"By
falling into the trap laid out for it, Israel has complicated efforts to adopt
sanctions against Iran. Now that the Council's attention is diverted, American
attempts to win support for measures that should be a priority for the Jewish
state have been compromised."
After a commando raid on a flotilla of ships intent on breaking Israel's three-year blockade of Gaza, the Jewish State is confronting a firestorm of global criticism.
The crisis triggered by Israel's
raid on a humanitarian flotilla off of Gaza comes at a bad time for Barack
Obama. It undermines his efforts to launch indirect talks between Israelis and
Palestinians and complicates the U.N. debate on sanctions to stop Iran's
nuclear program.
The White House has refrained
from reacting harshly against Israel and limited the effects of the first
meeting of the U.N. Security Council, by preventing Turkey from obtaining a
condemnation of the Israeli military intervention.
To stall for time in the hope
that calmer spirits would prevail, an "impartial" investigation was called
for. The Security Council also demanded the "immediate" release of
the civilians arrested by Israel, but since most of the detained are European,
the reaction in Europe is more intense than in the United States.
Time is short. Given the
fiasco that this murderous raid means in terms of Israel's image, it is urgent
that the pro-Palestinian activists who were arrested are released and
repatriated as quickly as possible.
Just as the instigators of
the humanitarian flotilla wanted, the affair has drawn attention because of the
blockade imposed by Israel since the 2007 takeover of Gaza by Hamas. The E.U.
has long demanded the lifting of the embargo, while the U.S. has adopted a more
nuanced position. The Americans have deliberately ignored the situation in Gaza
and have instead focused on promoting indirect talks between the government of
Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
The current crisis
demonstrates the limits of this approach. It has transformed the balance of
power between Israelis and Palestinians, who have now recovered their status as
victims in the eyes of global opinion - a status they had lost by engaging in
suicide bombings and rocket attacks.
By falling into the trap laid
out for it, Israel has complicated efforts to adopt sanctions against Iran. Now
that the Council's attention is diverted, American attempts to win support for
measures that should be a priority for the Jewish state have been compromised.
It is imperative that Israel emerge from the trap in which American diplomacy also
risks being ensnared.
