risk being ousted.
Thirdly, Israel’s most important neighbor, Egypt, is no longer willing to dance to Tel Aviv’s tune. Last Saturday, Egypt opened its Rafah border with Gaza permanently allowing free passage for women, children and men under 18-years old and over 40, holders of foreign passports as well as anyone seeking education or medical treatment abroad—with all others obliged to apply for Egyptian visas. It is believed that the reopening of the crossing was a carrot offered by Cairo to facilitate the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation. In response to Israel’s criticism of the move, Egypt announced that the decision was solely a matter for Cairo and the Palestinians.
This was a welcome step for the 1.5 million residents of Gaza who have been subsisting under Israel’s boot in the world’s largest open-air prison for far too long. However, a problem affecting Gaza’s economy still exists; the import and export of goods to and from the Strip is still under Israeli control. This is where Turkey, which congratulated Egypt over its “important contribution to the improvement of daily living conditions of the Gaza people,” comes in.
In the third week of June, Freedom Flotilla II consisting of 15 vessels will be poised to set sail from France, Italy, Spain and Greece with up to 1,500 pro-Palestinian activists from 22 organizations on board accompanying large consignments of humanitarian aid. One of the Flotilla’s ships will be the Mavi Marmara that is owned by IHH, a Turkish humanitarian relief foundation, and is expected to carry approximately 100 Turkish passengers willing to put their lives on the line to break the siege. The organizers say they have no objection to the ship being thoroughly searched for weapons before it begins its journey.
This will be the second sailing to Gaza for the Mavi Marmara which was attacked by Israeli forces last year on the high seas when nine unarmed Turkish activists were killed and dozens injured. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded an apology from Israel as well as compensation for the victims’ families but until now no such apology or recompense has been forthcoming. On the contrary, Israel still maintains that its military response was legal and proper.
The upcoming sailing is firmly backed by the Turkish government which has made its position known in advance. On Saturday, Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu described the blockade as “unlawful” and announced that Turkey “will give the necessary response to any repeated act of provocation by Israel on the high seas.” This echoed his previous statement to the effect his country had sent “serious warnings and messages” to Israel not to repeat last year’s aggression.
Israel’s military authorities have been just as clear, saying they will prevent the flotilla from reaching its destination while earlier this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel is obliged to act aggressively against the flotilla.” Netanyahu has bolstered his hard-line approach to Hamas in recent weeks, saying he will not enter peace talks with any Palestinian Authority that included Hamas representatives. All along he has been saying that due to Palestinian divisions Israel does not have a partner for peace.
In light of the sycophancy of the US Congress toward Netanyahu who last week told a Congressional audience “In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers . . .” it’s hardly surprising that 36 members of Congress have written a bipartisan letter to Erdogan urging him to stop the new flotilla on the grounds that it’s a provocation. Those so-called “lawmakers” obviously have no respect for international law when the blockade itself is illegal (UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called it “unsustainable and wrong”) and no nation has the right to assault an ally’s ships in international waters.
Likewise, the US government has called upon Turkey to adopt a more sensible policy which translated means the Turkish prime minister should roll over in the same way that President Barack Obama always does in face of a looming confrontation with Israel, notably his back down on Israel’s expansion of Jewish colonies on the West Bank and his U-turn on a Palestinian state being based on 1967 borders.
That appeal is certain to fall upon deaf ears when Davutoglu has recently slammed Washington’s “one-sided approach” to the Middle East. “There cannot be peace in the Middle East if Israel is seen as a ‘privileged country that is above international law,’” he said in a newspaper interview. “Israel needs to accept being subject to international law as an ordinary nation state,” he added.
Turkey’s foreign minister also compared Israel’s oppression of the people of Gaza with the way the Libyan leader Col. Qaddafi has suppressed his own. “Israel is killing civilians. It killed civilians in Gaza. What sanctions were imposed on it? Libya is Qaddafi’s own country. Killings cannot be legitimized but they’re happening in (Qaddafi’s) own country; Israel is killing people in another country, in the Palestinian territories. For me, this is the main psychological threshold.”
He’s absolutely right. How on earth can the international community attempt to bring down the Libyan leadership while condoning Israel’s which is far more brutal?
In the meantime, Turkey, which withdrew its ambassador from Israel last year, has deferred sending a new one. Turkey, which is one of Israel’s biggest trading partners and a close ally of the US, is putting itself out on a limb in solidarity with the Palestinians in keeping with its principles. Isn’t it time for Arab states to take a leaf out of Ankara’s book and make a stand? Imagine a joint Turkish-Arab flotilla of 100 or more ships heading to Gaza. That would really be something to shout about!
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.