The port of Gaza and many boats nearby were decorated with Palestinian and Turkish flags and balloons with pictures of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces. Israel had announced that it would seize the ships and arrest their passengers earlier, and constantly harassed the flotilla along the way. But then Israel did the unexpected. At 4:30 a.m. on Monday the Israeli army launched an operation against the aid flotilla. In the attack, carried out 77 miles from Israeli waters, Israeli forces boarded the ships from helicopters. They opened fire on civilians using silencer-equipped weapons at close range. Disproportionate force was used against a civilian ship that had a white flag hoisted in international waters. The result: 18 dead and 60 people, including the captain of the Greek ship, wounded with one in serious condition.Speaking in Arabic, Israeli Army Spokesperson Afihay Adrai said they applied the Israeli government’s decision to prevent the propaganda fleet, took over the smaller ships and responded only when they were met by resistance on the larger main ship, the Mavi Marmara, noting that the operation took place in international waters. Israel’s territorial waters extend 12 miles from the shore. The ships, carrying close to 700 volunteers including women and children, are not warships. They are aid ships. There are 1.5 million people living in Gaza. One out of every five people in Gaza lives at the threshold of hunger. Gaza is under Israel’s blockade. The aid convoy was the ninth attempt to break the sea blockade.
Turkey, Arab countries and the EU have reacted harshly. Turkey requested urgent information from Israel, announced that it would recall its ambassador and demanded the release of the ships. Palestine declared a three-day mourning period. The Hamas government declared the day of the attack “Freedom Day” and called the people who were killed in the attack “martyrs of the siege.” The Arab League convened hurriedly in Cairo. Greece canceled a planned joint air exercise with Israel. Israel banned all travel to Turkey. Israeli tourists in Turkey were asked to return to Israel.
Israel intervened in humanitarian aid using force and shed blood. Israel was expected to stop the ships, but the flotilla did not expect the intervention to take place before the ships entered Israeli waters or an armed attack. It’s obvious that this was not expected because Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu were all making visits abroad. The outcry in Ankara started early on Monday morning. An assessment meeting was held at the Prime Ministry under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç. Erdoğan is cutting short his Latin America trip and Başbuğ is cutting short his Egypt trip and returning to Ankara. Turkey will not just condemn this attack. While the problem is not a new crisis between Turkey and Israel, we are heading towards a rupture between the two countries that will take years to repair. Turkey is not Gaza. Turkey is not Egypt. Turkey is not Lebanon. The government, the state, intellectuals, all political parties from the far left to the far right, the Turkish Parliament and civil society organizations in Turkey will all react strongly. Turkey will press for justice in the international legal arena. There will be a rapid decline in political and military relations between Turkey and Israel.
Israeli hawks believe the entire world except the US and some Western countries are against them and that the only way they can defend Israel’s existence is by using force. Israel, which is used to attacking civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, is not hesitant about adding Turkey to this list. Since the Israeli cabinet had convened when the ships were en route, it means the Israeli government was prepared to shed blood. Israel has this kind of courage. It is not afraid of the world’s opinion. Real bullets are used instead of rubber bullets. Methods such as tear gas are not used. It is an operation that sees civilians as military targets. Where does Israel get the courage to shed blood in international waters?
In the end, Turkish-Israeli relations are on the brink of entering a new tense period. Hawks in Israel and the radical right-wing government is knowingly and willingly creating tension. Israel believes creating tension will increase public support for the current government. We should not blame the Israeli people for this incident. We need to blame the extremely right-wing Israeli government. Israeli intellectuals who defend replacing violence-based policies with peaceful policies need to be supported. Furthermore, Arab and Muslim countries carrying Turkish flags need to re-evaluate Turkey’s place in the Arab and Muslim world along with the realities of their streets.
