Politics and Pucks

Over the past few weeks, Turkey has not been thrilled with the behavior of Israel. Today, Turkey has expelled the Israeli foreign minister, and recalled its military support. The point of contention has been over a flotilla that the Israeli navy attacked in 2010. The flotilla was intended to be a humanitarian mission, carrying humanitarian supplies under a Turkish flag. The two sides provoked each other leading the Israelis to board and raid the flotilla, which additionally led to a number of deaths (some of which were Turkish citizens). Barak Ravid of Haaretz writes:

"As Israeli soldiers were viciously attacked by dozens of violent activists of the (Turkish) IHH organization, they were forced to defend themselves. In the course of that action, nine of the rioting activist that endangered the lives of Israeli soldiers were killed," they said.

The senior source in the Prime Minister's Office clarified that in accordance with the Palmer report, Israel once again expresses regret over the loss of life, but does not apologize for its soldiers' acts of self-defense. "Like every other country, Israel has the legitimate right to defend its citizens and soldiers," said the source.

There is no dispute here that Israel, as a sovereign nation, has the right to defend itself. However, it's unclear who provoked who in the original incident. In my opinion, both sides are equally guilty, but that really doesn't solve some of the larger political issues here. So let's look at the blockade and then back at Turkey to look at the larger puzzle.

Israel's blockade on Gaza has been a point of contention in the international community. In 2009, UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay mentioned that Israel is violating the rules of warfare. According to the San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, there are restrictions to blockade use:

102. The declaration or establishment of a blockade is prohibited if: (a) it has the sole purpose of starving the civilian population or denying it other objects essential for its survival; or (b) the damage to the civilian population is, or may be expected to be, excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated from the blockade.

Even if Israel rationalizes the blockade as a form of national security (which is a rational argument), it's still not legal. Israel has legitimate concerns of there being military and other materials shipped through Gaza to be used against them. This means that all shipments, whether humanitarian or not must cross through Israel's hands. This can be viewed as starving the people of the Gaza strip. The bigger problem is that Israel sees the UN as an anti-Israeli organization. Israel historically has not been a fan of the United Nations.

Going back to the issue between Turkey and Israel specifically, Turkey wants Israel to apologize for the deaths in the flotilla event, and Israel says they won't apologize for self-defense. Turkey then said if they don't apologize by Sept 2, 2011, they would impose sanctions, which is exactly what has happened. Even more interesting, Barak Ravid writes on Haaretz:

According to the top Turkish official, Israel and Turkey were in fact already on their way to resolve the issue that has stood between the long-time allies for over a year, saying that the two countries were well on their way to agreeing on an apology, when Israel reportedly "stepped back" at the last minute due to what the Zaman has called "intra-coalition squabbles while making a political decision."

I really can't blame Turkey for taking this position. Israel will claim it's their sovereign right to defend itself, but there's a difference between defending yourself and violating international law. Considering the relationship Israel has had with Turkey in the past, it's shocking that Israel is willing to cut off Turkey. Israelis take holiday vacations to Turkey, but in 2010 Israeli tourism called for a boycott of visiting Turkey. Turkey has also been a very important player in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel may not realize it now, but they have a lot to lose here.

Israel should just apologize and end this debacle. Even when the US asksthe Israelis to apologize, they won't. I know that there's a lot of pride in defending Israel, but this situation will only get worse if Israel continues to hold out. The next sanctions Israel experiences might not be just from Turkey, but from the global community.