Airport security makes all travelers put their bags through the X-ray machines, remove their laptops from their cases and walk through the metal detectors. It doesn’t matter if you’re a diplomat, a nun or a peace activist.
So imagine being an airport-security worker faced with a man who refuses to be searched. He explains that he means no harm and is simply bringing gifts to his loved ones. Would you just let him through? What if he then assaults you or your staff, runs to his terminal and tries to board the plane. Would you let him? After all, he’s only bringing gifts.
From the time Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 until June 2007, the situation there improved. European inspectors and the Fatah governors of the Palestinian Authority worked together to inspect goods coming into Gaza. But that cooperation didn’t fit with Hamas’ objective of working to destroy Israel and build an Islamic theocracy in its place. Hamas violently took over Gaza, expelled the Europeans and kicked out or killed Fatah members. The thugs also explicitly announced that they planned to bring more weapons into Gaza to continue their attacks on Israel.
Since it took power, Hamas has fired more than 10,000 rockets at Israel. Egypt and Israel put the blockade in place solely to prevent weapons from being smuggled to terrorists who haven’t hesitated to use them.
Last week, when Turkish ships approaching our shores refused to be inspected, Israel had no choice but to ensure that the cargo included no weapons for use against our civilians. The policy is no different than that of any other country that faced similar threats. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, for example, President John Kennedy placed an embargo on Cuba to prevent the entry of more Russian missiles. Likewise, the Israeli and Egyptian blockade of Gaza applies to weapons and specific items that can be used as weapons.
Flotilla spokesperson Greta Berlin admitted, “This mission is not about delivering humanitarian supplies, it is about breaking Israel’s siege” — by which she meant the blockade.
The truth is there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Each day, thousands of tons of goods and equipment are transferred to Gaza from Israel and Egypt through international organizations.
Israel offered both the Turkish government and the flotilla leadership the chance to have the ships’ cargo processed in a manner consistent with Israeli and Egyptian protocol. They refused.
Despite this, Israel tried to deliver the cargo, after inspection. But Hamas refused to allow the humanitarian goods to enter Gaza — preferring the world to see despair.
“Peace activists” who openly declare their mission is to incite, who had weapons ready and raised before any soldiers boarded the ship, are not peace activists — if they had been, they’d work on creating conditions in Gaza that can lead to peace, conditions that include the teaching of coexistence rather than hate.
These people aren’t focused on delivering humanitarian aid — if they were, they’d have peacefully docked in Ashdod, and the supplies would’ve been delivered to the people of Gaza. And they certainly aren’t helping the Palestinian people.
Asaf Shariv is the Israeli consul general in New York.