The price of flawed policy
Relations with Turkey will probably deteriorate further, and there may even be serious damage on the official level.
Haaretz EditorialWhen a regular, well-armed, well-trained army goes to war against a "freedom flotilla" of civilian vessels laden with civilians, food and medication, the outcome is foretold - and it doesn't matter whether the confrontation achieved its goal and prevented the flotilla from reaching Gaza. The violent confrontation, whether caused by poor military planning or poor execution, resulted from flawed policy, wars of prestige, and from a profound misunderstanding of the confrontation's meanings and repercussions.
The grave political damage caused by the confrontation is all too clear. Relations with Turkey will probably deteriorate further, and there may even be serious damage on the official level. The proximity talks with the Palestinians, which started lamely and with low expectations, will have trouble proceeding, now that Israel has attacked a ship intended to aid Gazans languishing under a four-year siege. Hamas claimed an outstanding victory without firing a single rocket, Egypt is under redoubled pressure to undermine the siege by opening the Rafah crossing, and it's reasonable to assume Europe and the United States will not be able to let Israel get away with a mere reprimand.
All these developments are little surprise to anyone, and shouldn't have surprised the policy makers in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, it seemed no one could resist the temptation to show the Israel Defense Forces' strength in a place the IDF should not have been in the first place. Because the question was not who would win the confrontation, but who would win more public opinion points. In this test, Benjamin Netanyahu's government failed completely. Israel let its policy of maintaining the siege on Gaza become an existential matter. This policy boomeranged and cost Israel its international legitimacy.
The decision makers' negligence is threatening the security of Israelis, and Israel's global status. Someone must be held responsible for this disgraceful failure. There is no way to convince Israel's citizens and its friends around the world that Israel regrets the confrontation and its results, and is learning from its errors, other than setting up a state inquiry committee to investigate the decision-making process, and to decide who should pay for this dangerous policy.
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People, you have transported one of the best known print journalists from our country, Mr Paul McGeough and his photographer Kate Geraghty - representing the broadsheet 'Sydney Morning Herald' - to your prison in Be'ersheva. This was a mistake. Another mistake was, that you abused the passport of our country for the extrajudicial murder in Dubai. Other mistakes were the reckless destruction of the civilian infrastructure in the West Bank, the 'Territories', after Intifada 2, your reckless assault against Lebanon, and your recent assault against Gaza.
Its important to criticize, and yet criticism is at best a first step. What do you propose as appropriate policy, relative to Gaza?
You say that Israel has attacked a ship intended to aid Gazans languishing under a four-year siege. If that was the intention, why did the ship refuse to have its (innocent?) cargo inspected at Ashdod?
As you are perfectly aware, building materials such as concrete are included in the blockade. The aid fleet carried large amounts of building material, and the IDF promised to confiscate such materials and refuse to allow them into Gaza.
now that Israel has attacked a ship intended to aid Gazans???!!!
but who would win more public opinion points" This is not true. The main issue is that Hizbolla figured out how to become a strategic threat to Israel: using a vast system of land missiles. Hamas wishes to attain the same status. Israel cannot accept such threats both from north and south. The Israeli-Egyptian blockade is not an "example of Jewish arrogance". It is a consequence of serious threats. From Egyptian side it is consequence of Hamas attempts to support radical Islam. Dealing the blockade it in terms of "poor hungry people" is naive or deceptive. Gaza government can end all this blockade, by leaving its both its neighbors Egypt and Israel in peace. Public opinion is very important, but a reason to put all our country under missiles threats from two neighboring countries.
To this well-reasoned commentary by the Haaretz editorial board.
Well said, there's no way to convince we friends of Israel around the world other than a authoritative inquire. We cannot accept that a friend Government uses piracy and much unneeded violent means like the other Government we so strongly oppose, even if at enormously lower levels. Many of us are asking the Israel Givernment (whoever happen to be in charge) to admit its mistakes and radically change path.
In the conflict between Israel and Hamas there have always been 2 guilty sides, never just one. This is almost always the case with only few exceptions such as Hitler. Finding "who should pay" by an inquiry committeee can, in my opinion, be always countered by finding a previous inciter...without which nothing would have happened. Therefore, a brief history of what led to this disaster including a clear description of the contribution of BOTH sides to its happening, NOT JUST ONE, a la Goldstone, that would be adopted by all serious world countries, could bring peace about. On the other hand, blaming only one side, whichever, will be followed by war. For sure....
Unfortunately this is not the first time. But it is the first time when the victims are not Palestinians and therefore can't be labeled "terrorists" and Israel can get away with literally a murder.
It's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback. The IDF is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Islamic extremists in Gaza, Turkey and other countries most likely pushed for such confrontation and relished the deadly consequences. I'm talking about the same folks who bomb marketplaces, lob rockets into villages, shoot up public buses, massacre school children, fly commercial jets into buildings and use women and children as human shields. Face it, Israel and other countries, are fighting an asymmetric war with a foe that does follow the Geneva Convention and other standard wartime rules of engagement. Israel has a right to defend herself any way she can. That being said, I am not condoning all Israeli policies. Violating multiple UN resolutions by expanding beyond pre-67 borders is wrong, but that's another topic. The Middle East... What a freakin' mess.
After all, Israel can do no wrong.
The Killing of 10 activists by Israeli forces on the ship is the worst war crime in recorded history.
the crucifixion of many Jews in Israel, by Roman soldiers and mercenaries coming from Europe 2000 years ago, including a Jew called Jesus murdered by Romans. I am surprised you never heard of this.
Er, no it's not. It shows intransigence, stupidity, flagrant disregard for life and human rights, lack of historical perspective and other symptoms of a broken policy that could break Israeli civil society, but it is not the Worst War Crime in History. Not in the top 100. This incident, or tragedy, or event does however warn ordinary Israelis to look at where their leaders are headed.
There have been thousands of worse crimes. Nonetheless this is a very serious matter and I hope that it will lead to better awareness of how disproportionate IDF action often is.