the blockade

* Netanyahu: Blockade of Gaza Still Necessary - Barak Ravid
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the political-security cabinet on Tuesday that Israel's naval blockade was still necessary to prevent weapons from being smuggled into Gaza. "We know from the experience of Operation Cast Lead that the weapons entering Gaza are being turned against our civilians," Netanyahu said. "Gaza is a terror state funded by the Iranians, and therefore we must try to prevent any weapons from being brought into Gaza by air, sea and land."
He emphasized that the large amounts of weapons that could be brought by sea made the threat a completely different affair. "Opening a naval route to Gaza will present an enormous danger to the security of our citizens. Therefore, we will stand firm on our policy of a naval blockade and of inspecting incoming ships." "It's true that there is international pressure and criticism of this policy, but [the world] must understand that it is crucial to preserving Israel's security and the right of the State of Israel to defend itself." (Ha'aretz)
See also Flotilla's Aim Was to Open Sea Corridor for Hamas - Yaakov Lappin
Ely Karmon, a senior security analyst at the Institute for Counterterrorism at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, said Tuesday that "the real force behind" the flotilla was "several Hamas front organizations and especially the Turkish IHH, a radical Islamic organization close to the Muslim Brotherhood. IHH supports Hamas materially and its strategy of armed struggle, and [was] outlawed by Israel in 2008." The flotilla's aim was to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza, thereby enabling Hamas to import long-range missiles, as Hizbullah has been doing in recent years in Lebanon, Karmon said. "Israel cannot permit itself to have a Hizbullah-like entity on its southern border, 60 km. from its heavily populated central region." (Jerusalem Post)
See also Turkey: From Friend to (Almost Certainly) Foe - Ely Karmon
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has followed a manifest anti-Israeli policy since 2006. Leaders of his AKP party feel close to Hamas, at the expense of the Palestinian Authority. In spite of Israel's diplomatic attempts to convince the Turkish government to transport the humanitarian aid to Gaza through the Israeli border, the Turkish leaders preferred to support the provocative flotilla. It seems the Turkish government was interested in ending the Gaza blockade and Hamas' international isolation. The Palestinian issue is a populist flag for the Islamist masses against the background of a continuing recession in Turkey and the recent rise of the secularist Republican People's Party, according to recent polls. (Jerusalem Post)
* IDF: Flotilla Supplies Unnecessary - Ron Friedman
All of the equipment on board the Gaza protest flotilla has been examined, and a majority has been loaded onto trucks headed to the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Gaza. Col. Moshe Levi, commander of the IDF's Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration, said Tuesday that none of the equipment found on board the three cargo ships was in shortage in Gaza. "I can say with great assurance that none of the equipment on board is needed in Gaza. The equipment that we found is all equipment that we have regularly allowed into Gaza over the past year," Levi said. (Jerusalem Post)
* Five Islamic Jihad Terrorists Killed in Gaza Clashes - Yaakov Katz
Two Islamic Jihad operatives who infiltrated into Israel after cutting through the security fence were killed during a shootout with IDF troops on Tuesday. Later, another three Islamic Jihad operatives were killed in an Israel Air Force strike in northern Gaza. The three were involved in firing rockets into Israel and a number of secondary explosions were recorded after the strike, indicating the presence of explosives. Two rockets had been fired at Israel earlier in the day. (Jerusalem Post)

Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):

* Israel Was Right - Leslie H. Gelb
Israel had every right under international law to stop and board ships bound for the Gaza war zone. Under international law, blockades are quite legal. The U.S. and Britain were at war with Germany and Japan and blockaded them. I can't remember international lawyers saying those blockades were illegal - even though they took place on the high seas in international waters. Gazan leaders proclaim their goal is to destroy Israel, have tried for years to do so by missile attacks and terrorism, and Israel has every right to protect itself under international law, including by blockades in international waters.
Where was all that international outrage and demand for explanations and retribution when the North Koreans sunk a South Korean ship? Where was it when the Gazans attacked Israel? Where, when Afghan men flogged their women for not wearing veils? Where, when Saudi Arabia funds terrorists around the world? This international outrage is highly selective, isn't it? The writer is president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. (Daily Beast)
* Why the Blockade Makes Sense for Israel - David Makovsky
The story of the flotilla crisis begins from the time Israel withdrew from Gaza in August 2005. Israelis were told that if they stopped occupying foreign land, they would be more secure. Between their withdrawal and the Gaza war of December 2008, however, Israeli citizens absorbed thousands of rockets aimed at their homes. Mothers had 45 seconds to hear a siren, gather their kids, and pray they would make it to a shelter. There was never a single UN Security Council session to discuss those attacks. That's why Israel insisted on a naval blockade of Gaza: It was the only way to curb the Palestinian rocket attacks on its people.
While much has been made of the fact that Israel does not talk to Hamas (both Jerusalem and Washington deem it a terrorist organization), it is also true that Hamas has no interest in talking to Israel. Hamas does not recognize Israel of any size. The writer directs the project on the Middle East peace process at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. (Christian Science Monitor)
* The Gaza Flotilla and U.S.-Israel Relations - Matthew Levitt, David Makovsky, and Jeffrey White
The Obama administration's efforts during the past couple of months to reach out to the Netanyahu government were derided by many as a "charm offensive" or public relations move. Yet there is nothing like a crisis to put the U.S.-Israel relationship to a genuine test. The fact is the administration did not rush to judgment on the flotilla tragedy, seeing it as a security-related issue. A White House statement made clear that the U.S. would not jump on a bandwagon condemning Israel, and a subsequent State Department release made clear that Israel - not the international community - needed to launch an investigation. The statements by the Obama administration fell short of what was wanted by Turkey and Arab states. (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
* Israel's War Is the West's Too - Nile Gardiner
Those who condemn Israel's use of "disproportionate force" would do well to remember that her foes are our deadly opponents too. If Israel is defeated, the security of the West itself would be significantly undermined. There is no middle ground in this war - political leaders in the West must decide whose side they are on - the defenders of freedom in the Middle East or the forces of terrorism and tyranny that threaten them. (Telegraph-UK)
See also Knives, Batons and Attempted Lynchings. Don't You Just Love "Peace Activists"? - Douglas Murray
The reaction to this incident demonstrates once again that many people in Britain just cannot see that Israel's enemies are our enemies. I do wish they'd listen to the Egyptian Yemen-based cleric Wagdi Ghoneim. On Al-Jazeera he explained: "Hamas is fighting America, Europe and all the crusader West." Exactly. Which is why we should be thankful to Israel for fighting for all of us. (Telegraph-UK)
* The Freedom Flotilla Fraud - Editorial
The main lesson learned from the incident on the ship Mavi Marmara is: Don't bring a paintball gun to a knife fight. The initial frenzy of denunciations of the operation in which nine people died is fading in the cold light of facts. The "peace activists" on board were armed and looking for a fight. Pundits who reflexively denounced Israel for "disproportionate force" were blaming the wrong side. Had the terrorist sympathizers on the ship not incited the violence, no one would have been killed. There were no casualties on other ships in the flotilla. (Washington Times)
* Ankara Ambushes Israel at Sea - Ralph Peters
The "aid convoy" incident was about Turkey's determination to position itself as the leading Muslim state in the Middle East. Three ships of that six-ship pro-terror convoy flew Turkish flags and were crowded with Turkish citizens. The Ankara government - led by Islamists these days - sponsored the "aid" operation in a move to position itself as the new champion of the Palestinians. And just last month, the Turks moved to provide the Iranian regime with cover for its nuclear program. (New York Post)
See also The Islamist Government of Turkey Created This Crisis - Noah Pollak
Israel and its supporters are doing a better-than-average job of quickly beating back the international lynch mob that loves nothing more than propagating lies about Israel. The key weapon in this fight for truth has been this particular video of the IDF commandos descending onto the deck of the Mavi Marmara and into a hornet's nest of murderous "peace activists." The Islamist government of Turkey masterfully created this crisis and is now denouncing Israel for it. (Commentary)
See also Will Turkey End the Disputed Occupation of Northern Cyprus? - David Frum
Turkey is a NATO ally, an applicant to the European Union. What is it doing allowing its nationals to smuggle cement that could build bunkers? Especially when those nationals belong to a group, the Turkish IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi), that Israel has designated a terrorist organization? The flotilla departed from Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus. Turkey's occupation of half of Cyprus is deemed illegal by the EU and the UN. If the government of Turkey feels so strongly about ending disputed occupations, why does it not start with the disputed occupation it is operating itself? (CNN)
See also When Friends Fall Out - Thomas L. Friedman (New York Times)

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