FACT:
on May 31, 2010, in which nine passengers were killed after attacking a boarding party of Israeli naval commandos,Israel
has come under increasing international pressure to lift its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip
. Despite the furor, all the regional players continue to support the policy of preventing Hamas'
ability to import goods, and potentially weapons, without restriction. In June 2010, Yuval Diskin, head of the Shin Bet
, stated that lifting the blockade would endanger Israel
, giving Hamas
a new route by which to smuggle weapons. By Diskin's estimate, Hamas
has already stockpiled 5,000rockets
. An end to the blockade would give Iran
an open door through which it could send Hamas
additional weapons, including rockets
with greater range and accuracy. Hamas
already has the capability of reaching the suburbs of Tel Aviv
; an end to the blockade would give Iran
the opportunity to deliverrockets
that could place Israel's
population centers in jeopardy.386
is equally committed to the blockade. Egypt
shares a six-mile border with Gaza
and has significantly stepped up its efforts to prevent the smuggling of weapons and money headed to Hamas
. Egypt's
efforts are beginning to have a serious effect on Hamas
. While domestic goods are smuggled easily through the tunnels under the border, Iran
and other supporters ofHamas
have had difficulty smuggling money toHamas'
strongmen, creating a cash-flow crisis for the terrorist organization. Hamas
has begun to levy additional taxes on the Palestinians of Gaza
, creating some pushback from Palestinians and driving a wedge further between the interests of the people of Gaza
and the Hamas
leadership.387
President Mahmoud Abbas
voiced his support of the blockade to U.S. PresidentBarack Obama
when they met at the White House on June 9, 2010. Abbas
stated that lifting the blockade would give Hamas
access to more weaponry. Though he supported the idea of an increase in the types of goodsIsrael
allowed into Gaza
, he advocated making changes to Israel's
policy slowly, so that it could not be interpreted as a victory for Hamas
.388
has said all along it does not want to punish the people of Gaza
and has been gradually loosening the restrictions on what it permits into the area. The government has indicated it intends to provide even more assistance in the future.
government announced it will investigate why five ships were peacefully brought to Ashdod
and their cargo unloaded and forwarded to Gaza
while one ship's passengers provoked a confrontation. Meanwhile, the unfortunate events at sea did not change any of the facts on the ground and should not be allowed to trigger a knee-jerk reversal of a policy that is saving Israeli lives. The necessity of the blockade was obvious shortly after the uproar over the flotilla
when Hamas
launched a series of rockets
into Israel
. Hamas
remains an Islamic terrorist organization
, backed by Iran
, which is less interested in the creation of a Palestinian state than the destruction of a Jewish one. |
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386Amy Teibel, "Yuval Diskin Warns Against Lifting the Blockade,"The Huffington Post
, (June 15, 2010).
387Herb Keinon, "Don't Undo Blockade, It Weakens Hamas,"Jerusalem Post
, (June 14, 2010).
388Barak Ravid, "Abbas to Obama: I'm Against Lifting The Gaza Naval Blockade," Haaretz
, June 13, 2010
Mitchell Bard is the Executive Director of the nonprofit American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) and the director of the Jewish Virtual Library. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from UCLA and has been published in academic journals, magazines, and major newspapers. He has written and edited 18 books, including Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israel Conflict, Second Edition, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict, 1001 Facts Everyone Should Know About Israel, and Will Israel Survive?. His latest book is 48 Hours of Kristallnacht: Night of Destruction/Dawn of the Holocaust.
Note:
Also see "Fact Sheet #75: The Gaza Flotilla, June 7, 2010 on Jewish Virtual Library.
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