Iranian Flotilla to Gaza

by Eric on June 16, 2010

Iran has dispatched its own flotilla to the Gaza Strip, and few seem to be worried about the intentions of the Iranian crew.  It is believed that Iran dispatched one ship from Istanbul and one from Iran itself.  They claim to carry only humanitarian supplies and food on the ships.

Why, in that case, did Iran claim that the vessels are being accompanied by the Revolutionary Guard, Iran’s terrorist supporting military.  Where Turkey was considered a strong ally, Iran is considered an existential threat and major enemy.  Turkey allowed violence to proceed without any warning.  Who knows what Iran has in store?

Israel has every right and reason to be concerned.  The United States and Europe should be watching very closely as well.  Israel has a legal right to maintain a blockade around the Gaza Strip from which Palestinians continually fire rockets into Israel.  Breaching Israel’s blockade is an act of war.

While only one ship of the recent Gaza bound did not peacefully stop on the way to shore, the one ship that continued forward caused a major international incident.  Does Iran plan to stop if confronted by the Israeli military?  Does it plan to sail forward until boarded or physically stopped by Israel?  Does it plan to respond similarly, or with more deadly means, if boarded by Israeli troops?

These are all questions Israel much seriously consider as Iran’s ships draw closer to the shore.  Dozens of other groups have committed to follow in the wake of last week’s flotilla, but none pose a greater threat than a military protected Iranian vessel.

What do you all think Israel should do in the event an Iranian ship breaches Israel’s blockade?  Please give your thoughts in the comments below.

About the author

Eric Eric is the founder and editor of IsraelSituation.com. He has been to Israel many times including a semester at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the former president of the Israel advocacy group at the University of Colorado and teaches about Israel and the Media at a local religious school.

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  • Steven

    Obviously it’s an act of war. The ships could be carrying advanced weaponry. Israel should take out Iranian nuclear capabilities; we can take out the ship at the same time.

    • Deborah

      AMEN!!!

  • Devorah

    What’s ironic is that Iran is giving this “aid”, when studies show that their nation’s health is far worse than those in Palestinian territories. I think on the scale of under-five mortality, Iran is ranked 71 in the world. The West Bank is somewhere near 110.

    Funny how it’s so easy to ignore the plight in their own land, and they take their self-righteous indignation to the Jews.

  • pakistani_boy

    Aggression is always wrong, no matter where it comes from. The Iranians and Israelis should both refrain from it.

    If Iran is sending aid to Gaza, and Israel fears it will have weapons, Israel must inspect it, along with some UN inspectors (for neutrality). If there are no weapons, let the aid reach the poor in Gaza.

    Gaza may have a good mortality rate, but please remember, Gaza has no significant agriculture, no significant industry, no fresh water source, no energy generation, in fact no economy. So, by all means they need aid, and need it badly.

    Let us forget our political gains / losses. Just help the innocent, where ever they are in this world!

    • http://www.israelsituation.com/ Eric

      Thank you for that well thought out comment Pakistani. I agree that we should avoid violence whenever possible, as does the Israeli Defense Force.

      The problem, as you can easily see, is that Iran is only making the situation worse by sending armed ships to breach a legal blockade. When the Flotilla came in two weeks ago, Israel made a clear offer to accept the ships in an Israeli port and take the actual aid items in by truck. It was the passengers of one of the ships that defied that offer. The aid eventually made it to the Gaza border, where Hamas turned it away.

      Gaza has little infrastructure (one power plant if memory serves) and little agriculture. However, when Israelis were living in the area, it was a top flower exporter in the world. The dozens of greenhouses left behind in Gush Katif were smashed by the Palestinians. They should have been smarter and used them for agriculture as their Jewish predecessors had.

      The civilians in Gaza do need help, but I have little sympathy for Hamas supporters and those who do not think through the ramifications for their actions. The corruption in Gaza is horrible, and I hope to see the Palestinian leaders finally turn their focus away from hatred of the Jewish people and toward the wellbeing of their own.

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