Israel's Middle Eastern diplomatic dilemma

The recent Israeli raid on Turkish flotilla has severely dented diplomatic relations in the Middle East, eliciting criticism from every corner of the globe and raising anew a raging debate on the sustainability of the Gaza blockade. At this stage it is hard to apportion blame due to the ambiguity surrounding the raid. But one thing is abundantly clear; Israel may have over-reacted, and the loss of life is regrettable, but the Jewish state has been receiving more than its fair share of blame.

That Israel faces an acute security threat has been well established. However, whether the threat is existential or not is debatable. Following the Hamas victory, Gaza has been used as a launching pad for firing rockets into Israeli territory which has proven difficult to quell .There is no denying the fact that a severe security threat has emerged. Given these security imperatives and an increasingly precarious environment, one can understand, but not fully justify, the blockade of Gaza.

This incident has raised pressure on Israel to revisit its policy regarding the blockade. The terms of the Gaza blockade might be changed to assuage public sentiment. As Israel faces the wrath of other countries, policy makers have been forced to grapple with some important questions. Ties with Egypt and Turkey have been ruptured; Israel's closest allies in an otherwise hostile environment. With public opinion turning against it, Israel will find it increasingly difficult to sustain the blockade and indulge in other military adventures in the Middle East. For quite some time to come, Israel will have to contain its policy repertoire to heed public opinion.

The Israeli perspective is clear -- it acted in self defense. Many around the world have contested this line of reasoning. The activists, as the Israeli PM pointed out, were not benign and may have had clandestine links to outlawed outfits. Their objective was to challenge the blockade (which by itself constitutes a violation) and deliver aid. The means they adopted in accomplishing the latter were unreasonable, raising hackles in Israel, a country already paranoid about who enters its territory. In doing so, the 'activist' knowingly provoked the defence machinery, which at first attempted to warn the activists on board. When the elite commandos faced a brutal confrontation, they really had no option but to defend themselves.

The activists wanted to send out a political message. Had their goal been to assist the hapless people of Gaza, they would have sent the aid to the Israeli port, which after inspection would have been delivered to the needy. They invited confrontation, and were well aware of the consequences; that they would be intercepted by the Israeli Defence Forces. No one could have predicted the brutal confrontation that ensued which was unfortunate but not unavoidable given the demeanor of the activists. These pseudo philanthropists have achieved little and only succeeded in diverting attention from the plight of the Palestinian people. An issue of this magnitude should be resolved at the international level, under the guidance of the United Nations which has already taken note of the situation in Gaza. Other nation states can also engage Israel, in order to re-articulate the terms of the blockade. Diplomacy and pragmatism should be the guiding rule. Not bravado.