BY IBRAHIM KALIN
TODAY'S ZAMAN- After the Israeli attack on the aid flotilla to Gaza, a new battle was set in motion. Having ordered the raid that killed nine aid workers and wounded scores of others, the Benjamin Netanyahu government defended the operation and thus invited worldwide condemnation.
While the details of the raid are being investigated, three things began to happen simultaneously, and all three point to a public diplomatic battle.
The first is the Israeli denial of any misconduct. The Netanyahu government and defense minister released parts of 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 Israel, 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 private Humanitarian Aid Foundation (IHH) and Ankara, claiming that the Recep Tayyip Erdogan government was behind the aid flotilla and that the IHH is a group with links to terrorist organizations. This is a way of distracting attention from the raid and its illegality. It is up to the IHH to defend itself against such 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, are again being 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 isn't going anywhere. Opposing an illegal and brutal raid in international waters is a principle of international law and ethics, a principle enshrined in the founding documents and institutions of Europe and the US. As we've said all along, Turkey doesn't 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 is currently at an impasse, the good intentions are 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 Erdogan 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, 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 can't go abroad to get the medical treatment they need. Students and political leaders are effectively imprisoned. The list is endless..'
Fortunately, now most of the 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.