Put the finger on Turkey first

Submitted by J. Nicolas (United States), Jun 1, 2010 at 02:14

Well, you're obviously right that stopping the flotilla was bad. But doing nothing, and setting a precedence for future shipments, could easily have become a much worse nightmare. Once they allow what is an illegal act - aiding an enemy combatant with the intent to provoke a confrontation - they would have de facto given tacit approval to such shipments in the future. And if they tried to block those future shipments, without absolute proof that they may also be transporting arms or even terrorists, their right to block delivery would have been permanently compromised.

I read one report, that said the flotilla was "backed by several governments, including that of Turkey, and counting among its numbers at least four European MPs, a Nobel laureate and journalists from various news media, the aid convoy had declared itself to be a civilian, humanitarian relief operation." By definition, that made the entire event a theatrical event, meant to incite a defensive reaction by Israel, which would achieve its main aim of publicity. Israel warned Turkey, for weeks, to take steps to prevent this clear provocation, yet Turkey did the opposite - even allowing a government official on board.

This has one very positive effect in terms of PR for Israel: namely that Turkey should be held responsible for violating international law. Hamas, after all, is a recognized "terrorist organization." They are in a declared war against Israel, via their Charter. They have a record, along with Hezbollah, of accepting arms and training for their terrorists. Ships have been blocked by Israel containing arms deliveries from Iran headed for Gaza. Arms and Al Qaeda members infiltrate into Gaza from Egyptian tunnels. Hamas has a long list of fraudulent activities aimed at obtaining funds, or arms, and then using them against Israel. Hence, any boats carrying goods to Hamas should be presumed to be a high risk of aiding an enemy combatant. The record is written in blood. For Israel to do nothing at such a high profile provocation would be to invite much worse tomorrow.

How far would a flotilla of Israeli ships get if they tried to deliver humanitarian aid to Turkey's Kurds? It is common sense that aiding an enemy combatant in a state of declared war is an act of agression, indirectly, against the victim state, Israel. This is a no-brainer. The claims by the so-called "international community" by again labeling it as a "disproportionate" response is laughable.

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