While the details of the raid are being investigated, three things began to happen simultaneously, and all three point to a public diplomacy battle.The first is the Israeli denial of any misconduct. The Netanyahu government and defense minister published parts of the video recordings that show the attack and the fight that ensued. They show the peace activists attacking Israeli commandos with poles and chairs. According to the Israeli position, this shows that the people on the Mavi Marmara were radical activists prepared to start a fight with Israeli soldiers. But this position conveniently omits what led to the fighting and why the people on board defended themselves. It was the Israeli commandos that launched an illegal and brutal raid on the ship in international waters.
Secondly, the Netanyahu government began to make allegations against the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) and the Turkish government, claiming that the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan government was behind the aid flotilla and that the İHH is a group with links to terrorist organizations. This is a way of diverting attention from the raid and its illegality. It is up to the İHH to defend itself against the charges. But Turkish officials said repeatedly that the government was not officially or unofficially involved in the aid flotilla. This is an attempt to discredit the Turkish government without any proof.
The third move came with a larger debate about where Turkey is going. Again, the charge is that by protesting Israel’s illegal act, the Turkish government is turning its back on the West and moving Turkey into a Middle Eastern-Islamic bloc. The “axis debate” that had lost most of its steam over the last few months is back, and the position one takes toward the policies of the Israeli government is again presented as a barometer to measure a country’s loyalty or lack thereof to the “West.” As if there is such a cogent, united “Western” block and common position on all issues in the region, the allegations go so far as to produce doomsday scenarios for Turkey.
No, Turkey is not going anywhere. Opposing an illegal and brutal raid in international waters is a principle of international law and ethics, and it is a principle enshrined in the founding documents and institutions of Europe and the US. As we have said all along, Turkey does not see its good relations with its neighbors coming at the expense of its traditional alliance with the West. Furthermore, Turkey is applying its zero problems with neighbors policy to all of its neighbors from Iran, Iraq and Syria to Greece, Bulgaria, Russia and even Armenia. Even though the process of normalization with Armenia hit a deadlock at the moment, the good intention is still there.
Regarding the charge that the Turkish government harbors an anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic agenda, this is simply nonsense. Had this been the case, the Erdoğan government would not have facilitated the talks between Syria and Israel. We should remember that the indirect talks between the two countries came to an end because of the decision of the Ehud Olmert government to attack Gaza at the end of 2008. Since then, the calls by Turkish and Syrian officials to restart the talks have fallen on deaf ears in the Netanyahu government.
Let’s end with a simple question: What was the goal of the aid flotilla to Gaza? The answer is simple: to end the blockade of Gaza. If the world has turned a blind eye to the suffocating blockade of Palestinians in Gaza, this is no excuse to forget about their suffering. Here is a quote from a European dedicated to peace in the Middle East: “The free flow of goods is important, but more important is the complete inability of the vast majority of people to leave or to re-enter. The sick are dying because they cannot go abroad to get the medical treatment they need. Students and political leaders are effectively imprisoned. The list is endless….”
Fortunately, now the whole world is aware of the consequences of the inhumane and meaningless blockade of Gaza and calling for its end. Many Israelis in and outside Israel understand this and call their government to act. As one Haaretz editorial put it, the Netanyahu government is putting a global blockade on Israel.
