United States Will Pay a Heavy Price for the Gaza Flotilla Incident

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

06/07/2010

Ambassador David Mack

Asserting its need to be secure from future terrorism launched from Gaza, Israel used force last week to maintain a blockade that has been creating a humanitarian cataclysm for the people of Gaza. In the early days following the attack on the aid flotilla, the Israeli military interpretation of events dominated much of the popular media coverage in the United States. Gradually, though, attention shifted to the incident's negative impact on Israel's international standing and the security implications of continued international and regional uproar. Key American interests are at risk, as well. Israel's administration of the blockade and specifically its military action of May 31 are also undermining strategies that are designed to protect real interests affecting US national security. This will continue into the future, as this incident is likely to be followed by more international efforts to run the blockade.

Unless there is success in resuming meaningful progress toward Palestinian-Israeli peace, the Obama Administration will lose its early momentum toward restoring confidence in our Middle East role. Obama highlighted the centrality of this effort in one of his first acts as President, when he appointed a heavyweight peace mediator, former Senator George Mitchell, to the job of special envoy to the Middle East. Mitchell may be able to resume lost momentum. PLO Chairman and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will keep talking to Mitchell, who has again flown to the region for proximity talks with Palestinians and Israelis. After this week's events, Abbas is nervously looking over his shoulder at a Palestinian constituency that is very sympathetic to the suffering of the Gazans, and is less likely to agree anytime soon to the direct talks Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wants, thereby stalling the negotiation process. Paradoxically, this may increase pressure on Netanyahu to make substantive concessions in the course of the proximity talks, something he would have preferred to do in direct talks. Netanyahu's hints of greater flexibility in direct talks may, of course, have been empty gestures, but now he does not have the same degree of flexibility.

It has been American strategy to build up Abbas and his Prime Minister, Fayyad Salam, at the expense of Hamas in Gaza. Both the United States and its European allies have put substantial resources into this effort. It has shown some success on the ground in the West Bank in the form of gradual improvements in economic conditions and civil society development required for eventual Palestinian statehood. Key Arab allies of the United States, particularly Egypt, have found it acceptable to defer dealing with the problem of Gaza through this approach. The action against the Gaza relief flotilla, however, has highlighted Abbas' weakness and upped the pressure on him to appease the anger of his Palestinian constituency. By further undermining the Palestinian authorities in Ramallah, the evolution of the Gaza humanitarian crisis makes it harder for President Abbas to negotiate credibly for the Palestinian people as a whole.

Even more serious for the United States are the dire effects on its ability to protect national security interests in the greater Middle East. The Gaza flotilla events have undermined America's claim to be a reliable strategic partner of our NATO ally Turkey, as well as key Arab and Muslim states whose cooperation the US needs. While we have made some progress in the past year and a half in getting them to trust our policies toward Iran and Al Qaeda, the festering sore of Palestine has increased the reluctance of those governments to take risks for our shared security concerns. For as long as the West Bank continues losing land and territorial contiguity and Israeli settlements become more firmly entrenched, Muslim governments will doubt America's commitment to the two state solution. As long as Gaza is a concentration camp of misery without any signs of a meaningful peace process for Palestinians, there will be more opportunity for Iranian influence and radical groups committed to terrorism to take hold.

If the Netanyahu government had purposefully tried to validate claims of damage to America's regional security strategy due to the Israeli-Palestinian standoff, they could not have done a better job. That the latest downward turn on the spiral of regional crisis took place on Memorial Day is an irony that is hard to ignore.

Assertions and opinions in this Commentary are solely those of the above-mentioned author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Middle East Institute, which expressly does not take positions on Middle East policy.

David Mack is a Middle East Institute scholar, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs and a former US Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.

Edited June 8, 2010 by Cleocatra

[mawilson 2,133]

The Gaza flotilla events have undermined America's claim to be a reliable strategic partner of our NATO ally Turkey

I'd say the Gaza flotilla events have undermined Turkey's claim to be a reliable strategic partner of the US and NATO.

But then, did anyone really believe that Turkey was an "ally"?

[SMOKE 1,426]

I'd say the Gaza flotilla events have undermined Turkey's claim to be a reliable strategic partner of the US and NATO.

But then, did anyone really believe that Turkey was an "ally"?

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

I'd say the Gaza flotilla events have undermined Turkey's claim to be a reliable strategic partner of the US and NATO.

But then, did anyone really believe that Turkey was an "ally"?

Do you mean besides the Ambassador with extensive background on the matter who wrote the prior piece?

Updated: 1:52 UTC Thursday 18 February 2010

Turkey As Critical U.S. Ally

The United States and Turkey have stood together through many challenges over the last 60 years as NATO allies and friends who share fundamental values. Like the United States, Turkey is a secular democracy, founded on the separation of religion from politics, yet coupled with deep respect for freedom of religion. Today, the U.S.-Turkey partnership is even more critical as both countries face formidable issues, including a global economic crisis, terrorism, and strains on the energy supply. During his recent visit to Turkey, President Barack Obama urged the expansion of trade between the U.S. and Turkey. "This economic cooperation," said President Obama, "only reinforces the common security that Europe and the United States share with Turkey as a NATO ally, and the common values that we share as democracies." Because of these common values, the U.S. strongly supports Turkey's bid to join the European Union. "Turkey has been a resolute ally and a responsible partner in transatlantic and European institutions," President Obama said. "Europe gains by the diversity of ethnicity, tradition and faith; it is not diminished by it." Turkey has taken critical steps toward E-U membership, including abolishing state-security courts and expanding the right to counsel. Turkey has reformed the penal code and passed laws to strengthen freedom of the press and assembly. In addition, Turkey has lifted some restrictions on broadcasting in Kurdish and has committed to opening up Kurdish Language and Literature departments at two universities. President Obama also encouraged further reforms. "Democracies cannot be static," he said, "They must move forward." With regard to regional relations, the United States supports the normalization of ties between Turkey and Armenia. An open border, said President Obama, would return the Turkish and Armenian people to a peaceful and prosperous coexistence benefitting both nations. The U.S. also hopes that normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia will contribute to resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In the Middle East, the U.S. and Turkey support a secure Iraq that does not provide safe haven for terrorists. Iraq, Turkey, and the U.S. all face a common threat from terrorist organizations, including the Kurdish terrorist organization known as PKK. President Obama pledged continued U.S. support in the fight against PKK terrorism. In addition to joining forces against terrorism, the U.S. seeks broad engagement with the Muslim world, based on mutual interests and mutual respect. "We will listen carefully," said President Obama, "bridge misunderstandings and seek common ground."

Turkey as critical U.S. ally

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I'd say the Gaza flotilla events have undermined Turkey's claim to be a reliable strategic partner of the US and NATO.

But then, did anyone really believe that Turkey was an "ally"?

They are getting more radical every day.

[Heracles 417]

They are getting more radical every day.

Turkey is actually the biggest hypocrite. Hello Cyprus.

It's just amazing to me that the US is an ally of a country which has committed Genocide against a range of people in the past 100 years, yet denies it. Furthermore, it was American ambassadors living in Turkey at the time that actually got word of it out too.

Edited June 9, 2010 by Booyah!

[^_^ 5,021]

Hello Cyprus.

Why, hello there. How do you do?