Dissent of the Day 06/07/2010
From the indispensable Daniel Larison:
Why has there been a “strong reaction” to the raid on the aid flotilla? It isn’t because Turkey is “moving decisively away from its longtime partnership with the United States,” and it isn’t even because the AKP government is bent on undermining the relationship with Israel. There has been a strong reaction because eight Turkish citizens were killed on a Turkish-flagged civilian ship in international waters by the armed forces of its ostensible ally while on a basically peaceful aid mission. Name me a government that would not have a strong reaction to such an episode. For that matter, the aid mission was an effort to breach an inhumane blockade that probably cannot be legally justified. If partnering with the U.S. means ignoring gross, violent provocations against its citizens, no democratic government in the world would be able to maintain such a partnership for very long.
Why has there been a “strong reaction” to the raid on the aid flotilla? It isn’t because Turkey is “moving decisively away from its longtime partnership with the United States,” and it isn’t even because the AKP government is bent on undermining the relationship with Israel. There has been a strong reaction because eight Turkish citizens were killed on a Turkish-flagged civilian ship in international waters by the armed forces of its ostensible ally while on a basically peaceful aid mission. Name me a government that would not have a strong reaction to such an episode. For that matter, the aid mission was an effort to breach an inhumane blockade that probably cannot be legally justified. If partnering with the U.S. means ignoring gross, violent provocations against its citizens, no democratic government in the world would be able to maintain such a partnership for very long.
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Mavi Marmaris Review, 1 week later 06/06/2010
Not exactly shoot first, ask questions later
I've written a lot about this subject. Much of it consisted of instant reactions. Now that there has been a chance for the facts to come out more clearly, I have a better ability to form an opinion.
Firstly, I increasingly agree with what Joe said here. I agreed with it then (see the comment on the post) in terms of the ship members being instigators looking for a fight, not peace activists. This was confirmed in photos of the hapless Israeli commandos that have been circulating in the Turkish press. Turkish commentators have made fun of the commandos for being wussies, but if anything, this shows the degree to which the IDF did everything possible to handle the issue peacefully before resorting to guns. And its not as if the boarding wasn't preceded by warning calls to the ship, and it wasn't as if the Israeli gov't wasn't rebuffed by the Turkish gov't in calls to negotiate over the ship, and it wasn't as if Israel publicly said they were prepared to use force. The media was very unfair on this point.
For Turks, there has been some realization of this. Fethullah Gulen, traditionally the Turkish Islamic leader with the largest following, said that the Gaza protestors took the wrong approach by seeking confrontation (he is getting killed for this in some of Turkey's Islamist press). The opposition CHP made similar comments about how Erdogan's government encouraged the confrontation.
Click "Read More" to Continue-------------->
Firstly, I increasingly agree with what Joe said here. I agreed with it then (see the comment on the post) in terms of the ship members being instigators looking for a fight, not peace activists. This was confirmed in photos of the hapless Israeli commandos that have been circulating in the Turkish press. Turkish commentators have made fun of the commandos for being wussies, but if anything, this shows the degree to which the IDF did everything possible to handle the issue peacefully before resorting to guns. And its not as if the boarding wasn't preceded by warning calls to the ship, and it wasn't as if the Israeli gov't wasn't rebuffed by the Turkish gov't in calls to negotiate over the ship, and it wasn't as if Israel publicly said they were prepared to use force. The media was very unfair on this point.
For Turks, there has been some realization of this. Fethullah Gulen, traditionally the Turkish Islamic leader with the largest following, said that the Gaza protestors took the wrong approach by seeking confrontation (he is getting killed for this in some of Turkey's Islamist press). The opposition CHP made similar comments about how Erdogan's government encouraged the confrontation.
Click "Read More" to Continue-------------->
Israel and the Chechen Menace 06/05/2010
'I think we missed the boat to jihad'
Following a week of disastrous press coverage, Israel has begun to hit back. Politicians, military brass, and journalists have all been making the case that people aboard the Mavi Marmara had connections to terrorist organizations. These groups clearly hope that by changing the focus of discussion they will rally some much-needed international support.
A key target of this campaign is Russia. With its permanent seat on the UN Security Council and historic ties to the Jewish state, post-Soviet Russia has traditionally been a strong ally of Jerusalem. Yet the Kremlin’s ambassador to the UN condemned Israel’s recent actions in an uncharacteristically harsh fashion.
The Israeli foreign ministry responded on Friday by declaring that several protesters had “very close connections” to Chechen rebels. It also stressed that the people behind the so-called Freedom Flotilla had “supported Chechen separatism for many years.”
Whether or not these allegations are true, they will probably achieve the desired effect. Russia’s hatred of anything to do with Chechnya is so visceral that it has a hard time not sympathizing with a state playing the Chechen card. In the future, expect to see a far more muted response from Moscow to any international effort to censure Israel.
That would be unfortunate. Given its experience with the Beslan school shooting and the Moscow theater tragedy, Russia should be the first to point out that gratuitous and disproportionate violence does not stop terrorism. After years of ‘annihilating Chechens in the shit house,’ all the Kremlin has done is turn much of its southern border into a war zone.
Unless Israel wants to end up in a similar quagmire, it needs to take notice.
-Joe
A key target of this campaign is Russia. With its permanent seat on the UN Security Council and historic ties to the Jewish state, post-Soviet Russia has traditionally been a strong ally of Jerusalem. Yet the Kremlin’s ambassador to the UN condemned Israel’s recent actions in an uncharacteristically harsh fashion.
The Israeli foreign ministry responded on Friday by declaring that several protesters had “very close connections” to Chechen rebels. It also stressed that the people behind the so-called Freedom Flotilla had “supported Chechen separatism for many years.”
Whether or not these allegations are true, they will probably achieve the desired effect. Russia’s hatred of anything to do with Chechnya is so visceral that it has a hard time not sympathizing with a state playing the Chechen card. In the future, expect to see a far more muted response from Moscow to any international effort to censure Israel.
That would be unfortunate. Given its experience with the Beslan school shooting and the Moscow theater tragedy, Russia should be the first to point out that gratuitous and disproportionate violence does not stop terrorism. After years of ‘annihilating Chechens in the shit house,’ all the Kremlin has done is turn much of its southern border into a war zone.
Unless Israel wants to end up in a similar quagmire, it needs to take notice.
-Joe
Hamas is an Idea 06/02/2010
Amos Oz:
…Hamas is not just a terrorist organization. Hamas is an idea, a desperate and fanatical idea that grew out of the desolation and frustration of many Palestinians. No idea has ever been defeated by force — not by siege, not by bombardment, not by being flattened with tank treads and not by marine commandos. To defeat an idea, you have to offer a better idea, a more attractive and acceptable one.
Thus, the only way for Israel to edge out Hamas would be to quickly reach an agreement with the Palestinians on the establishment of an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as defined by the 1967 borders, with its capital in East Jerusalem.
During my travels in South America, and seeing the worship of Che Guevara, I recognized the same phenomenon. Who Guevara actually was, or what he actually did, is immaterial. It's Guevara the idea, the idea of sacrificing for something greater than yourself, the idea of freedom-- this is what draws people to him.
Oz goes on to say that Israel should get ahead of events and hand over the West Bank to Fatah. From there, it can put pressure on Hamas to sign an agreement for Gaza. That'd be some strategic thinking, wouldn't it?
But then there are the settlers....
…Hamas is not just a terrorist organization. Hamas is an idea, a desperate and fanatical idea that grew out of the desolation and frustration of many Palestinians. No idea has ever been defeated by force — not by siege, not by bombardment, not by being flattened with tank treads and not by marine commandos. To defeat an idea, you have to offer a better idea, a more attractive and acceptable one.
Thus, the only way for Israel to edge out Hamas would be to quickly reach an agreement with the Palestinians on the establishment of an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as defined by the 1967 borders, with its capital in East Jerusalem.
During my travels in South America, and seeing the worship of Che Guevara, I recognized the same phenomenon. Who Guevara actually was, or what he actually did, is immaterial. It's Guevara the idea, the idea of sacrificing for something greater than yourself, the idea of freedom-- this is what draws people to him.
Oz goes on to say that Israel should get ahead of events and hand over the West Bank to Fatah. From there, it can put pressure on Hamas to sign an agreement for Gaza. That'd be some strategic thinking, wouldn't it?
But then there are the settlers....
The Gaza Blockade: Arguments and Reality 06/02/2010
On Bibi's Summer Reading List?
My disagreements with Israel’s actions on Monday will seem reasonable to most people. But to some people, especially to my Jewish friends, my comments might seem treasonous, especially on the wrongfulness of the Gaza blockade. To counter me, they will likely deploy some variation of the following three arguments: Israel is simply defending itself, Israel needs to blockade Gaza to prevent Iran from arming Hamas, and Israel is unfairly being held to double standards. I will try to refute these three arguments below.
In my case, these arguments will also be backed by the emotional idea that Israel is so besieged, and anti-Semitism so rampant, that I as a Jew must defend everything Israel does, even if its policies are counterproductive. I understand the idea of my people, right or wrong, but as a liberal I cannot accept it.
Anyway, here are the arguments:
Click "Read More" to Continue------------->
In my case, these arguments will also be backed by the emotional idea that Israel is so besieged, and anti-Semitism so rampant, that I as a Jew must defend everything Israel does, even if its policies are counterproductive. I understand the idea of my people, right or wrong, but as a liberal I cannot accept it.
Anyway, here are the arguments:
Click "Read More" to Continue------------->
A Critical Lack of Context 06/01/2010
NYT reporter Brian Stelter hits the nail on the head:
The flotilla videos have proved a popular draw online, with one from the Israel Defense Forces attracting more than 600,000 views on YouTube. Scenes from both perspectives have been shown in a continuous loop on television news programs all over the world, stirring public outrage.
But what is missing so far from the flotilla clips on both sides is context: it is difficult to establish the sequence of events or, more simply, to determine who attacked first. The videos have made it all the more murky.
[...]
Supplementing the war of images by the two sides, journalists filed reports from the Mavi Marmara. In one live television report that circulated widely on YouTube, a reporter for Al Jazeera English, the English-language arm of the Arabic-language news network, was shown stating that the vessel was “raising a white flag to the Israeli Army” amid the attack, but despite that, “the Israeli Army is still shooting, still firing live munitions.”
Shooting could be heard in the background, but again context was lacking. Al Jazeera’s account was cited by bloggers as evidence that the Israelis had attacked without provocation, but that assertion was not borne out by the video.
The flotilla videos have proved a popular draw online, with one from the Israel Defense Forces attracting more than 600,000 views on YouTube. Scenes from both perspectives have been shown in a continuous loop on television news programs all over the world, stirring public outrage.
But what is missing so far from the flotilla clips on both sides is context: it is difficult to establish the sequence of events or, more simply, to determine who attacked first. The videos have made it all the more murky.
[...]
Supplementing the war of images by the two sides, journalists filed reports from the Mavi Marmara. In one live television report that circulated widely on YouTube, a reporter for Al Jazeera English, the English-language arm of the Arabic-language news network, was shown stating that the vessel was “raising a white flag to the Israeli Army” amid the attack, but despite that, “the Israeli Army is still shooting, still firing live munitions.”
Shooting could be heard in the background, but again context was lacking. Al Jazeera’s account was cited by bloggers as evidence that the Israelis had attacked without provocation, but that assertion was not borne out by the video.
IHH: "First Degree Dangerous" 06/01/2010
I wish I had more sources and links, but from what I've gathered, the reports by the Israeli government that the Turkish group on the ship (IHH) may have links to Islamic terrorist groups is not far-fetched.
According to one Turkish friend, IHH is a radical Islamist group in Turkey that was branded as "first degree dangerous" by Turkish intelligence. It supports Milli Görüş, the political platform of Necmettin Erbakan, a former Turkish PM who was removed from power by the military in 1997 for attempting to overthrow the secular state. Erbakan is the former political tutor of both current Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gül.
Reportedly, in Turkish interviews with members of IHH, the protesters were eager for martyrdom and so were happy to have the chance to be attacked by Israel. It helps to explain why 30 or so of the activists decided to stay on deck and attack the commandos, while the other 500+ went inside to avoid conflict. Like Joe said, these guys are not your run-of-the-mill peace activists.
According to one Turkish friend, IHH is a radical Islamist group in Turkey that was branded as "first degree dangerous" by Turkish intelligence. It supports Milli Görüş, the political platform of Necmettin Erbakan, a former Turkish PM who was removed from power by the military in 1997 for attempting to overthrow the secular state. Erbakan is the former political tutor of both current Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gül.
Reportedly, in Turkish interviews with members of IHH, the protesters were eager for martyrdom and so were happy to have the chance to be attacked by Israel. It helps to explain why 30 or so of the activists decided to stay on deck and attack the commandos, while the other 500+ went inside to avoid conflict. Like Joe said, these guys are not your run-of-the-mill peace activists.
A Few Loose Ends 06/01/2010
The Mavi Marmara, with an Israeli warship in the distance. Quite a ship for $1.5 mil.
The ship that will go down in history from the Gaza flotilla, the Mavi Marmara, looked a bit familiar to Evan and me...
Turns out, the Mavi Marmara, until last year, ferried passengers from Istanbul's Sarayburnu (Topkapi Palace area) to Marmara and Avşa Adası - islands in the Sea of Marmara (the Sea of Marmara, via the Turkish Straits, connects the Mediterranean and Black Seas).
The ship was owned and operated by IDO-- Istanbul's municipal "sea boat" company until it was recently sold to IHH Insan Yardım Vakfi (İnsan Halkarı Hürriyet - İnsan Yardım Vakfi/Human Rights Freedom - Human Aid Association). The price was a reported bargain-buster $1.5 million - not much for a ship designed to carry up to 1080 people.
Although some Turkish NGOs are able to amass lots of money from Islamic networks on their own - Deniz Feneri, for instance-- the low price for the ship, the scale and obviously provocative nature of its mission, leads some to wonder if the move wasn't backed by the Turkish government. Turkey controversially hosted Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Ankara in 2006, and Erdogan has long wished to end Turkey's close relationship with Israel and reestablish close relations with the Islamic world. Ending the blockade would be a huge coup for Turkey's standing in the region.
I wish I had more information about IHH, but reliable reports are hard to find, and the NGO's website is curiously password-protected.
Update: IHH's website is now open but provides few details about the group's previous work and motivations.
Turns out, the Mavi Marmara, until last year, ferried passengers from Istanbul's Sarayburnu (Topkapi Palace area) to Marmara and Avşa Adası - islands in the Sea of Marmara (the Sea of Marmara, via the Turkish Straits, connects the Mediterranean and Black Seas).
The ship was owned and operated by IDO-- Istanbul's municipal "sea boat" company until it was recently sold to IHH Insan Yardım Vakfi (İnsan Halkarı Hürriyet - İnsan Yardım Vakfi/Human Rights Freedom - Human Aid Association). The price was a reported bargain-buster $1.5 million - not much for a ship designed to carry up to 1080 people.
Although some Turkish NGOs are able to amass lots of money from Islamic networks on their own - Deniz Feneri, for instance-- the low price for the ship, the scale and obviously provocative nature of its mission, leads some to wonder if the move wasn't backed by the Turkish government. Turkey controversially hosted Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Ankara in 2006, and Erdogan has long wished to end Turkey's close relationship with Israel and reestablish close relations with the Islamic world. Ending the blockade would be a huge coup for Turkey's standing in the region.
I wish I had more information about IHH, but reliable reports are hard to find, and the NGO's website is curiously password-protected.
Update: IHH's website is now open but provides few details about the group's previous work and motivations.
Gideon Levy writes a powerful article in Ha'aretz on how Israel's leadership has gone off the deep end. I agree with everything he says, and it echoes Peter Beinart's fear that liberal Zionism exists "only in memories." I really think that years of playing God in the occupied territories has given the Israeli military a false sense of what will fly in the international arena. At the end of the day, this is a Turkish ship in international waters, a member of NATO. What the hell were you thinking?
In a way, this kind of thing had to happen, and in the long-term, hopefully it can increase the chances for peace by forcing a correction in Israel's path towards a policy based on reality. Hamas isn't going anywhere, while the blockade is both a moral outrage and a strategic failure.
But in the meantime, this is an unmitigated disaster that will bring diplomatic isolation and perhaps even sanctions and court cases. Stopping Iran's nuclear program just got a thousand times harder, while pressure will be on Israel to denuclearize. Netanyahu, if he has any honor, should resign.
- Jon
Click "read more" for the money excerpt of the article-->
In a way, this kind of thing had to happen, and in the long-term, hopefully it can increase the chances for peace by forcing a correction in Israel's path towards a policy based on reality. Hamas isn't going anywhere, while the blockade is both a moral outrage and a strategic failure.
But in the meantime, this is an unmitigated disaster that will bring diplomatic isolation and perhaps even sanctions and court cases. Stopping Iran's nuclear program just got a thousand times harder, while pressure will be on Israel to denuclearize. Netanyahu, if he has any honor, should resign.
- Jon
Click "read more" for the money excerpt of the article-->
Christmas in June for Tehran 06/01/2010
According to Meir Javedanfar, Iran stands to be the biggest winner in the aftermath of Israel's latest blunder:
The recent developments are likely to boost Iran’s status in the Middle East, especially when it comes to its emerging alliance with Turkey. They will also be a much welcomed distraction from the troubles at home.
More after the jump --->
The recent developments are likely to boost Iran’s status in the Middle East, especially when it comes to its emerging alliance with Turkey. They will also be a much welcomed distraction from the troubles at home.
More after the jump --->
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