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Gaza Flotilla

Table of Contents: Statements, Actions, Policy, Q & As, Commentary


J Street on the Gaza Flotilla and Its Aftermath

The events of recent days are shocking and tragic. We mourn the loss of life and wish the injured a full and speedy recovery.

J Street believes strongly that without immediate leadership to change the course of events, the status quo in the Middle East will lead to further tragedy and ultimately to the demise of the Jewish, democratic Israel that we seek to preserve and protect.

It is incumbent on President Obama, the leaders of the worldwide Jewish community, and the leaders of Israel to seize on this moment of crisis and tragedy and turn it into a meaningful opportunity to end the underlying conflict once and for all.

We urge that Israel immediately appoint a scrupulously independent commission to investigate the events onboard the Marmara and the decisions and circumstances surrounding the tragedy. We do believe that the government of Israel is capable of carrying out such an investigation but recognize its credibility is in doubt. Nothing but an immediate inquiry led by an impartial figure outside the government can produce a report that would be viewed as fair by Israel and the wider international community.

We harbor no illusions about the motives of those who organized the flotilla. While the cargo they carried was humanitarian in nature, their intent was to force the Israeli government to confront the consequences of the blockade of Gaza - including by using the media coverage to further damage Israel's standing in world opinion.

They have succeeded not only in creating negative publicity but in highlighting for the world that Israel's actions and policies go far beyond the measures necessary to prevent the import of weapons and other material aid to terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Israel may have had the necessary legal justification to enforce its blockade, but the correct question isn't whether it had the right to use force, but whether that decision was strategically wise and furthered the clear goal of promoting the security of a Jewish, democratic and safe Israel. We believe it did not.

J Street's Position:

We call for

  1. Lifting the unproductive blockade of humanitarian and construction materials into Gaza while supporting serious, effective security measures to prevent weapons and other terrorist supplies from entering.
  2. The immediate release by Hamas of Corporal Gilad Shalit and Hamas' renunciation of violence as a means of achieving the political goal of Palestinian freedom and independence.
  3. An immediate, serious and dramatic effort, led by President Obama, to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and achieve a two-state solution now.
  4. An outpouring of support from the American Jewish community and all those who care about preserving a Jewish, democratic, and safe Israel for immediate movement on the part of the state of Israel toward a diplomatic two-state resolution.
  5. The leaders of all sides - Arabs, Palestinians and Israelis - to begin an honest conversation with their people about how this conflict will end and the compromises and sacrifices that will be necessary to avoid further generations of violence, bloodshed and terror.

Finally, we echo President Obama's call for a two-state solution in Cairo one year ago this week:

"Too many tears have been shed. Too much blood has been shed. All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without fear; when the Holy Land of the three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed, peace be upon them, joined in prayer."

Click here for a PDF version of this one-pager.


Key Questions and Answers on the Gaza Flotilla

Here are a few examples of some of the most overheard questions following the Gaza Flotilla Tragedy and J Street's answers. If you'd like to see another question answered on this page, send us an email at info [at] jstreet [dot] org.

Q: Why didn’t the boat go to Ashdod and unload supplies, as the IDF offered?

A: The flotilla’s organizers were trying to break the blockade and Israel knew that. It is obvious that the flotilla was not simply a humanitarian aid mission but also a strategic effort to force an Israeli response and to bring attention to the issue of the ongoing Israeli blockade of Gaza.

The proper response to the flotilla would have been – and to future ships, will be – a shift to a policy that sensibly protects Israel, prevents weapons importation and allows in all other humanitarian and basic supplies.

Q: Weren’t the Israeli Defense Forces acting in self-defense?

A: Video does show that the IDF soldiers were attacked by a violent mob, and we hope that an independent inquiry will determine the exact circumstances. However, the major lingering question is why soldiers were sent onto these ships in the first place - the strategy itself placed the soldiers in an exceptionally difficult situation and predictably led to the tragic outcome.

Q: Was the flotilla funded by Hamas allies and terrorist agents?  

A: There are a lot of questions that will need to be answered in the days ahead about all aspects of this incident. Even presuming the worst about the people on the boats and the people who funded them – there is little strategic justification or rationale for either the underlying blockade policy or the response that was planned and carried out.

The Flotilla organizers, regardless of their politics or where their funding comes from, have now succeeded not only in creating negative publicity but also in highlighting for the world that Israel’s actions and policies go far beyond measures necessary to prevent the import of weapons and other material aid to terrorists into the Gaza Strip.

Q: Doesn't Israel have a right to defend itself and impose a blockade on weapons headed to Hamas in Gaza for use against Israel?

A: Of course, J Street believes Israel has the right to act to prevent weapons from ending up in Hamas’ hands. The question is not whether or not Israel had the right, but whether it was wise to act in this manner to enforce a counterproductive blockade that does not effectively deny Hamas weaponry, increases Hamas’ stature at home and abroad, further undermines Israel’s international reputation, and contributes to humanitarian strife in Gaza.

Q: How can Israel be the one to investigate itself? Shouldn’t the International Community do that?

J Street supports a credible, independent commission that would provide the world with a full and complete report into the causes and circumstances surrounding the day’s events and establish responsibility for the violence and bloodshed as similar commissions have in the past. An immediate inquiry, led by an impartial figure outside the government, can produce a report that would be viewed as fair by Israel and the wider international community.

Q: Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist - why shouldn't Israel blockade them?

Make no mistake – Hamas is an organization that threatens Israel, uses terror and is holding Gilad Shalit hostage. We should recognize at the outset that it is a dangerous organization that must be dealt with openly and honestly as such.

The appropriate question is what the best strategy is for dealing with them. Israel is right to put into place a rigorous system of border control that will ensure that weapons and materials clearly intended for terror purposes do not enter Gaza – and there would be international support for such efforts.

However, the present policy of total closure goes far beyond measures needed simply for security – and the consequences of that policy are actually undermining Israel’s long-term interests and security. There is no justification for keeping out humanitarian supplies (food, medicine and the like). There is no reason not to work with the UN to provide the materials it needs to rebuild damaged schools and construct new ones to meet demand. Actions such as these – not to mention the raid on the flotilla – damage Israel’s standing in the world, continue its march toward becoming a pariah state, ratchet up hatred and tension among the Palestinians – and make Israel less secure in the long run.

Click here to download a PDF version of the Gaza Flotilla Q & As.

 

Gaza Blockade Questions and Answers

Here are a few examples of some of the most overheard questions about the Gaza Blockade and J Street's policy. If you'd like to see another question answered on this page, send us an email at info [at] jstreet [dot] org. 

Q: What does Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip entail?

A: Israel's blockade of Gaza includes a ban on weapons, materials that can be used to create weapons, and humanitarian goods that are not applicable to military purposes.

It prohibits articles, including food, medical goods and construction materials deemed by Israel not to be, in the language of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, "vital humanitarian goods" [1] from entering the territory. It also prohibits all exports from the Gaza Strip, and limits the amount of fuel and electricity allowed into the territory.

The Israeli Government has not released an official list of goods it is preventing from entering the Gaza Strip.  However, an ad hoc list by The Economist, compiled based on observations of people in Gaza, includes such items as coriander, fresh meat, wood for housing, tarps and heaters.  [2] Israel alters the list of prohibited goods without notice, and has at times prohibited light bulbs, candles, matches, books, clothing, shoes, mattresses, sheets, blankets and pasta.

Additionally, items allowed into Gaza are entering at greatly reduced volumes.  It is estimated that Gaza's population of 1.5 million now relies on less than a quarter of the volume of imported supplies they received in December 2005, before the blockade began. [3]

Q: Why is Israel blockading Gaza?

A: Following the intensification of Qassam rocket attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians in September 2007 and Hamas' political takeover of the Strip, Israel declared Gaza "hostile territory," expanding more limited restrictions on goods entering the territory into the current blockade.

While Israel has every right to institute measures to prevent the entry of weapons to the Hamas-controlled territory, its blockade of the Gaza Strip is intended "to compromise the ability of Hamas to govern in Gaza as the quality of life deteriorated." [4] Israeli officials have repeatedly characterized their blockade policy in the following terms: "No prosperity, no development, no humanitarian crisis." [5]

Q: Is the blockade effective at protecting Israel's security and weakening Hamas?

A: According to the Associated Press, support for Hamas in the Gaza Strip has not been weakened, as Gazan civilians blame Israel for the deprivation they are suffering under the blockade.  [6] Hamas has continued to ship arms into Gaza through tunnels, along with prohibited food and building materials which it distributes to the besieged population to garner additional goodwill as the sole provider of essential articles. Meanwhile, Israel's standing in the international community continues to deteriorate in lock-step with conditions in Gaza.

Q: Is there really a humanitarian crisis in Gaza?

A: Many international organizations consider Gaza to be experiencing a full-blown humanitarian crisis. [7] Not only is the blockade harming the nutrition and health of Gazans, but the economy -- and the means for Gazans to provide for themselves -- in the territory has been significantly undermined by the dearth of materials and energy for businesses and the total ban on exports.

Consider the following statistics provided by the U.S. State Department-funded charity American Near East Refugee Aid:

  • 8 out of 10 Gazans depend on foreign aid to survive;
  • Gaza requires a minimum of 400 trucks a day to meet basic nutritional needs, but an average of just 171 trucks worth of supplies enter Gaza every week;
  • Clothes that were held in the port of Ashdod for over a year were released into Gaza but arrived unusable, covered with mold and mildew;
  • 95% of Gaza's water fails World Health Organization standards, leaving thousands of newborns at risk of poisoning;
  • Anemia for children under the age of 5 is estimated at 48%.

Q: Is there an alternative to the blockade that protects Israel's security and prevents weapons from getting into the hands of Hamas?

A: Yes. Israel could end the general blockade while maintaining strict border inspections and controls for interdicting weapons and articles which have military applications. Israel is a world leader in the monitoring and border control technology necessary to ensure weapons are not moved across the border into Gaza. [8]  With fewer soldiers and resources assigned to enforcing the current blockade on non-military items, Israel could more effectively devote its energies to detecting and closing the tunnels through which Hamas is currently shipping arms.  It could also count on a much broader spectrum of international support in stemming the movement of such weapons into Gaza.

[1] "MFA legal expert Sarah Weiss Maudi on the legal aspects of Gaza aid." Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, May 26, 2010.

[2] "Partial List of Items Prohibited/Permitted into the Gaza Strip." Gisha - Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, May 2010.

[3] "Guide: Gaza under blockade," by Heather Sharp. BBC, May 31, 2010.

[4] "Cabinet declares Gaza 'hostile territory'," by Avi Issacharoff, Barak Ravid, and Shlomo Shamir. Haaretz, September 20, 2007.

[5] "Gaza Bonanza," by Yotam Feldman and Uri Blau. Haaretz, June 11, 2009.

[6] "Israeli blockade of Gaza at heart of crisis." Associated Press, June 2, 2010.

[7]  "Guide: Gaza under blockade," by Heather Sharp. BBC, May 31, 2010.

[8] "Rethinking the Gaza Blockade." The New York Times, June 1, 2010.

Click here to download a PDF version of the Gaza Blockade Q & A.

 

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J Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans to advocate for vigorous U.S. leadership to achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to broaden debate around Israel and the Middle East in national politics and the American Jewish community.

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