Israel’s attack on the aid flotilla is viewed as unnecessary, ill-conceived and disproportionate. However at a deeper level, arguments concentrate on the Israeli military and its past botched operations, the blockade of Gaza, the plight and future of Palestinians and the complicity of the wider international community in the treatment of Gaza.In the Turkish media, some columnists are demanding that the Israeli government be made morally, legally and financially accountable for the attack in accordance with international law and UN regulations. They see the assault as Israel shooting itself in the foot and avoid connecting it to any religious issue. Others in the media are, however, using provocative arguments to galvanize the prime minister into taking drastic military action against Israel. This is now leading to infighting among journalists as some criticize their colleagues for having no intention of contributing to the resolution of the conflict but aiming to get the ruling party bogged down in an international conflict.
The tenor of the criticism in the European media is different. They see the attack as an error-ridden operation. They support their arguments with the remarks of prominent figures in Israel who question the wisdom of the operation. They quote from Israeli papers that describe the operation as a “fiasco.” They denounce the use of force to stop the flotilla and blame the “political echelon” for the decision. They quote Israeli media criticism that the operation was “deeply flawed and incorrectly prepared”; that it was “a cardinal mistake” that the military did not plan for the possibility that some people on the ship were willing “to risk their lives”; and that military intelligence had overestimated the ease of the operation. They ask why Israel did not use the most effective tactic of disabling the vessels before they even entered the bloody confrontation.
Some journalists are discussing the capacity of Israeli soldiers. They are enumerating the military interventions that have ended in failure and disgrace since 1973: the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, permitting the Christian militias to massacre the Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps; a long and unsuccessful guerrilla war against Hezbollah; the bombardments of Lebanon in 1996 and 2006; and the attack on Gaza in 2008. All of these are interpreted as failures, as they did not weaken but strengthened Hamas and Hezbollah in the region. The Western media are also reminding readers of what Gen. David Petraeus, the top US military commander, warned -- that the failure to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute is damaging America’s security interests across the Middle East.
One European journalist also warns that “the fluency and mendacity of Israeli spokesmen … distort Israelis’ sense of reality.” As their spokesmen portray failures as successes, Israelis are led to believe that their leaders have never made a mistake. They gain an inflated idea of their own abilities. In this way, their failure to see mistakes is a major cause of the same errors being repeated time and time again at ever greater cost.
However Western commentators are now openly discussing the fact that so many countries have been complicit in the policy of isolating Gaza and seeking to turn its population against Hamas. The hope of undermining Hamas that has been lingering since 2006 is now failing. Such tactics are now being interpreted as the collective punishment of Gaza’s population and hence politically counterproductive, further radicalizing people in the region and elsewhere.
It is widely accepted that the blockade is hurting the civilian population much more than Hamas. Opening routes for humanitarian aid to Gaza will reduce smuggling and illicit diversion of goods. Internationally supervised projects and infrastructure must be given priority. Independent international monitoring of traffic and exchange would be an important step toward peace in the region. All sides implicated in this ongoing conflict, especially the international community, need to re-examine their tactics and policies. Even Hamas supporters need to be won over and engaged peacefully in a two-state solution.
Provocative acts must be avoided by all parties, whether transporting aid or controlling borders. All conflicts and clashes, including world wars, have been initiated by a few individuals and their reckless actions. If the aftermath is handled coolly and responsibly by all sides, this latest incident, even with its casualties, could provide an opportunity for peacemaking, coexistence and prosperity in the region rather than further escalation of conflict, so that people can stop killing Palestinians, Arabs, Israelis and Turks, or Europeans, or Americans.
