Israel is increasingly becoming problematic for not just the United States, since Israel is both an ally and a recipient of aid, but for those in the Middle East who are not actively seeking the destruction of the Jewish state. First was the subjugation of the Palestinians, followed by the invasion of the Gaza strip and the commandeering of Palestinian land, and the questionable rhetoric purposely ignorant of both the outside world and reality.
Then came the recent “aid incident”.
Israel has, for years, blocked access to Gaza as much as possible, and has since created a naval blockade to further prevent access to their archenemies. Aid was sent, in the form of food and supplies, via a civilian naval sortie, which was subsequently blocked, boarded, and raided by Israeli forces – culminating in the deaths of many civilians and the injury of others. Israel’s only defense for such despicable action is to claim they had terrorist ties and that this aid mission was a security threat to their country, all of which ignores the fact that, by most accounts, these civilians had no viable arms and were in international waters.
The reaction from the Arab world has been oddly unified against Israel’s decision to use their military’s special forces soldiers against civilians, which is unusual for a people typically more concerned with what specific version of Islam – Sunni vs. Shiite, moderate/liberal vs. Sharia, etc. – is practiced in any given nation. Turkey has not only condemned this action, but has sent further aid accompanied by the Turkish Navy, while contemplating further action. Various nations have condemned Israel’s actions and demanded explanation.
How could Israel be so ignorant? For a country with only a 62 year history, created out of the aftermath of World War II, Israel has an unbridled sense of entitlement and an overly large ego – nowhere else in the world does a country exist by the sweeping declaration of large powers that subsequently behaves in a manner challenging its very right to existence. Israel is a nation, predominantly, of Jews that lays claim to land held sacred by three separate religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. These three religions are incompatible at the best of times, and the policies of Israel, in addition to their public declarations of some divine right to singular ownership of the land, only exacerbates this conflict.
The Arab response to the subjugation of its people in Palestine has been, sadly, what amounts to terrorism, courtesy of Hamas, Hezbollah, and others, which turns an otherwise clear-cut case of ethics into a debate. Regardless, Israel acts both belligerently and arrogantly toward friend and foe alike, ignores the recommendations or even demands of those that help fund and defend its existence, and consistently ignores the fact that they are a Jewish state in an area populated almost exclusively by Arabs. Military action against Arab states, as seen previously and likely to continue, is not advisable in such an unstable region, no matter the strength of the Israeli military or special forces.
It’s impossible to interpret the raid, and subsequent murders, that Israel has enacted, except as an aggressive action toward those who happen to lay in direct opposition to their state’s religious beliefs – aiding the Palestinians is, to them, no different than aiding the enemy, despite that this enemy was created at their own hands through intolerance and the ignorance of religious freedom. More importantly, these actions are incomprehensible to Arab and secular nations alike, regardless of geographical location: there is no defensible reason for the murdering of civilians on a peaceable effort, much less the starvation, forced seclusion, and general subjugation of a group of people. For Israel to believe there would somehow be a sympathetic reaction to their claims of so-called attack, simply because of their precarious position or, as per usual, the historic persecution of their people, is ludicrous.
Israel’s behavior is nothing short of provocative aggression that will inevitably lead to war between nations. If Turkey’s aid is not well received, or is, in fact, prohibited from reaching Gaza, it will be reason enough for Arab states to declare war, or, at minimum, mobilize the region’s various nationless terrorist organizations against the Jewish nation. Military power, arrogance, and exclusionary public policy are only effective when the nation in question has a substantial buffer from conflict, either through politics or physical distance – Israel, interestingly, has neither. Having lost the support of the international community, Israel now stands at the brink of war, surrounded by potential enemies and without any hope of longterm survival.
From Kyle Brady…
Kyle can be found on his blog, on Facebook, via email, or on Twitter.
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