The immediate problem for Israel is that the Gaza blockade is not sustainable. It is producing the opposite of the intended outcome: Hamas strengthens its control in Gaza while Israel becomes more isolated internationally.
Worse, the blockade invites challenges from pro-Hamas militants and well-meaning humanitarian groups alike. The ships boarded on Monday were carrying 10,000 tons of relief assistance, plus hundreds of activists and peaceniks from across Europe armed with cellphones and video cameras. And more such voyages are said to be planned…
How can Israel and the United States learn from mistakes and bend this crisis toward a better outcome? The answer is to use the fact that this has become an Israel-Turkey standoff, rather than just a Gaza problem. Turkey has regional ambitions, but it isn’t a crazy terrorist enclave and it doesn’t spout Holocaust-denying rhetoric. It’s a big, strong country that wants to be a power broker. There should be a way to satisfy Turkey’s hunger for respect without weakening Israel.
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