In attacking in international waters the Free Gaza peace flotilla made up of ships from Turkey, Europe and the United States, Israel has consolidated its reputation for disregarding international law and opinion. As the UN Security Council sought an independent inquiry into the shocking episode in which a large number of international peace activists may have been killed and many times that number injured, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly hinted that the raid on the flotilla by Israeli commandos in international waters may have placed Israel afoul of international law. Many believe that Tel Aviv has made a career of doing just this. Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator who now researches at an American think tank, noted wryly after this predawn incident on Monday: “Israel constantly claims it wants the world to focus on Iran, but then it ends up doing something that gets everyone to focus on itself.”
For some time now, domestic politics in Israel and the ascendance in it of anti-Palestinian hawks has ensured that the US-inspired “roadmap” to peace has virtually run aground. Following the worldwide condemnation and anxiety caused by the peace flotilla incident in the Mediterranean, it is not unlikely that the Israeli ruling class’ aggressive posture will be further strengthened, marginalising even more the prospects of resumption of the long-stalled peace talks with Palestinians. Many are also likely to wonder if one of the reasons for the wholly illogical Israeli military response to ships carrying humanitarian assistance was not to scupper prospects of peace talks for a long time to come, unless they are held entirely on Israeli terms. The unexpected turn of events may be expected to upset several geopolitical calculations and inflame the Islamic world.
US President Barack Obama is likely to be placed in an especially tricky situation by the gear-shift caused by Tel Aviv’s action and its stubborn defence of an indefensible act. Mr Obama had stretched out a hand of peace to the world’s Muslims after he entered the White House, but did not follow this up with sufficient nuts-and-bolts changes in American government policy. Now his administration will be required to do more than merely express the wish to find out the circumstances that led to the tragic event. The fundamental issue is to question Israel’s blockading of Gaza, a tiny strip on the coast with a population of 1.5 million, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 war. In 2007, Israel began a maritime blockade of Gaza after Hamas — widely regarded in the West as a terrorist outfit — handsomely won the 2006 election in that Palestinian territory. The election was widely regarded as fair. British foreign secretary William Hague has called for lifting of the blockade. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has noted that Gaza’s closure was “unacceptable”. Washington cannot afford to miss the cue here and continue to leave the impression that Tel Aviv enjoys its sanction to impose a blockade on a territory it grabbed as a booty of war. It is plain to see that developments in Gaza and other occupied territories are the key to any positive movement in a peace process between Israel and Palestine, no matter who initiates it. Israel has sought to justify its attack on the peace ships by underlining that its blockade of Gaza is legal. It is unclear where it got this impression, but the assumption is now being questioned with greater vigour than before. India has so much to do with West Asia, but its policies for the region are grounded in uncertainties and opportunism. New Delhi has expressed regret over the loss of lives and Israel’s use of disproportionate force on peace vessels, but it did not raise the basic question about Gaza.