Israel and Turkey have reached an agreement to normalize ties six years after an Israeli naval attack that killed 10 Turkish activists and 9 years after the imposition of a deadly siege that has left Gaza unlivable.
What do we, Palestinians of Gaza, feel about it?
To put it mildly, we are dismayed and angered as must be the families of the 10 victims of the Mavi Marmara incident. This deal leaves us under a hermetic, medieval siege that amounts to what the Israeli historian Ilan Pappe calls “incremental genocide.” Needless to say that the deal also violates the boycott guidelines which Palestinians civil society issued in 2005. In fact, it is not unlike normalizing diplomatic and economic ties with South African apartheid.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) is the Turkish branch of Ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood) who ruled Egypt for a year and failed to open the Rafah crossing and lift the siege. Hamas, the Palestinian branch, has also added misery to the lives of the besieged of Gaza through its strict rule and absence of any political vision. Now, the Ikhwan of Turkey strike a deal with apartheid Israel at the expense of Palestinian basic rights!
To add insult to injury, Hamas has issued a statement “expressing its gratitude for Mr. Erdogan’s efforts to help the residents of Gaza, which are in line with Turkey’s principled support of the Palestinian cause”! And Hamas leader Ahmed Yousuf made it clear that “Turkey has done all it could to lift the siege and help the Palestinians of Gaza. The regional changes have made it change its policy and accept the easing of the siege instead! We can’t expect more than this from Turkey.” (my translation)
Defenders of the Turkish government, namely Islamists, are up in arms to justify the unjustifiable. The Israel-Turkey reconciliation deal has nothing to do with Gaza, and everything to do with Israel’s, and to some extent Turkey’s, interests.
In fact, the Ikhwan never fail to let u down. They don’t want to acknowledge that the Israel-Turkey reconciliation deal is a slap in the face of ethical and moral decency for the mere fact that Turkey has ended up asking for Israel’s help to lift the siege on Gaza.
So what does “lifting the siege” mean?
It basically means opening the six crossings to Gaza, the keys of which are in Israel’s hands, and allowing the flow of all kinds of goods, especially essentials, to and from Gaza; and providing Gaza with electricity and clean water; and guaranteeing the freedom of movement of the 2 million Palestinians of Gaza. This also means opening the Rafah crossing 24/7. This is the responsibility of the occupying power, namely Israel. But even this does not meet the minimum basic rights of the Palestinian people: freedom, equality, and justice. No normal relations with apartheid Israel should be resumed without the latter complying with International law that guarantees Palestinian basic rights.
A quick reading of the deal proves that it is a stab in the back of Gaza. Improving the conditions of oppression, or rather slowing down the genocide, is a form of complicity because Gaza for the Turkish government is just a humanitarian case. In a nutshell, the Turkish government has sold us out and wants us to be grateful!
The “incremental genocide” continues.
After years of reading this site, and many more years of reading the news, I understand the realities of American politics. Yet I still don’t understand why the U.S., whose leaders have often paid lip service to the notion of humanitarian aid for Palestinians (so long as it does not get in the way of Israel’s aspirations) could not open a port in Gaza, under UN supervision, to make it possible for other nations to bring in non-military items.
The writer is right on! This is a TERRIBLE deal! I was part of the 2010 Flotilla. Keep in mind that, not only were 10 people murdered, but scores were injured, and 466 of us were kidnapped and imprisoned with all of the cargo and our valuables stolen – including, except for the Mavi, all of the boats. With this deal, the criminals responsible will escape prosecution, at least in Turkey, which practically assures that similar crimes will be carried out in the future until Israel is finally held accountable for them. Worst of all, though, the siege, instead of being lifted, is now being ‘normalized’, just like the rest of the Occupation. Meanwhile, for a payment of only $20 million (which US taxpayers will cover?) Israel stands to gain billions in trade deals with Turkey. Finally, if you believe that Israel will allow critical materials and supplies into Gaza as a result of this deal, guess again!
It will be very interesting to see what the families of the victims say and do about this ‘deal’. My guess is that they will reject it outright and keep fighting for REAL justice, even if it means fighting their own government to secure it!
Stay tuned.
“(so long as it does not get in the way of Israel’s aspirations)” – See more at: https://mondoweiss.mystagingwebsite.com/2016/06/turkish-government-grateful/#sthash.HvqQmrCc.zuhrMV9z.dpuf
A high priority Israeli aspiration is to complete the genocide of the Palestinian people. A port in Gaza interferes with this aspiration.
Turkish Government is not the Government of the UNGA 181 State of Palestine: Abbas has sold out the Palestinians of Gaza, Palestinians of the West Bank, & Palestinian Refugees
Abbas has been purposed on surrendering sovereignty of Territory of UNGA 181 State of Palestine & surrendering sovereign powers accorded under UNGA 3236, A/RES/43/177, & A/RES/67/19 through failed UNSC Saudi Draft & now French Initiative
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1 Abbas at work surrendering the Arafat Leadership gains
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=908192892603846&set=a.862461040510365.1073741848.100002394314450&type=3&theater
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2 VC_LOT Article 53: Absurd premise that UNSC 242 & I_973 could be breached through a bi-lateral agreement
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1026772450745889&set=a.513375965418876.1073741833.100002394314450&type=3&theater
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3 VC_LOT Article 47 Notification vis-a-vis Abbas powers
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=901471446609324&set=a.513375965418876.1073741833.100002394314450&type=3&theater
If it were a hermetic medieval siege, the people of Gaza would be forced into starvation/thirst and eventual surrender. In order to execute such a siege, Israel would have to push into Gaza and circumvallate the city itself, burning or otherwise capturing the rural parts. Electricity, communications, and water access would be curtailed.
What Israel does to Gaza is more of an economic and military blockade than a medieval siege, and it does nobody any good to tell emotive lies, since Israel could impose a medieval siege on Gaza if it wanted to.