This week a flotilla of about 10 vessels is due to set sail to protest Israel's naval blockade of Gaza's aquatic borders. According to them, the main purpose for this blockade is to prevent rockets and any other sort of arms from reaching the small region run by the militant group Hamas. But while preventing any arms or ammunition from reaching Gaza, they are also preventing anything else from reaching them including humanitarian aid and other necessary supplies. Luckily for Gaza, with the overturning of Egypt's government this past winter, at least part of the border has been opened up as Egypt's old government was participating with Israel in essentially imprisoning Gaza. But lets get back to the flotilla that is due to set sail this week. In addition to warning the flotilla not to approach the naval blockade, Israel has also sent out a communique to all press offices warning that any foreign reporter found on the flotilla will be banned from entering Israel for 10 years. What is Israel so concerned about that they need to threaten reporters and journalists into staying away from the flotilla? Perhaps it is because when the last flotilla set sail and approached the blockade 13 months ago, Israel boarded one of the vessels and ended up killing 9 people on board. They probably don't want reporters and journalists to see first hand the brutality that they envision taking place again when they board a vessel belonging to the flotilla.
This isn't the first time that Israel has battled with the press. A few years back, they tried to ban reporters from entering Gaza when they invaded to prevent militants from firing rockets at Israeli communities. Eventually, they did let reporters in, but only during the last few days of the campaign after officers deemed it "safe". Really? No war or invasion is ever safe yet reporters and journalists risk their lives every day to get as close as they can to the action to get the best story and pictures. What is Israel trying to hide from the world? Is it their overt brutality? Or maybe it is their indiscriminate killing of individuals? Whatever the case may be, it seems like Israel is following the lead of other surrounding dictatorships and trying to control everything in and around their country. If their naval blockade was effective at preventing anything from reaching Gaza by sea, then there would be no need for the use of force or from banning reporters and journalists from being on board the vessels of the flotilla. The way things are going right now, it almost seems as if Israel is already planning on using force against the flotilla before it even reaches them. It seems to be the only way that Israel operates, if threatened in any way, retaliate with more and greater violence. Just a month ago, or around that time, Israel was using force against foreigners that were protesting Israel's borders. It is a never ending cycle in that region. Violence, violence, violence.
Does Israel really expect to get anywhere if they keep up their current policy of reacting violently whenever they feel threatened? It has been that way ever since the country was created back in the 1940's. But when you look at the overall situation, what do you expect. Israel constantly tries to expand its borders in some areas to get more and more land. How do they do this? Slowly build more and more settlements on land that isn't theirs. And when they do that, they are retaliated against by one group or another which leads to violence on their part, then more violence against them. It is a sickening cycle that looks like will never end. What can we do about it? Well, for one thing, the United States can stop supporting Israel and their policies. We have tried again and again to be the mediators in some sort of treaty or peace deal in Israel to no avail. If we really want to force a peace treaty or some sort of deal then the most effective way is to cut our ties and walk away leaving them to deal with their own issues. But that will never happen. So I guess that the best we can hope for is for a decline in the violence and for a realization on all sides that violence in the end will not solve anyone's problems. For the current issue, let us hope that Israel does not use force against the flotilla for whatever reason. If Israel wants to prove that they can be civil and dignified, then they will let the flotilla protest their presence and simply block them from getting to Gaza. If they are doing their job, blocking the flotilla shouldn't be that hard. Peace is the answer, not violence, and the sooner people around the world can realize that, the sooner we can all start working together to resolve world problems and not just regional conflicts.
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